They're back!

"Excuse me?" Cookies called loudly, trying to settle the chattering seals. "Hello? Can we get started?"

"You can't blame them for being excited," Hairy smiled indulgently. "They've been cooped up all summer."

"And whose fault is that?" Cookies scoffed, visibly exasperated. "I told you to keep them entertained when I went off on my semester abroad.

"You just went to the Guest Room," Hairy rolled his eyes. "It's not like you went to England or anything."

"My passport won't let me get that far!" Cookies snapped. "Besides, Pumble is the one who went on a month-long flower tour with his girlfriend."

"Ladybug is not my girlfriend and it was only three weeks and six days," Pumble said defensively. "You're just jealous you didn't get to see the Field of Giant Sunflowers."

"You wouldn't know a sunflower if it bit you," Cookies muttered.

"Flowers don't bite!" Pumble shot back, not being able to resist adding, "Dummy."

"Hey, hey, hey," Hairy said, stepping between them as Cookies launched toward Pumble. "Now listen, we've all had a busy summer and we've kind of dropped off the face of the Earth. Cookies has something that's going to bring us all together though and kick the year off right."

"It is something I learned on my sabbatical," Cookies trilled arrogantly. He narrowed his eyes at Pumble and said, "I actually learned something." Pumble stuck his tongue out at Cookies and lumbered over to the seals, who were still chatting excitedly.

"So how was your summer?" he asked. The seals exploded into squeals and barks, and Pumble listened carefully. "Really, Antarctica?" he asked. "Were the ducks in the Spa ok with that?" The ducks, who were eavesdropping as they paddled about the bathtub in the Spa, erupted in indignant quacks.

"No, we weren't," the first duck sniffed.

"Imagine the nerve of them, trying to steal our spa to turn it into some barren wasteland," sniffed the second duck.

"I thought it was quite clever, actually," the third duck said bashfully. "No one else thought to dump loads of ice cubes into a bathtub to create glaciers." The other two ducks glared at him.

"Hear ye, hear ye!" Cookies bellowed, drawing everyone's attention to him as he extended his wings broadly. "I have an announcement to make! I have come up with a brilliant plan."

Pumble rolled his eyes and sighed heavily. Hairy elbowed him. The seals looked up adoringly.

"We, the animals of the Land of the Flowered Bed"--Cookies paused dramatically--"Will go on a adventure."

The animals looked up at him in confusion. The ducks in the Spa were the first to fire questions at him.

"What kind of adventure?" the first duck quacked.

"How are we going to get there?" the second duck asked.

"Can we be pirates?" the third duck queried hopefully. The other ducks looked at him. "Pirates?" they asked in unison.

"Very good, duckie," Cookies grumbled, obviously distraught the third duck had caught on. "We're going on a treasure hunt."

This announcement set off another series of questions, and Cookies held up his hand to quiet them.

"We're searching for the Rose Sunglasses," he said loudly, flapping his wings to get their attention. "These sunglasses belong to the Girl, and are reported to make the wearer see all the happy and hidden things on Earth. For example, these glasses show you all the mysterious creatures that still lurk about, like unicorns or mermaids."

"How did you find out about these?" Hairy asked.

"I'm brilliant, of course," Cookies said smugly.

"If we have to sit here much longer, can I have some popcorn?"

The seals hopped up and down and barked excitedly. Cookies looked annoyed at their question.
"I don't know where it is!" he snapped. "That's why we have to find it!"

"When are we going to leave?" Hairy asked, pen poised to write it down in his calender.

"Tomorrow at dawn." Cookies spoke formally, delighted at the frenzy that erupted in front of him.

"Tomorrow?" squawked the first duck. "What will we do?"

"What will I wear?" panicked the second duck.

"Does this eye patch look good on me?" the third duck asked, posing with his best pirate face.

The seals clapped and jumped in approval, and the third duck bowed.

"Tomorrow at dawn," Cookies said ominously. "Until then."

To be continued....................