After a little while he looked up to see if the woman had gone only to see the landlady of his lodgings looking straight at him. “Oh Mr. Curmdugeon, what are you doing in that bush”. The Old Codger had to think of an excuse quickly. “I’m looking for my pet beetle which I lost earlier”. “Pet beetle! Oh Mr. Curmudgeon I hope you haven’t been keeping it at Shagri-La because we don’t allow pets there. You are naughty”. The Old Codger was at a loss what to say, the landlady looked stern but her voice was cheerful. “Come on I’ll walk you home”, she said pulling at his arm.

The Old Codger was too scared of this witch to resist so he followed her like an obedient dog back to Shangri-La. Once inside he ran up to his room and barred the door with the chair to stop anyone getting in. He stayed in the room all night too afraid to go out even for food, and too afraid to sleep in case the landlady or the woman from the fair managed to break down the door.

By the morning he had decided that holidays were not for him. He did not like the food, he did not like the crowds, women waited on every corner to ensnare him and kids ran wild creating noise and trouble. In comparison his allotment was an oasis of peace and quiet.

He packed his bags and went downstairs. He was going to sneak out, leaving the key at reception, but the landlady heard him coming down the stairs and came out to meet him. The Taylor twins also saw him from the breakfast room and ran out. “Oh Mr. Curmudgeon we’ve found your pet beetle. We saw it fall out of the rollercoaster at the fair and went to find it afterwards”. Tammy Taylor held out a matchbox and opened it to reveal his pet. The landlady forgot her fear of beetles and said “Oh Mr Curmudgeon isn’t that kind of them. Say thank you”. The Old Codger was about to snatch the box away but he saw the landlady glaring at him with a look that reminded him of his mother. He sheepishly said to the kids “thank you” before taking the matchbox and putting it into his pocket.