In Which Gorden Awakes

We apologise to our regular viewers for the delay in production of this episode of GTR. Unfortunately, as we near the end of the season, we have been running low on budget. So we have been forced to do a "flashback" episode. Due to the nature of the special effects involved the episode has been in post-production for longer than expected.

A big thank you to all our regular viewers.

And now on with our feature presentation:

Gorden The Rabbit And The Quest For The Golden Carrot Part 20

Gorden first heard noises.

Then lights flashed in front of Gordens eyes -

Then he managed to hear the words in the voices, see shapes in the light.

"He looks okay now?" A timid doe said. "He will be alright won't he?"

"Yes, my dear," This voice was a low voice - another voice Gorden didn't recognise.

"Of course he'll be alright" Gorden tried to smile - it was David's voice. "He *can't* die yet." The concern in his friends voice was.. Nearly as much as in the doe's voice. Gorden could *nearly* place her voice.

"It's not *that* big a bump, dearie." Ah - Gorden could easily place that voice - Nora the Bat?!! What was she doing here.

"He'll be alright." That was David, definitely; that steel in his voice..

Gorden tried to talk but instead it came out as

"Daaaaav'd"

A squeal of excitement came from one of the voices - it sounded like the doe..

Gorden forced his eyes open, and quickly shut them again as the light burnt his eyes.

An arm grabbed his as he attempted to sit up. David said, quite simply

"Gorden.."

Gorden forced his eyes open and said, slurred but coherent

"David, We'd better go, or else we'll be late for work..."

David shook his head "Don't you remember, Gorden?" He said, eyes hard and brows furrowed "We don't have jobs."

Gorden sat up looking confused at the people around him. He shook his head,

"Gorden," The doe said, "Is there something up?"

Gorden looked at the doe - she looked familiar, but he couldn't place her.

"Who are you?" He asked her. His face contorted as he fought, trying to remember. The doe's mouth dropped open.

A snail pushed at Gordens back. "Get yourself up laddie" he said "Start moving around, talk to people. It'll help you get back to normal."

The snail pushed Gorden off of the hard bed he had been laying on. Gorden landed on his back paws and had to steady himself by holding onto the bedside for a bit.

"See", said a strangely dressed Mole, He's better already."

Gordens legs collapsed underneath him and darkness descended.

After an indeterminate time, Gorden slid towards consciousness again.

This time it was Nora's voice that came through first.

"..itely wasn't Gorden. The staff told me. It was with Gorden when my beloved died, and it would have known if Gorden had done it.

"Silly boy shouldn't have run away from me like that."

"He hit his head rather hard, but he should recover alright." That sounded like the Mole.

"He'd better." David's voice came. Gorden smiled at the sound of the hard-edged little gerbil.

"He will.." That was the doe. She sounded concerned. Gorden racked his mind to remember her.

"Look!" It was the doe again "His eyes are flickering." She was right, Gorden thought, I'm trying to open my eyes..

Gorden's eyes opened. For a few seconds he just stared up at the ceiling. The room was silent.

The snail spoke "Lets leave, just David stay and talk to him." There was a sound of padding feet and a slam of a door.

"How' you doing?" David asked.

Gorden continued staring at the ceiling, but attempted to speak.

"I *hurt*" Gorden managed. The corner of the bed bounced a little as David jumped up.

"What's the last thing you remember?"

"I'm not sure.."

David had a deep sigh.

"Do you remember meeting the hedgehog?"

"Hedgehog? I.." Then something tingled the space behind his eyes, and he could see a hedgehog, wild and unkempt and he was back in the forest..

"ARRRRUUGHGHGHTHTHT!" Said the hedgie, rolling his eyes.

"I think we should be moving on" David whispered to Gorden, tugging at his arm.

"YOU ARE THE ONE!!" The hedgehog said pointing at Gorden, who suddenly felt quite worried. "You are the blessed one."

"Oh, what a weirdo. he was." Gorden smiled. Then he grimaced. "I remember more about the hedgehog"

"He must have been like this for over a day. He's not been found by anyone until now, but the blood has dried on this wounds.

"Someone did not like him. Not at all."

Gorden gently rolled the body over to get a good look at his face, he shook involuntarily as he uncovered a handful of maggots and jumped back a step.

Gorden shivered as he remembered the hedgehog as he had seen him last.

"Do you remember Bertram?" David asked. Gorden stared at the ceiling, trying to make sense of the memories as they came in and out of focus like a badly-projected film.

"You're late!" Shouted Bertram the badger, the foreman. "That's the third time this week!" Gorden and David shrank back at his loud voice. "Right,"

he said "That's it! You're fired!".

"He sacked us, for being late. Oh Bugs!" Gorden remembered more...

Phump dragged Gorden into the foreman's hut.

Lying on the floor of the hut, his foreman's whip curled tightly round his neck, was Bertram the ex-Badger. A trail of blood had trickled out of his mouth and had dried on his fur.

Gorden's throat clenched involuntarily and he backed out of the hut as quick as he could, nearly crushing David who was trying to see past him at the fuss.

Gorden got outside and threw up his breakfast. The Head Buck stood outside the hut..

"Well," he said handing Gorden a glass of water, "either you're a good actor, Gorden my boy, or you haven't seen a dead body before."

"He's dead." Gorden closed his eyes.

David nodded slowly. "Do you remember about the Head Buck?"

"He was there," Gorden said slowly, holding the last image of Bertram in his head. "Outside Bertram's hut."

"And..."

"You *do* know the legend of the Golden Carrot, don't you? They teach it in school, or at least did in my day."

"Ah," Gorden squirmed a bit, "I, ah, didn't get to school much.."

The Head Buck stared hard and long at Gorden before continuing. Gorden remembered being caught truant a number of times.

"I thought I'd recognised you. You will need to go to school and ask the teacher if you can borrow my book back. Well, what are you waiting for?"

"Well It's late sir, school will have closed."

"Hum." The buck said, "Then you'll have to go in the morning. Now go and get some sleep.

"Do you remember who you went to see.."

Gorden thought... He could picture himself sitting in a doe's burrow.

"Can you *really* not read?" She asked.

"Well. I can write my name!" Gorden was proud of that. Cola shook her head and opened the book.

"Well, " she said, "We'll see if you can learn a few words whilst we read this.."

She shuffled next to Gorden and slid the book so that it sat on both their laps. She pointed to the words and began to read:

"In the beginning was the Carrot, And Roger saw the Carrot and he knew that It was good.."

"Cola.." Gorden said - the memories coming flooding back. More memories flashed before his eyes.

"So," Plessey said as they marched out of the burrow next morning, "Its now 'The Tale Of Joker, Cola.."

"I'm thirsty already!" David butted in. Plessey sighed.

"'The Tale Of Joker, Cola, Plessey and Gorden and the Quest For The Golden Carrot'."

"Plessey.." Gorden said. "He's the snail? Right?"

"That's right," David said "Do you remember meeting Him?"

Tripping gently through the forest, Gorden and David rounded a corner and

were surprised to see a snail standing in the middle of the path.

"Fine Morning!" Said the snail, bowing. "I am Plessey the Wizard!" Sure

enough, perched between his eye-stalks was a purple pointed hat with stars

on. If you looked closely at Plessey's shell you could see silvery, but

faint, arcane symbols etched into the sides.

"Yes, " Gorden said "I remember now... And he took us to those strange swans."

David nodded, eye's tight.

It was difficult to see them clearly because of the darkness of the reed-cave, but they

appeared to be half-plucked! More striking perhaps, each was wearing a

blindfold, a wad of dirty rags wrapped around their heads.

Although they were wearing these blindfolds, and although the inside of the

shelter was very dark, the swans seemed to be staring straight at Gorden.

His feet began to move backwards, out of the cave, seemingly of their own

accord.

"Gorden" Whispered the first swan. Gorden had to stop moving to hear,

"Gorden" Whispered the second swan. Gorden gulped. These were beautiful

creatures, once, why did they want to stare at him without eyes?

"Gorden" The first swan whispered again. "Beware.. "

"Beware the Male with Two Names" continued the second swan.

"With Two Names, for he is your" the first swan took over.

"For he is your foil, your Anti"

"Your Anti, your Nemesis."

"Place your fortune.."

"Your fortune in the paws.."

"The paws of she.."

"Of she who knows.." The swans said together. As they spoke they waved

their necks around and entwined and detwined them.

"And," Gorden said excitedly "Cola is 'She Who Knows'!"

"Because she *knows*." Gorden said, "She knows the prophecies. She knows the legend of the Golden Carrot. And," he whispered, "She knows how to cook!"

David thought on this for a moment.

"Cook?".

"What's the last thing you remember then?"

Gorden shook his head, trying to wipe away the last few cobwebs.

"There was this sign.."

"It says:

Raptor Relays

The Ferry 'Cross The Emway

Cheap Rates for Parties.

What does *that* mean?"

"Yes," David said, "Then what?"

Gorden thought for a moment, then shook his head.

"I can remember the sign, but I'm can't remember what happened next."

"Gorden?" David asked, concern woven throughout the name.

Gorden shook his head again.

"I don't know. I just... Can't remember anymore." He looked at David, "Is there anymore? There must be - I don't know who the mole is, and why is Nora around?"

"Calm down, " David began, "You don't know the mole because *we* met him, not you.. And it was Nora who found you."

"Found me?"

"You were lying in the forest. You'd fallen and hit your head.

"You bled an awful lot. Cola was virtually in hysterics when you were brought in." Then he whispered - "I think she likes you."

"She's quite cute..." Gorden said, smiling, "But I'm a rabbit you know. No ties. You know."

"I understand." David nodded. "Anyway. You're in a monastery. The mole is called Bud, he's the one who looked after you." David whispered again "They are a very strange bunch of people, these moles..." Then in a normal voice, "You were unconscious for over a day, you know." Gorden's eyes widened.

"Wo! No wonder I feel like sleeping."

"I'll go get the others.." David said, slipping off the bed and out the door.

----------------------------

Rumours abound about the last couple of episodes as we wind up for the end of season cliff hanger.

Will they find the Golden Carrot?

Will they reach the Commune?

Will Gordens memories of the ex-Communeists return?

Will Gorden and Cola *ever* kiss?