The Salty Spain Special: Chapter 1 — The Flight of Destiny

Mr Salty, Ye Olde Large Lad, McFinleyyy, Dinkz, Sarah, Susan, John Daniels, Captain Morgan and the entire collection of Misfits are all packed for a new adventure, 

This was definitely going to be the third one.

The great Salty Spain Special had finally begun.

After months of planning, arguing, changing plans, losing luggage and deciding who was actually responsible for booking the flights, the day had arrived.

The gang were going to Spain.

And, amazingly, the first part of the journey went perfectly.

This should have been the first warning sign.

✈️ The Whizz Air Miracle

The group arrived at the airport surprisingly early.

Salty was organised.

Sarah was organised.

Susan was organised.

John Daniels had somehow acquired snacks.

Captain Morgan was carrying something that nobody was entirely sure about.

Dinkz was already looking for coffee.

McFinleyyy was trying to work out where everyone was supposed to be.

And Ye Olde Large Lad?

He was hungry.

Not ordinary hungry.

Large Lad hungry.

The sort of hungry where nearby restaurants begin quietly locking their doors.

Eventually, the announcement came.

Whizz Air to Spain — boarding now.

Everyone looked at everyone else.

There was a brief moment of silence.

Then Salty said:

“Right, lads. Let's get on this plane before Large Lad eats the departure lounge.”

They boarded.

And something extraordinary happened.

The flight was perfect.

No delays.

No arguments.

No screaming children.

No lost luggage.

No mysterious smells.

Even Large Lad behaved himself.

For approximately fourteen minutes.

Salty sat back, looked out the window and smiled.

“Spain,” he said.

Sarah looked across.

“You're very excited, aren't you?”

“Absolutely,” said Salty. “Sunshine, beaches, food and absolutely no responsibility.”

Susan looked suspicious.

“You realise we've brought Large Lad with us?”

Salty's smile disappeared.

“Oh.”

🚆 Arrival in Spain

After landing, everyone collected their luggage.

Again, everything went perfectly.

Large Lad's suitcase appeared on the carousel almost immediately.

Unfortunately, his suitcase was so large that it briefly stopped the entire conveyor belt.

A member of airport staff stared at it.

Large Lad proudly announced:

“THAT'S MINE.”

The staff member nodded slowly.

Nobody argued.

The gang made their way to the train station.

This was where the Spanish adventure really began.

They boarded the train and found seats together.

Well...

Most of them did.

Large Lad had somehow occupied an amount of seating normally reserved for an entire football team.

Salty looked around the carriage.

“This is brilliant.”

Spain was passing outside the windows, the sun was shining and everyone was settling into holiday mode.

Salty then noticed some fellow passengers sitting nearby.

Being the naturally sociable gentleman that he was, he decided to start a conversation.

He leaned over.

“Excuse me, lads. Any idea where's good to eat around here?”

The passengers looked at him.

Salty repeated himself.

“Food. Eating. Restaurants. Ye Olde Large Lad is starving.”

Large Lad nodded enthusiastically.

The passengers looked even more confused.

One of them said something in Spanish.

Salty nodded confidently.

“Exactly.”

Sarah stared at him.

“You didn't understand a word they said.”

“Didn't need to,” replied Salty. “It's international communication.”

The passenger smiled politely.

Then, completely unexpectedly, reached into a bag.

He pulled out a teddy bear.

🧸

And handed it to Salty.

There was silence.

Salty stared at the teddy.

The teddy stared back.

Large Lad stared at the teddy.

Dinkz stared at Salty.

McFinleyyy looked genuinely concerned.

Susan finally asked:

“Why have you got a teddy bear?”

Salty shrugged.

“I asked where we could get food.”

“Yes,” said Sarah.

“And he gave you a teddy.”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

Salty looked at the passenger.

The passenger smiled.

Nobody had an answer.

Large Lad suddenly leaned forward.

“CAN I HAVE IT?”

“No,” said Salty.

“WHY?”

“Because apparently I've just become responsible for a Spanish teddy bear.”

John Daniels burst out laughing.

Captain Morgan simply shook his head.

“This holiday is going well.”

🧸 The Mystery of the Teddy

The passenger waved goodbye as the train continued through Spain.

Salty placed the teddy on the seat beside him.

Nobody knew where it had come from.

Nobody knew why it had been given to him.

And, most importantly, nobody knew what it had to do with food.

McFinleyyy examined it.

“Maybe it's a clue.”

Dinkz nodded.

“Maybe the teddy knows where the restaurant is.”

Sarah laughed.

Susan said:

“Perhaps Salty asked the wrong question.”

Salty looked offended.

“I asked perfectly clearly.”

“You said, ‘Where's good to eat because this enormous medieval gentleman is starving?’”

“Yes.”

“Exactly.”

Large Lad suddenly pointed towards the window.

“FOOD!”

Everyone looked.

It was a sign for a supermarket.

Large Lad stood up.

“WE HAVE ARRIVED.”

“We haven't,” said Salty.

“I CAN SEE FOOD.”

“We're still on the train.”

Large Lad sat down again.

The teddy bear remained silently beside Salty.

And so, with Spain stretching out before them, the Salty gang continued their journey.

The flight had been perfect.

The train was going smoothly.

Nobody had been arrested.

Nobody had lost anything.

Large Lad hadn't eaten anybody.

And Salty had somehow acquired a teddy bear from a complete stranger.

For the Misfits, this counted as an excellent start.

But they had absolutely no idea what was waiting for them when they finally reached their destination.

Because tomorrow was Day Two.

And Day Two involved sunshine, Spanish food, a rather ambitious breakfast, Captain Morgan making questionable decisions, and Ye Olde Large Lad discovering the greatest invention known to mankind:

the all-you-can-eat buffet.

Spain had been warned.

🇪🇸 TO BE CONTINUED…