t that very moment, Toshiaki, Bob, Nassor, and E were discovering exactly what they had created.
After coming back to life, Sparky was still a regular dog—not counting a few stitches and neck bolts. But that was because he had been brought back out of love. What the others had done was due to jealousy, greed, and selfishness. Which meant the creatures they had made were bound to have some…deformities.
Inside the classroom, E swung a desk lamp over to take a closer look at his rat. On the upside, it had come back to life just as he hoped. On the downside, it wasn’t a normal rat anymore. As E watched, the rat sat up. Then, with alarming dexterity, it began to unclip the electrodes attached to its body, as if it were human. It also seemed to have grown. Its legs were still little and mouselike, but it had a huge hump on its back and its snout was long and pointy. When it tilted its head back and howled, it sounded somewhere between a wolf and a mouse. The rat had become a were-rat! Gulping, E stepped back, hitting the desk lamp and casting a shadow of the Were-Rat on the wall. Then the rat reared up on its back feet, its teeth and claws extended, and began to make its way toward E. He was in big trouble.…
E wasn’t the only one in over his head. Bob stood at the edge of the pool, staring into the water. The mist had cleared and left the water’s surface smooth and clear. For a moment, Bob felt a rush of disappointment. The experiment hadn’t worked.
And then, an almost-translucent hand reached up out of the water and grabbed the side of the pool.
As Bob watched, a sea creature pulled itself out of the water. But this was no ordinary sea creature. The lightning had made it into something bigger—and scarier. It was skinny, with spindly arms and legs and large, webbed ears sticking out of its shrimplike head. Looking over at Bob, its wide eyes grew wider and it opened its mouth, revealing sharp, spiky teeth.
The Sea Monster wasn’t alone. As it made its way out of the pool, dozens more followed. They were like an army of simian warriors. Some even carried bone tridents. And they all looked very, very angry.
Letting out a scream, Bob turned. “Victor!” he said aloud to himself as he ran away. “Victor will know what to do.”
As Bob hightailed it out of his yard, Toshiaki was trying to figure out if his own experiment had worked. Standing there, he watched as the kite he had attached to his animal came crashing down, still smoldering. Looking over, he saw that the wagon was empty and next to it, the Miracle-Gro container lay on its side, also empty. Where had Shelley gone?
Suddenly, a massive turtle foot smashed down, crushing the wagon as if it were a toy. Toshiaki raised his head and gulped. Standing there was a giant turtle monster. It was bigger than a bus, and when it lifted its head to shriek at the sky, the sound was deafening.
Toshiaki fell backward and then began to scramble away as fast as he could. For a moment, he felt a rush of pride that he had brought back his pet turtle. But then the turtle let out another huge roar and the pride was replaced with utter terror. Turning toward the direction of downtown New Holland, the Turtle Monster saw the bright lights of the Ferris wheel. Distracted, it began to lumber off in that direction, leaving Toshiaki behind. As the turtle moved away, Toshiaki grabbed his bike and started riding in the other direction. He had to get help—fast!
Nassor was going to need help, too. In the cemetery, he watched as the earth around the grave began to rumble and shake as though something were trying to get out.
“Rise, Colossus,” Nassor said. “Rise from your tomb!”
As he continued to urge his creature to rise, the ground shook even harder. A moment later a creature emerged from the ground. At first glance, it looked like a huge wad of tissues. But as it pulled itself up and out of the ground its shape became clearer. It wasn’t tissues. It was a mummy hamster! Breaking clear of the ground, it stood up and extended its arms. The hamster took a few steps forward on its hind legs but then fell onto all fours. It began to lurch forward, dragging its hind leg. Nassor shuffled back as the creature continued to advance, a menacing look on its once cute and fluffy face…
Nassor had to find Victor. He would know what to do. He hoped.…
Victor was unaware that monsters had been unleashed upon New Holland. As the Mummy Hamster, Were-Rat, Vampire Cat, Turtle Monster, and Sea Monsters took to the streets, Victor was making his way home with Sparky.
“I’ll get you charged up, boy,” he told his dog. “You gotta be hungry.”
Wrapped inside the blanket, Sparky wagged his tail. He was feeling a bit hungry and tired. All that running had taken a lot out of him. He wanted to go home and take a nice long nap on his bed in the attic.
But that wasn’t going to happen.
Turning a corner, Victor did a double take. Charging past was what looked like an army of…giant shrimp? They were tall and skinny and oblivious to Victor as they marched along. Crouching down behind a mailbox, he and Sparky watched the creatures. They were chattering to each other in some strange language, and occasionally one would hit a mailbox with what appeared to be a trident. Another purposefully trampled on a bed of flowers. It was almost as if they enjoyed causing destruction.
Suddenly, one of the creatures stopped. It was the largest member of the army and appeared to be its leader. It seemed to have noticed the lights from Dutch Day in the distance. Giving an order that sounded something like CHARGE, it opened up a nearby manhole cover and disappeared into the sewers. The army followed.
As soon as the coast was clear, Victor raced home, Sparky at his heels. He needed to talk to his parents. But when he got home, the door was wide open. “Mom? Dad?” he shouted. There was no answer. No one was home. They were probably still out looking for Sparky.
He was turning to go when Bob wheeled up the walkway on his bike. His face was red and he was panting from the effort of pedaling his bike.
“Victor!” he shouted. “I need your help!”
That wasn’t what Victor wanted to hear. He had a sinking feeling he knew why Bob was here. “Did you see those things?” he asked. “They were like…”
“Sea Monsters,” Bob finished.
“Really?” Victor said, raising his eyebrows. He could sort of see the resemblance. But weren’t sea creatures supposed to be really small and live in water?
Bob nodded. Really. “You know how on the package, they’re like in a happy kingdom and everyone’s smiling? Well, they’re not like that at all.”
Before Bob could explain further, Toshiaki came racing up on his bike. The usually composed boy looked a mess. “Victor! I need your help!” he shouted from the sidewalk.
“I asked him first!” Bob shouted back.
“My problem’s bigger!” Toshiaki screamed. He didn’t have time for this. Turning, he pointed. In the distance, they could make out the giant turtle walking down the street, dwarfing the houses as he passed by them. It was like Godzilla had come to New Holland—in the shape of a turtle.
Sparky let out a bark and Bob shrugged. He had to admit, Toshiaki was right. His problem was definitely bigger.
Just then, the boys heard a scream coming from the direction opposite the Turtle Monster. Turning, they watched as their gym/science teacher raced past. And right behind her, running on its two back legs, was the biggest rat they had ever seen. Occasionally it would put one of its front feet down for a burst of speed. The teacher let out another scream and kept running.
The three boys exchanged looks. This was not good.
“I’ll get my bike,” Victor finally said, trying to sound braver than he felt. They had to get control of these creatures before they destroyed New Holland. The only question was, how were they going to do that?
n the town square, the citizens of New Holland were unaware of what was coming their way. Backstage, Mayor Burgemeister was carefully snuffing out the candles on the crown Elsa had worn as part of her costume. While he was still reveling in the success of Dutch Day, Elsa couldn’t wait for the day to be over.
“I told you there was nothing to worry a
bout,” the mayor said happily. “Safe as can be.”
But he had spoken to soon.
“AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!” Out in the crowd someone let out a bloodcurdling scream. Then someone else screamed. Soon, everyone was screaming.
Poking his head through the curtain, Mr. Burgemeister scanned the crowd. What was all the fuss about? Then his eyes grew wide. Marching through town, crushing everything in its path, was the biggest, scariest-looking turtle the mayor had ever seen. Turning, he raced off, leaving Elsa behind to fend for herself.
The mayor ran as quickly as his short legs would let him, looking for a place to hide. As he ran, he saw the school’s gym teacher fleeing a giant rat. His heart pounded even harder. Where were all these monsters coming from? Ducking inside a public bathroom, the mayor ran into a stall and slammed the door shut. Outside, he could hear shrieks as people ran away. He sat down and breathed a sigh of relief. He was safe in here.
Then he felt something poke him in the backside. With a squeak, he jumped up and turned around to look at the toilet. Coming out of the water was a Sea Monster carrying a trident. More were close behind and even more were coming out of the sink. Letting out his own scream, Mr. Burgemeister turned and ran.
Meanwhile, Victor’s parents were hiding in a phone booth, hoping to stay out of sight. However, it wasn’t long before the Sea Monsters were mischievously infiltrating the Frankensteins’ refuge. Before the monsters could get to them, though, Victor’s parents were saved by a giant turtle hand swooping down upon the phone booth. Mr. and Mrs. Frankenstein quickly scurried off to try and find Victor.
The Turtle Monster continued wreaking havoc as Nassor approached with Colossus, his pet hamster. The boy was drunk with power and commanded his pet to take down the giant and show him who was mightier. Nassor declared loudly, “Go Colossus! Kill! Kill!” As the Mummy Hamster prepared his fierce attack, the Turtle Monster stepped forward. His giant foot landed directly on top of Colossus, squashing him flat.
“Colossus?” Nassor asked sadly.
The angry turtle roared in Nassor’s face in response and knocked Nassor back several feet, pushing him through a display and into a case—making him appear like a mummy himself.
Back in the center of town, the Turtle Monster had arrived. The air was filled with screams and shouts as people ran for their lives. After her uncle left her, Elsa grabbed Persephone and ran. She wanted to get home. Or find Victor. Or both. But seeing the giant turtle, Persephone began to squirm and shake at the end of her leash. Then she pulled so hard that she jerked free. Elsa watched, terrified, as Persephone disappeared into the stampeding crowd.
At that very moment, Victor, Toshiaki, and Bob arrived at the edge of the town square. Sparky was right behind them, panting a bit from the run, but ready to help in his own doggy way. They took in the screaming people, the marching Sea Monsters, and the Were-Rat as it stumbled along.
Toshiaki climbed into one of the Ferris wheel carriages and started filming the chaos from high above the square. He laughed maniacally at the power of his creation. Suddenly, he heard a loud growl coming from behind him. It seemed the lights from the Ferris wheel had attracted the giant Turtle Monster. Toshiaki suddenly found himself face-to-face with his former pet! The giant turtle let out a monstrous roar, and Toshiaki started to panic. He tried to climb out of the carriage, but the Turtle Monster scooped him up by his pants and lifted him high into the air.
“No, no, no! Stop, you! Put me down!” Toshiaki cried. “I gave you life!”
Toshiaki dangled from the monster’s powerful claw when suddenly the turtle stepped back and his massive tail smashed a nearby fuse box, sending sparks flying everywhere.
“Victor!” Toshiaki yelled. “I need your help!”
Victor saw a wire from the fuse box hissing and sparking near a puddle of water. That gave him an idea. He remembered from his science class that water conducts electricity. And the Turtle Monster just so happened to be standing in a huge puddle of water. As white sparks flew all around him, Victor ran over and grabbed the wire. Next, he threw it into the puddle directly under the Turtle Monster. Suddenly…ZZZZZZZ! A jolt of electricity shot up the turtle’s leg. The Turtle Monster roared in pain, then crashed into a nearby tulip stall.
Now free from the Turtle Monster’s deadly grip, Toshiaki quickly grabbed his video camera to continue recording the menacing scene—but it was too late.
As soon as Toshiaki put the camera to his eye, there was a huge explosion. Tiny pieces of turtle shell fell to his feet.
Toshiaki sighed. “Shelley…”
n town, it was now just Victor and Bob. The turtle had been the biggest of their problems, but the Sea Monsters were the most numerous. They had to get rid of them. More specifically, Victor wanted Bob to get rid of them.
“I think I read somewhere that salt could be deadly for these types of creatures,” Victor said. But where could they get enough salt to take care of the army?
Glancing over, Victor spied the popcorn tent. He had an idea.
The Sea Monters had all gathered in one spot in the middle of the carnival. Yelling and waving his hands, Victor tried to get their attention. Finally, the Sea Monster king noticed Victor. Waving to his army, they began to march closer and closer to the boy. But this was just what Victor wanted. He ran into the popcorn tent and waited. One by one the creatures came into the tent. Globbing together, they found themselves drawn to the warm, yummy smell of popcorn. As the Sea Monsters popped pieces into their mouths, they began to burst, creating a giant mess.
The Sea Monsters and the giant turtle were gone. But there were three monsters still on the loose. And Sparky had just found one of them. Spotting Persephone through the crowd, he barked, trying to get her attention. Then he noticed that she was facing off with the largest rat in the history of rats. The big, black creature had chased the gym teacher up the maypole, where she was hanging on for dear life. Persephone had raced over to help but was now caught in a face-off with the mutant rat.
Running over, Sparky and Persephone ganged up on the Were-Rat. They growled and inched closer, step by step. The rat hissed and snapped at them, trying to hold its ground. The dogs kept coming. Suddenly, the rat lunged, taking a bite out of Sparky’s leg.
But Sparky wasn’t a regular dog. He had electricity pumping through his veins. So the bite didn’t hurt Sparky—but it did hurt the rat. A ZAP of electricity shot through the rat. As the dogs watched, the Were-Rat turned back into a regular rat. It took one look at the dogs—which were now much larger than it was—and scurried away.
Sparky looked at Persephone and wagged his tail. She wagged hers. Then they moved closer, their noses almost touching…
“Persephone!”
The sound of Elsa’s voice surprised both dogs and they jumped back. Elsa was running toward them, happy to see her dog safe and sound.
But just as she was about to reach them, the Vampire Cat swooped out of nowhere and scooped up Persephone.
“No!” Elsa screamed as the Vampire Cat flew away with Persephone. Sparky let out a bark as Elsa began to chase after her dog. Running as fast as his little legs could carry him, Sparky followed.
The Vampire Cat seemed to be heading right toward the windmill. Elsa quickened her pace and as she ran, she tore off the annoying blond wig. The synthetic hair kept getting in her eyes. Tossing it onto the ground, she kept running.
Sparky wasn’t as fast as Elsa. He wanted to keep up with her and help Persephone, but his short legs wouldn’t let him. He was going to need help. Seeing the wig, he grabbed it in his mouth and headed back toward town. If he could show Victor the wig, he could make him understand what was going on.
But back in town, things weren’t going as planned. With all the lights out, the citizens of New Holland had grabbed torches to help them see. Those, combined with their Dutch Day outfits, made them look like a medieval mob out on a monster hunt. And they were almost as angry as a medieval mob.
Sparky didn’t know any
of that, though, when he raced up to Victor’s parents. They were surrounded by other parents. Dropping the wig, he began to bark, trying to explain what had happened. He picked the wig up and shook it again, just like the bat had picked up Persephone. But all the humans saw was a dog that looked a little, well, beat-up, going crazy.
Having escaped the Sea Monsters, Mr. Burgemeister was trying to stop Dutch Day from being completely ruined. He heard the commotion and pushed his way through the crowd. Seeing Sparky, his eyes grew wide. Then he saw Elsa’s wig and grew furious. He took a menacing step toward Sparky. Sensing he was in trouble, the dog gave one last bark and then turned and ran back in the direction of the windmill.
Behind him, Mayor Burgemeister raised his torch high. “That dog is after Elsa!” he cried. “After him! Kill the monster!” Then, with the whole town following, he began to run after Sparky.
hen Sparky arrived at the base of the windmill, he could hear Persephone barking inside. She sounded scared. With the angry mob just behind him, Sparky raced through the open door into the windmill.
Inside, he saw the Vampire Cat creeping toward Elsa and Persephone, pushing them both further up into the rafters of the windmill.
A mob led by Mayor Burgemeister had chased Sparky to the windmill. They had seen the dog dash inside.
“Quick!” Mayor Burgemeister shouted. “Before he gets out!” He began waving his torch, signaling the crowd to storm the building. But as he moved his torch back and forth, its flame inadvertently came into contact with one of the windmill’s cloth sails. Instantly, the sail was engulfed in flames. The blades kept turning, fanning the flames.
Unaware of the fire, Elsa leaned out one of the windows. Seeing the people below, she cried out, “Help!”
“Elsa?!” Mayor Burgemeister exclaimed, confused. She didn’t seem hurt. In fact, she seemed like she wanted them to help her with something—not save her.
Just then, Victor, Toshiaki, and Bob arrived on their bikes. Hopping off, Victor raced over to where his parents were standing. “Where’s Sparky?” he asked.
Frankenweenie Page 6