The Berenstain Bears and the Haunted Hayride

by Stan

  They hurried to the pumpkin patch. What they saw there made their hearts sink. The pumpkins were still there. But they were all twisted into weird, spooky shapes.

  “My beautiful pumpkins!” moaned Farmer Ben. “My most important fall crop! This is a disaster!”

  “What happened to them?” asked Sister.

  “Pumpkin blight,” said Ben. “Could have been an accident. But I doubt it. There are at least a dozen kinds of pumpkin blight, and not a single one has hit a Beartown area farm this year.”

  “Hmm,” said Ferdy. “Kind of makes you think someone got hold of some blight germs and let them loose in the pumpkin patch.”

  “Who do you think did it, Ben?” asked Barry.

  “Well, I’ve only got one enemy in all Bear Country,” said Farmer Ben. “I always knew Ed Hooper was a lowdown creep. But I never thought he’d stoop this low.”

  Chapter 8

  A Brilliant Plan

  Farmer Ben called the police right away, and Chief Bruno came out to the farm to investigate the crimes. The chief found no evidence that pointed to Ed Hooper. But he did find something interesting when he contacted the Big Bear City Police to see if there had been similar crimes recently in that area. There hadn’t. But someone had stolen several test tubes containing pumpkin blight germs from the Farm Science Laboratory at Big Bear University. Unfortunately, that crime hadn’t been solved yet, either.

  Catching the criminal would have put a stop to the crimes, of course. But it wouldn’t have helped Farmer Ben. His three most important fall crops were no longer fit for sale. He told Mrs. Ben that there was no way the farm could recover from the loss. Now he wouldn’t be able to keep up with the payments on the new tractor. And by mid-November, there wouldn’t even be enough money left in their account at Great Grizzly National Bank to put food on the Ben table. Mrs. Ben offered to go back to work at the fabric store, but Ben said her wages there weren’t enough to save the farm. And he was right. They had no choice now but to sell the farm to a land developer.

  Farmer Ben looked like a beaten bear as he announced his decision to the cubs gathered in his living room. And then, with a huge lump in his throat, he turned to the portraits on the wall and apologized to his ancestors for letting them down. It was a sad moment indeed.

  The cubs were stunned as they walked homeward. They didn’t want to lose their jobs. But they were more worried about the Bens’ loss than their own. Especially Ferdy. Ferdy had come a long way in his respect for farming. Every day since his first day of work, he and Farmer Ben had been discussing the science of farming: how to increase milk yields, how to improve the flavor of tomatoes, how to fight new types of blight. Ferdy and Ben had even planned farm research projects together. They had become as close friends as a cub and a grownup can.

  Ferdy was convinced that selling the farm would make Farmer Ben unhappy for the rest of his life. He knew it was time to come to his friend’s aid. So he asked the other cubs to go to the Burger Bear with him for a brainstorming session. Together they would search their minds for ways to raise money for the Ben farm.

  Over shakes in their favorite booth, the cubs brainstormed their way to a truly brilliant plan. On the night before Halloween they would hold a grand Halloween Festival at the farm. They would charge folks ten dollars each to get in. There would be a big cookout. But the main attraction would be the Haunted Hayride. Customers riding atop bales of hay on a tractor-pulled cart would squeal and shriek at spooky sounds coming from hidden loudspeakers and at cubs in scary costumes along the way.

  Ferdy had an idea for using holograms to make imaginary ghosts in the night sky during the hayride. He explained how holograms can make objects appear to float in space through the use of laser beams, mirrors, and lenses. He would get help from his uncle Actual Factual, who had been studying holograms lately.

  The cubs also came up with great ideas about how to make money from the recent disasters. They would grind the wormy apples into Ben’s Best Cider, which would be sold at the festival for ten dollars a gallon. The onion milk would become Mrs. Ben’s Secret Recipe Cream of Onion Soup, at eight dollars a quart. They would sell a new Halloween specialty: popcorn-on-the-cob. And they would charge six dollars apiece for their Super Spooky Monster Pumpkins.

  It was a surefire plan. Ferdy did some quick calculations and showed that the Halloween Festival could raise enough money to pay off the new tractor, keep the milking machines in good working order, buy seed and fertilizer for next spring’s crops, and also put food on the Ben table and keep the farmhouse heated through the winter. In the meantime, Farmer Ben could continue selling his dairy products. And by late spring, he would be ready to reopen Farmer Ben’s Market.

  After another round of shakes to celebrate their new plan, the cubs hurried back to the farm to tell Farmer Ben all about it.

  Chapter 9

  A Farmer’s Pride Revisited

  “Well, Farmer Ben,” said Ferdy eagerly, “what do you think of our plan?”

  Sitting in his easy chair, Ben had listened carefully as Ferdy described the plan for the Halloween Festival. The cubs had expected Ben’s gloomy expression to change when he heard the plan. But now there was no smile on his face or twinkle in his eye.

  “I don’t like it,” he said.

  The cubs were shocked.

  “Why not?” asked Ferdy. “What’s wrong with it?”

  “It’s show business, not farming,” said Ben. “Maybe you’d like me to get up and tap-dance for the folks, too.” He looked up at the portraits of his ancestors. “I know what Ben Ezra, Ben Abner, and Ben Noah would think of the Halloween Festival. They’d hate it.”

  Ferdy said, “But it would save the—”

  “Tap-dancin’, that’s all it is!” Ben snapped. “My dear old papa, Ben Noah, had a term for this kind of non-farmin’ foolishness that farmers get involved in. He called it ‘tap-dancin’ on cow pies.’”

  Ferdy might have looked hurt if he hadn’t been thinking so hard. What should he do? He could tell Mrs. Ben about the plan. Maybe she could get Farmer Ben to change his mind. But he didn’t want to start a big argument between Farmer and Mrs. Ben.

  Suddenly Ferdy’s eyes lit up. “Of course, we respect your decision, Farmer Ben,” he said. “I’d like to make one last request, if I may. Would you allow us cubs to sleep in the barn tomorrow night? Sort of our way of saying good-bye to the farm.”

  “A sleepover?” said Ben. “Why, sure. After everything you cubs have done for Mrs. Ben and me, it’s the least I can do.”

  “Then perhaps you’ll grant me another last request,” said Ferdy. “Would you and the cubs wait while I go home and get my camera and tripod? I’d like to take a group photo right here in the living room.”

  “I’d be honored,” said Farmer Ben. “Go on, son. Git!”

  Trudy went with Ferdy so she could carry the camera while he carried the tripod. As they headed down the drive to the front gate, Trudy said, “A sleepover and group photo are wonderful ideas, Ferd. Very sweet.”

  “Sweet has nothing to do with it,” said Ferdy. “I think I know how to save the Halloween Festival—and, thus, the farm!”

  Chapter 10

  Ghosts of Farmers Past

  The next day on the farm was a quiet one as Farmer Ben made plans to sell his cows and chickens. Several other farmers made appointments to come to the farm with their animal doctors to examine Ben’s livestock. As soon as Ben found a new home for his cows and chickens, he would sell the farm to a land developer.

  That evening, after dinner, the cubs gathered in the barn with their flashlights and sleeping bags. They were usually happy on sleepovers, but not this time. For hours they talked softly about all their fond memories of working on the farm. Finally, long after the cows had settled down in their stalls, the cubs switched off their flashlights and went to sleep.

  Sometime later, Lizzy was awakened by the cows stirring in their stalls. She woke up Sister, who was sleeping beside her.

&
nbsp; “What’s up?” asked Sister, rubbing her eyes.

  “Something’s upsetting the cows,” whispered Lizzy. “Maybe Ed Hooper is snooping around again. Do you think we should investigate?”

  But before Sister could answer, something happened that made Lizzy shout loud enough to wake up the rest of the cubs.

  “Look!” she cried. “Up in the hayloft!”

  Three glowing faces had appeared side by side. They seemed to float in the air, just above the bales of hay.

  “Burglars!” said Barry.

  “Hay burglars?” Queenie wondered.

  Suddenly a wailing sound filled the barn. “Who-o-o! Who-o-o! WHO-O-O-O-O!”

  Sister grabbed Lizzy’s arm. “Those aren’t barn owls!” she moaned. “I’m scared!”

  “I’ll go get Farmer Ben!” said Brother.

  “Wait!” said Cousin Fred. “Haven’t we seen those faces before?”

  Just then the latch on the barn door clicked open and Farmer Ben came rushing in with a flashlight in one hand and a pitchfork in the other. “What’s going on in here?” he demanded. Then he saw the glowing faces. “What in tarnation …?”

  At that moment the faces spoke. “We … are … the … Ben … ancestors …” they wailed in low, wobbly voices that seemed to come from another world.

  Farmer Ben let out a gasp. “Ben Ezra! Ben Abner! Ben Noah! Why have you come back?”

  Now only one of the voices spoke. “To tell you that you are making a great mistake!”

  “By selling the farm?” asked Ben.

  “Y-E-E-S-S-S!” said the voice. “This is your papa speaking! You must hold the Halloween Festival!”

  Farmer Ben was shaking in awe. “But, Papa,” he said, “you ordered me never to tap-dance on cow pies …”

  “Don’t be a slave to my orders, son!” said the voice. “You must try new things!”

  Farmer Ben gulped. “Is that an order?” he asked weakly.

  “YES!” boomed the voice. “Now go plan the Halloween Festival! Go on, son! Git!”

  With that, the glowing faces faded until only flashlight beams lit the barn.

  Farmer Ben thrust his pitchfork into the dirt floor of the barn. “My ancestors have spoken, cubs,” he said. “I was wrong about selling the farm. We will hold the Halloween Festival!”

  The cubs let out a cheer in unison: “Hip, hip, hooRAY!”

  Chapter 11

  The Secret of the Ghosts

  “Ghosts!” said Sister when Farmer Ben had gone back to the farmhouse. “I can’t believe I saw real ghosts!”

  “Amazing!” said Babs. “I must be dreaming! Somebody pinch me!”

  “Wait a second,” said Fred, looking around. “What happened to Ferdy and Trudy?”

  “They’re gone!” said Queenie.

  “No, we’re not,” said two voices. “We’re up here.”

  The cubs looked up to see Ferdy and Trudy climbing down the hayloft ladder. Ferdy had a box under one arm, and Trudy was carrying something that looked like a laptop computer attached to a microphone.

  “Did you see the ghosts?” asked Sister.

  “We didn’t just see them,” said Ferdy. “We made them.”

  “What do you mean, you made them?” asked Brother.

  Ferdy put down his box and took something from it. “This is a hologram of Farmer Ben’s ancestors. We made it from a photographic plate in my uncle’s laboratory at the Bearsonian.” He lifted more objects from the box. “Just now we projected the hologram image in the hayloft, using these lenses and this laser.”

  “Wow!” said Cousin Fred. “But how did you make the faces so real? They looked just like the portraits in Farmer Ben’s living room.”

  “Simple,” said Ferdy. He took a snapshot from the breast pocket of his tweed jacket and held it up for all to see. It was the group photo he had taken the day before in the Bens’ living room. Farmer Ben stood at the far left, with Mrs. Ben at the far right. In between them were the cubs all in a row, including Ferdy, who had taken the photo using a timer. Also between Ben and his wife, but above and behind the shorter cubs, were the portraits of Ben Ezra, Ben Abner, and Ben Noah.

  “My uncle has recently discovered how to make holograms from ordinary photographs,” Ferdy continued. “That’s why I arranged us so that the portraits would appear in the group photo.”

  “Awesome!” said Queenie. “Ferdy, you’re a genius!”

  “That’s what all the girls say,” said Ferdy. “Boys, too, actually.”

  “But how did you get the ancestors to talk?” asked Barry.

  Trudy patted the machine she was holding. “Ferdy did all the talking,” she said, “but I ran the voice synthesizer.”

  “I borrowed it from my uncle,” said Ferdy. “It can do all sorts of weird things to your voice. Even make it sound like several voices at once.”

  “Why didn’t you tell us about this?” asked Sister. “You scared the heck out of me with those ghosts!”

  “I wanted your natural reactions to the ghosts,” Ferdy explained. “I was afraid that any bad acting on your part would make Farmer Ben suspect it was all a trick.”

  “And it worked,” said Trudy. “Farmer Ben didn’t suspect a thing.”

  “This is terrific!” cried Queenie. “We can make all kinds of spooky holograms for the Haunted Hayride!”

  “Oh, no,” said Ferdy. “I’ll admit that was my intention earlier. But now we can’t do it.”

  “Why not?” asked Queenie.

  “When Farmer Ben sees the holograms at the hayride,” said Ferdy, “he might realize that the ghosts of his ancestors were made in the same way. And Farmer Ben must never know that we tricked him into saving the farm. Even though it was for his own good.”

  The cubs agreed to keep the secret of the ghosts. Then, after one more “Hip, hip, hooray!” for Ferdy and Trudy, they all curled up in their sleeping bags for a good night’s sleep.

  Chapter 12

  Hayride Mischief

  Now that Farmer Ben was in favor of the Halloween Festival, he threw himself into the preparations with all his heart. He advertised on radio stations and in newspapers as far away as Big Bear City. He helped Papa Bear build dozens of picnic tables for the grand cookout. And he drove all around the countryside looking for good deals on ground beef for burgers so he wouldn’t have to pay the high prices at Hooper’s Sooper-Dooper Market. Mrs. Ben worked just as hard making gallon after gallon of Ben’s Best Cider and quart after quart of her Secret Recipe Cream of Onion Soup.

  The Bens had a lot of help, too. Not only did Papa Bear donate his labor, but the cubs worked long hours without pay to build pop-up and pop-out spooks for the Haunted Hayride. They also donned their trick-or-treat costumes and rehearsed jumping out from behind trees along the hayride route. Biff Bruin donated dozens of paper lanterns to light the festival. And Chief Bruno offered to patrol the farm during the festival in order to discourage rowdies and troublemakers.

  At last the big night arrived. Bears came from far and wide. There were so many that Mrs. Ben worried there might not be enough food. Many of the cub visitors came in their trick-or-treat costumes. Even some of the grownups wore costumes.

  At dusk, as soon as the festival opened, Mrs. Ben started serving burgers with the help of Papa and Mama Bear. When it was completely dark, Farmer Ben announced the first run of the long-awaited Haunted Hayride. Excited cubs and grownups piled onto the hay-filled cart. Pulled by the new tractor with Farmer Ben at the wheel, the cart set off on its journey around the farm.

  Along the way, painted dragons and vampires popped up from behind rocks and bushes. Costumed ghosts and goblins dashed out from behind trees. Loudspeakers hidden in trees and in the hayloft of the barn filled the night air with spooky wails and moans. The riders shrieked and squealed in fear and delight.

  Then, all of a sudden, someone came running toward the hayride from the direction of the front gate. It was Chief Bruno. He stopped right in front of Farmer Ben’s tractor and held
up a hand. “Halt!” he shouted. “Don’t go another inch!”

  “What’s wrong, Chief?” asked Farmer Ben.

  “Someone’s been messing with the hay cart,” said the chief. “Take a look at the left rear wheel.”

  Farmer Ben climbed down from the tractor to examine the cart wheel. Sure enough, it was loose. So loose, in fact, that it was about to come off.

  “Tarnation!” cried Farmer Ben. “My riders could have been hurt! Not just scrapes and bruises, either! Broken bones!” He turned back to Chief Bruno. “Who did this?”

  Now Officer Marguerite arrived on the scene, accompanied by a tall bear in a pirate costume. “Here’s your culprit,” said Marguerite.

  “Hooper!” roared Ben. “It’s you!”

  “I’ve had my eye on him all evening,” said Bruno. “He was one of the first to get here, and he looked nervous. At dinner, he kept looking over at the hay cart. That made me real suspicious. So, when he got up from dinner, I asked him to come over under one of the paper lanterns so I could get a good look at his great costume. Meanwhile, Marguerite sneaked up behind him and pulled off his mask. As soon as I saw who it was, I knew he was up to no good.”

  “I could have been ruined, Chief,” said Farmer Ben. “This bear is a menace to society!”

  “Shut up, you dumb farmer!” growled Hooper.

  “You shut up, Hooper!” snapped Chief Bruno. “You’re lucky you confessed. And not a moment too soon.” He turned back to Farmer Ben. “I told him that if he’d done anything to wreck the festival, he’d better admit it while there was still time. He got real scared and said he’d paid a Big Bear City criminal to come out last night and crowbar that wheel loose. He must have realized that if anyone got hurt on the hayride, the law would be a lot tougher on him. As it is, he’ll do some time in Bear Country Prison. Cuff him, Marguerite!”