Pumpkin Goes to Paris

By Lucille Barnett

Do you ever think about going somewhere fun and exciting? When friends and family members travel, do you wish you could hide in their suitcases and go off with them? Do you sometimes feel a little bit jealous when they leave? Maybe more than just a little?

Pumpkin the cat had dreams of traveling for as long as she could remember. Her mom often traveled, but Pumpkin was always left behind, her travel experiences limited to her imagination. Lucille Barnetts Pumpkin Goes to Paris tells the story of what happens when Pumpkin finally gets to live her dream and visit Paris. But her adventure begins more like a nightmare, when she discovers her passport, money, and suitcase contents have been stolen. Pumpkin doesnt let that stop her, and she sets out to enjoy her trip. After all, shes in Paris! She runs into three feline friends from home, and they team up and enjoy the sights of the city, while having a few adventures along the way.

Pumpkin Goes to Paris is a funny and heartwarming adventure story. It shows that although things may not go exactly as you plan, you can still have fun, create wonderful memories, and have exciting tales you can share with others.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Archway Publishing
• Release date: Jun 19, 2015
• ISBN: 9781480817470

Lucille Barnett

Lucille Barnett is a retired French and English teacher who spent many of her summers traveling extensively throughout the United States, Canada, and Europe. She lives in south Louisiana.

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Copyright © 2015 Lucille Barnett.

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ISBN: 978-1-4808-1746-3 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4808-1747-0 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2015905564

Archway Publishing rev. date: 06/16/2015

Contents

Acknowledgments

Prologue

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

French Expressions

Bibliography

Dedicated to my good friend

Madeleine Campbell.

Without her, I never would have had many of the traveling adventures that I experienced or the joy of knowing Larry, who inspired me to get

Pumpkin.

Acknowledgments

From an early age I was taught to say please and thank you. This is my thank-you to those who have helped me along the way by encouraging me to keep on writing and expressing an interest in reading the finished product. Thank you to my sister and brother-in-law for sharing their knowledge and expertise in their encouragement. A special thank-you goes to Nell Meriwether, who read my opus multiple times and made corrections to punctuation and syntax as necessary. Thank you to everyone who has had a part in the writing and finishing of this, my first (but I hope not my last) book.

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Prologue

P umpkin is a cat whose human mom, Jessie deFrances, has traveled extensively. Pumpkin, on the other hand, has traveled only in her mind—up until now. She is finally getting a chance to go to Paris while Jessie goes to Athens, and she is very excited. Pumpkin’s story begins now as she and Jessie prepare to leave for the airport.

Although they are both going to Europe, they are going for different reasons. Pumpkin is going to Paris for fun, but Jessie is going to Athens on business. Pumpkin has kept a passport for years in the hopes that she would get to use it one day. Her opportunity has arrived. She must have a Girl Scout mentality because she is so well prepared. Jessie, on the other hand, does not need to pack. She travels so often that she just keeps a suitcase packed and her passport close at hand.

Pumpkin is so excited that she can hardly contain herself, and she wants everything about the trip to be perfect. She has worked herself into a major frenzy. She has triple-checked the clothing she is taking. Her most important item is her favorite bed. She has checked every hour to make sure her passport, tickets, and cash are where they are supposed to be in her backpack carry-on. She has checked her to-do list multiple times to make sure she has done everything on it. She is so ready to go that she almost leaves her suitcase behind when the taxi comes. Fortunately, when she says she wants to go to the departure gates at the airport, the driver asks her if she has any luggage. He does not have to ask Jessie, because she has her luggage with her. Pumpkin and Jessie share the taxi to the airport, where they part ways to their separate airlines.

Pumpkin has brought along a French phrasebook so she can brush up on her French. She started learning French when her mom would talk or sing to her in French to calm her down when she would have to go to the vet. She gets busy refreshing her language skills while she waits for her flight to be called. She remembers some of the basic stuff and practices that while she waits. In fact, she practices speaking when she boards her flight. However, instead of continuing to refresh her memory of the French language once she gets onboard, she decides to take a nap because she is so exhausted from all the excitement of getting ready. Actually, with one exception, she sleeps until the plane lands in Paris.

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Chapter 1

Day 1

P umpkin disembarks the plane and heads for the douane (customs), where she is greeted by a French customs officer.

Bonjour, mademoiselle, he says. I hope you had a pleasurable flight. May I see your passport? How long are you planning to stay? Do you plan to go outside of France to other countries?

Bonjour, monsieur. Thank you. I had a very good flight. I plan to stay in France for perhaps two weeks. Is there a problem if I stay longer?

No, mademoiselle. But if you stay here for a longer period of time, it is necessary that you contact the American Embassy. I hope you have an excellent vacation in France.

Merci, monsieur. I will follow your instructions. Having said this,