Several strange ghostly lights appeared in the room but, instead of being
frightened, Courage breathed a sigh of relief and wagged his tail. The
lights quickly took shape of several children and one tall adult.
"Hello Courage, you called?" Mr. Worth smiled down at Courage.
Courage frantically pointed in the direction of Muriel and Eustace.. Mr. Worth watched as the dog ran over and tried desperatly to wake Muriel up with no success. Courage then ran over to Eustace and bit him on the leg again but the only response he got was a loud snore.
"They're out like lights." one of the childern observed.
"What happened to them, Courage?" Mr. Worth sounded very concerned.
Courage took a deep breath then turned himself into a perfect image of the old woman who had sold the apples to Muriel. Then he turned into a basket, then mimicked Muriel, then turned into a baked apple. Finally, he collapsed on the floor trying to catch his breath after the exhausting series of charades.
Mr. Worth watched Courage carefully. "Hmmm.... let's see here. An old woman, a basket, Muriel, and a baked apple. What does that add up to?"
"I know, I know!" One of the girls was excitedly waving her hand in the air.
Mr. Worth glanced over at her. "Okay, Shelly, what do you think it means?"
The girl took a deep breath. "I read a story once where an old lady tricked a girl by giving her a poisoned apple which made the girl fall asleep until she was kissed by a prince and lived happily ever after."
Mr. Worth considered the girls lengthy answer. "So you think this is the old 'poisoned apple trick' huh?"
The girl nodded.
"Is she right, Courage?"
Courage nodded. "Uh-huh uh-huh!" Although Courage knew nothing about the 'old poisoned apple trick', he knew that there was something wrong with those apples.
Mr. Worth looked down at Courage. "Did you eat any of those apples, Courage?"
Courage carefully considered the question before taking a deep breath and turning himself into an apple with a tiny nibble taken off of it.
Mr. Worth grinned at Courage. "Is there anything you cannot mimick?"
Courage just shrugged and whined pitifully as he looked over at Muriel.
Mr. Worth knelt down and gently patted Courage on the head. "Don't worry, she'll be okay." He turned back to the girl. "If I remember the story correctly, the only way that the sleeping girl was able to be awaken was with a kiss right?"
The girl nodded.
Courage quickly jumped up in Muriels lap and gave her a kiss on the cheek but nothing happened. Muriel just kept snoring.
Mr. Worth grinned. "Nice try Courage, but if this were to follow the story, only a person could wake her up with a kiss." Mr. Worth thought about it for a moment. "It seems a like a long shot but it's worth a try."
To everybody's suprise, the ghost kissed Muriel on the lips. But again, there was no response.
Mr. Worth shrugged. "I guess it would have to be a living person if something like that were to work."
Courage could have sworn he saw a hint of mischief in Mr. Worth's eyes. He jumped down from Muriel's lap and stood there with his hands on his hips staring at the ghost.
Mr. Worth just chuckled. "Come on Courage, I may be dead but a guy's got to have some fun."
Courage glared at him.
The ghost looked back at Courage and, as if reading Courage's mind, he said, "Don't worry, Courage. I am taking this seriously. I honestly don't believe that she's in any immediate danger but there has to be a reason that somebody wanted these two to sleep like this. Do you have any ideas?"
Courage hesitated for a second wondering if the coin he found could possibly have any connection to what had happened to Muriel and Eustace. Finally, he went over to where Eustace had dropped his paper on the floor. Courage searched through the paper until he found the story about the antique store robbery. He showed the story to Mr. Worth.
Mr. Worth read about the robbery then looked at Courage. "Were these two connected with that robbery?"
Courage shook his head and pulled the gold coin from his pocket. He showed the coin to Mr. Worth.
"Is this one of the coins that was stolen from the antique store?" Mr. Worth looked at Courage with a hint of suspicion in his eyes.
Courage shrugged began trying desperatly to think of a way of telling Mr. Worth how he found the coin. Suddenly, he heared voices outside the house. The voices were approaching the front door when Mr. Worth held out a hand to Courge. "Quick, hold on!"
Courage grabbed onto Mr. Worth's hand and, a few seconds later, he found himself standing in his attic room with the ghosts. Mr. Worth motioned to the children to keep quiet as he opened the door. The ghost drifted down the attic stairs to the hallway in front of Muriel and Eustace's bedroom. He was almost completely invisible as he stood at top of the stairs watching what was happening in the livingroom.
Somebody was on the front porch trying to open the door. It sounded like somebody was trying to put a key into the lock. After a few audible clicks from the lock, the front door opened and an evil looking red cat appeared with one long claw poking out of his paw. The cat was followed by a woman with a large orange wig.
The woman studied the two sleeping people and let out an evil sounding laugh. "See, I told you it would work. There both out cold and they'll stay that way until somebody gives them the antidote. Now where's my gold coin?"
The cat looked over at Muriel, then over at Eustace. "I'll give you the gold coin when we find, and eliminate, the pink dog.", he said with an evil hiss.
Mr. Worth looked down and noticed that Courage had also snuck down to the top of the stairs to see what was going on.
"Oh no!" Courage's voice was barely audible but, somehow, the words were clear to Mr. Worth. He motioned for Courage to follow him back up the stairs.
When they were safely back in the attic room, Mr. Worth motioned for the children to gather around him. He looked down at Courage. "We have to get you out of here."
Courage protested in an anguished sounding voice, "Muriel!"
Courage started to run back to the attic door but the children surrounded him then looked up at Mr. Worth who nodded. "Let's take him with us."
The children began to chant something and Courage began to feel incredibly sleepy. Slowly, the ghosts disappeared taking a deeply hypnotized Courage with them.
"Hello Courage, you called?" Mr. Worth smiled down at Courage.
Courage frantically pointed in the direction of Muriel and Eustace.. Mr. Worth watched as the dog ran over and tried desperatly to wake Muriel up with no success. Courage then ran over to Eustace and bit him on the leg again but the only response he got was a loud snore.
"They're out like lights." one of the childern observed.
"What happened to them, Courage?" Mr. Worth sounded very concerned.
Courage took a deep breath then turned himself into a perfect image of the old woman who had sold the apples to Muriel. Then he turned into a basket, then mimicked Muriel, then turned into a baked apple. Finally, he collapsed on the floor trying to catch his breath after the exhausting series of charades.
Mr. Worth watched Courage carefully. "Hmmm.... let's see here. An old woman, a basket, Muriel, and a baked apple. What does that add up to?"
"I know, I know!" One of the girls was excitedly waving her hand in the air.
Mr. Worth glanced over at her. "Okay, Shelly, what do you think it means?"
The girl took a deep breath. "I read a story once where an old lady tricked a girl by giving her a poisoned apple which made the girl fall asleep until she was kissed by a prince and lived happily ever after."
Mr. Worth considered the girls lengthy answer. "So you think this is the old 'poisoned apple trick' huh?"
The girl nodded.
"Is she right, Courage?"
Courage nodded. "Uh-huh uh-huh!" Although Courage knew nothing about the 'old poisoned apple trick', he knew that there was something wrong with those apples.
Mr. Worth looked down at Courage. "Did you eat any of those apples, Courage?"
Courage carefully considered the question before taking a deep breath and turning himself into an apple with a tiny nibble taken off of it.
Mr. Worth grinned at Courage. "Is there anything you cannot mimick?"
Courage just shrugged and whined pitifully as he looked over at Muriel.
Mr. Worth knelt down and gently patted Courage on the head. "Don't worry, she'll be okay." He turned back to the girl. "If I remember the story correctly, the only way that the sleeping girl was able to be awaken was with a kiss right?"
The girl nodded.
Courage quickly jumped up in Muriels lap and gave her a kiss on the cheek but nothing happened. Muriel just kept snoring.
Mr. Worth grinned. "Nice try Courage, but if this were to follow the story, only a person could wake her up with a kiss." Mr. Worth thought about it for a moment. "It seems a like a long shot but it's worth a try."
To everybody's suprise, the ghost kissed Muriel on the lips. But again, there was no response.
Mr. Worth shrugged. "I guess it would have to be a living person if something like that were to work."
Courage could have sworn he saw a hint of mischief in Mr. Worth's eyes. He jumped down from Muriel's lap and stood there with his hands on his hips staring at the ghost.
Mr. Worth just chuckled. "Come on Courage, I may be dead but a guy's got to have some fun."
Courage glared at him.
The ghost looked back at Courage and, as if reading Courage's mind, he said, "Don't worry, Courage. I am taking this seriously. I honestly don't believe that she's in any immediate danger but there has to be a reason that somebody wanted these two to sleep like this. Do you have any ideas?"
Courage hesitated for a second wondering if the coin he found could possibly have any connection to what had happened to Muriel and Eustace. Finally, he went over to where Eustace had dropped his paper on the floor. Courage searched through the paper until he found the story about the antique store robbery. He showed the story to Mr. Worth.
Mr. Worth read about the robbery then looked at Courage. "Were these two connected with that robbery?"
Courage shook his head and pulled the gold coin from his pocket. He showed the coin to Mr. Worth.
"Is this one of the coins that was stolen from the antique store?" Mr. Worth looked at Courage with a hint of suspicion in his eyes.
Courage shrugged began trying desperatly to think of a way of telling Mr. Worth how he found the coin. Suddenly, he heared voices outside the house. The voices were approaching the front door when Mr. Worth held out a hand to Courge. "Quick, hold on!"
Courage grabbed onto Mr. Worth's hand and, a few seconds later, he found himself standing in his attic room with the ghosts. Mr. Worth motioned to the children to keep quiet as he opened the door. The ghost drifted down the attic stairs to the hallway in front of Muriel and Eustace's bedroom. He was almost completely invisible as he stood at top of the stairs watching what was happening in the livingroom.
Somebody was on the front porch trying to open the door. It sounded like somebody was trying to put a key into the lock. After a few audible clicks from the lock, the front door opened and an evil looking red cat appeared with one long claw poking out of his paw. The cat was followed by a woman with a large orange wig.
The woman studied the two sleeping people and let out an evil sounding laugh. "See, I told you it would work. There both out cold and they'll stay that way until somebody gives them the antidote. Now where's my gold coin?"
The cat looked over at Muriel, then over at Eustace. "I'll give you the gold coin when we find, and eliminate, the pink dog.", he said with an evil hiss.
Mr. Worth looked down and noticed that Courage had also snuck down to the top of the stairs to see what was going on.
"Oh no!" Courage's voice was barely audible but, somehow, the words were clear to Mr. Worth. He motioned for Courage to follow him back up the stairs.
When they were safely back in the attic room, Mr. Worth motioned for the children to gather around him. He looked down at Courage. "We have to get you out of here."
Courage protested in an anguished sounding voice, "Muriel!"
Courage started to run back to the attic door but the children surrounded him then looked up at Mr. Worth who nodded. "Let's take him with us."
The children began to chant something and Courage began to feel incredibly sleepy. Slowly, the ghosts disappeared taking a deeply hypnotized Courage with them.