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A POEKIDZ ADVENTURE

The Last Bell Before Breakfast

The Foxes of London

A complete new adventure starring four foxes from the recovered Foxes of London artwork. When the breakfast bell disappears, a ribbon, a runaway umbrella, and four very different talents lead to a cheerful rescue.

Featuring

The Detective
The Courier
The Reader
The Tea Keeper

01

The Last Bell Before Breakfast

A quiet kind of trouble

1 / 6

The four foxes sit at a breakfast table and look toward a silent clocktower. — Page 1, panel 1.
Breakfast waited in Foxglove Square. The clock reached eight. The bell said absolutely nothing.
The Courier If the bell doesn't ring, does breakfast still count?
The Tea Keeper The biscuits say yes. My ears say something's wrong.

The Detective and Courier inspect an empty bell cradle while their companions climb into the belfry. — Page 1, panel 2.
They climbed the tower. Its rope remained. Its bell did not.
The Detective A silent bell is one mystery. An absent bell is another.
The Reader Then we'd better solve both before the tea gets cold.

The Courier finds a turquoise ribbon caught at the belfry window; pigeons line the rooftops outside. — Page 1, panel 3.
A turquoise ribbon fluttered from the window latch. Outside, the pigeons watched the rooftops.
The Courier Someone left us a very long clue.
The Detective And our witnesses appear to be waiting.

02

The Last Bell Before Breakfast

The rooftop witnesses

2 / 6

The foxes follow the turquoise ribbon and a row of pigeons along the stone roof edge. — Page 2, panel 1.
The pigeons offered no explanation. They simply hopped farther along the ribbon.
The Reader They're looking upwind.
The Detective Good observation. Let's see what surprised them.

The Courier bounds ahead across the slate roofs while the other three foxes follow a broad route. — Page 2, panel 2.
The Courier took the quick route. The others chose the sensible one.
The Courier Blue ribbon, red roof, left at the chimney!
The Tea Keeper And everyone arrives with all their paws, please.

The four foxes spot a huge red umbrella floating above London with a brass bell beneath it. — Page 2, panel 3.
Beyond the chimney floated a red umbrella. The missing bell dangled beneath its canopy.
The Courier Our bell has learned to fly.
The Detective Temporarily. We shall encourage it to land.

03

The Last Bell Before Breakfast

A route through the wind

3 / 6

A giant red umbrella carries the missing brass bell above the rooftops, its turquoise ribbon streaming behind. — Page 3, panel 1.
The morning gust had swept the loose bell into an umbrella and carried both away.
The Tea Keeper That is the least practical umbrella I've ever seen.
The Courier Excellent at ringing in the rain, though.

The Reader studies a canal map unfolded from a newspaper while the others plan the rescue. — Page 3, panel 2.
The Reader spread out the newspaper's little map and traced the wind's path.
The Reader The canal bends west. It'll drift right past the footbridge.
The Detective Then we meet it there. No chasing in circles.

The foxes reach a narrow canal and a footbridge with a small missing section. — Page 3, panel 3.
The shortcut had a gap. The umbrella had no intention of waiting.
The Courier Those mooring posts are close enough for me.
The Tea Keeper Take the rope. Clever plans ought to have something solid attached.

04

The Last Bell Before Breakfast

Four foxes, one good plan

4 / 6

The Courier carries a rope across the canal posts as the Tea Keeper ties it and the others brace a plank. — Page 4, panel 1.
Quick paws carried the line. Patient paws tied a knot that would hold.
The Courier Rope across!
The Tea Keeper Knot checked. Now we give everyone a crossing.

The Detective and Reader place a plank across the bridge gap while the other foxes secure it. — Page 4, panel 2.
The Detective supplied the plank. The Reader found its firmest resting place.
The Reader On the stone supports, not the loose boards.
The Detective A very useful footnote. Hold steady.

The Detective catches the umbrella handle while the other three foxes brace the ribbon and rope. — Page 4, panel 3.
One hook, four foxes, and a wonderfully unglamorous tug brought the runaway down.
The Detective Got it!
The Courier Please tell me we get extra biscuits for air-traffic control.

05

The Last Bell Before Breakfast

The smallest sound in London

5 / 6

All four foxes carefully hang the rescued brass bell in its wooden cradle. — Page 5, panel 1.
Back in the belfry, they fastened the bell, checked the hook, and reached for the rope.
The Detective Bell secure. Everyone clear?
The Courier Ready for the loudest breakfast in London!

The Courier pulls the rope but a teacup wedged over the bell clapper muffles its sound. — Page 5, panel 2.
The bell swung. A tiny squeak escaped. Four pairs of ears tilted.
The Reader That was rather less grand than advertised.
The Tea Keeper Look underneath. Our bell has swallowed a teacup.

The Tea Keeper gently removes the little cup while the others steady the bell and its fittings. — Page 5, panel 3.
A cup left in the tower had caught around the clapper. A soft cloth and four steady paws freed it.
The Tea Keeper There. Bells need room to sing.
The Detective And cups need to stay where the tea is.

06

The Last Bell Before Breakfast

Breakfast, properly announced

6 / 6

All four foxes pull the rope together as the restored bell swings and pigeons rise over London. — Page 6, panel 1.
This time the bell rang clear across the square. The pigeons took off as one.
The Courier Now THAT counts as breakfast!
The Reader A little late. Exceptionally well researched.

The foxes share tea and biscuits beneath the recovered red umbrella, now a table parasol. — Page 6, panel 2.
The umbrella found a useful job. The tea was refreshed. The biscuits were still waiting.
The Tea Keeper One pot, four cups, and nothing lodged in a bell.
The Detective A most satisfactory arrangement.

The Courier taps a teacup with a spoon while the others laugh around a large plate of biscuits. — Page 6, panel 3.
Then a much smaller bell rang at the table.
The Courier Ding! Emergency biscuit announcement!
The Detective Case closed. Biscuit tin open.

End of The Last Bell Before Breakfast.

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