The Secret Of Cacklefur Castle

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by Geronimo Stilton


  Th

  e best thing you’ll eat!

  Eat and eat until

  you’re fat.

  And you will be a

  happy rat!

  ”

  whiskers. But I was tired and hungry, and

  not feeling very polite. And so I’ll tell you

  that he was a very fat sewer rat with a filthy

  smelly apron and greasy whiskers. Not at all

  the kind of rat a mouse of refined taste likes

  to see in a kitchen!

  The cook was

  humming

  a tune while

  he stirred the pot:

  The

  cook saw me and beckoned me closer.

  Now I could see a cloud of tiny bugs flying

  around his head.

  He held out a spoon. “Do me a favor and

  taste this,” he said.

  I was so hungry, I slurped the stew right

  from the spoon.

  “Very good,” I said, licking my whiskers.

  “In fact, it’s excellent!

  "The cook grinned.“ Nobody makes

  stew like mine. It’s the best around!”

  He grabbed a bowl and filled it to the

  brim for me. I grabbed it eagerly. Maybe this

  trip wasn’t so bad after all, I thought. The

  40

  delicious stew made up for

  all o

  f the horrible things I

  had f

  ound so far.

  “The ste

  w is quite

  wonde

  rful,”

  I sai

  d. “Would

  you m

  ind telling me what’s

  in it?”

  “Of c

  ourse not,” the

  cook

  said,

  beaming. “Let’s

  see. The

  re is earthworm

  liver

  . . .

  leec

  h

  lard . . .

  black

  scorpion claws

  . . .

  wasp sting ers

  . . .

  bat thighs

  . . .

  crushed

  red termites

  . . .

  shark fin

  s

  . . .

  piranha teeth

  . . .

  iguana claws

  . . .

  viper venom

  . . .

  snake

  spleen

  . . .

  plus a little salt and pepper!”

  My stomach lurched. “

  What

  ?”

  The cook smiled. He grabbed a cockroach

  crawling across the stove. Then he tossed it

  into the stew.

  “How do you think my stew got so good?”

  Chef Stewrat’

  s great-

  great-great-great-great

  grandfather!

  41

  he as

  ked. “It is because I keep adding

  surpr

  ise ingredients!”

  I wat

  ched in horror as he took off one of

  his

  S MELLY

  sock

  s and threw it into

  the s

  tew. “Just a little bitof flavor,” he said.

  “Don’

  t want to overdo it.” He pulled out

  the s

  ock. “I will tell you a secret,” he

  whispere

  d.

  “This

  stew has been simmering

  in th

  is pot for the last five hundred years!

  I inherited it from my great-great-great-

  great-

  great

  grandfather!”

  I felt betrayed. I felt sick. I felt dizzy.

  “I want to go

  HOME

  !

  ” I wailed.

  Jus

  t then, a loud female voice rang

  throu

  gh

  the k

  itchen.

  “

  Chef

  Stewrat!

  ”

  The cook turned around. His eyes gleamed

  with excitement. “

  Madame Lat

  omb!

  ”

  he cried.

  SING FOR ME,

  M

  Y LITTLE

  WERE-CANARY!

  A very strange mouse entered the kitchen.

  She wore an old-fashioned dress trimmed

  with lace. A bat-shaped necklace hung around

  her neck. She had a huge pile of white hair

  on top of her head. When she got closer, I

  noticed she had a strange

  odor

  — like

  dead flowers.

  But that was not the only strange thing

  about Madame Latomb. I swore I heard a

  growl when she came in. Grrrrrrrrrr. But I

  could not tell where the sound was coming

  from!

  Madame Latomb smiled at the cook.

  she said.

  “

  C

  h

  e

  f

  S

  t

  e

  w

  r

  a

  t

  ,

  I

  n

  e

  e

  d

  t

  o

  d

  a

  y

  ’

  s

  m

  e

  n

  u

  ,

  ”

  MA

  DAME LATOMB

  Who Is She? The housekeeper of the Cacklefur

  family. She plays the violin and collects dolls. Her

  hairstyle hides her ferocious were-canary. It’s like a

  werewolf, but it’s a canary -- and a lot scarier when

  the moon is full!

  Her Secret: She is in love with Professor

  Frankenstein!

  44

  “Of course,

  Madame Lat

  omb

  ,” said

  the cook in a sweet voice. “You do look

  lovely today. Here is the menu.”

  “Thank you, Chef,” Madame Latomb s

  aid.

  She turned and left the kitchen. And as she

  walked away, she sang a strange little song.

  As she sang, I saw a little yellow bird pop

  out of Madame Latomb’s

  hair! The bird

  looked at me and growled.

  I shivered. I didn’

  t know what a

  were-

  ca

  nary

  was. But I was sure it wasn’

  t nice!

  “

  S

  i

  n

  g

  f

  o

  r

  m

  e

  ,

  m

  y

  d

  e

  a

  r

  i

  e

  .

  S

  i

  n

  g

  f

  o

  r

  m

  e

  ,

  m

  y

  l

  i

  t

  t

  l

  e

  w

  e

  r

  e

  -

  c

  a

  n

  a

  r

  y

  !r />
  ”

  45

  YOU’RE LOOKING SO

  PALE, SHIVEREEN!

  I left the kitchen, rubbing my

  grumbling

  belly

  . Somehow, I had to fi nd a way out of

  Cacklefur Castle. I opened the first door I

  could find

  and stepped inside.

  I found myself in an enormouse hall filled

  with strange-looking rodents. I looked down

  at my paws. The marble flo

  or was lizard

  green. I looked up. Candlelight cast ghostly

  shadows on the walls.

  I felt a paw on my shoulder and

  squeaked

  in surprise. It was

  CREEPEL

  LA

  !

  “Hello, my little zombie-wombie,” she

  said, stroking my whiskers. “How do you

  like the castle?”

  “

  I want to go HOME!

  ”

  I cried.

  46

  Creepella ignored me. She grabbed my

  paw and dragged me into the hall.

  “I’m going to introduce you to the family,

  Geronimo,” she said. “Please don’t embarrass

  me.”

  Befor

  e I could reply, a teenage mouse ran

  up to

  us. She looked like a

  smaller

  vers

  ion

  of

  Creepe

  lla. She had the same shiny

  gray fur

  , and she seemed very fond of the

  color

  purple. She wore a purple shirt and

  jea

  ns. She carried a bat-shaped purse. And

  perch

  ed on top of her shoulder was a real

  live

  chameleon

  !

  “Hello,

  Auntie

  ,” the little mouse said.

  “How nice to see you!”

  Creepella hugged her. “

  Shivereen

  , you

  look pale! How lovely!”

  “Thanks,” answered Shivereen. “I love

  your dress. It’s so . . .

  mysteriou

  s

  .”

  SHIVEREEN

  Who Is She? She is Creepella’s favorite niece.

  She copies Creepella in every way. She has a pet

  chameleon named Moldy. She dreams of working

  in the world of fashion.

  Her Secret: She keeps a diary hidden under her

  mattress.

  48

  Creepella pushed me forward. “Shivereen,

  I’d like you meet Geronimo Stilton. We are

  going to be

  married

  !

  ”

  “That

  ’s not exactly - ” I began. But

  Shivereen interrupted me.

  “When is the

  wedding?

  ” she squeaked.

  “

  NEVER

  !

  ” I screamed. Enough was

  enough!

  “Don’

  t listen to Geronimo,” Creepella said,

  takin

  g her niece’s arm. “He’s just a littletired

  from our

  trip. Now tell me, do you have a

  mouse

  friend yet?”

  The two mice walked away, chattering.

  I looked around the hall, hoping to find a

  friendly face — o

  r a way to escape.

  I saw something that might help. An

  old-

  fashioned

  phone hung on the wall. I crept

  over to it, as quiet as a mouse, and quickly

  dialed my sister, Thea.

  “Hello, Thea,” I whispered. “It’

  s me, Geronimo. I’ve

  been mousenapp — ”

  Suddenly, the telephone began to scream!

  “Put down the phone, cheddarface! No

  phone calls allowed! No phone calls

  allowed!”

  Creepella ran over and hung up the

  phone. “Well done, Telephone,” she told

  the phone. “Geronimo was being very

  naughty. Very naughty indeed.”

  “I want to go HOME!”

  I wailed.

  The mice in the

  hall all looked at

  me.

  “That Geronimo

  Stilton is a strange

  mouse,” they

  whispered.

  P

  U

  T

  D

  O

  W

  N

  T

  H

  E

  P

  H

  O

  N

  E

  ,

  C

  H

  E

  D

  D

  A

  R

  F

  A

  C

  E

  !

  50

  SNIP AND SNAP,

  THE SPOOKY TWINS

  Boneham walked into the hall, carrying

  a gong. He put earplugs in his ears. Then

  he struck the gong with a mallet. The loud

  sound rang through the hall.

  I held my ears and followed everyone into

  the dining hall. Chef Stewrat was wheeling

  in a tray with the stew pot.

  “Stew is ready!” he cried. “

  Come and

  get it!

  ”

  My st

  omach lurched at the thought of

  more ste

  w. As everyone scrambled for a seat

  at th

  e long dining table, I saw my chance.

  I quic

  kly ducked under the table.

  Unfor

  tunately, I wasn’t alone. I found

  G

  o

  o

  o

  o

  o

  o

  o

  o

  o

  o

  o

  o

  o

  o

  o

  o

  o

  n

  g

  !

  SNIP AND SN

  AP

  Who Are They? These twins are very smart and very

  good with computers. They are exactly alike, perfectly

  mean, and truly annoying!

  Their Secret: They own a collection of tricks that

  they use to scare guests staying at Cacklefur Castle!

  mysel

  f staring at two young mice who

  looked exactly alike! At first, they did not

  look like the other Cacklefurs. They both

  had very neat hair and very normal-looking

  clothes. But they each had a wicked gleam

  in their eyes.

  I suddenly heard Creepella shout, “I just

  looked out the window. Who painted fl owers

  on my hearse? If I catch him, I’ll tear his

  whiskers out one by one!”

  said Madame Latomb.

  Beside me, the twin mice began to giggle.

  “

  I

  t

  m

  u

  s

  t

  h

  a

  v

  e

  b

  e

  e

  n

  S

  n

  i

  p

  a

  n

  d

  S

  n

  a

  p
<
br />   !

  ”

  53

  KAFKA, THE

  FAITHFUL

  COCKROACH

  Before I could question the boys, I felt

  something lick my ankle! Then I heard a

  bark. “

  Arf!

  ”

  “Kafka has sniffed out something!”

  shrieked Creepella.

  I turned around and looked at my ankle. A

  huge cockroach sat there! It was sitting on

  its hind legs and barking like a dog. “

  Arf!

  Arf! Arf!

  ”

  “Quiet!” I hissed.

  But it was too late. Madame Latomb lifted

  the tablecloth. “

  Come o

  n out, you

  little scoundrels!

  ” she commanded.

  Snip and Snap crawled out from under the

  A

  r

  f

  A

  r

  f

  A

  r

  f

  table. I had no choice but to follow them.

  Creepella shrieked. “My hearse used to be

  so gloomy! And now it looks cheerful!”

  “

  He did it!

  ” said Snip, pointing to

  Snap.

  “

  He did it!

  ” said Snap, pointing to

  Snip.

  The boys looked at each other. Then they

  pointed at me! “No, he did it!” they squeaked.

  “I did not !” I protested.

  Creepella batted her green eyes. “Naughty

  boy, Geronimo. Y

  ou must give me a

  kiss

  ,

  and I’ll forgive you.”

  Before I could protest, she puckered up

  her snout and kissed me!

  KAFKA

  THE

  COCKROACH

  K

  A

  F

  K

  A

  KAFKA’S

  HOUSE

  Who Is He? The much-loved pet cockroach of the

  Cacklefur family. His cockroach house is in the

  courtyard, but he loves to sleep in Shivereen’s bed.

  She takes him for a walk every morning.

  His Secret: He can’t get enough Cockroach Crunchies!

  56

  THE JOKING GHOST

  Everyone sat down at the table. But the

  moment my bottom touched the seat, there

  was a loud, embarrassing noise.

  P f f f f f f f f f ffft!

  “Excuse me,” I said, turning bright red. “I

  didn't mean --

  Then I realized what had happened.

  Someone had put a whoopee cushion on my

  chair! “Who put this here?” I shrieked.

  “It wasn’

  t

  us

  this time!” said Snip and

  Snap.

 

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