Rover Goes To The Rescue, Freckles Leads The Way

Rover Goes To The Rescue, Freckles Leads The Way is the eighth chapter in the Wombles Three.

Back at the secret headquarters of WOOF, Pickles was missing Rover. At the same time Rover was in Steed’s garden missing Pickles and Bungo. Freckles ran up to him, wagged his tail and leapt in the air for Rover to catch. Rover was happy for moment and laughed “haaaaaaaaaaa haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeh heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeh heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeh”. But it didn’t take long to feel sad about Bungo and Pickles again.

Freckles understood. He also loved Bungo and Pickles. Rover and Freckles were just about to go and look for them when Burger came bounding up to them panting. He barked. Freckles replied (Rover didn’t speak most dog but could speak some Frecklese). Freckles suddenly spotted an old boot. He sniffed it. It was Bungo’s boot! Burger sniffed too and the two dogs started to track Bungo. Rover just followed because balls can’t smell anything.

They travelled on for miles through London, the suburbs and into Surrey. The trio reached Surrey Green and the scent was very, very strong now. Freckles lead them into what looked like a park. They crashed through bushes to a big field. Rover was relieved that he didn’t get any leaks. On they went and large tower was sighted in the distance. Small figures were busy at work around it. Cautiously they edged nearer the tower. Now they could see the figures were wombles. Apparently they were gardening. A big white sheet was flapping about underneath the tower.

A womble went to check it. Freckles wagged his tail furiously. Burger tried to do the same but he didn’t have a tail because of not being a real dog. Rover just wobbled a bit. The womble was Bungo! Rover shouted in joy “Buuuuuunnnnnggggggoooooooo!”. Bungo didn’t reply he just watered the white sheet with glazed expression. Rover shouted “Goooooooo” and they did. Freckles grabbed Bungo and flung him onto Burger’s back. Then before Bungo could react they raced away.

After miles of running they were back in the wombles burrow. Bungo eyes suddenly changed. His expression changed. He smiled. “Roooovvveeeer! Freeeecccckkkllees, I mean Freckles! Burger!”. The rescue team were ecstatic with their joy. “Wait! Why are you all acting like something weird is happening?”  “Hello!” said a smaller womble. “Hello” replied Bungo “You should be in the Womblegarten learning combat!”  “I’ve finished now! And I’m called Patrick McNee!”  “Oh” said Bungo. “Well are there any other wombles here?” asked Bungo. “No” replied PMW. “So I think you must be in charge!”  “OK then. And you must be second in command! Off you go to teach womblets, Rover you are the day watchmen womble, Freckles, Burger tidying up duty!”

Freckles and Burger didn’t want to have to tidy up, so instead they went to Steed and Cathy’s house. They scratched at the door. Steed opened it and said “Hello welcome to spy head qua… I mean our new house!” Freckles barked and wagged his tail. Burger sniffed Steed and looked around him. Then he went inside and knocked all the cupboards over. “What’s he doing?” asked Cathy. “I think he wants food.” Replied Steed. “Oh” replied Cathy. “Well what shall we give him?”  “Hmm perhaps them bones them dry bones in the freezer.”  “Ok” said Cathy and went to the kitchen (Mother’s meeting place). ESP was there and blew her whistle. Now Cathy was a dog. They called her Cassie.

“Oh no!” groan steed. He grabbed the whistle with his umbrella then poked ESP with it until she was in the kitchen. Steed locked the door. “Right then let’s sort this out” he said to himself. He blew whistle and everybody kept on being a dog. Whilst he was trying to work out how to stop Dr King and Cathy being dogs something came to him. It was actually an idea about gooseberry cider but he happened to click his fingers when thought of it.

“Eurgh!” shouted Dr King “Why am I chewing a dry bone?”  “Was I looking for something?” asked Cathy confused that she was on all fours. “Yes” replied Steed “Mrs Peel!”  “Why?” replied Dr King and Cathy. “Because she has been missing for ages and must be in trouble because she always is.” Replied Steed. “True” said Dr King. “Hmm” said Cathy “What about the fake marriage papers?”  “I’d forgotten about those!” said Steed. Just then a letter flew in through the window because it was a paper plane. It had Steed written on it. Steed opened it. “You are joking!” he said.

“What is it?” asked Cathy. “Fake marriage papers!” replied Steed. “Sorted it out then.” Said Dr King. Another letter flew in. This one was more smudgy. It was addressed to Burger. “Who is Burger?” asked Dr King. “You are” replied Cathy. “I’m Dr Burger King? I thought I was Dr Martin King! How could I have gotten my name wrong for 45 years!”  Steed had a bad feeling. “Don’t open it!” he shouted then grabbed the letter wrote Tomsk on it and threw it out.

Tomsk was whistling tunelessly when a very cold paper plane hit him on the head. “A letter! Oh lor! Ho hum I have been lonely in Omsk.”  He was just about to open it when the wind whipped up and it flew away. Tomsk carried on enjoying his ski holiday in Russia.

Somehow the ink smudged again to Lord Omsk. It landed in a snowy quarry in Tomsk. There was a radar tower nearby. Tara was climbing the stairs in that radar tower looking for aliens. “Almost there! Ten to go! One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten!”  Tara saw a door with a weird light shining out of it. She had no plan at all and was quite afraid now. “Ho hum” she said and walked right in. Somebody grabbed her and put her in a dentist chair. Clunk! Now she was clamped to it. A strange bowl shaped thing with a purple octopus came down onto her head.