Festival of Shadows (12 page)

That was close. I better get out of here before he comes out.
 

He stared up the hill where the caravan was—it would be a short walk. The Whatsamadoozle turned into a golden ball in his palm, and he started up the path.
 

~ Continue.

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Theo strolled back to the camp, and he turned the Whatsamadoozle into a yo-yo. He swung it with every step, and it sent off glowing golden rays that danced around the clearing, brightening everything.
 

The toys, who were building platforms and pitching tents, clapped when they saw the light.
 

“Oh mein gott!” Heinrich cried, putting his hands on his head.
 

Theo turned the Whatsamadoozle into a golden ball and handed it to Heinrich. The strongman jumped up and down and squealed.

“There,” Theo said. He looked at Lucinda as he spoke. “If anyone here had any reservations before, I dare you to doubt me now.”

Heinrich quickly turned the Whatsamadoozle into a giant mallet and rested it on his shoulder. “I never doubted you for one moment. You’re a brave bear. Now I can fulfill my duty as the strongman, and I can smack the bell. Ya!”
 

Theo jumped on a platform and threw his hands in the air. “Who else could benefit from my services? You’re in the protection of a
real
Ursabrand now.”

The toys gathered at the base of the platform and cheered.
 

“Now it’s your turn to help me, Lucinda,” Theo said.

“We still need your help,” Lucinda said.

Theo jumped down from the platform and glared at her. “What? I did what you asked me to.” He pointed at the moon. “I’m running out of time!”

Suddenly, Bethany screamed and pointed in the direction of the forest. A purple streak was quickly approaching. As it neared, there was the sound of grinding saws and maniacal laughter. —Cutter.

“Not again,” Theo said, drawing his broken sword.
 

“You won’t get away,” the dinosaur cried. He was covered with vines and twigs. “What have we here? A festival? Oooooh! I’m going to dash you all to plush and laugh when Stratus tortures you!”

Heinrich ran to the front of the festival grounds and pointed the mallet at Cutter. “Stand down, you Jurassic ruffian, or I will give you the biggest ouchy of your life.”

Cutter grinned and kept approaching.

Heinrich spun around rapidly until he and the mallet began to glow. When Cutter neared—
POW!—
Heinrich smacked him so hard that he arced into the sky and disappeared over the horizon.
 

“And stay away!” Heinrich said.

Theo sighed. “He won’t give up.”

Heinrich scanned the horizon and shook his head. “Perhaps. It appears that you have more journeying ahead of you. I hate to give up my Whatsamadoozle again after such a joyful reunion, but I think you may need it more than I do.”

“This will come in handy,” Theo said, turning the Whatsamadoozle into a golden sword.

 
As Theo admired the sword, the wind blew, carrying distant screams. Soft at first, they grew louder until they filled the air. They were goose bump-making screams, so loud that Theo felt them in his bones. They were children.
 

“What is that?” Theo asked.

Heinrich shook his head. “Don’t ask, my little cub.”

Shaggy trotted to Theo’s side. “Stratus is infusing the children with nightmares. It happens several times each night. Try to think happy thoughts. You’ll get used to it, Theo.”

He knew that Grant’s scream was mixed in with the other children’s. Theo scowled at the castle and said, “I don’t know how you could ever get used to this.”

The bell tower chimed, and the screams stopped and faded into the night. Though they were gone, Theo could still hear them in his mind, and he didn’t want to imagine what horrible things Stratus was doing. But he had to know.

“How can you sit here and listen to that every night?” Theo asked.

“Stop judging us,” Lucinda said. “You have no right.”

“I have every right. This is unacceptable.”

“We still need our mascot,” she said, ignoring him. “If you can rescue him, then I can help you. I promise.”

Theo dug his foot into the ground and scowled. He looked over at Bethany, who was smiling and motioning for him to come over.

Lucinda scoffed and hovered away, and Bethany uppercut the air as Theo approached.
 

“I knew you’d come and see ol’ Bethany.”

“Tell me what you want.”

“I want my Gasket back.”

“Make another one.”

“Make?” Bethany asked. She put her hands on her hips and stared at Theo so hard that he stepped back. “You can’t just up and
make
a baby dragon.”

Theo’s eyes widened.
 

“I found him in the forest many years ago,” she said, tearing up. “He’s my best bud! He’s better than any horse, too. If I don’t get him back, I don’t know what I’ll do.”

“Where is he?”

Bethany pointed to a rolling hill. The lights of a small town flickered on the top. “Darn rival circus. They kidnapped him last night. I know for a fact that Andersen the Clown took him. We’re the best caravan in the Stratusphere and he’s jealous. Envy-green, I tell ya!”

“Who is he?”

“He’s the one in charge, but he’s a third-rate clown in a second-rate caravan, if you know what I mean.” She spit on the ground. “He’s a balding, no-good, polka-dot-wearing, makeupped joke of a toy whose shoes are as big as Conestoga wagons. Oooh, he makes me so livid. His dung heap circus wouldn’t even attract a hungry fly!”

Theo looked at the small town and guessed that it would be a short walk.

“Gasket’s probably so scared,” Bethany said. A wave of tears appeared in her eyes. “I can’t imagine all the evil things that Andersen is doing to him. I just can’t. So what’ll it be? Will you help me, Mister Ursabrand?”

“Why don’t you go and rescue him?”

“They need me here at the caravan,” Bethany said, patting her biceps. “Besides, if I walked into town, they’d know me straightaway.”

“Fine. I’ll help you.”

Bethany uppercut the air again. “Go get ’em, sir! And if you see that clown Andersen, sock him on his noisy red nose and tell him it was from me.”

CHAPTER COMPLETE!

The moon is bright.
 

Remember
or
Highlight
the above sentence. It may come in handy . . .

~ Continue.

SORRY!

You didn’t make a selection. Go back to the previous page. Otherwise, you may get lost.

Theo strolled back to the camp, and he turned the Whatsamadoozle into a yo-yo. He swung it with every step, and it sent off glowing golden rays that danced around the clearing, brightening everything.
 

The toys, who were building platforms and pitching tents, clapped when they saw the light.
 

“Oh mein gott!” Heinrich cried, putting his hands on his head.
 

Theo turned the Whatsamadoozle into a golden ball and handed it to Heinrich. The strongman jumped up and down and squealed.

“There,” Theo said. He looked at Lucinda as he spoke. “If anyone here had any reservations before, I dare you to doubt me now.”

Heinrich quickly turned the Whatsamadoozle into a giant mallet and rested it on his shoulder. “I never doubted you for one moment. You’re a brave bear. Now I can fulfill my duty as the strongman, and I can smack the bell. Ya!”
 

Theo jumped on a platform and threw his hands in the air. “Who else could benefit from my services? You’re in the protection of a
real
Ursabrand now.”

The toys gathered at the base of the platform and cheered.
 

“Now it’s your turn to help me, Lucinda,” Theo said.

“We still need your help,” Lucinda said.

Theo jumped down from the platform and glared at her. “What? I did what you asked me to.” He pointed at the moon. “I’m running out of time!”

Suddenly, Bethany screamed and pointed in the direction of the forest. A purple streak was quickly approaching. As it neared, there was the sound of grinding saws and maniacal laughter. —Cutter.

“Not again,” Theo said, drawing his broken sword.
 

“You won’t get away,” the dinosaur cried. He was covered with vines and twigs. “What have we here? A festival? Oooooh! I’m going to dash you all to plush and laugh when Stratus tortures you!”

Heinrich ran to the front of the festival grounds and pointed the mallet at Cutter. “Stand down, you Jurassic ruffian, or I will give you the biggest ouchy of your life.”

Cutter grinned and kept approaching.

Heinrich spun around rapidly until he and the mallet began to glow. When Cutter neared—
POW!—
Heinrich smacked him so hard that he arced into the sky and disappeared over the horizon.
 

“And stay away!” Heinrich said.

Theo sighed. “He won’t give up.”

Heinrich scanned the horizon and shook his head. “Perhaps. It appears that you have more journeying ahead of you. I hate to give up my Whatsamadoozle again after such a joyful reunion, but I think you may need it more than I do.”

“This will come in handy,” Theo said, turning the Whatsamadoozle into a golden sword.

 
As Theo admired the sword, the wind blew, carrying distant screams. Soft at first, they grew louder until they filled the air. They were goose bump-making screams, so loud that Theo felt them in his bones. They were children.
 

“What is that?” Theo asked.

Heinrich shook his head. “Don’t ask, my little cub.”

Shaggy trotted to Theo’s side. “Stratus is infusing the children with nightmares. It happens several times each night. Try to think happy thoughts. You’ll get used to it, Theo.”

He knew that Grant’s scream was mixed in with the other children’s. Theo scowled at the castle and said, “I don’t know how you could ever get used to this.”

The bell tower chimed, and the screams stopped and faded into the night. Though they were gone, Theo could still hear them in his mind, and he didn’t want to imagine what horrible things Stratus was doing. But he had to know.

“How can you sit here and listen to that every night?” Theo asked.

“Stop judging us,” Lucinda said. “You have no right.”

“I have every right. This is unacceptable.”

“We still need our mascot,” she said, ignoring him. “If you can rescue him, then I can help you. I promise.”

Theo dug his foot into the ground and scowled. He looked over at Bethany, who was smiling and motioning for him to come over.

Lucinda scoffed and hovered away, and Bethany uppercut the air as Theo approached.
 

“I knew you’d come and see ol’ Bethany.”

“Tell me what you want.”

“I want my Gasket back.”

“Make another one.”

“Make?” Bethany asked. She put her hands on her hips and stared at Theo so hard that he stepped back. “You can’t just up and
make
a baby dragon.”

Theo’s eyes widened.
 

“I found him in the forest many years ago,” she said, tearing up. “He’s my best bud! He’s better than any horse, too. If I don’t get him back, I don’t know what I’ll do.”

“Where is he?”

Bethany pointed to a rolling hill. The lights of a small town flickered on the top. “Darn rival circus. They kidnapped him last night. I know for a fact that Andersen the Clown took him. We’re the best caravan in the Stratusphere and he’s jealous. Envy-green, I tell ya!”

“Who is he?”

“He’s the one in charge, but he’s a third-rate clown in a second-rate caravan, if you know what I mean.” She spit on the ground. “He’s a balding, no-good, polka-dot-wearing, makeupped joke of a toy whose shoes are as big as Conestoga wagons. Oooh, he makes me so livid. His dung heap circus wouldn’t even attract a hungry fly!”

Theo looked at the small town and guessed that it would be a short walk.

“Gasket’s probably so scared,” Bethany said. A wave of tears appeared in her eyes. “I can’t imagine all the evil things that Andersen is doing to him. I just can’t. So what’ll it be? Will you help me, Mister Ursabrand?”

“Why don’t you go and rescue him?”

“They need me here at the caravan,” Bethany said, patting her biceps. “Besides, if I walked into town, they’d know me straightaway.”

“Fine. I’ll help you.”

Bethany uppercut the air again. “Go get ’em, sir! And if you see that clown Andersen, sock him on his noisy red nose and tell him it was from me.”

CHAPTER COMPLETE!

The moon is hidden behind clouds and is not visible.
 

Remember
or
Highlight
the above sentence. It may come in handy . . .