Music: Majestic Nature by Craig Stuart Garfinkle Artwork by Steve English The script: Episode 8 - The Ghost Roseberry was neither young nor slender and always frustrated at her lack of speed when it came to dealing with Horatio Fleming McNaughtie and the havoc he caused. Of course, the vacuum cleaner turning up ‘who knew where?’ each day only added to the frustration! As soon as the howl of the vacuum started, the whole Manor reverberated with the resonant growling and barking of the enraged Horatio. Of course, Horatio didn't see it that way. As far as he was concerned, he was a hero! When the evil villain 'attacked', he was ready to defend the Manor, the people in the Manor and, of course, the one he loved more than anyone else, his master, the Baron. As he hurtled after the evil menace, intent on vanquishing his foe, he could always be sure of his master’s encouraging shouts behind him, supporting and egging him on in his noble quest. Well, at least, that’s the way he saw it and I doubt very much that anything could ‘ve change his opinion on the subject. In reality, the Baron just wanted to protect Horatio and calm the animal down. He chased after him as fast as he could (which wasn't very fast due to a short left leg, club foot, built-up shoe and slightly hunched back), all the while shouting ineffectively at Horatio to stop, in the vain hope that somehow this would limit the inevitable carnage. It never did. The end was always the same, with bits of vacuum cleaner flung all around and Horatio sitting gnawing at some component or other. To be honest, the Baron was relieved that Horatio hadn't electrocuted himself. He was ugly enough for a border terrier without the additional burns and loss of fur/eyes/teeth/limbs and even life that electrocution could cause! However, today didn't quite go as it usually did. For one thing, Roseberry Topping, the housekeeper of Manor Rott, Grott & Snott, happened to turn into the corridor Horatio and the Baron were chasing down and found them hurtling towards her. Horatio had a healthy respect for Roseberry. So, rather than trying to dash past her and risk being grabbed by the collar, he took a sudden right turn and bolted off down another corridor (which probably hadn't been there moments before), in an attempt to get to the offending enemy another way. As for the Baron, his relief at Horatio’s destructive charge being temporarily foiled was short-lived when he realised that, by chasing him as fast as he could, now he was confronted by the unexpected obstacle of an angry Roseberry completely blocking the corridor. This could be a problem. It was! With his various issues, he simply wasn't able to slow down fast enough to avoid a collision and the two of them tumbled sideways into a room just in front of the vacuum cleaner as it vacuumed the carpet, apparently all on its own. Moments later, Horatio bounded in at the far end of the room, his beady, uneven eyes seemed somehow larger than usual and, maybe it was a trick of the light, but they seemed to glow green! As they watched, his mouth appeared to get bigger and his overgrown lower jaw elongated. His yellowing teeth and fangs grew more vicious as he pounded towards … well ... surely it must have been the vacuum cleaner? Yet it felt very much like he was pounding towards them. Always a scruffy, tufty border terrier (even after he'd been hand stripped to keep his fur under control), now his coat resembled a lion's mane. From their angle, tangled on the floor, both Roseberry and the Baron thought how big he seemed, getting bigger with each bound until he leapt, with madness in his eyes, intent on destruction. = Eller Beck was having a terrible day, like usual. She'd spent the morning so far trying to get a spider to notice her and to see if she could manage to tap its web. She hadn't and, after a few choice words, she'd wandered off into the Manor to wait for the morning show. At 11:05 every day the... Support this podcast
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