Creepella Von Cacklefur #5: Fright Night Read online

  reporter from The Gloomeria Times. I’m

  sure even the

  won’t wake her up!”

  Geronimo’s ears

  perked up. “Sh-shivers

  Machine?” he asked.

  Creepella pointed to

  the judges’ table. Each

  of the four seats had a

  rope

  tied to it.

  And the ropes were

  tied to a strange-looking

  purple casket

  .

  “That’s it,” she explained. “When the

  judges get

  scared

  , they will shake and

  22

  ShiverS Machine

  putrid

  purple

  to. full-moon white. It

  pale

  SHIVER, making the ropes

  tremble

  . The

  shivers get recorded by the machine, which

  lights up in colors ranging from putrid

  purple

  goes all the way from ‘Slightly Spooked’ to

  ‘Fainting from Fright.’”

  “Why, exactly, would the judges get

  scared

  ?” Geronimo wondered.

  “Don’t you know, Gerrykins?” Creepella

  asked. “That’s the whole

  purpose of the contest.

  The winning poet is the

  one who can

  Frighten

  the judges the most!”

  Geronimo turned as

  as a slice of

  mozzarella just thinking

  about what was in store.

  “You’re the same

  color as the SHIVERS MARCHINE!"

  Bitewing exclaimed.

  Geronimo tried to run for the exit again,

  but this time Professor Cleverpaws stopped

  him.

  “If it isn’t the most famouse writer in

  New Mouse City!” she said. “How nice to

  meet you! We must sit down. The competition

  is about to begin.”

  24

  Zzzzz . . .

  Professor Cleverpaws

  pushed

  Geronimo toward the judges’ table. Professor

  Dubloon was already seated next to a rodent

  with gray fur who was fast

  asleep

  .

  “That’s Evelyn Dozer, the

  OLDEST

  reporter at The Gloomeria Times,” Professor

  Cleverpaws explained. “She is head of the

  Obituaries department.”

  “Nice to meet you,” Geronimo said

  politely.

  Professor Cleverpaws coughed

  lightly. “Ahem . . . she won’t

  answer. She’s been

  sleeping

  for more than six years.”

  let the

  ConteSt Begin!

  25

  Geronimo reluctantly took a seat next to

  Professor Dubloon. An assistant appeared

  and began to tie his tail to the

  rope

  that

  was connected to the SHIVERS MACHINE.

  Before Geronimo could protest, the host of

  the contest, Crystal Glamorosa, appeared on

  the stage. She wore a

  black dress

  with a cape that looked like bat wings.

  she shouted, and the

  audience went wild.

  “Welcome to Fright Night,

  the contest to find the

  most terrifying poet in all

  of Mysterious Valley!”

  The fans

  CLAPPED

  ,

  cheered

  , and

  hooted

  .

  26

  Then Crystal explained the rules of the

  contest.

  “Four talented poets are here today,

  but only two will make it to the finals,”

  she said. “The last poet standing will earn

  the DISTINGUISHED title of

  fright night idol

  !”

  The crowd burst into applause, filling the

  arena with a sound like

  thunder.

  “The two poets who make it to the finals

  will each try to make the judges SHIVER

  the most,” she went on. “The shivers can

  only be caused by their

  petrifying

  poems

  . No shivering from other

  sources — such as fans or air conditioners —

  is allowed.”

  Then Crystal dramatically pointed to the

  curtain behind her.

  27

  she announced.

  The curtain opened,

  revealing four rodents

  dressed in purple

  tunics

  .

  “First, a poet with a

  personality as thrilling

  as an earthworm, the

  deeply depressing

  !”

  In the front row, Vera’s family let out a

  gloomy cheer. “

  Whoooaaaaaahh! ”

  they moaned.

  “Second, from the

  DARK

  and mysterious

  28

  Cacklefur castle, that fantastic

  funeral director,

  Boris von Cacklefur!”

  Creepella, Bitewing, and

  Shivereen cheered

  wildly

  from the sidelines.

  Then Crystal pointed to the

  third contestant, a teenage

  mouse with spiky

  black fur on her head.

  “Our third poet is a young

  rodent with a truly gloomy

  outlook on life,

  Lyrica Sonnetail!”

  A group of teenage fans in the

  back row waved black-and-

  purple

  POM-POMS.

  29

  “And finally, the fright

  night idol for six years

  running, the most horrifying

  poet in all of Mysterious

  Valley, our somber superstar,

  Brad Balladeer

  !”

  The crowd

  EXPLODED

  as the famouse poet took a

  bow. The three rodents who

  cheered the loudest were

  those troublemaking triplets,

  the Rattenbaum sisters.

  Brad

  Balladeer

  Shamley, the triplets’ grandfather, agreed.

  “And he’s very

  HIGH-CLASS

  !” he

  added. “What a rat!”

  Crystal opened her arms wide.

  31

  “I didn’t realize Brad Balladeer was going to

  be here,” said Shivereen nervously. “He’s

  a tough competitor!”

  Creepella sniffed. “He gets by on

  GLITZ and good looks!

  His poems are completely

  unoriginal. Father will

  beat him easily.”

  “Are you sure?”

  Shivereen asked.

  Creepella nodded.

  “I PEEKED in Father’s

  notebook. His latest poems are truly

  terrifying. One is a real masterpiece.”

  32

  round one:

  the rotten rap

  “What’s it called?” asked her niece.

  “

  ‘The Phantom’s Tale’

  ,” Creepella

  whispered. “But don’t tell anybody!”

  Then Horatio Puffyfur, the Fright

  Night official, sat next to the

  . It was his job to record

  the scores of each contestant.

  Crystal spoke up again.r />
  “For the first round, each

  contestant will create a verse

  of a rap song on the spot,”

  she announced. “It’s time for

  The Rotten Rap!”

  The crowd oohed and aahed.

  “To get our poets started, we’re lucky to

  have two of the top rapping rodents in

  all of Mysterious Valley,” Crystal said. “Put

  your paws together for . . .

  The

  Creepy Crew

  !”

  33

  ShiverS

  Machine

  Creepella clapped. “What a TREAT! I

  love these two. Their rhymes are nauseating,

  and they have a great beat.”

  The sound of a heavy bass beat filled

  the arena. Then two rappers holding

  microphones bounded onto the stage —

  MOUSE Z and SQUEAK RAT,

  the Creepy Crew.

  34

  On a dark and stormy night,

  In the middle of the words,

  A young rodent was lost.

  She was wearing a red hord.

  Boom-ch-ch-Boom-ch-ch-Boom

  Boom Boom

  The rappers jumped up and down to

  the beat.

  “Do you think Grandfather Boris can

  rap?” Shivereen whispered.

  “I’m not sure,” Creepella replied. “Let’s see

  what happens.”

  Then

  The Creepy Crew

  launched into the first verse of their rap:

  35

  The rain poured down.

  The young rat was a mess.

  Her fur was very damp

  And she had mud on her dress!

  Boom-ch-ch-Boom-ch-ch-Boom

  Boom Boom

  A wet, muddy dress

  Is not much of a scare.

  But look at those shadows —

  I set something there!

  Boom-ch-ch-Boom-ch-ch-Boom

  Boom Boom

  It was Vera Versa’s turn next. She rapped

  in a high, shrill voice.

  The crowd applauded weakly, and the

  Shivers Machine didn’t move at all. Then it

  was Boris’s turn.

  Then a ghost cat jumped out!

  The young rat let out a scream.

  The ghost twirled about.

  The end. I am supreme!

  Boom-ch-ch-Boom-ch-ch-Boom

  Boom Boom

  The shadows were gloomy,

  and dark, and dreary.

  The girl became dismal,

  and solemn, and teary.

  Boom-ch-ch-Boom-ch-ch-Boom

  Boom Boom

  Then it was teenage mouse Lyrica

  Sonnetail’s turn.

  The Shivers Machine was starting to move.

  All eyes turned to Brad Balladeer, to see what

  the master poet would do. He spoke in a

  loud, commanding voice.

  The crowd clapped and the Creepy Crew

  left the stage. Horatio Puffyfur gave the

  results of the

  “Brad Balladeer gets fifteen points. Boris

  von Cacklefur earns ten points. Lyrica

  Sonnetail earns five points, and Vera Versa

  earns zero,” he announced.

  The Rattenbaum triplets cheered wildly

  for Brad, but Creepella wasn’t worried.

  “This isn’t over yet,” she told Shivereen.

  Then the stage began to

  tremble

  , and four

  skull-shaped

  booths rose up from the floor.

  round two:

  mind-Bending

  riddleS

  38

  ShiverS Machine

  .

  The crowd was truly amazed.

  “Contestants, please enter a booth,” Crystal

  instructed. “In this round, you will each be

  asked to solve a

  MIND-BENDING

  RIDDLE

  after hearing three clues. If

  you guess correctly you will earn ten points.

  From here on out, the poet with the lowest

  score at the end of each round will be

  eliminated!”

  “My father should do very well,” Creepella

  whispered to Shivereen. “He can solve a

  riddle faster than a spider can spin a web!”

  Crystal opened an envelope. “Boris von

  Cacklefur, you’re up first. Here is your

  first

  CLUE

  : The mouse who makes this

  doesn’t need it.”

  Boris nodded but didn’t answer.

  “Second

  CLUE

  : The mouse who buys it

  will not use it.”

  39

  Boris smiled and waited for the next clue.

  “Third

  CLUE

  : The mouse who uses it

  will never see it! What is it?”

  Boris looked confident. “It’s a

  COFFIN

  , of

  course!”

  Creepella clapped happily. “Great job, Dad!”

  40

  It was Brad’s turn next. The famouse poet

  closed his eyes, concentrating.

  “First

  CLUE

  , Brad: You cannot touch it,

  hear it, or smell it, but you know when it is

  around you.”

  Brad opened one eye, but did not answer.

  41

  “Second

  CLUE

  : It can fill

  holes, but it has no

  shape.”

  Brad didn’t wait for the

  third clue. He raised his

  arms triumphantly.

  “It’s

  DARKNESS

  , obviously!”

  The crowd went wild. Then it was Vera

  Versa’s turn. She was as pale as mozzarella.

  “Vera, here is your first

  CLUE

  ,” Crystal

  began. “It has no voice, but you can hear it

  cry.”

  Vera waited for the second

  CLUE

  .

  “It can

  tear

  apart

  trees, but it has no arms.”

  The crowd was rumbling. Many had

  guessed the answer, but not Vera.

  “Third

  CLUE

  : You can feel it, but you

  can’t see it.”

  Vera’s eyes suddenly lit up. “Is it the

  wind

  ?”

  42

  DISAPPEAR

  “Correct!” Crystal cried, and everyone

  clapped.

  It was Lyrica’s turn. The mouselet looked

  like she was getting extremely bored with the

  whole contest. Crystal started to read the

  first

  CLUE

  .

  “It’s as

  black

  as . . .”

  “It’s a dark night without a moon!”

  Lyrica answered impatiently.

  Crystal shook her head. “I’m sorry. The

  right answer was . . . a crow!

  Lyrica, since the round is

  over and you only have five

  points, you are

  eliminated

  !”

  Then the stage opened

  up, and Lyrica’s booth

  quickly

  beneath it.

  “Grandfather Boris is still in the game,” said

  Shivereen. “And to think, he didn’t even

  want to enter!”

  “I know he can

  WIN

  ,” Creepella said

  confidently. “No one can

 
rhyme

  like

  Boris von Cacklefur.”

  At the judges’ table, Professor Dubloon

  eagerly rubbed his paws together.

  “It’s about to get really scary,” he said,

  nudging Geronimo, whose whiskers began

  to twitch nervously. “We may even see our

  sleeping reporter wake up!”

  Crystal Glamorosa faced the audience once

  more.

  44

  round three:

  terror time

  blood-curdling

  “Now it’s time for Round Three!” she

  declared. “It’s TERROR TIME! Each

  contestant will be assigned one word. Then

  they’ll have exactly one minute to compose a

  poem based on the word!”

  “A minute is not much time,” Shivereen

  remarked.

  “Brad, since you’re in the lead, you go

  first,” Crystal said. She pointed to Horatio

  Puffyfur, who held up four envelopes.

  “Pick a number from one to four, Brad.”

  “NUMBER THREE!” said the poet

  dramatically.

  Crystal took the envelope from Horatio

  and read the word out loud.

  “ Tomb !”

  The arena was silent as Horatio counted

  a minute on his stopwatch. Then he nodded

  to Brad, who began his poem confidently.

  45

  Marvelous!

  Terrific!

  Bravo!

  The best!

  “

  truly terrifying!

  ”

  shouted the audience members.

  “I slowly walked inside the tomb.

  Among the spiderwebs and bones.

  It was a dark and dreary room,

  And I was cold and all alone.

  Then suddenly, my light went out,

  And the skulls began to scream and shout!”

  grave

  tripped

  The Shivers Machine went all

  the way up to “Fainting from

  Fright.” Geronimo was so

  scared he tried to

  run

  away

  , but the rope was

  tied to his tail, and he

  and fell!

  “That terrifying rhyme

  will be tough to beat!” said Crystal. She

  looked at Boris. “All right, Boris, it’s your

  turn. Choose an envelope!”

  “NUMBER ONE!” Boris said, and

  then Crystal read the word.

  “ ”