Flight of the Red Bandit_clone

Dear mouse friends, Welcome to the world of



R ’ GTHE ODENT S AZETTE EDITORIAL STAFF

Geronimo Stilton Thea Stilton A learned and brainy Geronimo’s sister and special correspondent at mouse; editor of The Rodent’s Gazette The Rodent’s Gazette Trap Stilton Benjamin Stilton An awful joker; Geronimo’s cousin and A sweet and loving owner of the store nine-year-old mouse; Cheap Junk for Less Geronimo’s favorite nephew

FLIGHT OF THE RED BANDIT Scholastic Inc.

All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. No part of this publication may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or intro- duced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or here- after invented, without the express written permission of the publisher. For information regarding permission, please contact Atlantyca S.p.A., Via Leopardi 8, 20123 Milan, Italy; e-mail [email protected], www.atlantyca.com. e-ISBN 978-0-545-55682-8 Copyright © 2012 by Edizioni Piemme S.p.A., Corso Como 15, 20154 Milan, Italy. International Rights © Atlantyca S.p.A. English translation © 2014 by Atlantyca S.p.A. GERONIMO STILTON names, characters, and related indicia are copyright, trademark, and exclusive license of Atlantyca S.p.A. All rights reserved. The moral right of the author has been asserted. Based on an original idea by Elisabetta Dami. w w w.gero n imo s tilto n .co m Published by Scholastic Inc., 557 Broadway, New York, NY 10012. SCHOLASTIC and associated trademarks logos are trademarks and/or registered of Scholastic Inc. Stilton is the name of a famous En glish cheese. It is a registered trade- mark of the Stilton Cheese Makers’ Association. For more information, go to www.stiltoncheese.com. Text by Geronimo Stilton Original title Dov’è sparito Falco Rosso? Cover by Giuseppe Ferrario (design) and Giulia Zaffaroni (color) Illustrations by Giuseppe Ferrario (design) and Christian Aliprandi (color) Graphics by Chiara Cebraro Special thanks to Tracey West Translated by Lidia Morson Tramontozzi Interior design by Kay Petronio First printing, January 2014

GRANDSON! GRAAAANDSON! It was hotter than a S C O RC H I N G bowl of cheese soup that July afternoon. I was in my office at the Rodent’s Gazette, trying to staBrtO OK . Bumt yI couldn’t new think of ANYTHING to write about!

Usually, I like to write about my real-life experiences. Lately, however, nothing at all INTERESTING has happened to me. So my mind was as BLANK as a slice of mozzarella. I’m sorry — I just realized that I haven’t introduced myself! You may have already guessed who I am. My name is Stilton, Geronimo Stilton. I’m the editor of The Rodent’s Gazette, thFe AMOUSEmost newspaper on Mouse Island. Anyway, I haven’t had an adventure in a long time. I thought about my trip to Japan with Wild Willie.* And the SAVtiEmDe aI beached white whale on a faraway shore.** Those were great adventures! Then it hit me. Both of those adventures took place in nature! Suddenly, I had an I D E A : I could write * Read all about it in my book The Way of the Samurai. ** Read all about it in my book Save the White Whale!

Wa dhvaet natnur e !

Tw e e t ! about nature! But what kind of nature? Sandy beaches? L E A F Y jungles? PEACEFUL Tw e e t ! forests? I LOOKED outside the window and sighed. Holed up in my office in New Mouse City, the only nature I could see were the sparrows c h e e s ethat pecked at my crusts on the windowsill. They were cute, but I didn’t think they would make a very interesting book. e x c i t i n gI needed something to write about. And to do that, I needed adventureto go on a really good ! (But nothing too dangerous, because I am really a SCAREDY-MOUSE at heart!) I was lost in my thoughts when I heard a 4

bangloud ! A mouse pushed open my office door. Can you guess who it was? I’ll give you some clues: He’s a tall, muscled furmouse with thick silvery . He wears steel-framed eyeglasses, and he always has STERN a look on his face — a very stern look. Now can you guess?

I FIND MY INSPIRATION! You guessed it! That rodent was none other than my grandfather William Shortpaws, also known as Cheap Mouse Willie. “Graaaaandson!” his voice boomed out. It looked like he was in a bad mood, as always. I noticed that he was hatwearing his favorite : Graaaandson! a vintage c o w b oy hat. A red bandanna was wrapped around it, and a falcon’s f e a t h e r was stuck in it. My grandfather loves hats almost as much as he 6

loves cheese. He has a big collection of hats, cowboybut he wears his hat all the time. Grandfather took off his hat and showed HOLEme a in the top. “Know why this hole is here?” he asked. “Because I’ve been wearing this hat for thirty years. Know something else? I need a n e w one. Want to know one more thing? someoneI need to go get it for me.” I knew that he meant me, of course, but I didn’t have time to go hat shopping. “ E x c u s e m e, Grandfather,”I said POLITELY. “But I have a book to write, and I need to find some inspiration.” “I’ll give you some inspiration!” he THUNDERED. “You will?” I asked nervously. “That’s right!” Grandfather replied. “I bought my hat years ago in a l i t t l e s h o p 7



in Sedona, Arizona. It was called the Silver Cactus. And this red bandanna was given to me by my friend the RED BANDIT many years ago. He wears one just like this.” “Arizona?” I asked. I had never been there. “Oh, it’s a marvelous state, and Sedona beautifulis so !” my grandfather said. “That’s why you will find it the perfect setting for your next adventure! You’ll find lots of e x c i t e m e n t there.” exciting“What makes it so ?” I asked cautiously. “Why, the poisonous snakes, of course!” Grandfather answered. “And then there are all those spiders.” I turned pale. are as spiders “Yes, some of those large as a cheese pizza,” Grandfather went on. “And don’t forget the scorpions . 9

Those little guys are just loaded with poison.” “S-snakes? S-spiders? S-scorpions?” I shuddered. Grandfather tugged on one of my whiskers. “SNAP OUT OF IT!” he yelled. “Are you a scaredy-mouse?” “N-no, sir,” I said. “We’ll see about that,” Grandfather said. “You want to call yourself a REAL MOUSE ? Snake s! S p id e rs! Heeelp! S co r p io n s!

Then prove it. See if you can go A real mouse? to Arizona and come back in one piece. I am sending your cousin Trap with you to . . . or a s c a r e dy - mous e ? EYEkeep an on you.” “Trap!” I exclaimed. I’d almost rather go on a trip with a scorpion. Grandfather ignored me. “You will go to Sedona, Arizona, and look for the Silver Cactus shop,” he went on. “There you can buy me another hat just like this one. To get the bandanna and the feather, you’ll have to look up my good friend the RED BANDIT.” This trip was sounding WORSE and WORSE . “But I don’t know anything about Arizona!” I protested. Grandfather shoved a guidebook into my 11

paws. “Then read this!” Before I could argue, he pushed me out of my office, down the stairs, and shoved me taxiinto a . “Take my grandson to the airport, and do it PRONTO!” he barked at the driver. “But I haven’t packed!” I yelled. hat onto Grandfather jammed his my head. “This is all you need.” Then he shut the door with a bang that shook my whiskers. Re me mbe r my t i ny g i f t !

“Go find the hat!” he said. “Be sure it’s the RIGHT size, the RIGHT style, and the RIGHT color. And don’t forget the bandanna and the feaaaaaather!” As the taxi sped off, I heard his last request. “By the way, would you take the Red Bandit a TINY GIFT from me?” he yelled. “Trap has it!” I stuck my head out of the window, and wavedmy whiskers in the breeze. “I wiiiiiill, Grandfather!” I shouted back. I wiiiiiill!

YOU CALL THAT A TINY GIFT? We got to the airport in a half hour. As soon as I walked in, I heard someone shout, “GERONIMO! Stop daydreaming about cheese sandwiches and get over here!” It was my cousin Trap! I’ve known him ever since we were teeny, tiny mouselets. When we were growing up, Trap loved to play tricks on me te and ase me. And guess what? He still does! Hee, hee! All done!

TRAP’S TRICKS, PRANKS, AND JOKES Look at this Hee, hee! Argh! flower! Smell the perfume! Ha, ha, ha! It stinks! Boo! Help! Want a Hee, hee! Ouch! cookie?

c h e e s e“Geronimo, get the out of your ears and listen up!” Trap told me. “I need to t h r e etell you important things! Three!” “TTHING NUMBER ONE: Because YOU are always ME to keep an eye on daydreaming, Grandfather wants you in Arizona. THING NUMBER TWO: Grandfather wants me to make sure that you take good care of a tiny gift for his friend the Red Bandit . THING NUMBER THREE: Did you know that hat you’re wearing makes you look ridiculous ?” Then he turned and pointed to something behind him. “Here is the TINY GIFT for Grandfather’s friend,” he said. 16

I couldn’t believe my eyes. The “tiny gift” was an enormouse jar of c h o c o l a t e cheese spread! It was as high as a mouse, as wide as a barrel, and it looked as heavy as A B A B Y E L E P H A N T. “You call that a TINY GIFT?” I cried. “Holey cheese! How are we going to lug this all the way to Arizona? What if it breaks?” Trap shrugged. “That’s your problem, Cousin,” he said. “Grandfather told YOU MEto bring the enormouse jar and asked to keep an eye on you. So if the enormouse jar breaks, it’ll be YOUR fault. You’ll have to tell Grandfather . . . and if that happens, furI wouldn’t want to be in your , I’ll tell you that!” Then Trap winked at me. “Know what e ls e ? I ’ve got a re al YEN to know what it tastes like.” 17

Before I could stop him, he shimmied up the side of the enormouse jar. Then he p o p p e d open the lid. The wonderful smells of c h o c o l a t e and cheese filled the airport. “Trap, no!” I yelled. “Grandfather will be really cheesed off!” Trap ignored me. He gazed down into the jar. “You’ve got to see this!” he called down to me. “It looks super delicious!” “Trap, get down!” I yelled again. “But it’s amazing,” Trap said. “All the different chocolaty cheesy flavors are swirled together. No wonder it’s called Chocolate Cheese Delight!” “Yeah, sounds great,” I said. “Now get down!”

But Trap wasn’t even listening to me. His g l e a m e deyes . He hungrily licked his lips. “Yum yum yum!” he said. “I’ve got to have a taste before I flip my whiskers!” Then he stood on the edge of the jar, like he was 19

CHOCOLATE CHEESE DELIGHT THIRTEEN 10. Crea m cheese chocolate FLAVORS! 11. Raisin chocolate 12. Stinky cheese chocolate Chocolate and cheese 13. Cherry chocolate flavors swirled together: 1. M i l k c h o c o l a t e 2. Chedda r cheese chocolate 3. Ha z elnut chocolate 4. S w i s s c h e e s e c h o c o l a t e 5. Very da rk chocolate 6. Gorg onzola cheese chocolate 7. White chocolate 8. Mozza rella cheese chocolate 9. Spicy chocolate

THREE FEARS AND THREE SURPRISES I grabbed Trap by theP ULLEtaDil haimnd down just in time! I could not let Trap ruin tiny gift the for the Red Bandit. If I wasn’t watching carefully, he could gobble up all of the tasty Chocolate Cheese Delight! To be safe, I bought a LOCK for the enormouse lid of the enormouse jar. As we checked in our luggage (including e n o r m o u s ethe jar), we heard an announcement. Arizona“The flight to is now boarding at Gate Three.” And so the LONGEST trip ever started. We began by flying all the way from New Mouse City and across the United States to 21

the city of Phoenix, Arizona. Trap snored trainthe whole way there. It sounded like a engine in my ear! M e ? I stared out the window, worrying about three things. FEAR NUMBER ONE: Would Arizona be dangerous? FEAR NUMBER TWO: Would I be able to keep the enormouse jar from breaking before I delivered it to the Red Bandit? FEAR NUMBER THREE: Would I even be able to find the Red Bandit? I couldn’t stop thinking about the RED B A N D I T . He sounded like a bad guy in a 22

cowboy movie. How had he and Grandfather friendsbecome ? I wished that I knew more about him. All I knew was to start my search in SEDONA, Arizona. I read through the g u i d e b o o k . Sedona sounded nicelikeli ttle town. a I especially liked the sound of the “mild climate” the book said it had. Maybe it HI S TORY OF S EDONA: Th e city o f S ed o n a lies in th e Ver d an t Valley of Arizona. The valley’s early inhabitants mostly hunted and gathered for their food. In 1876, the first nonnative settler claimed roperty there, and others followed. One settler, Theodore Carlton Schnebly, established a post office there in 1902 and named it — and the town — after his wife, Sedona.

won’t be too hard to find the Red Bandit, I thought. Finally, the plane PHlaOndEeNdI X . in We rented a TRUCK so we could take the two-hour drive to Sedona. But of course, Trap forgot to put gas in it — so we had to stop in the middle of nowhere! h i k e Trap and I had to the rest of the We ran out of gas!

way. Guess who had to carry the enormouse jar! Whe n we got t o Se dona, I had three surprises. SURPRISE NUMBER ONE: Sedona wasn’t a tiny settlement anymore. It had grown into a lively city of more than 10,000 inhabitants! How would I ever find the Red Bandit? SURPRISE NUMBER TWO: In July, Sedona’s “mild climate” felt more like an oven’s temperature! SURPRISE NUMBER THREE: The enormouse jar of Chocolate Cheese Delight strapped to my back was about to boil over! I had to find a way to keep the jar safe — or face Grandfather’s wrath. I tried to SHADE the enormouse jar with a HUGE patio umbrella. 25

Wow, it’s heavy! SEDONA: Sedona is located in the heart of Arizona, and is about 115 miles north of Phoenix. It is one of the biggest tourist attractions in the state, thanks to its natural beauty. It has a mild climate, lots of sunshine, and is home to sandstone formations known as red rocks. Visitors to Sedona enjoy outdoor activities such as hiking, biking, golf, tennis, horseback riding, and excursions in helicopters or hot-air balloons.

Then I tried to Hmm . . . Flap flap! cool it down by Got t a ke e p i t c ool ! fanning it, but that didn’t work. So I got icelots and lots of cubes and put them on the lid. It was no use! The spread was starting to m e l t ! Trap began to lick his whiskers in anticipation. “Cuz, we should eat this c h o c o l a t e now. RIGHT NOW! Want me to get some bread to s p r e a d it on?” Trap asked. “No!”

“Crackers?” “No!” “Cookies?” “No!” dive“Okay,” Trap said. “So we’ll just in then, right?” angry“No!” I YELLED , getting now. “ N O , N O , N O O O O O O O O ! I have to give this spread to the Red Bandit or whiskersGrandfather will have my !” Luckily for me, Trap gave in. We headed out to find the Silver Cactus shop that Grandfather had told me about. 28

NICE HOWL, CUZ! In the center of Sedona, there are lots of shops selling everything from outdoor gear to Native American art. Finally, we noticed a curious-looking shop tucked away in DARKa alley in the oldest part of the city. . . . 1 Squeak! 2 Eeek! Scorpion on the mat! + Coyote howl doorbell!

The doormat had a picture of a scorpion that looked so real, I J U M P E D back with a loud “Squeak!” 1 Then I rang the bell and heard the loud howl of a coyote: “AAAAAAOOOOOOOOO!” 2 At the counter, I heard the sound of rattle rattlea rattlesnake. . . . . . . . . . rattle 3. . . I shrieked again, terrified, 4and Trap chuckled. “Nice howl, Cuz!” Yikes! 3 Ha, ha, ha! 4 Squeak! Rattle . . . + Fake rattlesnake! = Boy, did I feel silly!



:HISTORY OF THE SILVER CACTUS This shop has been in the Ratthide family for more than 150 years. During the gold rush it supplied hats to the daring pioneers who came out West to find their fortune.

GRAY rodent with a thick mustache. He h a twore a that looked a bit like my grandfather’s. He got up off his chair and walked toward me. “My name’s Tom. Tom Ratthide,” he said, shaking my paw v i g o r o u s l y . “Just hearing the Red Bandit’s name reminds desertme of old times . . . riding across the with him and my friend William Shortpaws.” “Williams Shortpaws is my grandfather!” I exclaimed in SURPRISE. “He sent me all the way here to buy him a new hat.” Tom ripped the hat off my head and looked at the label. “Hmm,” he said, stroking his mustache. “I remember this style. We sold the DELUXE Silver Cactus at least thirty years ago!” He began to RUMMAGE through an old trunk. “They don’t make hats like that 33

anymore,” he said. Then he grinned. “Aha! Found it!” He held up a hat that looked exactly the same as my grandfather’s. It had the same Silver Cactus charm dangling from the RED band. Only the falcon feather and bandanna were missing. I hoped that the Here it is! 34

RED BANDIT could give me those — if I could ever find him. Tom tucked the hat into a hatbox. I tried to pay him, but he refused. “Take it to your grandfather William as a token of our old, undying FRIENDSHIP ,” he said. “As for the Red Bandit, start your search Cathedral Rock . That’s where at I saw him last.” Then he looked me UP and DOWN. He handed me a card with the words WILD RAT ADVENTURES on it. “Better talk to these rodents. You’re going to need some help out there in the d e s e r t.” I thanked him and left the shop, EAGER to continue. I was one step closer to the Red Bandit. . . . 35

MR. SKILTON, YOU’RE REALLY SILLY! When I left the shop, I foYuAnWdN INGTrap on a park bench. “Cuz, while you check out that adventure meditate place, I’ll stay here and on the situation,” he said. “And don’t forget to take the ENORMOUSE JAR. I wouldn’t want anyone to take it while I’m fast aslee — I mean, while I’m meditating!” Wake up! Trap s p r e a d out Zzzzz and was snoring in three seconds flat! shakeI tried to him awake, but my r a n gcell phone . It was my sister,

Hi, Ger! Thea. I asked her to join me in Arizona. She’s a great rodent to have around when you’re in a JAM. “Sorry, Ger,” she replied. “You’ll have to do the best you away.” prettycan without me. I’m working on a s t r a n g e new story and I can’t get “I understand,” I said with a sigh. “Oh, I almost FORGOT,” she added. “Grandfather Shortpaws sHaysU RRYto up and find the Red Bandit. And don’t you dare break that ENORMOUSE JAR!” I glared at the A N N OY I N G jar. “I’ll do my best.” With another sigh, I strapped the enormouse jar onto my back and headed to WILD RAT ADVENTURES . When I stepped inside the of ce, an a t h l e t i c -looking 37

mouse with a long black braid approached me. She looked me up and down, just like Tom Ratthide had. I sucked in my belly — I haven’t gone to the gym lately, but I have made many trips to my refrigerator! I knew she had p i t i f u lme pegged: a city mouse with muscles, wearing the WRONG clothes for hiking and carrying an ENORMOUSE JAR of chocolate on my back. She unrolled a brochure that was ten feet long. “Poppy Spritely, at your service,” she said. “Here at Wild Rat Adventures G U I D E Dwe adventuresp orof vide every type. What would you like to do? Extreme hang gliding? Extreme Extreme hiking? camping?” I clumsily tried to bow, but the enormouse FLATjar threw me off-balance, and I fell 38

on my face in front of her. “Pleased to meet you,” I said. “My name is Stilton, Geronimo Stilton!” She picked me up, chuckling. “I’m pleased to meet you, too. You look like a giant turtle!” Holey cheese! I was EXTREMELY embarrassed. But I guess giantI did look like a

turtle with that enormouse jar on my back. She looked me over again.“You know, I’m not certain if you’re the type of mouse who can handle our extreme tours. I’m sorry.” I frowned . Poppy Spritely was probably right, but I didn’t know how else I would get to Cathedral Rock. “That’s too bad,” I said. “Tom Ratthide said you could HELP me.” She smiled. “That c ha ng e s eve r y t hing !” she exclaimed. “Normally, I’d send a city mouse like you right out of here. You are Ahem . . . Hello! Oops!

not the type for extreme adventures, trust me. But if you insist, I’ll see if I can Mr.find something that’s not too extreme, Skilton .” “The name is Stilton. S-T-I-L-T-O-N,” I corrected her. “And I need you to take me to Cathedral Rock as soon as possible. I’m in a HURRY !” Her eyes got w i d e . “You? To Cathedral Rock? Impossible! ” “But I must,” I insisted. She shook her head. “Mr. Spilton, you Be careful! Argh!