Image Description: A glowing river of molten cheese runs through the middle of the scene, forming a dramatic chasm that splits the ground in two.
On the left side stands Lord StiltonSharp, depicted as a stern wedge of blue-veined Stilton cheese. He wears a tall black top hat and sports a moustache, leaning on a cane. Though the artwork shows a traditional cane rather than the lightning-bolt version described in the story, the figure still embodies his cold authority and unyielding presence.
On the right side, the Cheese Family huddle together: Eddie Emmental (tall, fists clenched), Clarabelle Cheddar(triangular wedge, leaning forward in worry), Mini Mozzarella (smaller wedge, nervous but resolute), and Babybel(round, clutching Mr. Squidge tightly). Their faces show fear and concern as they look across the divide.
Above the scene, bold golden letters read: The Cheese Family Chronicles – Volume Three: The Stilton Divide. The whole composition glows with amber and golden light, symbolising the feud that has split the families apart.
Chapter Eight: Crumbly, But Whole
The morning after the reunion was quiet in Crumbly Bottom.
No dancing. No scrolls. Just the soft clink of breakfast mugs, and the gentle creak of floorboards as sleepy cheeses moved about the fondue-warmed house.
Sir Blue Vein sat at the table with Velvet Blue, both wrapped in shawls and nostalgia.
“I never thought we’d stir the pot again,” he said.
Velvet smiled faintly. “You always did prefer melting to mending.”
He chuckled. “And you always believed stirring could build something new.”
She placed her hand over his. “Maybe we needed both.”
Across the room, Mini Mozzarella and one of the Stilton Sisters were hunched over a parchment, sketching wild plans for a “Cheese Explorers Club.” Mr. Squidge had been given a tiny rucksack.
“Do you think we’ll ever find out what really happened back then?” Mini asked.
“Back when?” the sister replied.
“Right after the original explorers,” said Mini. “Before the vaults. Before the feud. What made them crack?”
From behind them, Lord StiltonSharp cleared his throat.
“You know,” he said, “there’s a scroll that’s never been opened.”
They turned. He held up a faded envelope, sealed with wax that shimmered faintly — the symbol of the Order of the Rind barely visible beneath the dust.
“I found it inside the Rind Compass chamber,” he said. “Tucked into the base. Almost missed it.”
Lady Brie stepped closer. “I recognise that seal. Stilton the Elder. First chronicler of Fromageville.”
On the back, written in old, curling script: “To be opened when the wheel turns whole.”
The room fell silent.
“Do we open it?” whispered Babybel.
Velvet Blue nodded. “Not yet.”
She placed it carefully into a wooden box and closed the lid.
“When the time is right,” she said. “Let it rest a little longer.”
The scroll was placed on the mantelpiece, beside a framed photo of the reunited family.
Outside, Edna the Edam wagon rolled lazily in the grass, munching dandelion toast.
And in the sky above Crumbly Bottom, the clouds shifted — round, golden, and gently turning.
The wheel wasn’t perfect. But it was turning again. Crumbly… but whole.
Blind Man Makes 