French Restaurants

Gaius, Lavender and Baby Pierre were walking along North Terrace on their way home from the Moon Lantern Festival.

That was good, said Baby Pierre. We were the only ones with volcano lanterns.

Yes, said Lavender. That was good. Volcanoes are really good.

No they aren't, said Gaius. Not real ones.

I wish we'd stayed to hear Anoctopus's story about the Krakatoans, said Lavender.

You were the one who didn't want to, said Gaius.

I know, said Lavender, but now I'm the one who wishes that we did.

Well, said Gaius, I may not have read The Twenty One Balloons, but I do know the general gist. Would you like me to tell you what I remember?

Yes please, said Lavender.

The professor met twenty families living on Krakatoa, said Gaius. They were fabulously rich because the island was built on diamonds. Each family had built a wonderful house in a different style, such as French, British, Dutch, Chinese or Indonesian. Each family had opened a restaurant which served food in the style that matched the architecture of the house. Each month it would be the turn of one of the families to open their restaurant and serve food to the other families. The rest of the time they had nothing to do but invent fantastic things to make their life easier.

I don't think that can be true, said Baby Pierre. About the restaurants, I mean.

It isn't, said Gaius. It's a children's book. The only parts that are true are about the eruption.

It would have been a nice island to live on, said Lavender.

What? said Baby Pierre. You never go to restaurants.

But diamonds are pretty, said Lavender,

I go to restaurants, said Gaius. I especially like French restaurants.

They walked on, each in their own little reverie. Gaius remembered the picnics Belle et Bonne and Marie had provided when he rode with Team Bumptious in the Tour de France. Suddenly he was stuck by a thought. Hadn't he promised them something?

Oops! he said. Hurry up everyone. I must get home as soon as possible. I've just remembered something I have to do!