The Bagh Bahadur Museum was a big and famous museum in Champakvan. It was very well known all over the world too. Tourists from far and wide flocked to see the antiques and valuable artifacts that were on display.
Amongst the most famous displays of The Bagh Bahadur Museum, were the mummies of the last twenty kings of Champakvan. They were King Sher Singh’s ancestors and had been embalmed and kept here for many years.
These mummies made quite an unusual sight and the tourists who saw them were both fascinated and frightened.
Baddy Wolf and Laddy Wolf were two wolves who lived in Champakvan. The two of them were thieves who specialised in stealing antiques and valuable artifacts.
They were very dangerous and cunning too. The wolves made their living by selling the stolen objects to collectors in foreign countries.
Baddy Wolf and Laddy Wolf had set their cunning little eyes on The Bagh Bahadur Museum for a very long time. They wanted to steal the mummies and were working on plans to sneak them out of the museum.
One night, Baddy Wolf sat down to make a map of The Bagh Bahadur Museum. He was drawing lines when Laddy Wolf came up to him and asked, “Baddy Wolf, what are you drawing so late at night? Are you working on a plan to steal something big and priceless?”
“You are right, my friend,” Baddy Wolf nibbled on a pencil and said. “I am making a map of The Bagh Bahadur Museum. The map will help us plan how we will steal the mummies. Once we manage that, our dream of growing rich will come true!”
“That is fantastic!” Laddy Wolf said, rubbing his hands with glee. “You have finally started work on our ‘Operation Museum.’ But how will we steal the mummies? There are tourists visiting the museum all day and night.”
“Don’t worry about that, Laddy. We will make sure the tourists run away from the museum and clear our paths,” Baddy Wolf said and laughed.
“Tell me how! I am your partner after all,” Laddy Wolf said excitedly. He was eager to hear the plan.
“Listen then,” Baddy Wolf said confidently. “I am making a map of the museum. I have also chalked out the entire plan of stealing the mummies. We will first dig a tunnel to enter the museum.
This tunnel will directly take us to the museum’s toilet area. Once we are inside, I will wrap you in white bandages that will make you look just like a mummy. You will have to act like a ghost and scare the tourists away.”
Laddy Wolf jumped excitedly. “How wicked you are, Baddy Wolf!” he said, looking thrilled. “The tourists will be scared and flee the museum. We will steal the mummies then and make our way out through the tunnel.”
“That’s right,” Baddy Wolf said and yawned. “Now go and make some tea for me. I want to finish drawing this map tonight.”
Baddy Wolf stayed up that night and after many hours of hard work, he completed the map.
The next day, Baddy Wolf and Laddy Wolf took the map with them and walked to the pond behind The Bagh Bahadur Museum.
Baddy Wolf began digging the tunnel with a shovel. Laddy Wolf took the mud and threw it into the pond so that nobody would suspect that a tunnel was being dug.
The distance between the pond and The Bagh Bahadur Museum was long. It took the two wolves a whole month to finish digging the tunnel.
The tunnel was dug exactly according to Baddy Wolf’s plan. It opened directly below the museum’s toilet.
After that, the two wolves spent some time making a door in the floor of the toilet that they could slide it open and enter.
Baddy Wolf and Laddy Wolf were very confident now. They were ready to put their plan in action.
The next night, Baddy Wolf wrapped Laddy Wolf in white bandages and sent him inside the museum.
Laddy Wolf looked just like the mummies on display. He started walking all over the museum, making eerie sounds. The birds and animals who were visiting saw him and panicked.
“Eek!” they shouted. “There’s a walking mummy in the museum! A ghost!”
Everyone ran out, looking petrified.
Soon, the news of the walking mummy spread like wild fire. Everyone in Champakvan was terrified. The tourists stayed away from the museum too.
Baddy Wolf and Laddy Wolf laughed. Everything was going as per their plan.
Now all they had to do was steal the mummies.
One night, they crept inside the museum and stole one of the mummies out.
When they reached their house, Baddy Wolf said, “Laddy, we should hide this mummy at a very safe place. No one should find it. After we do that, we will steal one mummy from the museum every day.
We will contact the foreign agent after we have a few mummies and sell them for a lot of money.” So, the two wolves started stealing the mummies every night. It took them just eleven days, to steal eleven mummies.
Everyone in Champakvan was shocked when they heard the news of the mummies disappearing from the museum. And everyone had a different story to tell. Some said that the mummies had come alive and were running away from the museum.
Others believed that it was the work of a sly thief. King Sher Singh was pacing to and fro inside his palace. He was very worried about the matter. After all, the stolen mummies were those of his ancestors.
He sent for Cheeku Rabbit. He too had heard of the disappearing mummies. “Maharaj, I’m shocked,” Cheeku Rabbit said. “I’ve heard that the mummies are disappearing from The Bagh Bahadur Museum. Is that true?”
“Yes, Cheeku,” King Sher Singh said with a sigh. “Eleven mummies have disappeared so far. I have asked the police to patrol the museum gates. The security has been tightened too.
But sadly, the mummies are still being stolen. There are rumours of a walking mummy in the museum. The police and security guards have heard it and are scared too. Cheeku, you are very smart. I’d like you to work as a detective and catch the thief.”
“Don’t worry, Maharaj,” Cheeku Rabbit said politely. “I will do my best.” Cheeku Rabbit then left for The Bagh Bahadur Museum. He began investigating and looked for clues all over. Soon, Cheeku reached the toilet. He checked the walls, the ceiling and finally the floor. “Aha,” Cheeku muttered. “I think someone has tampered with the toilet floor. I should tap it with a stick and see.”
Cheeku found a stick and carefully tapped it all over the toilet floor. At one particular spot, the tapping sound sounded odd and hollow.
“Aha! Cheeku shouted happily. “There is something below this floor!” Cheeku bent down and found the sliding door that led to the tunnel.
“This is clearly the work of clever thieves, not ghosts. They have stolen the mummies by entering the museum through this tunnel,” Cheeku said to himself. “I will search the entire area thoroughly. The tunnel must surely have another opening somewhere in the forest.”
Cheeku Rabbit then left the museum and began exploring the entire area. Soon, he found the pond behind the museum. He saw that the water in the pond was unusually muddy. A pile of freshly dug mud was lying nearby too.
“Hmm,” Cheeku Rabbit thought. “The tunnel must have another opening here. The thieves must be using it to enter and leave the museum.” Cheeku Rabbit looked around and found the tunnel’s opening in no time.
“Baddy Wolf and Laddy Wolf are only two thieves in Champakvan who are interested in stealing antiques and museum artifacts. Besides, they are the only thieves who can think so sharply and come up with such a cunning plan.”
Cheeku Rabbit then went to King Sher Singh and told him what he had found. King Sher Singh was furious.
“I will get Baddy Wolf and Laddy Wolf arrested at once!” he roared.
“Maharaj, please don’t do that,” Cheeku Rabbit suggested. “It would be better if we catch them red-handed so that we know where they have hidden the stolen mummies.”
“Alright, Cheeku,” King Sher Singh said.
“We will do as you say. I am giving you the authority to catch the thieves.” Cheeku Rabbit then went to the police station and met Inspector Gendamal. He was the police officer in charge of the case. They started working on a plan to catch the thieves.
That very night, Cheeku Rabbit and Inspector Gendamal took a few constables and hid behind the bushes near the pond. They waited there patiently.
Just as the clock struck midnight, Baddy Wolf and Laddy Wolf came along. They tiptoed towards the tunnel.
“Aha!” Cheeku Rabbit whispered. “So, I was right! It is them!”
Baddy Wolf and Laddy Wolf had no idea that Cheeku Rabbit and Inspector Gendamal were watching them. They walked into the tunnel and made their way to the museum confidently.
As soon as Baddy Wolf and Laddy Wolf returned carrying a mummy with them, Cheeku Rabbit alerted Inspector Gendamal and his constables. The two wolves walked deep into the forest.
Cheeku Rabbit and Inspector Gendamal followed them quietly. Baddy Wolf and Laddy Wolf soon reached an abandoned house. They were hiding the mummies in it.
“Hooray! ‘Operation Museum’is a success! We have stolen another mummy from the museum again today!” Laddy Wolf joyfully said once they had entered the house. “We have twelve mummies now. We should sell them to the foreign agent as soon as we can. If the police get suspicious, then our dream of becoming rich will never be fulfilled.”
“You are right. We shouldn’t be very greedy,” Baddy Wolf said. “I have spoken to the foreign agent. He is coming to Champakvan tomorrow night to buy the mummies.We’ll give him the ones we have. We’ll go on a long holiday after we get our money and return only after the matter has been forgotten.”
Suddenly, the house door creaked opened. The two wolves were startled. No one came to the abandoned house. “Cancel your holiday bookings, if you have any,” Inspector Gendamal shouted. “Your game is over. You cannot go anywhere.”
Cheeku Rabbit followed inside. “You have dared to steal Champakvan’s priceless treasures. King Sher Singh is furious. He is going to punish you for stealing his ancestors’ mummies,” Cheeku Rabbit told the two thieves sternly.
Baddy Wolf and Laddy Wolf tried to escape. But Inspector Gendamal was too quick for them. He pounced on them and had them arrested.
Baddy Wolf and Laddy Wolf confessed to their crimes. The police retrieved the stolen mummies and took them back to the museum.
The following night, Inspector Gendamal arrested the foreign agent who had come to buy the stolen mummies. He too was thrown behind bars and punished.
King Sher Singh was delighted that his ancestors’ mummies were back in the museum. He hosted a party in honour of Cheeku Rabbit for solving the mystery and felicitated him with a medal. Cheeku Rabbit was very proud of himself.
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