It was the time just before dawn. The market square was deserted except for a lone chomp setting up his master's stall in readiness for the flow of customers throughout the busy market day. Visibility was poor, for the sun was yet to come out.

This was why the apprentice chomp heard the hooves on the cobblestones before he saw the lone rider astride a white patoot. Who could it be? He had a bad feeling about this.

There were rumors circulating around the city about strange events afoot. Dozens of baskets of mochi had been emptied overnight, as if the little rice cakes had simply gotten fed up of their captivity and left. A loud boom had been heard near the outskirts of the city. Some saw this as an intimation of war, while other more orthodox chomps saw this as a portent of the end of the world being nigh - the final judgement of the Great Pug in the sky, descended to the mortal plain to punish the naughty.

It was natural for the apprentice to be frightened. But being young, he was also curious. As the sun finally broke through the clouds, he edged closer to the patoot and her rider, who appeared to be slumped over his saddle... with a waffle cone on his nose??

He came nearer, initially cautious around the patoot, who as it turns out also had a waffle cone stuck over her nostrils, but more confident when he saw she was docile. The rider was in pretty bad shape. He removed the waffle cone from his face and examined him carefully. He would need medical care. Setting up the stall was secondary to this. Surely his master would understand. He led the patoot away.

Mistress Bao would be able to help.