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Creepella Von Cacklefur #5: Fright Night

Page 4

by Geronimo Stilton


  Shivereen moved forward along the

  tracks

  .

  “Hey, look! Here’s another!

  And another!”

  Geronimo caught up to

  them, and they all worked

  together to pick up the scraps

  74

  mySteriouS

  fragmentS

  of paper. Each one had

  WORDS

  on it.

  Creepella started to rearrange them like a

  PUZZLE

  . Then she gasped.

  “Rats and bats! This is —”

  “What is it? What is it? What is it?”

  Bitewing interrupted.

  “

  Look!

  ” Creepella said urgently.

  “It’s the first verse of my father’s poem,

  ‘The Phantom’s Tale’

  !”

  “But why is the poem all torn up?”

  Shivereen wondered. “And what are the

  pieces doing here?”

  Once upon a

  midnight

  scary

  75

  “This is an IMPORTANT clue,”

  Creepella said.

  Geronimo was walking with his head

  down, looking for more scraps of the poem,

  when he BUMPED into a rodent.

  “Don’t be so clumsy!” the rodent

  snapped.

  “I’m sorry,” Geronimo said. Then he looked

  up. “

  Brad Balladeer

  ? What are

  you doing here?”

  “I could ask you the same thing,” Brad

  replied.

  Creepella marched over. Her eyes narrowed

  suspiciously.

  “Geronimo asked you first,” she said.

  “What are you doing here?”

  A

  dark

  look crossed Brad’s face. “I’m

  just going on a little walk before the final

  round. Why? Is that against the rules?”

  “No, it isn’t,”

  Creepella

  answered

  smoothly. “But that answer smells like a

  lie to me!”

  Brad sniffed, turned around quickly, and

  HURRIED

  away. As he left, Geronimo

  spotted something shiny on the ground.

  “It’s a watch,” Geronimo said, picking it

  up. “With the letters ‘C.C.’ engraved on

  the back.”

  “That’s strange,” Creepella remarked.

  “Brad’s initials are ‘B.B.’”

  Shivereen tugged at Creepella’s sleeve.

  “Auntie, look!” she said, pointing at the floor.

  “Brad left some strange

  paw

  prints

  behind.”

  Creepella knelt down to examine them.

  “Rats and bats!” she exclaimed. “This is . . .

  sand!”

  78

  “sand?” asked Shivereen. “How did it get

  onto Brad’s paws?”

  “Easy!” Creepella replied. “It came from

  the sea!”

  “The sea? But that’s not anywhere near

  here,” Geronimo pointed out.

  “I’m obviously talking about a movie

  set

  , Gerrykins,” Creepella said. She started

  to

  HURRY

  away. “We need to find out

  what Brad was doing around here. Then I’m

  sure we’ll find the solution to our

  mystery!”

  “Where are we going, Auntie?” Shivereen

  asked, hurrying after her.

  down By

  the Sea

  79

  “My friend Marco Megamouse is directing

  an action movie that takes place on an

  island,” she replied. “There might be sand

  there.”

  They raced to the set. Marco

  ju

  m

  p

  e

  d

  out of his chair when he saw Creepella.

  “My friend, what ghastly glamour

  you possess!” he said. “You must star in my

  new film.”

  “I’m sorry,” Creepella replied. “I don’t have

  time. You see, I’m looking for —”

  “We have the time!” Lilly Rattenbaum

  interrupted.

  “We even have costumes!” Tilly said.

  “We can be in your film!” Milly

  finished.

  The Rattenbaum triplets had

  popped out from behind some

  plants, dressed as lobsters.

  80

  Marco eyed them. “Hmm. My movie’s

  main character is a great detective. You could

  play his assistants. Climb up on those rocks

  over there.”

  The triplets squealed with delight and

  took their places on the set.

  “I’m curious, what is this film about?”

  Shivereen asked Marco.

  81

  “It’s called:

  The Monster Detective.

  It’s about that great sleuth, Squidlock

  Holmes,” he replied.

  “I hate to bother you, but we have a real

  problem,” Creepella said. “My father is

  missing. We think he was whisked

  away in a

  pirate ship

  on wheels.

  The tracks led inside the studios. And a

  suspicious character connected to the

  mystery has sand on his paws. Is there any

  sand on your set?”

  “No, this is a ROCKY island,” the director

  replied.

  Creepella frowned. “This doesn’t make

  sense. Where could Brad have gotten that

  sand?”

  82

  Marco grabbed his MEGAPHONE

  and held it to his snout. “All right, everybody!

  ACTION!”

  There was a loud roar, and a giant

  wave

  rose from the fake ocean, soaking

  the Rattenbaums. Then an

  enormouse

  tentacle splashed out of the water, and

  another, and another . . . and then two red

  eyes . . . and then a big,

  slimy body.

  Geronimo

  promptly fainted

  from fright.

  “Poor Gerrykins,”

  Creepella said.

  “Everyone knows

  that Squidlock

  Holmes is a giant

  squid

  !”

  83

  “What an awesome squid!” Shivereen

  cheered. “Even if it is just movie magic.”

  The Rattenbaums were furious, and they

  took it out on Creepella.

  “You’re slimier than a spitting snake!”

  “You’re nastier than a cranky alligator!”

  “You’re mustier than an old mummy!”

  Creepella RACED off with Shivereen at

  her heels.

  “A mummy!” repeated Creepella. “The

  sand on Brad’s paws didn’t come from a

  beach. It came from a

  DESERT!”

  “A desert?” asked Shivereen.

  Creepella nodded. “The great Filmini, my

  favorite director, is making a movie about

  ancient

  Egypt

  .”

  They found Filmini on a set surrounded by

  sand, pyramids, and hundreds of

  SARCOPHAGI — ancient mummy cases.

  Creepella got right to the point.

  “Did Brad Balladeer pass through here?”

  the talk
ing

  SarCophaguS

  87

  The director nodded. “He was on a strange

  boat on wheels, together with three blonde

  triplets.”

  “The Rattenbaums!” hissed Creepella.

  “I knew those rats had a paw in this caper.”

  Shivereen pointed to the floor. “Look,

  Auntie. It’s those same tracks, and another

  scrap of paper.”

  Creepella was certain. “This is another line

  from Father’s poem. Let’s see if we can

  find any more.”

  Geronimo finally caught up to them. He

  was out of breath.

  It was followed by an eerie sound.

  88

  “The finals . . . HUFF . . . of the poetry

  contest . . . PUFF ... are about to begin!”

  Then Shivereen called out. “Auntie! Over

  here!”

  She had found another scrap of paper

  behind a pyramid. Geronimo suddenly

  noticed the hundreds of sarcophagi and

  turned pale.

  “It’s not real, Gerrykins; it’s just a movie

  set,” Creepella reminded him. “It’s called

  .

  ”

  Shivereen handed the newest scrap to

  Creepella, who nodded. “Yes, it’s more of the

  poem. Something tells me that Father is

  around here somewhere!”

  89

  Suddenly, Geronimo began to

  tremble

  like a wobbly bowl of cottage cheese.

  “Cr-creepella! That sarcophagus over

  there is m-moving!” he stammered.

  shouted Bitewing.

  90

  I

  t

  ’

  s

  m

  o

  v

  i

  n

  g

  !

  ”

  “

  I

  t

  ’

  s

  m

  o

  v

  i

  n

  g

  !

  I

  t

  ’

  s

  m

  o

  v

  i

  n

  g

  !

  Creepella and Shivereen ran to the

  sarcophagus. A muffled

  scream

  came

  from inside.

  “Get me out of here!”

  “The sarcophagus is talking!” Geronimo

  cried.

  “Of course! Father is inside,” Creepella

  said. “Father, can you hear me?”

  91

  “CreepellA!”

  It was Boris’s voice, all

  right. “You finally found me!”

  “How did you end up in there?” Geronimo

  asked.

  Inside the sarcophagus, Boris growled

  angrily. “It was no accident. I was

  mousenapped!”

  92

  “Mousenapped! What an awful

  thing!” Geronimo exclaimed.

  “Yes,” Creepella agreed. “And I know who

  did it, too. It was

  Brad Balladeer

  !”

  “Exactly!” Boris cried. “That sneaky

  sewer rat is responsible for this! I was in my

  dressing room, rehearsing ‘

  A Phantom’s

  Tale

  ,’ when Brad burst in with those awful

  Rattenbaum sisters. They wrapped me up

  like a

  MUMMY

  and stuffed me in a

  sack!”

  “How terrible, Grandfather!” Shivereen

  cried.

  Creepella nodded. “And then they

  STOLE

  myStery

  Solved!

  93

  Professor Dubloon’s pirate ship on wheels

  and sped onto this set with you, right?”

  “Right as always, my clever daughter,”

  Boris replied. “They

  hid

  me in this

  sarcophagus, thinking no one would find

  me.”

  “I knew there was something suspicious

  about that

  missing

  ship

  ,” Geronimo

  mused.

  “They thought they were clever,” Creepella

  said. “But you were more clever, Father. You

  left us

  CLUES

  — pieces of your

  poem.”

  “I knew you would find them,” Boris said.

  “But WHY would Brad do such a

  thing?” Geronimo wondered.

  “So he can win the contest,” Boris

  said. “With me out of the picture, he can’t

  lose.”

  “I suspect there’s more to it than that, but

  we’ll know soon enough,” Creepella said.

  “But right now, we need to get you to that

  contest

  !”

  “Um, do you think you can get me out of

  this thing first?” Boris asked.

  Creepella frowned. “It’s sealed shut.

  But we’ll find a way.”

  “Auntie, over here!” Shivereen called out.

  95

  “I found Professor Dubloon’s

  ship

  !”

  Creepella grinned. “

  PERFECT!

  Gerrykins, please load the sarcophagus

  onto the ship.”

  “But it’s so

  HEAVY

  !” Geronimo

  protested, but of course it was no use.

  Creepella was already in the driver’s seat.

  HUFFING and PUFFING again, he

  pushed the sarcophagus on board and then

  hopped in.

  Creepella SPED back to the contest

  area, where Crystal Glamorosa was talking

  to the crowd.

  “It seems as though Boris von Cacklefur

  has dropped out of the contest,” she

  said. “According to the rules, that means

  that

  Brad Balladeer

  is the

  winner!”

  Brad raised his arms in the air victoriously.

  96

  Some members of the crowd

  cheered

  , but

  others

  booed

  and

  jeered

  .

  “This has never

  happened before!”

  Professor Dubloon

  complained.

  “And one of

  our judges is

  missing, too,” added Professor

  Cleverpaws.

  “Boris von Cacklefur is a coward,” said

  Brad. “He ran away from a poetry contest in

  fourth grade. And that’s just what he’s done

  today!”

  At that moment the pirate ship on wheels

  BURST

  onto the stage. The crowd

  gasped.

  97

  Creepella cried.

  Brad saw the sarcophagus and turned

  pale.

  “There’s only one way you could know

  about what happened to my father in fourth

  grade, Brad,” Creepella said. She pointed at

  him dramatically. “You are the son of

  Chester Cheater!”

  100

  The crowd went quiet.

  “We have proof,” Creepella said, walking

  toward Brad. “Geronimo found your watch

  with the initials ‘C.C.’”

  Brad hung his
head. “You are right,” he

  said. “My real name is Chumley

  Cheater. Chester Cheater was my

  father.”

  The audience gasped.

  “I knew he looked familiar!” Boris said

  from inside the sarcophagus.

  “All I ever wanted to be was a great poet.

  I even changed my name,” Brad said. “Being

  fright night idol has been my dream

  fright night

  idol!

  101

  come true, and I want to keep the title. But I

  learned that Boris von Cacklefur was

  competing this year, and my father said he

  was impossible to beat. So I mousenapped

  him!”

  the audience jeered.

  Panicked, Brad tried to run away, but

  Crystal

  flipped

  him over with a karate

  move.

  The judges whispered to one another. Then

  Professor Dubloon announced, “Brad is

  DISQUALIFIED!”

  “That means that Boris is the winner!”

  Crystal announced.

  The Rattenbaum triplets tried to slink

  away, but Creepella spotted them.

  “Don’t go anywhere!” she said menacingly.

  “I’ll deal with you soon.”

  There was still one problem — Boris was

  still trapped in the sarcophagus.

  “How can I give him a cr

  o

  wn when

  he’s in there?” Crystal asked.

  104

  Grandpa Frankenstein

  ju

  m

  p

  e

  d

  out of

  his seat. “Let me take care of this — a baby

  mouse could do it!”

  He took a strange contraption out of

  his bag and went to work. A few seconds

  later, Boris popped out of the sarcophagus.

  Crystal put the crown on his head and

  announced,

  Thunderous applause filled the arena.

  “Bravo!” Creepella shouted, and her

  father shed a happy tear.

  “And now, silence!” Crystal demanded.

  “Now let’s hear our idol’s most

  horrifying

  poem!”

  Boris began reciting.

  105

  The

  phantom’s tale

 

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