The next day, Martha hadn't seen any sign of the green, furry stranger she encountered the night before. But ever since then, she couldn't stop thinking about that night. She just didn't know what to do about it; she knew her parents didn't believe her, but she did have photographs proving she was there. And how could they explain how she got back home wrapped in ribbons and wrapping paper, like a present?
She told Donna what happened and showed her the pictures she took, and Donna believed every word. She told Martha how brave she was and how lucky she was to be able to get away from the Monster. But then Martha showed Donna the healing scrape on her knee.
"Whoa! You really got that last night?" Donna asked.
"Yeah. I must've scratched myself on a branch on the way down the mountain or something." Martha answered.
"And you said the Monster fixed it?"
"Well, he didn't exactly fix it. He just washed it with some snow and patched it up with a scarf."
"The Monster is a 'he'?"
Martha nodded. "But the thing is… he saved me."
"Who did?" A familiar annoying voice asked.
Donna and Martha turned their heads to see Tina sneering at them; they rolled their eyes as she approached them.
"What are you two talking about today?" Tina asked.
"None of your business, Tina." Donna replied, folding her arms.
"Where are your little friends?" Martha asked.
"They're busy. Oooh, what's this?" Tina snatched one of Martha's photos out of her hand and looked at it. Her eyes suddenly widened when she saw what was in it. "Is this the Monster of Mt. Crumpit?!"
"Give me that back! Don't you know you're not supposed to take things that don't belong to you?" Martha cried, taking the photo back; she quickly realized that was exactly what the stranger from last night said to her and her eyes widened slightly.
"You saw the Monster, didn't you?" Tina asked.
"Well… so what if I did?" Martha sputtered nervously.
"Ha! I told you there was a Monster!" Tina exclaimed before noticing Martha's knee. "And so much for 'completely unharmed', huh? Did the Monster try to bite off your leg?"
"No, he didn't. Actually, he tended to my injury."
"Explain?"
And so she did. In great detail, Martha told Tina everything that happened to her last night; she told her about the ride down the mountain, how she met the creature, how he saved her… and how he wrapped her up like a present and left her on the doorstep of her own house.
"Whoa… That is insane." Tina said, sounding surprised.
"And the thing is, I don't think this Monster really is a monster." Martha said. "Maybe he isn't as bad as people say. I mean, he did save me and bring me back home."
"But… aren't you afraid he might come back for you?" Donna asked. "He does know where you're staying, doesn't he?"
"Yeah, I guess he does… But I kind of want to see him again."
Tina and Donna gasped in shock.
"Say what? You want to see him again? Are you crazy?!" Tine cried. "What if he's trying to trick you? Lure you into a false sense of security so he could gain your trust? Then when you least expect it, he'll POUNCE!"
"I can't believe I'm saying this, but Tina has a point, Martha." Donna said. "You need to be really careful. This thing knows what you look like and where you live. You never know what he might do."
"And that's exactly why I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt." Martha objected. "And besides, people aren't always what they seem. As my mom would say, appearances can be deceiving. And… and I think he's kinda nice."
"But he lives in a cave on Mt. Crumpit all alone. Who does that?"
"But he wasn't alone when I met him. He had a dog called Max, at least he has one friend."
"Even so, you can't be too careful."
"Why are you being so nice to us, Tina?"
Tina paused before speaking again. "If you tell anyone in my circle or anybody in town about me being nice to you two, you'll both be in huge trouble with me and my mom."
"Gotcha." Donna nodded.
Tina sighed. "Look, I don't really hate you, Donna. I actually want to play with you and your friends, but my mom tells me that you're beneath me and that I shouldn't be socializing with you. Only the kids she approves."
"Oh… I'm sorry."
"No, don't be. The thing is, I really want to be friends with you guys and I want to be a better person, too… but I don't even know where to start."
Then Martha got an idea. "Hey. Why don't we have a little sleepover at my place?"
"A sleepover?" Tina and Donna asked in confusion.
"Yeah, why not? The first step to becoming friends is to get to know one another better. And what better way to do it than with a play date with the new girl in town? And if you want to, I could even tell you guys more about what I found out about the 'Monster' in private."
"Hmmmm. Good idea." Tina said. "But if you need to get any more information on the Monster, I suggest going to Mr. Bricklebaum. He knows more about the Monster than anyone else in Whoville, apparently."
"Okay. Why don't you girls meet up at my house at about 6:30 pm?" Martha suggested. "My mom and dad will already be at my aunt's house for an adult holiday party by then and they won't be back until tomorrow morning."
"Oh, cool." Donna said. "I'll ask my parents if I can come over."
"Me too." Tina added. "See you then, Martha."
And with that the two girls ran off in different directions, leaving Martha by herself.
"And I have a lot of work to do." She said to herself.
Martha ran off back to her house and searched through her parents' things until finally, she found it: her father's tape recorder. And luckily, it had lots of spare film. She then went over to Mr. Bricklebaum's house and knocked at the door. Mr. Bricklebaum answered with a big smile on his face.
"Oh, why hello there, little girl." He cheerfully said. "And who you might you be?"
"My name is Martha May and… and I hear you know a few things about the Monster of Mt. Crumpit." Martha said, holding up the photo she brought.
Bricklebaum took the photo and looked at it; he nodded his head. "Wow, this is a pretty nice picture you took of Mr. Grinch."
"Mr. Grinch? That's what he's called? …You know him?"
He paused. "Why don't you come on in, Miss May? And I'll tell you everything you need to know."
"Oh! Uh… okay."
At Bricklebaum's house, Martha had learned that the Monster of Mt. Crumpit was really called the Grinch and that he really did live in a cave on top of the mountain. Bricklebaum also mentioned that he considered himself and the Grinch to be best friends… but Martha wasn't really buying it. She also learned that Bricklebaum was the one that told everyone in Whoville that the Grinch was a savage, flesh-eating monster that only comes out at night because the Grinch had asked him to.
"But why would you do that?" Martha asked. "You know they're not true."
"I know, but I can't say 'no' to that Mr. Grinch! If spreading vicious rumors about him makes him happy, then who am I to refuse his happiness?" Bricklebaum said.
"So… he came up with the stories himself? And he told you to spread them? Just to get people to leave him alone?"
"He sure did. You know, Mr. Grinch can be a real softie once you get to know him."
Martha opened her mouth to speak, but she soon paused; she didn't know what to say next. She thought about her experience with the Grinch all over again; she remembered how he raced after her down the mountain, how he came to her rescue, how he treated the scrape on her knee in the post office… and how he brought her home. Maybe she was right; maybe this creature wasn't as bad as people thought. She took a sip from her cocoa and got up from the sofa.
"Thank you so much for letting me talk to you, Mr. Bricklebaum." She said, turning off the tape recorder. "But I really should be getting back to town now. I'm having a sleepover tonight."
"A sleepover, eh? Well, don't let me keep you here any longer." Bricklebaum said as he and Martha went over to the door. "I hope you have everything you need."
"I think I do. Thanks again."
"Anytime, Martha May. I hope I'll see you around. Bye-bye."
"Bye."
And with that, Martha waved goodbye to Bricklebaum and went out the door with her tape recorder in tow.
"What a sweet little girl." Bricklebaum chuckled to himself before closing the door.
After he closed the door, Martha checked her watch and saw that it was almost 4:00 pm. She hopped down the stairs and ran back down the mountain to prepare the house for her parents' departure and the arrival of her new friends. Little did she know a pair of mischievous eyes watched her descend the mountain.