Whoville was always famous for its Christmas festivities and celebrations and that is the very reason a bright, happy little Who girl named Martha May Whovier is coming to Whoville for Christmas this year. Martha May was about eight years old; she lived with her father and mother in the bustling metropolis known as Who York City. Christmas was always Martha's favorite holiday and that very year, she and her parents were visiting Whoville for the entire month of December. She was over the moon.

When they arrived, Martha couldn't believe her eyes. This town was small, but it was beautiful. There were garlands, bells, and wreaths all around, lights were strung up, there was a huge frozen lake for skating, carolers were out and about, and shops were selling all kinds of sweets and goodies in the spirit of the season. And the best part was that the people there were so nice and welcoming, unlike most of the people in Who York. Martha could still hardly believe that she was surrounded by so much holiday cheer and she couldn't ask for more.

She and her family had a little vacation home in town, in which they lived for their time in Whoville. After they finished putting their things away, Martha put on her winter clothes and headed towards the door.

"And where are you going, missy?" Her mother, Felicity, asked.

"Out. I just want to see the rest of the town." Martha replied.

"Are you sure you'll be okay on your own?"

"Don't worry, mommy. I'll be fine, I promise."

"Well, okay. Do you have some allowance with you?"

"Yep." Martha smiled and shook her coat pocket, which made a jingling sound.

"Okay, have fun, sweetie." Felicity smiled and gave her daughter a kiss on the forehead.

"I will. Bye, see you later."

"Don't do anything I wouldn't do."

And with that, Martha waved her mother goodbye and excitedly ran out the door. As she wandered the streets of Whoville, she smiled and hummed a little song to herself. Then in the corner of her eye, she saw a group of Who kids having a game of 'Simon Says', which was one of her favorite games. Eager to make friends, she ran over to them to see if she could join their game.

"Hi." She said, approaching the kids.

They all stopped what they were doing and turned their heads to see Martha standing there with a grin on her face. They looked at her curiously, unsure of who she was or what she was doing here. One little girl with blonde hair and a purple coat walked over to Martha and gave her a friendly smile.

"Hello. My name's Donna." The girl said, offering her hand. "What's yours?"

"Martha May." Martha said, shaking Donna's hand politely.

"It's nice to meet you. These are my friends: Amy, Lazlo, Kylie, Gene, and Claire."

The other kids politely greeted Martha.

"It's nice to meet you all." Martha said. "Are you guys playing 'Simon Says'?"

"Yeah. Would you like to join us?" Kylie, a little girl with black hair and a blue coat, asked.

"Sure." Martha replied.

"You can be the leader, since my turn is already over." Lazlo, a boy in a yellow beanie hat, said.

"Really? Thanks." Martha stood in front of her new six friends. "Okay, Simon Says… touch your toes."

They did as she said.

"Simon Says jump three times while you turn."

Again, they did what they were told.

"Simon Says shake your heads."

They did.

"Simon Says…"

"Shut up." A new voiced whined.

The group of seven turned around to see five other Who children approach them. There were three girls and two boys and they didn't look friendly. Martha was very confused, but Donna rolled her eyes, along with her friends.

"Oh great." Gene, a boy with a brown coat and polka dot scarf, groaned.

"Well, look what we have here! The six little Misfits of Whoville! And from the looks of it, they have a new friend." A girl with strawberry blonde hair and hot pink earmuffs laughed.

"What are you doing out here?" A boy with dark brown hair asked.

"We're just playing 'Simon Says' with our new friend, Martha May." Donna replied.

"Martha May, huh?" The girl said, inspecting Martha curiously. "You're not from here, are you Martha?"

"No, I'm from Who York." Martha replied nervously.

"Who York, huh? Well, I guess you have that going for you."

"Leave her be, Tina." Lazlo stepped forward.

"Why should I? She's basically fresh meat, aren't you?"

"What do you mean by 'Fresh meat'?" Martha asked, even more confused than before.

"Fresh meat for the Monster, duh. Right, guys?" Tina asked the rest of her little pack.

"Yeah." The other four kids said.

Donna and her friends froze at the mention of the word 'Monster'.

"What monster?" Martha asked.

"You mean you don't know?" Tina asked, pretending to be shocked; Martha shook her head and remained silent. "Oh, you have so much to learn, new girl. Travis, Trevor, fill her in."

The two boys stepped forward, cleared their throats, and began the tale.

"You see that mountain north of town?" Travis asked, pointing a finger at the huge mountain in the distance; Martha nodded, but said nothing. "That is Mt. Crumpit and it's the home… of it."

"What's it?" The little redhead asked.

"A frightening creature, a mystic being, a monster." Trevor went on. "People say it lives in a big cave at the tip top of Mt. Crumpit, all alone. No one ever sees it, of course, and it only comes down at night, whenever it's really hungry. Every night the creature comes down from its cave and it prowls the streets of Whoville, looking for Who children to eat."

Martha gasped in fright.

"That's right." Travis said. "And when it finds a victim, it never lets them go. This creature sneaks into the child's room in the dead of night, stuffs them into a burlap sack, takes them up to its cave, and eats them alive. So NOBODY goes up to the mountain or even goes near it, in fear of catching a glimpse of the Monster of Mt. Crumpit. Or worse, it catching a glimpse of them."

Martha shivered; she certainly wasn't expecting to hear a story like that, especially in a town as festive and happy as this.

"So… is this monster real?" She asked hesitantly.

"As real as everyone else in this town." Tina said; the other two girls nodded.

"Everyone knows to avoid Mt. Crumpit at ALL costs." One girl, Terri, said.

"Unless you want to end up in the Monster's clutches." The second girl, Tessie, added.

"Oh please." Donna scoffed, trying to sound confident. "Everyone knows this thing is just a silly myth. You're just making this up to scare us."

"No way." Tina said. "The Monster is real. Mr. Bricklebaum said so."

"Bricklebaum? You mean the only guy brave enough to live right at the edge of the mountain?" Claire, a girl with brown pigtails and a neon yellow coat, asked.

"Yep, that's him." Tina said. "My daddy said he heard the legend from Bricklebaum and said it was all true, every word."

"You don't actually believe that, do you?" Amy, a girl with braided brown hair, asked.

"How could we not?" Trevor asked. "These stories are as real as anything else around here."

"Well… I don't believe in monsters." Martha commented.

Tina turned her head and smiled wickedly at her. "Is that so? What if I told you that no kid who goes up to Mt. Crumpit at midnight is ever seen again?"

"That is so silly. It's so silly, it um… it doesn't even deserve a 600-page report on how silly it is in FRENCH." Martha retorted; Donna and her friends giggled under their breath.

"Oh really? Then I guess you wouldn't be afraid to go up to Mt. Crumpit at midnight, if I were to triple dog dare you."

"No, Martha! Don't do it! It's too dangerous!" Donna cried.

Martha paused and contemplated her situation, trying to decide on what to do next. She knew that this monster couldn't be real, but she really wanted to get these bullies off her back. She looked and Tina and furrowed her brow.

"Okay, fine." She said. "I'll go tonight and I'll be here tomorrow, completely unharmed."

"How will we know you were really there?" Trevor asked; Terri and Tessie nodded.

"Because I'll take a camera with me and take pictures of everything." Martha said, trying to sound brave.

"You're on!" Tina exclaimed, shaking Martha's hand in agreement. "Come on guys, let's go someplace else."

Tina and her little friends all walked away with their heads held high, leaving Martha and her new friends alone. Donna and the others stared at her in shock.

"Martha, are you CRAZY?!" Amy cried. "You can't go to Mt. Crumpit tonight!"

"It's too dangerous." Kylie added.

"Oh, come on. Don't tell me you guys believe the story too." Martha scoffed.

"Everyone knows the story of the Monster of Mt. Crumpit, but it's our choice on whether we believe it or not." Donna said. "And it's totally fine if you don't believe in it, but please Martha; you can't do this. Mt. Crumpit is still a dangerous place; we just don't want you to get hurt."

"But Tina dared me, Donna; I can't chicken out now." Martha argued. "I have to do this. I'm going to prove to her that there is no monster, and there's nothing you guys can say to stop me."

"Oh yeah?" Lazlo asked as he watched the redhead walk away. "What if I said 'blargen-fezibble-nukhip'?"

Martha stopped in her tracks and looked back at Lazlo in confusion.

"What does that even mean?" She asked.

"…I have no idea." Lazlo replied.

Martha rolled her eyes and shook her head before continuing to walk away. Donna and her friends called out to her, begging and pleading to reconsider and back out. But Martha was determined; she was going to prove that this "Monster of Mt. Crumpit" wasn't real and nothing was going to stop her. But as she thought about what just happened, she paused.

"What have I gotten myself into?" She asked herself in shock.