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.
“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
“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.
“ ”