Reuben’s Trabel Journal – Entry #4

Location: Somewhere in a billage
Date: First Full Day in France

Dear Journal,

We got fru the portal. We found the Vespa (it’s a long story). And now… we are RIDING FRU FRANCE!

I can’t believe this is real. The wind smells like butter and basil and maybe a little bit like old buildings (the good kind). The cobblestones are bumpy and charming and I almost fell off once, but Dougie caught me by the tail and we both laughed so hard we had to pull over.

Mama BunBun said “just a short ride,” but I’m pretty sure she knew that meant “until sunset, at least.”

We passed fru a tiny billage where ebery window had flower boxes and one pigeon shouted “Salut!” at us from a fountain. We saw a cat on a balcony playing a violin. (That might’be been a dream? We were both a little dizzy from excitement and brie.)

The Vespa runs perfectly—smooth and strong, just like I remembered from my dream. It makes the perfect “putta-putta-vroom” sound. I lub it!

Dougie is nabigating from a fold-out map that’s bigger than he is. We took a wrong turn once and ended up in a field full ob tiny sheep. One tried to climb in the sidecar. We named him Éclair and politely told him no.

Tonight we plan on camping under the stars behind a bakery. The baker said we were “les voyageurs mignons,” which we fink means “handsome trabelers” but we didn’t check.

Tomorrow we ride toward the sea. Maybe we’ll find a castle. Or a cheese cabe. Or both.

—Reuben

P.S. Dougie is wearing goggles now. He says it helps wiff the bugs.