Mr. Worth and Courage appeared in the livingroom of Courage's house. Four
more of the children were waiting for them.
Two of the boys stepped forward and the oldest of the pair spoke up. "We found the plants you sent us for Mr. Worth."
Mr. Worth examined the plants that the older boy handed to him then he smiled warmly at the two boys. "Well done!"
The boys smiled back at their teacher and moved to one side as the other pair of children, one boy and one girl, stepped forward to show Mr. Worth the two plants that they had found.
Mr. Worth examined the plants and smiled at the two children. "Well done!"
The boy and girl smiled back at their teacher and then knelt down to pet Courage. By now, Courage was becoming used to the attention and he loved every bit of it. He wagged his tail happily in appreciation.
Mr. Worth placed the plants that the two pairs of children had brought him in a box with the plants that the plants that had been brought in by the first pair of children. "I'm proud of all of you. Now, who has the most energy left?"
The two girls who had been resting appeared. "I have plenty of energy now that I've rested." The older girl joined the other two children who were with Courage.
Mr. Worth turned to the nearly invisible boy who had been guarding the front door. "Stephen, you take a break and get some rest. Dianne, you take his place by the door. Remember, if anybody breaks in, just watch and stay out of the way. If you need me for anything, I'll be resting up in the attic. The rest of you children rest down here and keep an eye on things. Shelly, since you've been resting for a while, stay awake in case Dianne needs your help, okay?"
The little girl nodded.
Mr. Worth turned to Courage. "Come on Courage, you go upstairs with me. I don't want to take the chance of Katz or any of his friends getting their hands on you."
Courage followed the ghost upstairs.
Once they had gotten into the attic room, Mr. Worth sat down on the floor in the middle of the room. "Courage, how long has Katz had it in for you?"
Courage shrugged. He wasn't sure exactly how long it had been since he had first run into Katz at the motel.
"Something has been bothering me, Courage. First, Katz begins to steal gold to make his 'ghost catching' machine. Then he comes here and says something about eliminating you. I wonder if the two are somehow connected."
Courage looked up at Mr. Worth understanding exactly what the ghost was trying to say.
Mr. Worth continued, "But how would he know that we were friends and how would he know that he would have to get us out of the way to get to you? Or is he trying to get you out of the way to get to us? Or is it all just coincidence?"
Courage shuddered at the thought that he might somehow be responsible for putting his friends in danger.
Mr. Worth seemed to read his mind. "For all we know, Courage. The children and I could be the ones putting you and your family in danger."
Courage stared at the ghost. Mr. Worth had seemed to read his mind one too many times. Courage went over to the computer and turned it on. When the computer was ready, Courage began to type and waited for the computer to speak for him. "Are you able to read minds?"
Mr. Worth smiled softly. "Not all the time. Only when a thought is 'broadcasted'. What I mean is that, sometimes when you want to say something but don't know how to say it, you 'think very loudly'. In those instances, I am able to read your mind."
Courage began to type again. "Can you do this with everybody?"
Mr. Worth shook his head. "No, only those who I've become friends with."
Courage smiled and wagged his tail. Now he knew how Mr. Worth was able to understand him so well.
Mr. Worth grinned. "I am also beginning to actually understand some of your words. Now, we should get as much rest as we can."
Courage curled up by Mr. Worth's feet and closed his eyes as the ghost became invisible. It was nearly midnight when they were awakened by two of the children. The girls spoke quietly to Mr. Worth who motioned Courage to be quiet. Courage could hear the sound of somebody searching through one of the upstairs rooms. Mr. Worth rose to his feet and Courage followed him to the doorway of the attic room. They quietly slipped down the attic stairs to the upstairs hallway. Courage could see the light from Muriel and Eustace's room. He followed Mr. Worth a little way down the hallway to the open door. Courge could see a familiar looking shadow on the floor.
Seconds later, there was the sound of footsteps heading toward the bedroom door. Courage held his ground and waited until a familiar voice greeted him. "Hey you stupid dog I've been looking for you! Where's my coin?!"
Courage growled at Ma Bagge.
"So, yer gonna make this difficult huh?"
Courage continued to growl as a familiar shape appeared behind the woman.
Mr. Worth had snuck up behind Ma and now made his presence known. "Excuse me lady, but I do not believe we have met."
"Who the heck are you and what do you-!" Ma's sentence was cut off as she turned around to see who she was talking to. She stammered in fear as she stared at the tall ghost. "Wh-wh-wh-wh-????"
Mr. Worth laughed. "It's funny how you can pick on somebody smaller than you, but when faced with somebody your own size you turn to a stammering idiot."
Ma became enraged at the ghost. "How dare you come into my son's house and speak to me like that!"
Mr. Worth just shook his head. "How dare you poison your own son then come ramsack his house while he sleeps. Do you realize that the tranquilizer you poisoned those apples with could kill him and his wife if they don't get the antidote in time?"
"Blah, blah, blah. The stupid boy should have been more careful what he ate! Besides, it was his wife that fed him the apple! How can you blame me?!"
Mr. Worth looked down at the floor as he tried to keep his temper in check. "You don't care what happens to your son, do you? All you care about is some stupid gold coin!"
Ma just looked at Mr Worth for a moment. "Aww come on, you know that the stupid dog will save him and Muriel."
Mr. Worth glared at the woman. "Courage can't do a thing to help Eustace or Muriel if you help Katz eliminate him!"
"I ain't trying to help Katz eliminate anybody. I just want my gold coin! Give me the coin and I'll leave. And I'll even tell Katz that the dog is gone for good. Then Katz will leave the dog alone and I'll have my gold and everybody will be happy."
"What about your son and his wife?"
"Blah, blah, blah... that stupid dog can take care of them. They ain't never done anything for me!"
Courage hadn't seen Mr. Worth this angry since Shirley tried to put a bunch of wandering spirits back into the stones that they had been imprisoned in. "I've dealt with uncaring people before you have to be one of the most hateful, greed-filled, worthless excuses for a human being I have ever met!" The ghost was turning an eerie red color and his words were spat out with an angry venomous tone. "I don't care if I have to spend the rest of my eternity chasing that Katz fellow away from my friend Courage. You will never even see that gold coin if I have anything to do with it!"
One of boys came up and whispered something into Mr. Worth's ear. Mr. Worth calmed down a little bit and motioned Courage to come to him. Courage walked around Ma to listen to what the boy whispered into his ear. The boy slipped something into Courage's pocket then disappeared.
Mr. Worth sighed. "He's right Courage. The coin you have is stolen property. You wouldn't be able to keep it anyway. Give the lady the damned coin." His voice was still angry but it lacked the venom it had before.
Courage whined up at Mr. Worth.
Mr. Worth just shook his head. "Do as I tell you Courage. Everybody will be better off."
Courage fished around in his pocket and pulled a golden coin out. He dropped the coin at Ma's feet then retreated to stand next to Mr. Worth.
Mr. Worth glared at Ma. "Well, you have your stupid coin. Now get out of here and be sure to tell Katz that Courage has been eliminated. Oh, and one more thing, if you do not tell Katz that Courage is gone for good then I'll find one of the nastiest poltergeists in existence to haunt you for the rest of your days."
Ma picked up the coin and glanced at it. "Oh boy! I'm rich!! Don't worry, I'll be sure to tell Katz that Courage has been taken care of. Maybe he'll give me another gold coin!"
Ma skipped down the stairs and out the front door.
Once Ma had closed the door behind her, Courage reached into his pocket and pulled out a heavy gold coin with an owl on one side and a man wearing a helmet on the other. Mr. Worth smiled sofly at Courage. "We're lucky that Stephen had that gold pirate's coin." He turned to stare in the direction of the two sleeping people downstairs. "How could anybody be so unfortunate as to be in any way related to that hateful woman?"
Courage whined softly in understanding.
One of the girls called to Mr. Worth from downstais. "Andrew and Kara are back Mr. Worth!"
Mr. Worth and Courage quickly made their way downstairs where two more children had appeard with the plants that Mr. Worth had sent them for. Mr. Worth examined the plants and praised the children's good work at finding them.
"Four down, two to go." Mr. Worth put the plants in the box with the others.
Courage gazed over at Muriel who had now been asleep for well over 24 hours. This gave them less than four days to find the antidote. He hoped that the other four children would be able to find the plants they needed in time.
Two of the boys stepped forward and the oldest of the pair spoke up. "We found the plants you sent us for Mr. Worth."
Mr. Worth examined the plants that the older boy handed to him then he smiled warmly at the two boys. "Well done!"
The boys smiled back at their teacher and moved to one side as the other pair of children, one boy and one girl, stepped forward to show Mr. Worth the two plants that they had found.
Mr. Worth examined the plants and smiled at the two children. "Well done!"
The boy and girl smiled back at their teacher and then knelt down to pet Courage. By now, Courage was becoming used to the attention and he loved every bit of it. He wagged his tail happily in appreciation.
Mr. Worth placed the plants that the two pairs of children had brought him in a box with the plants that the plants that had been brought in by the first pair of children. "I'm proud of all of you. Now, who has the most energy left?"
The two girls who had been resting appeared. "I have plenty of energy now that I've rested." The older girl joined the other two children who were with Courage.
Mr. Worth turned to the nearly invisible boy who had been guarding the front door. "Stephen, you take a break and get some rest. Dianne, you take his place by the door. Remember, if anybody breaks in, just watch and stay out of the way. If you need me for anything, I'll be resting up in the attic. The rest of you children rest down here and keep an eye on things. Shelly, since you've been resting for a while, stay awake in case Dianne needs your help, okay?"
The little girl nodded.
Mr. Worth turned to Courage. "Come on Courage, you go upstairs with me. I don't want to take the chance of Katz or any of his friends getting their hands on you."
Courage followed the ghost upstairs.
Once they had gotten into the attic room, Mr. Worth sat down on the floor in the middle of the room. "Courage, how long has Katz had it in for you?"
Courage shrugged. He wasn't sure exactly how long it had been since he had first run into Katz at the motel.
"Something has been bothering me, Courage. First, Katz begins to steal gold to make his 'ghost catching' machine. Then he comes here and says something about eliminating you. I wonder if the two are somehow connected."
Courage looked up at Mr. Worth understanding exactly what the ghost was trying to say.
Mr. Worth continued, "But how would he know that we were friends and how would he know that he would have to get us out of the way to get to you? Or is he trying to get you out of the way to get to us? Or is it all just coincidence?"
Courage shuddered at the thought that he might somehow be responsible for putting his friends in danger.
Mr. Worth seemed to read his mind. "For all we know, Courage. The children and I could be the ones putting you and your family in danger."
Courage stared at the ghost. Mr. Worth had seemed to read his mind one too many times. Courage went over to the computer and turned it on. When the computer was ready, Courage began to type and waited for the computer to speak for him. "Are you able to read minds?"
Mr. Worth smiled softly. "Not all the time. Only when a thought is 'broadcasted'. What I mean is that, sometimes when you want to say something but don't know how to say it, you 'think very loudly'. In those instances, I am able to read your mind."
Courage began to type again. "Can you do this with everybody?"
Mr. Worth shook his head. "No, only those who I've become friends with."
Courage smiled and wagged his tail. Now he knew how Mr. Worth was able to understand him so well.
Mr. Worth grinned. "I am also beginning to actually understand some of your words. Now, we should get as much rest as we can."
Courage curled up by Mr. Worth's feet and closed his eyes as the ghost became invisible. It was nearly midnight when they were awakened by two of the children. The girls spoke quietly to Mr. Worth who motioned Courage to be quiet. Courage could hear the sound of somebody searching through one of the upstairs rooms. Mr. Worth rose to his feet and Courage followed him to the doorway of the attic room. They quietly slipped down the attic stairs to the upstairs hallway. Courage could see the light from Muriel and Eustace's room. He followed Mr. Worth a little way down the hallway to the open door. Courge could see a familiar looking shadow on the floor.
Seconds later, there was the sound of footsteps heading toward the bedroom door. Courage held his ground and waited until a familiar voice greeted him. "Hey you stupid dog I've been looking for you! Where's my coin?!"
Courage growled at Ma Bagge.
"So, yer gonna make this difficult huh?"
Courage continued to growl as a familiar shape appeared behind the woman.
Mr. Worth had snuck up behind Ma and now made his presence known. "Excuse me lady, but I do not believe we have met."
"Who the heck are you and what do you-!" Ma's sentence was cut off as she turned around to see who she was talking to. She stammered in fear as she stared at the tall ghost. "Wh-wh-wh-wh-????"
Mr. Worth laughed. "It's funny how you can pick on somebody smaller than you, but when faced with somebody your own size you turn to a stammering idiot."
Ma became enraged at the ghost. "How dare you come into my son's house and speak to me like that!"
Mr. Worth just shook his head. "How dare you poison your own son then come ramsack his house while he sleeps. Do you realize that the tranquilizer you poisoned those apples with could kill him and his wife if they don't get the antidote in time?"
"Blah, blah, blah. The stupid boy should have been more careful what he ate! Besides, it was his wife that fed him the apple! How can you blame me?!"
Mr. Worth looked down at the floor as he tried to keep his temper in check. "You don't care what happens to your son, do you? All you care about is some stupid gold coin!"
Ma just looked at Mr Worth for a moment. "Aww come on, you know that the stupid dog will save him and Muriel."
Mr. Worth glared at the woman. "Courage can't do a thing to help Eustace or Muriel if you help Katz eliminate him!"
"I ain't trying to help Katz eliminate anybody. I just want my gold coin! Give me the coin and I'll leave. And I'll even tell Katz that the dog is gone for good. Then Katz will leave the dog alone and I'll have my gold and everybody will be happy."
"What about your son and his wife?"
"Blah, blah, blah... that stupid dog can take care of them. They ain't never done anything for me!"
Courage hadn't seen Mr. Worth this angry since Shirley tried to put a bunch of wandering spirits back into the stones that they had been imprisoned in. "I've dealt with uncaring people before you have to be one of the most hateful, greed-filled, worthless excuses for a human being I have ever met!" The ghost was turning an eerie red color and his words were spat out with an angry venomous tone. "I don't care if I have to spend the rest of my eternity chasing that Katz fellow away from my friend Courage. You will never even see that gold coin if I have anything to do with it!"
One of boys came up and whispered something into Mr. Worth's ear. Mr. Worth calmed down a little bit and motioned Courage to come to him. Courage walked around Ma to listen to what the boy whispered into his ear. The boy slipped something into Courage's pocket then disappeared.
Mr. Worth sighed. "He's right Courage. The coin you have is stolen property. You wouldn't be able to keep it anyway. Give the lady the damned coin." His voice was still angry but it lacked the venom it had before.
Courage whined up at Mr. Worth.
Mr. Worth just shook his head. "Do as I tell you Courage. Everybody will be better off."
Courage fished around in his pocket and pulled a golden coin out. He dropped the coin at Ma's feet then retreated to stand next to Mr. Worth.
Mr. Worth glared at Ma. "Well, you have your stupid coin. Now get out of here and be sure to tell Katz that Courage has been eliminated. Oh, and one more thing, if you do not tell Katz that Courage is gone for good then I'll find one of the nastiest poltergeists in existence to haunt you for the rest of your days."
Ma picked up the coin and glanced at it. "Oh boy! I'm rich!! Don't worry, I'll be sure to tell Katz that Courage has been taken care of. Maybe he'll give me another gold coin!"
Ma skipped down the stairs and out the front door.
Once Ma had closed the door behind her, Courage reached into his pocket and pulled out a heavy gold coin with an owl on one side and a man wearing a helmet on the other. Mr. Worth smiled sofly at Courage. "We're lucky that Stephen had that gold pirate's coin." He turned to stare in the direction of the two sleeping people downstairs. "How could anybody be so unfortunate as to be in any way related to that hateful woman?"
Courage whined softly in understanding.
One of the girls called to Mr. Worth from downstais. "Andrew and Kara are back Mr. Worth!"
Mr. Worth and Courage quickly made their way downstairs where two more children had appeard with the plants that Mr. Worth had sent them for. Mr. Worth examined the plants and praised the children's good work at finding them.
"Four down, two to go." Mr. Worth put the plants in the box with the others.
Courage gazed over at Muriel who had now been asleep for well over 24 hours. This gave them less than four days to find the antidote. He hoped that the other four children would be able to find the plants they needed in time.