Noonistan

By Jennie Rose

Noonistan is a magical city inhabited entirely by cats who can talk.

Join seven-year-old James Jones and his talking Scottie dog, Jock, on an adventure to Noonistan and beyond where they will encounter slimy dog spit, fishbone battle dress, cats disguised as dogs and wild sandstorms in a spooky place called Nothingness where rats and mice scuttle amongst the rocks to escape strange ogres wearing goggles...

• Language: English
• Publisher: Austin Macauley
• Release date: May 11, 2018
• ISBN: 9780463003435

Jennie Rose

Jennifer Rose lives in Berkshire with her husband, Phil, and Jack Russell Terrier, Myrtle. She regularly competes with Myrtle in dog shows and agility competitions, and trains Myrtle locally. With a passion for animals from a very young age whilst spending time on her grandparents’ farm in Aberdeenshire, she has always given pets and other animals encountered personalities and a voice. Noonistan is her first novel and she has based her talking characters on pets she has owned and pets owned by friends.

Book preview

Jennifer Rose lives in Berkshire with her husband, Phil, and Jack Russell Terrier, Myrtle. She regularly competes with Myrtle in dog shows and agility competitions, and trains Myrtle locally.

With a passion for animals from a very young age whilst spending time on her grandparents’ farm in Aberdeenshire, she has always given pets and other animals encountered personalities and a voice.

Noonistan is her first novel and she has based her talking characters on pets she has owned and pets owned by friends.

Dedication

In loving memory of my dad.

Jennie Rose

Noonistan

Copyright © Jennie Rose (2018)

The right of Jennie Rose to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with section 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publishers.

Any person who commits any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.

A CIP catalogue record for this title is available from the British Library.

ISBN 9781788482752 (Paperback)

ISBN 9781788482769 (Hardback)

ISBN 9781788482776 (E-Book)

www.austinmacauley.com

First Published (2018)

Austin Macauley Publishers Ltd™

25 Canada Square

Canary Wharf

London

E14 5LQ

Chapter 1

Noonistan City

Noonistan City, full of wonder and delight, with surprises around every corner for anyone lucky enough to experience this magical place.

It’s an impressive site. The walls are very high and they were difficult to climb when they were built nearly 30 years ago. They still are, today.

The palace and grounds make up the whole city. The palace itself is on three levels; the lower ground floor where top-secret meetings regarding Noonistan security are held, the ground floor which serves as the main living and eating areas for Noonistan palace subjects and the top floor which contains sleeping areas and social lounges.

A river runs through the centre of the city. This provides the main drinking supply to the community and also provides their food. As many different types of fish that you can imagine, swim in the Noonistan River. When you look at the river on a sunny day, it shimmers in rainbow colours as the fish move under the sparkling water.

Outside the palace, the subjects of Noonistan live. It is a very happy city, where everyone lives in virtual harmony. Of course there is the occasional fight, perhaps over a particular type of fish someone wants. But generally on a day-to-day basis, life is good in Noonistan for everyone who lives there.

At the time of my association with the city, the Empress Kilimpha ruled two armies, which protected the whole of Noonistan City. Both armies are courageous and strong. Commander Ling Po leads the Persian army, which patrol and protect the north entrance to the city. The Siamese army overseen by Captain Ylang Pei protect the south entrance.

Weekly strategy meetings take place at the palace, but only Kilimpha’s most trusted staff attends these top-secret sessions. Ling Po and Ylang Pei are always present, as is Kilimpha’s trusted aide Professor Noonie.

Professor Noonie is relatively elderly with big, white, bushy eyebrows and a long, white beard, which he regularly strokes with a talon like claw, especially when he is thinking. He runs every aspect of palace business for Kilimpha and spends a lot of time deep in thought.

Noonie’s distant relations established Noonistan nearly 30 years ago. He was very proud of his ancestors and heritage, and is fiercely protective of Noonistan and its subjects—he has been all his life.

The threat now posed to the city from outside is a constant worry to Kilimpha and her loyal team; the neighbouring city of Colliesis is a very great city indeed.

Emperor Butch is a tyrannical leader, desperate to take control of Noonistan and expel all its subjects into the deserted world of Nothingness that exists between the two cities, where they would be forced to live as beggars reliant on Colliesis to provide their food.

Kilimpha is determined that this is never going to happen. The whole city is on constant red alert for potential invasion.

During her grandfather’s reign, the two cities had been allied, but all that changed when Butch, now Emperor Butch, took control of Colliesis.

When I arrived in Noonistan, I was very young; no more than seven years old. I knew it was a special, magical world not to be shared by everyone. I was one of the lucky ones. I was to experience a wonderful adventure others could only think about. As my story unfolds, I’m sure you will agree.

Chapter 2

Nothingness

Nothingness exists between Noonistan and Colliesis. Sandstorms rage day and night, with some calmness during the very early hours of each morning.

Life does exist in Nothingness. Mice and rats scuttle between the rocks, and nibble on the limited vegetation that grows there. Cactus hedges provide enough fluid for them to drink after they have penetrated the thick cactus skin.

The Nothingness winds stop as soon as they hit the city walls of Noonistan and Colliesis, which makes it easier for subjects from either city to exit behind the gates.

Over 30 years ago, before the cities were built, the whole landscape was a barren desert. The river flowed, but since it was so full of sand, most of the time nothing really grew there. It is still a problem now, outside the city gates.

When the building of Noonistan was completed and Colliesis city was still under construction, a miracle appeared to take place at that time. As soon as the city walls were finished, the weather system inside each city changed, so did the function of the river, which teemed with life in both cities.

There is, however, a more sinister side to Nothingness than the weather. A myth exists that ogres live in the caves within the barren landscape. This would appear to be true because during the day, horrible noises can be heard inside Noonistan City, which come from outside the city walls.

Subjects who are brave enough to exit the city during daylight hours, find the carcasses of small animals almost buried by sand, strewn across the landscape. It is not known exactly how they died, but it’s more than likely the ogres that kill them, sucking out their insides and spitting out their bones.

Whatever they are, they cause sufficient fear, which ensures that no one exits the gates of Noonistan city unless absolutely necessary.

Chapter 3

My Arrival in Noonistan

My parents love me, I think, but they are very strange. Very strange indeed. Easily embarrassed, especially by me. We live a life surrounded by much loved family pets. Almost from birth, I have loved all animals with great passion and I know that this embarrasses them.

When I was still crawling, my mother would tell our visitors that I should have been born as a dog or a cat. As she said this to them, she would shake her head in disbelief as I, on my hands and knees, would try to get to the dog or cat food from the bowls on