Figaro and Rumba and the Crocodile Cafe (11 page)

‘We are arresting you in the name of the law,' a police dog told the crocodile. ‘For catnapping and dog stupefying.'

‘He's stupid all by himself,' muttered the crocodile.

‘What's going on?' cried Rumba. ‘I demand to know!'

‘This crocodile has been engaged in the business of stealing cats with very good voices and selling them to foreign kings and war lords as entertainers. Plus he puts sleeping poisons in the drinks of good citizens like Mr Figaro. We have actually been on the trail of this criminal for two years.'

‘I can't believe it,' Rumba turned to face the crocodile. ‘You pretended to be our friend. You played the congas!'

The crocodile sneered under his ropes.

‘Without Mr Figaro's quick action here, we might have never caught him,' said the top police dog. ‘He deserves a medal for Bravery.'

‘Do you think the crocodile could have catnapped my family?' Rumba asked the police dog.

‘It's possible,' he said. ‘We will sniff around, don't you worry.'

When Figaro came to, the police dogs drove him and Rumba and the twelve cats to the train station. The little cat with the duster asked if she could sit next to Figaro on the way home.

Rumba and Figaro were quiet on the train. Rumba was quiet because he was thinking about his lost family, and those old songs. Also, it was hard to get a word in with the twelve Cuban cats. Figaro was quiet because he was still sleepy.

Just before the train drew up at their station, Rumba patted Figaro on his back. ‘Thank you for being so brave today,' he said.

‘That's okay,' said Figaro. ‘Today turned out to be a bit more of an adventure than I'd planned.'

‘Well,' said Rumba, ‘I don't think adventures are something you plan. They're something that happens to you. And I'm glad it happened to us.'

‘Really?'

‘Yes. We've got twelve new friends and a dance band!' and Rumba gave a sudden, wild laugh like a trumpet.

Figaro laughed in surprise. He'd never heard Rumba sound so happy. Or excited. He began to bark and jump around in the carriage. And Rumba didn't even tell him to be quiet.

Everyone wanted to hear about their adventure. As soon as Figaro and Rumba told the story, Rat and Mrs Foozy and Nate and his cousin Nancy and even Ernie the bus driver begged to hear it again. They all came to the Grand Ceremony to see the Chief of Police give Figaro his gold medal. And on the steps of the town hall, Nancy came up with her idea for the biggest adventure of all.

‘Let's take over the Buena Vista Café!' she said, and did her new Captivating Cuban Cat dance.

‘Fabulous!' said Figaro.

‘How?' cried Rumba. ‘It's not ours, and that cunning crocodile – '

Nancy put up her paw. ‘That mean old croc will be in jail till his teeth fall out. And didn't the Chief say the café will be made into a Cat Haven? They can do whatever they like with the place!' Nancy turned to the Cats from Cuba. ‘And what is it you like?'

‘Song and dance!' they cried. ‘Sizzling salsa and haunting melodies!'

‘And big ham bones!' said Figaro.

‘And plentiful perch,' said Rat.

‘And we could call it “Cool Cats Café”,' whispered the little cat with the duster.

Rumba agreed. ‘And I'll compose a new song –
The
Havana Blues
– for opening night.'

‘Do that laugh again,' said Figaro, and Rumba did.

The Cool Cats Café stands high on the hill sloping down to the sea. You can take the Very Fast Train or Ernie's Cool Cats Bus Tour to get there. And whenever you arrive, whether it's day or night, you'll hear fabulous Cuban dance music thrilling upon the salty air.

About the Author

Anna Fienberg
is the author of many popular and award-winning books for children of all ages, including the
Tashi
series,
The Tashi Activity Book
,
Once there was
a Boy Called Tashi
,
The Magnificent Nose and Other Marvels
,
The Hottest Boy Who Ever
Lived
,
Madeline the Mermaid
, the
Minton
series,
Joseph
and
Horrendo's Curse
.

Anna says, ‘My son was five when we brought young Figaro home. Even though he was an English Setter, we named him Figaro after the Italian opera. He loved to sing and dance. He hugged our legs like velcro whenever we did the tango. His other hobbies were bushwalking, eating (especially lamb cutlets), being a blanket on our laps, running after rabbits (which he never caught) and tug of war. You can see him here in the photos!

‘Oh, and he liked reading. Figaro was my most loyal fan – he loved my books so much that he ate them.
This
book makes me happy every time I open it. So thank you Stephen Michael King and Sue Flockhart at Allen & Unwin for creating a most beautiful Figaro.

‘It was so much fun to write about dear Fig and his best friend, Rumba, that now I can't stop. Maybe I'll cook up another storybook about Figaro and Rumba and those very Cool Cats from Cuba …'

About the Illustrator

Stephen Michael King
loves to draw and dream. His creative meanderings have led him to illustrate over fifty books, including award-winning titles such as
The Pocket Dogs
by Margaret Wild,
Where does Thursday go?
by Janeen Brian, and
Perry Angel's Suitcase
by Glenda Millard.

Stephen writes, illustrates and often designs as well. Books where he's worn both hats as author and illustrator, and occasionally a third hat as designer, include
The Man Who Loved Boxes
,
Henry and Amy
,
Mutt Dog!
,
You
,
Never Ever Before
and
A Bear and a Tree
.

He says, ‘Creating books is a similar process to building a sculpture. I can start with a small idea and construct and subtract until I'm satisfied. Each book has hundreds of possibilities. I love seeing where a small idea can take me, but also smile when I land at a surprise destination.'