by Peter Bently
For Theo and Tara
P.B.
For my friends
C.H.
Ghoul Trip
Written by Peter Bently
Illustrated by Chris Harrison
Albert Whitman & Company
Chicago, Illinois
Contents
Chapter 1
A Night at the Fair
Chapter 2
Peg Leg’s Castle
Chapter 3
Bat Trick
Chapter 4
Mirror Malarkey
Chapter 5
Castle Capers
Chapter 6
Spooky Surprise
Chapter 1
A Night at the Fair
BEEP! BEEP!
Miss Gargoyle looked around at her class of young vampires. “Okay, everyone!” she said. “The school bus is here. Let’s all make our way out in an orderly line!”
Lee Price stuck his hand up.
“Miss Gargoyle,” he asked eagerly. “Why do we have to take the bus to the county fair? Why don’t we just fly?”
With a sudden POP! Lee turned into a bat and fluttered around the room.
“Yes, Miss Gargoyle, flying would be much quicker than the bus,” chimed in Bella Williams.
“And better for the environment,” added Billy Pratt. “Bats don’t make smelly fumes.”
“Except when they’ve had beans for dinner,” quipped Lee.
The class burst out laughing. Even Miss Gargoyle couldn’t help grinning. She was looking forward to tonight’s school trip to the county fair just as much as the children. When she was a little girl, her dad had worked on the ghost train. She used to ride for free until her dad got fired for being too scary.
“We’re taking the bus because it’s dark and I don’t want anyone to get lost on the way,” she said. “Besides, I don’t think it’s a great idea if twenty-five bats land in the middle of the fair and suddenly turn into a bunch of little vampires, do you? You know what Fangless folk are like. Now come along, the bus is waiting.”
Lee turned back into his normal shape and followed the rest of the class out to the school bus. The side of the bus said:
St. Orlok’s
Elementary School
It used to say for Vampires too, but the school principal, Mrs. Batty, had it painted over after several terrified Fangless drivers accidentally drove into street lights.
“Come on, Billy and Bella, let’s sit at the front!” said Lee. “Uh-oh, here’s old Gore. What does he want?”
Billy and Bella turned to see Mr. E. Gore, the school janitor, hurrying across the school yard toward them.
Mr. E. Gore was not a vampire but a zombie. He was also the gloomiest, grouchiest, grumpiest, and grinchiest ghoul in town.
“Look,” said Lee. “What’s that on Gore’s face?”
“It looks like a new nose,” said Bella. “It’s a darker green than his old one.”
“And less warty,” said Billy. “I wonder where he got it?”
“Miss Karkoyle! Miss Karkoyle!” hollered Mr. Gore. “Shtop! Vait a moment!”
“Uh-oh,” said Billy nervously. “Do you think he found that stink bomb we left in his trunk?”
“Maybe,” said Lee. “But he wouldn’t dare moan about that. He was fast asleep when he should have been “Maybe,” said Lee. “But he wouldn’t dare moan about that. He was fast asleep when he should have been working.”
“Miss Karkoyle!” puffed Mr. Gore glumly. “Haff you locked ze classroom?”
“No, Eric,” said Miss Gargoyle coolly. “Why?”
“I must lock it at vonce!” wailed Mr. Gore. “All zese robberies in ze town! Another von just last night at Chaney Street Elementary! All zeverevolves’ face brushes, stolen during casketball practice!” Chaney Street was the werewolf school down the road. “And zen last veek, at Amenhotep High, ze spare bandages, all shtolen! Zerevere bits of mummies dropping off everyvhere!”
He stroked his new nose, which was stuck on with a bandage.
“Aha,” said Lee. “So that’s where he got it from.” Amenhotep High was the high school for mummies.
“All zese schools being robbed!” said Mr. Gore. “Alvays at night! Very suspicious!” He lowered his voice to a creepy whisper that was still loud enough for everyone to hear. “D’you know sumsink, Miss Karkoyle? I know who ze robbers are!”
“Really?” said Miss Gargoyle. “Who?”
Mr. Gore nodded slyly toward her class.
“All ze robberies are at night!” he hissed. “And who comes out at night? Vampires!”
“And Fangless burglars,” said Miss Gargoyle firmly. “Now we really must get going. Goodnight, Eric!”
She climbed onto the bus and sat down.
“Crazy old ghoul,” said Lee, “saying vampires might be the robbers.”
“I know,” said Billy. “If he hates vampires so much, why does he work in a vampire school?”
“Well,” said Bella, “he couldn’t get a job in a Fangless school, could he? He’d frighten everyone to death.”
“Now, now,” said Miss Gargoyle. “Mr. Gore’s a harmless old soul. Or he would be, if he had a soul. Anyway, tonight we’re going to enjoy ourselves.”
Max, the bus driver, started the engine.
“Ready, Miss Gargoyle?” he asked, fiddling with the bolt on his neck.
“You bet,” she grinned. “Next stop, the county fair!”
Chapter 2
Peg Leg’s Castle
The county fairgrounds were next to a ruined castle. As the school bus pulled up, the vampires saw large crowds of Fangless folk and all kinds of brightly lit stalls and carnival rides. There were merry-go-rounds, a roller coaster, and a huge Ferris wheel that was almost as tall as the castle.
“Right,” said Miss Gargoyle, as the vampires filed excitedly off the bus. “While we’re here I want you all to find out five things about the castle.” She held up a pile of papers. “You can write them on these work sheets.”
The vampires groaned.
“You mean we actually have to do some work?” asked Lee.
“That’s right,” said Miss Gargoyle. “Remember, this is a school trip. It’s meant to be educational. You might live in a ruined castle yourselves one day, so it’s important to know a bit about them. And the three best work sheets will each win a special prize.”
“It’s cool, guys,” snickered Big Herb, the laziest boy in the class. “We’ll just ask the castle ghosts!”
“No, you won’t,” said Miss Gargoyle. “First, that would be cheating. Second, there aren’t any ghosts.”
“What, a ruined castle with no ghosts?” said Big Herb in disbelief.
“Yes,” said Miss Gargoyle, as she handed out the work sheets. “The castle’s last owner was Peg Leg Pete, the famous pirate. He had fifty pet parrots whose squawking made such a terrible racket, no one could hear the ghosts wailing and screeching. So they all moved out and never came back. See, I’ve told you one thing about the castle already. Okay, now off you go. Enjoy yourselves.” She smiled. “Make sure you’re back at the bus by midnight. Don’t get lost, and don’t go flashing your fangs or turning into bats in front of Fangless folk. The school will get complaints!”
The young vampires all ran gleefully into the fair.
“Wow!” said Lee. “What should we ride on first?”
“How about the Ferris wheel?” said Bella.
“I don’t know,” said Billy. “I’m not crazy about heights.”
“Oh, come on,” said Lee. “I’ll pay for this one.”
They joined the line for the Ferris wheel.
“Three rides please,” said Lee, handing over some coins to a man with shifty eyes and a thin mustache. The man took Lee’s money and quickly pushed the c
hildren into car number eight.
“Hey,” said Lee. “You didn’t give me any change!”
“Nonsense,” sneered the man, locking them in. “Pesky kids. Have a nice ride!” He laughed nastily, and before Lee could say anything else, the Ferris wheel whisked them up into the air.
“What a cheat!” fumed Lee, glaring down at the man. “I want my money!”
“Yeah,” agreed Bella. “He was horrible.”
Just then Billy grabbed Bella’s arm. They were high above the crowds now and Billy was terrified.
“Oh, dear,” he quavered, shutting his eyes tight. “I can’t bear to look!”
“Why don’t you turn into a bat?” said Bella kindly. “You’re not scared of heights when you’re a bat.”
“But Miss Gargoyle said we shouldn’t!” said Billy.
Suddenly Lee sat up.
“Only in front of Fangless folk,” he said brightly. “But when we get to the top, no one will see us.”
“Us?” said Bella. “What do you mean, us?”
“I’ve just had an idea,” grinned Lee. “Listen …”
Chapter 3
Bat Trick
Ten minutes later, car number seven came to a halt at the bottom of the Ferris wheel. The man with the thin mustache unlocked the door and a Fangless boy and girl got out. The wheel moved on and car number eight swung down.
“Hur-hur,” sneered the man. “Here come those three weird-looking kids I cheated.” He unlocked the car. It was empty. “What? Hang on a minute,” he gasped. “Where’d they go?”
He looked in, under, and on top of the car. Nothing. He was baffled. Those kids had definitely got into car number eight, he was sure of it.
Or had they?
Maybe he’d got the number wrong. He waited while all the other cars came down and checked inside every one. But there was no sign of the children. He scratched his mustache, puzzled.
Finally, car number eight came back down again. The man couldn’t understand it. Those children had gone up, so they must have come down. But where were they? All he could see were three little bats fluttering high above his head.
There was a long line of people waiting to get on the Ferris wheel. The man thought hard.
“I’ll just take one last look in car number eight,” he muttered. “Maybe those pesky kids are hiding under the seat.” He crawled into the car on his hands and knees for a closer look. And then three things happened very quickly.
First, the three little bats turned—POP! POP! POP!—into three giggling vampires.
Next, Lee quickly locked the door of the car with a SLAM! Then, Billy pressed the green button that said START.
“Hey!” yelled the man. “What’s going on? Let me out!”
But the three vampires just smiled and waved.
“Have a nice trip,” called Lee, as car number eight swung into the air. The man was shouting some very rude words, but they grew fainter and fainter as he rose higher and higher.
When car number eight reached the top of the Ferris wheel, Bella pressed the red STOP button.
“Good,” said Lee. “That’ll serve him right for cheating people. We’ll let him out in half an hour!”
As they left the Ferris wheel, Lee hung a sign on the entrance. It said CLOSED FOR REPAIRS.
“Sorry,” Lee said to the waiting Fangless people. “Come back later!”
Chapter 4
Mirror Malarkey
The three vampires wandered around the fair. They bought cotton candy and ice cream, rode on the roller coaster, and guessed the weight of a large pig. They also bumped into Lee’s werewolf friend Ollie Talbot and his big brother Claude. Ollie and Claude went to Chaney Street Elementary School.
“How come there’s no school tonight?” asked Lee.
“It’s a blue moon,” said Ollie. “We get a night’s holiday.”
Ollie and Claude were both in human form so as not to terrify Fangless folk. Apart from their hairy hands they looked just like normal children.
“We’re going for a raw burger,” said Ollie. “Coming?”
“No thanks,” said Lee. “We just had ice cream. We’re heading for the hall of mirrors.”
“Okay,” said Ollie. “Been on the ghost train yet?”
“No,” said Lee. “Maybe we’ll see you there. Fangless ghost trains are always good for a laugh. They’re so unscary!”
Lee, Bella, and Billy had great fun in the hall of mirrors —until Bella stood next to a Fangless boy who was laughing at his weird reflection in a wobbly mirror.
“Tee-hee!” she chuckled along with him. “You look like a zombie in that mirror!”
The boy stared at Bella, then at the mirror, then at Bella again. He stopped laughing and his mouth fell open.
“What’s wrong?” she asked. Then she realized. She had forgotten to turn her reflection on!
“Oh,” she said. “Silly me! Hang on.”
With a ZZZIP! Bella’s very wide, wobbly reflection suddenly appeared in the mirror. The boy gaped even more.
“H-h-how d-d-d-id you d-d.d-d-o that?” he stammered.
“Oh, it’s easy,” said Bella. “We learn it at vampire school.” She smiled sweetly, showing him her long fangs.
“AAAAAARGGGGH!” screamed the boy. “Mom! Dad! HEEEEEELP!” And he shot out of the hall of mirrors faster than you can say Transylvania.
“What’s up with him?” asked Lee.
“I’m not sure,” said Bella. “I think it was something I said. Maybe we’d better go.”
“Yes,” said Billy, looking at his watch. “We’ve only got another hour and we haven’t been on the ghost train yet.”
“Yikes!” said Lee. “And we’ve got Miss Gargoyle’s worksheet to fill in.”
“Yes,” said Bella. “We’d better do that first.”
The three vampires walked to the ruined castle. But when they got there they found the gates chained shut and a big sign that said:
Chapter 5
Castle Capers
“That’s weird,” said Lee. “Miss Gargoyle said there weren’t any ghosts.”
“Maybe they came back after all,” said Bella.
“But why now?” said Billy. “Peg Leg Pete’s been dead over three hundred years. The ghosts could have returned long ago.”
“Hmmm,” said Lee. “It’s very strange. Maybe we should take a look.”
“But the gates are locked!” said Billy.
“Silly Billy,” said Lee. “We’ll go in as bats, of course. No one’ll notice. Besides, how else can we do Miss Gargoyle’s worksheet? Come on!”
After checking to make sure no Fangless folk were watching, they said the bat chant Miss Gargoyle had taught them:
“I’m a bat, a bat is me,
A bat is all I want to be.”
And with a POP! POP! POP! they all turned into bats and fluttered off over the castle wall.
They flew through all the roofless halls and ruined chambers of the castle. It was dark and dank and cold—and incredibly spooky.
“Wow!” said Lee. “This place is really cool!”
“Yeah,” agreed Bella. “I’ll bet those old ghosts were sorry to leave!”
“No sign of any new ghosts, though,” said Lee. “Hang on, what’s that?”
They hovered over some stone steps leading down to the dungeons. At the bottom of the steps was a light!
“Uh-oh,” said Billy. “It’s a glowing phantom! I think we should leave. It’s not polite to enter a ghoul’s home without asking.”
“It’s not a phantom,” said Lee, peering at the light. “It’s a fire. Let’s take a closer look.”
Lee was right. A small campfire was flickering in the dungeon. Next to it were two men.
“It’s okay, they’re Fangless,” said Lee.
Hanging from the dungeon wall was a rusty iron chain. The vampire bats landed on it, dangled upside down, and listened.
“Where’s Tony? He should be here by now,” growled one of the men. He was
wearing sunglasses even though it was night.
“Dunno, Jim,” grunted the other man, who was as big as a truck. “The Ferris wheel stopped ages ago.”
Lee grinned at Bella and Billy.
“Tony must be the guy who cheated me!” he whispered.
“Oh!” said Bella. “I’d forgotten all about him. He’s still stuck at the top of the Ferris wheel!”
“But what are they doing in the castle?” wondered Billy.
He didn’t have to wait long to find out.
“D’you know what, Milton?” said Jim. “If Tony doesn’t show up soon, we’ll just have to rob St. Orlok’s without him.”
“Yeah,” said Jim. “We’ll give him ten more minutes, then we’re outta here.”
The vampire bats nearly fell off their chain. So that was it! The three men were the robbers who’d been burglarizing the local schools. And the castle was their hideout!
“So that’s why we haven’t met a single ghost,” said Lee. “There aren’t any!”
“Yes,” agreed Bella. “That sign on the castle gate is just a trick to keep everyone away.”
“We should tell the Fangless police,” said Lee.
“But the men will be gone by the time they get here!” said Billy.
“You’re right,” said Bella. “We’ll have to make sure they don’t get away. But how?”
They dangled in silence for a minute. Then Lee spoke.
“I’ve got an idea,” he said, flitting into the air. “I’ll explain when I get back. You stay here and keep an eye on the men.”