PAGE 3 : CELEBRITY BITES

I am a reporter. I cover celebrity events and parties for my newspaper "cheesy bites". I love my job. Hang around the best parties, have great food, and write what I want. I hang around to gather gupshup, pickup titbits about every celebrity I can and write for my column 'Celebrity bites'.

Today I was to attend the birthday party of the one year old baby girl of a well known actor, director and producer, RateeshKant. I enter the premises and look around. Hmmm...this time its a mickey mouse theme party. 

Mickey mouse balloons, read and white streamers, Mickey mouse flags flying all around and a huge disney world castle built just for the party, moat, towers et al. I was stunned. The things people do with money. There is security outside the castle and I need to show them some ID to enter. I enter the castle's main entrance to see a huge stage set up with a mickey mouse backdrop. On the left I could see a row of counters with games to play, balloon sculpting and tattoos for kids.

What I was looking for was on the right. The food!! Aaah..tables and tables of different varieties of food. oodles and oodles of goodies I was waiting to sink my teeth into.

Mmmmm...Where to I start? Soups, starters, fruit juices, multiple choices of main course or...dessert? I was very much a dessert person. The dessert counter was laden with cakes, ice creams, chocolates, pudding, souffle and jelly of several flavors. There was a chocolate fountain and fruit salad too...

I decided to start with my favourite. Hot brownies with chocolate sauce, nuts, ice cream, and lots of wipped cream on top. mmm..just placing my order made my mouth water. I picked up my dish and found a place to sit down. A place where I can enjoy my food and over hear bits of conversation from adjoining tables.

I closed my eyes and bit into a spoonful of my brownie. I enjoy the soft texture of the brownie with the crunchy nuts and ice cream. hmmm...delicious :)

As I open my eyes to take another mouthful of the sinfully tasteful dessert, I realize something has changed. A little perplexed I look around. I see all the people are missing and instead see lots of rats and mice!!! What was happening and why?

I heard a ticking sound. I look down and see a small clock, giggling
'tick tock time is short,
Find what you have to find,
If you want to get back,
use your mind.'

What is even more weird is that they are all neatly dressed as though they were attending a party. huh?

Mickey mouse and Minnie mouse were receiving guests on the stage. The huge tables of food were now laden with different types of cheese...parmesan, gouda, cheddar, mozarella, feta and several others. There were chunks, rolls, cubes and slices of cheese. The chocolate fountain was now a 3 layered cheese cake. The cheese is being served by Remy the rat!! the great French chef from Ratatouille?

I have got to stop thinking about food. How do I get back?

There were so many rats running around I stopped to look around. There were several from the movie "the secret of the NIMH" and "An American tail". These were not just mice. They were celebrity mice!!

The little clock laughs again:
tick tock you forgot,
Did you start looking,
If you did not, do it fast,
Time is ticking.

I ignore its warning as i see a crowd at the entrance. A limo comes to a halt and out gets "stuart little"!! the security rushes to push back the crowd. They are lead by Barnard and Bianca from "the rescuers". wow!! this is turning out to be a great party after all.

I think it is high time I find a way out of here. I look around me. Who can I ask for help? hmmm.. then I spot Basil, "the great mouse detective" and I think...perfect, he is the only one who can help me.

"Excuse me, sir" I say. "Can you please help me, I have a problem." and I go on to explain what happened. He does not say a word...

the clock talks again:
tick tock its getting late,
you have but a little time,
do what you can right now,
Before again i chime.

I get panicky...I ask Basil what to do? Basil says,"You have wasted yours prying into other people's lives, writing what you want, not minding about their feelings or the outcome of your writing. You need to respect your profession and other's privacy and not make a mockery of what you do and others too. What you need to find is within you. you need to find remorse. you need to feel for others."

"Find minnie mouse's shoes, wear them, click your heels thrice, clear your mind, clean your heart, think of your destination and you will get there"

I rush and request minnie mouse for her shoes, wear them, click my heels, and pray, "Please get me back home, I realise my mistake, I am sorry and will never do it again". I close my eyes and hope it works.

I feel no change. I sigh and open my eyes. I find myself sitting at the table with my brownie, right where I was before, as if nothing happened.

I have never felt so relieved in my life. I realize, everyone is entitled to their own life, their privacy. To use such news to gain popularity, entertain nosy people and make money is no good. I get back to eating my brownie, relishing the taste much more than ever before.

This post is a part of the game ‘Nibble Promptly’ in the birthday party at A Rat’s Nibble.