Yinnan glimpsed his silhouette in the shiny double glass door framed by freshly waxed ocher woodwork. Beyond the door, a cool September night awaited him and also the car which would take him back to his overly-large mansion. Mrs. Ambassador had returned to the People's Republic of China, to rejoin her billion of compatriots, leaving the Ambassador alone in the heart of Europe, trying to forget her in one glass of champagne after the other. To forget her hair as black as a starling's feathers in the rain, and her cheeks as matte as a young, freshly picked banana. "These things happen. Everything must come to an end", concluded Ambassador Shi Yinnan while pushing open the double doors.
Two yards away, a black Class E Mercedes with round headlights had its motor purring. To avoid the cold that immediately seized him, Mr. Ambassador dived into the back seat. The car took off silently.
Shi Yinnan untied his bow tie. He was already dreaming of his feather bed and thesupply of sleeping pills that would ensure him a good night's sleep. He was about to untie his right shoe lace when something sharp flashed in front of his eyes. A very sharp knitting needle pointed directly at his pupil.
- "If you move, you're blind," said a voice behind him.
Shi Yinnan had no desire to move. In an instant, fright had made him sober. He was wondering what tiny little hand could possibly hold the needle before his eye. The hand was dressed in a pink flannel glove and seemed smaller than a child's. But the darkness didn't permit him to discern more details.
- "Listen carefully to what I'm going to say," continued the voice behind him. "On the 6th of July 1979, a Greek cargo boat, the 'Vrondados', left Shanghai for the port of Antwerp. Aboard were ping-pong balls, lacquered furniture, tons of Oriental vases and one hundred and fifty boxes of stuffed dogs. The whole stock was bought by Van Hoecke Import. Understand?"
- "Yes, yes, but I don't know what you're getting at."
- "Don't worry about that. You've got twenty-four hours. Tomorrow, I will contact you and I want you to tell me where those stuffed animals came from, where they were made and who was responsible for their production. Do you understand me ?"
- "Very well. And what if I don't succeed ?"
- "You will. And you'll be very discreet, otherwise the People's Republic of China will have to send a brand new ambassador to replace the moldy old thing that will have been fished out of the canal. Is that clear enough ?"
Shi Yinnan didn't answer. In a split second, he had realized that the voice behind him could only come from a very little man lying on the rear dash. A midget at the most. At the same time, thanks to the orange glow of a street light, the Ambassador had just realized that it wasn't the face of his faithful chauffeur Yu which was reflected in the rear-view mirror. It was an unknown creature. A sort of stuffed grey bear, its head covered in a nylon stocking. Shi Yinnan wanted to scream but fright paralyzed his jaws. The driver side door opened and he saw three little shapes leave the car with three successive jumps to the pavement. The Ambassador wished someone would pinch him. Either he had been struck by alcoholic delirium, or he had just been attacked by three stuffed animals hooded like gangsters: a fat grey bear behind the wheel, a brown dog on the rear dash, and a pink pig in purple overalls menacing him with a knitting needle.
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