The Adventures of Marcus & Nelson – Operation Trafalgar

Marcus Harris wasn’t nervous about his operation. He’d been brave before. What he was worried about, though, was Nelson — his mischievous glass eye. The nurses had gently removed Nelson and placed him in a little cup beside Marcus’s hospital bed.

“Stay put, Nelson,” Marcus whispered. “Don’t cause any trouble.”

But Nelson, being Nelson, gave the tiniest wiggle of defiance. The moment Marcus drifted into his anaesthetic dreams, Nelson saw his chance. With a hop, a roll, and a clink, he was off the tray and onto the floor — free at last!

Nelson rolled under the curtain, zipped across the corridor, and whizzed straight into the maternity ward. He bounced past sleeping babies and startled nurses, who shrieked, “It’s alive!” as he ricocheted off a crib leg and darted into the next room.

The hospital buzzed with confusion. “We’ve lost the patient’s eye!” cried Dr. Jenkins. “Not his eyesight — the actual eye!”

That’s when the emergency code went out: Operation Trafalgar.

From the far end of the ward came the sound of tiny paws — the hospital’s crack detective squad: the Chihuahua Sniffer Dogs. In marched the fearless foursome — Coco, Biscuit, Tiny, and Big Dave (who wasn’t big at all). They sniffed the floor, ears twitching, tails wagging, ready for action.

Meanwhile, Nelson had found his way into the hospital kitchen. He was fascinated by the glint of the stainless-steel mixers and nearly got himself pureed in a bowl of jelly. Well as we all know, Nelson loves jelly.With a cheeky spin, he bounced out just before a spoon nearly scooped him up.

“Eye detected in the canteen!” barked Coco into her tiny walkie-talkie. “Repeat — target rolling west!”

Nelson zipped down the corridor, leaving a faint trail of jelly behind him. The Chihuahuas gave chase, slipping and sliding, their detective badges flashing. Nelson giggled (if a glass eye could giggle) and rolled straight into the children’s ward — where a puppet show was underway.

The kids gasped as Nelson bounced onto the stage, right into the pirate puppet’s head. “Arrr!” said the puppeteer, staying in character. “Ye be a fine glass eye for me, matey!” The children roared with laughter. Nelson twinkled proudly — he did make a good pirate eye.

Just then, the dogs burst in, barking triumphantly. Nelson tried to make a getaway, but Biscuit pounced and scooped him up gently in her mouth, tail wagging. The audience clapped, thinking it was part of the show.

Back in the operating theatre, Marcus was waking up. “How’s Nelson?” he mumbled sleepily.

“Safely returned,” smiled Nurse Patel, holding up the freshly polished glass eye. “He went on quite the adventure.”

Marcus grinned as Nelson winked from the cup. “You just couldn’t resist, could you?”

Nelson shimmered in the light — cheeky as ever.

And somewhere down the hall, the Chihuahua detectives were rewarded with a feast of tiny sausages for their bravery.

By Mark “Hawkeye” Harris