Friday Barnes and the Case of Something in the Stroganoff

To promote the release of 'Friday Barnes 9, No Escape' on February 2nd 2021, I have recorded 'Something in the Strognanoff' from 'Friday Barnes 4, No Rules'. When the whole school has been poisoned it's up to Friday to figure out what happened. Will they need a whole fleet of ambulances, or is there another explanation?

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Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:24

Hello, and welcome to bedtime stories with me, RA Spratt. Well, this episode is going to go to air in January, 2021, but next month, February is going to be a really big deal month, four Friday bonds, because the long awaited ninth installment in the series is going to be published here in Australia. So I know a lot of people are very excited about that, but the other thing that's coming up in February for Friday, bonds is the audio book of book one Friday, bonds gold detective back, where it all started will also be released in February. So there's two releases coming out in the world of Friday bonds. So that's very exciting. And my publisher to help promote all that has given me permission to read some chapters from the earlier books on the podcast. So today I am going to be reading a chapter from Friday bonds, no rules, and it will be chapter 13, the case of something in the stroganoff. Here we go.

Speaker 2: 1:28

Friday,

Speaker 1: 1:28

Melanie walked into the dining room half an hour. After the dinner service had begun, the dining hall was already full. The room smelled heavenly. The center of beef mushrooms and cream served on a bed of rice was divine. Beef stroganoff was the perfect comfort food. After a long, cold winter day, being mentally assaulted by the educational intentions of the teaching staff. Oh, I'm so hungry. He said Friday. I thought I was hungry before, but now that I can actually smell food, I'm starving. I'm hungry too said, Melanie, with a yawn, not being always works up my appetite. They picked up a tray each and joined the back of the queue. I hope Mrs. Marigold has made her crusty bread rolls at Friday. I want to be able to soak up all the sauce. It's really quiet today said Melanie Friday looked around at the dining hall, considering that the large room was entirely full of students. It was unusually quiet. Very little conversation was taking place. The food must be so good. They're all focusing on eating set Friday, sliding her tray forward and handing her plate to Mrs. Marygold, who dished up a generous portion of rice. Then ladled a huge steaming serving of stroganoff on top the thick grading pool in on the plate and soaking into the rice. He, um, said Friday, the horrible guttural noise could mean only one thing. Friday turned around to see that Jessica[inaudible] had been sick all over the floor. I've lost. My appetite said, Melanie, I'm going to be sick to the glad tray at Babcock. She looked to her feet and ran for the bathroom. Now several people started moaning. Peregrine had been sick in a potted plant. This is not good. So Friday what's happening as Mrs. Marygold, you'd better call the headmaster said Friday. It looks like the entire school is coming down with food poisoning. By the time the headmaster arrived, the dining hall was in utter chaos. Friday had taken charge and set up a triage system. Anyone who actually threw up was sent to sick Bay where the school nurse had ample buckets on hand and rehydration formula at the ready. Anyone who felt like they were going to throw up were sent to lie on the floor by the windows. The long tables had been dragged to the side of the room and stacked up to make space. The tall sash windows had been thrown open despite the cold of the night to let in fresh air and let out the horrible smell Mr. Pilcher was doing Sterling work. He whisked the hapless potted plant outside and cleaned up Jessica and peregrines mess in QuickTime. So now the dining hall was simply a room full of students lying on the ground, clutching their stomachs and moaning. What on earth is going on as he burst in and saw 75% of the student body line ill on the floor, everyone six at Friday, I can see that said the headmaster sick with what it looks like. Food poisoning said Friday day. You yelled Mrs. Marygold. Oh, have you know, I use only the finest ingredients have been cooking for 40 years and I have never given anyone food poisoning. What about the Indonesian ambassador asked Melanie? Mrs. Marigold went bright, red and quivered with fury that was poison poisoning. There's a difference. She looked like she was about to burst into tears. We've got no time for recrimination said the headmaster. We need to get to the bottom of this urgently before the students get any sicker. It has to be the biggest struggle offset Friday, Mrs. Marigold gassed. But you said it was sublime. When I served it last week, there were definitely tears running down the Cook's face now, but looks at Friday indicating the 20 or so students who were still standing about still in good health, the vegetarians are all right. All those students are vegetarians. As the headmaster. I didn't realize we had so many of them. Low carb, low protein diets are very fashionable right now. Explain Melanie. I'm not a vegetarian protested. Lizzie Abercrombie. Petulantly max and I are lactose intolerant. We can't eat beef stroganoff because of the cream. It makes us far said max, max exclaimed, Lizzie. It's true. Protested max, one glass of milk. And Lizzie sounds like a whoopee cushion. Shut up. Max yelled, Lizzie silence ordered the headmaster with three quarters of the student body poisoned. Now is not the time to indulge in scatological. Tumor concluded max. Well, Melanie and I have find said Friday because we didn't eat anything at all. So it must be the beef stroganoff. I'm glad I had a tin of baked beans in my study said the headmaster accused Mrs. Marygold wagging her finger at the headmaster. I knew you'd been secretly cooking for yourself. It's not your cooking. I'm avoiding said the headmaster. It's the dinner table conversation with the other teachers. I can never make it to the dessert course without one of them asking for a raise. So what was in your stroganoff last Friday? Beef obviously said Mrs. Marygold sour cream. How sour asked the headmaster. It's not regular cream gone sours and Mrs. Marygold it's sour cream from the supermarket. I bought it this morning. It's used by date isn't for another month. What else is in the dinner? Us Friday. Well just mushrooms and Mrs. Marygold mushrooms. They Friday. Her is picking up. Where did you get the mushrooms from? Well, I use a variety said Mrs. Marygold. I get regular mushrooms from the supermarket Shataki mushrooms from the green grocer and Mr. Pilcher picks a musher and Swami down in the forest. They all swiveled around to look at Mr. Pilcher. He was beautifully mopping. The floor with disinfectant. Friday was fond of Mr. Pilcher. He'd been very grateful to her for catching the student who hit him over the back of the head with a shovel, just the previous term. And she was very grateful that he let her borrow gardening tools without asking too many questions. Friday knew the line of questioning she was about to engage in, was sure to stretch their friendship. Mr. Pilcher Friday began politely. Mrs. Marigold says you've picked some mushrooms for her down in the forest. Yes, that's right. Said Mr. Pilcher with the rain yesterday, there was a good, big crop of them. Do you remember what sort of tree you've found them under us Friday? I don't know. Said Mr. Pilcher, an Oak tree. I suppose there was a clump of Oak trees in that part of the forest. Oh, said Friday. What demanded the headmaster? What is it? Friday held up her hand to silence him for a moment. Mr. Pilcher, what color were the mushrooms asked Friday? Well, white mainly said Mr. Pilcher, plain white Friday. Well, you know how mushrooms are in the wild off white? I'd say said, Mr. Pilcher, excuse me. He said Lizzie Abercrombie. As she approached the group, what is it? Girl asked the headmaster. It's just, I saw Mr. Pilcher picking the mushrooms under the Oak tree. He said Lizzie, if the color is important, I distinctly saw that they had a green tinge. Mr. McLean, the geography teacher pushed his way through the crowd. Serious said Mr. McLean, someone called an ambulance Cola fleet of ambulances. What's going on? Demanded the headmaster, a white mushroom with a green tinge, the grows under an Oak tree. So Mr. McLean is the day with cap. Everyone who was well enough to be paying attention gassed the death cap continued. Mr. McLean is the most dangerous fungus in the world. If these students have all eaten death cap mushrooms, they're going to die. Good heavens at the headmaster, white said Friday. There's no time to wait said Mr. McLean, we've got to get the students to hospital. They need to have their stomachs pumped. They need to be on IVs. They need to be on the waiting list for liver transplants. This is deadly serious. No said Friday. What do you mean? Knows that the headmaster three quarters of the student body has been poisoned. It doesn't get more serious. And that this will be the end of high crest. It will be the end of me. No one has been poisoned set Friday. Well, obviously everyone has been poisoned, but not by death cap mushrooms. How can you possibly know that as the headmaster you like to make out? You know, everything bond said, Mr. McLean. But in this instance, I know more, my degree is in forest guy. I recognize the description of a death cap. When I hear what on, how does the degree in fungus qualify Mr. McLean to be a geography teacher asked Melanie, Oh, fun guy live in forests. Forests are an ecosystem. Ecosystems is something you studied. Geography said Friday, talk about six degrees of separation said, Melanie children are dying of mushroom poisoning. Well, Mr. McLean, this will be the end of high gross Academy. These students can't have eaten a death cap set Friday because they are too sick. What asked the headmaster? If you ate a dead cat mushroom said Friday, it takes two to three hours for symptoms of nausea to occur. These students started throwing up after 20 minutes. Maybe it's a new story. Ted cop said, Mr. McLean one would even stronger poison or maybe it's something else entirely set Friday, Mrs. Marygold. I'd like to inspect the scene of the crime. What? Sicknesses? Miracle. I haven't committed a crime. You haven't said Friday, but someone has Friday made a way into the kitchen on the stove was a huge pot. It was three quarters empty, but at the bottom set three inches of bubbling, hot beef stroganoff. Mr. McClean covered his face with his tie near it said, Mr. McClain, the fumes could be deadly headmaster. You need to call in a hazmat team. Friday ignored Mr. McLean. She picked up a wooden spoon and tentatively gave the beef mixture stir. There's a lot of Stu leftover, observed Friday. I was going to use the leftovers to make pie for the weekends. And Mrs. Marygold who I like pie said, Melanie, everyone likes pie said, Mrs. Marygold breaking down into tears. It's because my pastry is so light and fluffy. She degenerated into racking sobs, pulling up a hem of her apron to dab the corners of her eyes. Friday carefully stir this Jew in small circles. What are you doing? As the headmaster searching said, Friday for mushrooms asked the headmaster. No. So Friday her spoon knocked something solid against the side of the pot. Aha. What is it asked Melanie? Let's see said Friday. She carefully scooped out a small glass jar. It was covered in Brown creamy sauce. Friday. Use the spoon to carry it over to the sink. Turned on the tap and rinse the sauce away. Just as I suspected, what asked the headmaster Friday? Pick up the bottle in her hand. It pickax syrup said Friday. It's considered old fashioned now, but ipecac syrup is actually a treatment for poisoning. If you take it, it makes you throw up. Doctors used to use it to get poison out of a patient's stomach. So it's harmless at the head Mazda. No, it will make you throw upset Friday, but that's all. Cause liver failure, kidney failure and cardiac arrest like a death cup would, but who would put a bottle of ipecac in my beef stroganoff said Mrs. Marygold. She was pulling herself together. Now thanks to the recuperative power of anger. More importantly said Friday, who would want to make it look like the whole school had been poisoned by deadly mushrooms? It's the type of thing Ian might do said Melanie, what exploded? The headmaster boy's has been expelled he's at some state school, two hours drive away. He slumped down on a chair. Oh no. You don't think he's masterminded the whole thing from a distance. Do you? He's probably trying to destabilize the school. So it'd be closed down. It was an act of revenge. That's just what I need. Eventual extruded causing chaos. No, of course not said Friday. I'm sure in his playing elaborate pranks on his own school. Now there's bound to be someone else with a motive to cause mayhem here. The vegetarians said, Melanie, they don't have enough energy to cause troubles. And Mrs Marygold they don't get enough protein. The human body was not designed to be sure by chickpeas, but they're the only ones who weren't endangered by the ipecac syrup set Friday. And if they're iron deficient, they might not be thinking clearly added Melanie, just stop it set. The headmaster. The last thing we need in addition to three quarters of the students wanted to vomit is wild and reckless speculation. Everyone healthy is to return to their dorm rooms immediately and quarantine themselves until breakfast time, I'll call in a doctor, actually two or three doctors to come and monitor the six students during the night, Friday, Melanie and all the vegetarians were told to go back to the dorm rooms while the six students were cared for. The whole thing is very odd. Said, Melanie, the mass poisoning asked Friday, yes. Said Melanie seems like such an enormous amount of effort. If you hate the school that much. Why not just stay home perhaps whoever did it has parents who won't let them stay home set Friday or their parents are overseas. So they have no home to go to like you observed Melanie, I didn't do it said Friday. Did he say so, said, Melanie, I didn't do it restated Friday. That's all right. Said Melanie, it doesn't bother me either way. If you had poisoned the whole school, I'm sure you'd only do it for the best possible reasons underneath your ugly cardigan and eccentric green hat. You're an extremely good person. I think I should say thank you so Friday, because beneath all those insults was some sort of compliment. That's what best friends are for said Melanie, the

Speaker 2: 14:24

Thank you

Speaker 1: 14:25

To support this podcast. Just buy a book by me, RA SPRAT. There are plenty to choose from, from across the nanny begins pesky kids and Friday bond series. And of course, next month, the new Friday Barnes book Friday Barnes nine, no escape as well as Friday Barnes one, the audio book and the adventures of nanny. Piggins the audio book. You can order all these things through your local bookstore or go to my website, RA sprat.com and click on the book, depository banner. They have all my titles and free international shipping. So until next time,

Speaker 2: 14:56

Bye.