"Agent R, Katz, Le Quack, Doc Gerbil, and Foot Fungus"
"So," said Agent R, as he eyed his temporary partners suspiciously.
"So, what?" asked Doc Gerbil.
"Well," continued Agent R. "I guess I should be flattered to be teaming up with the very same critters who scared me out of wits last time I saw you." There was a heavy sense of sarcasm in that comment.
"It was your own fault," argued Katz. "You and your fellow agents were getting too nosy."
"Yeah," agreed the others.
"Oh, sure, just blame it all on me, huh?" snapped Agent R.
"It seems (how you say) appropriate," said Le Quack.
"Yeah," agreed Foot Fungus.
"Well then," remarked Agent R. "I guess the only thing I can say now is that the sooner we get this over with, the sooner you all can get the treasure and get outta here, correct?"
"Works for me," said Doc Gerbil.
"Fine!" shouted Agent R. "So…c'mon."
The group started walking around the perimeter of the property. There was a forest of bushes and weeds everywhere. They had to walk very carefully to keep from tripping into the shrubbery. Foot Fungus turned out to be blessing, since he could easily smash any plant in his path.
"What did that there riddle say, again?" asked Foot Fungus.
"Oh, so NOW you're asking me for my help," retorted Agent R.
"Will you just read it??!!" exclaimed Katz.
"Alright! Alright. Sheesh," responded Agent R. He took out the tape recorder he had used to record Dr. Stromwell's voice. Agent R had worried about whether a ghost would even be heard on tape at all, but, to his luck, it did.
"At midnight, when the North Star's high…"
Agent R stopped the tape as Doc Gerbil and Foot Fungus asked where the North Star was.
"It's right there," said Katz as he pointed up above the house.
"Which one?" asked Le Quack.
"You guys see the Big Dipper?" asked Agent R, who motioned his hands in the air. Everyone saw it. "Now," continued Agent R. "See up above it that little cluster of stars? That's the Little Dipper." Everyone oohed and aahed (ok, they didn't really, but they could've.) "And that star right there in the corner of the Little Dipper is the North Star."
"So, how does this tie in with the riddle?" asked Doc Gerbil.
"Well," Agent R looked at his watch. "It's almost midnight now, and so we need to…um…" Agent R turned the tape recorder on again.
"…watch it through the rooster's eye…"
"Right," said Agent R as he stopped the tape. "Any idea where we could find a rooster?" No one said anything.
Katz finally sighed, "It's right there in the open, you ninnies."
Everyone looked to where Katz was pointing. High above on the roof of the house stood a large, immobile, rooster-shaped weathervane.
"Very observant, Katz," said Agent R. "Now all we need to do is position ourselves so that the North Star can be seen through the eye of the rooster! My guess is that we should be somewhere right next to the house."
The group meandered around the perimeter of the house until finally they saw the star through a small hole in the weathervane. They were standing in front of the back steps of the house. The backyard behind them acted like a careful observer to the five visitors standing on the back walk.
"OK, what now?" asked Foot Fungus.
"…Standing with a rose and wreath…you'll find the doorway underneath…" said the voice from the tape player.
"What could that mean?" asked Doc Gerbil.
Then everyone saw it. Hanging on the backdoor of the house was an elaborate stick wreath. It was simply-made, with sticks and vines. And in the center of the wreath hung a single white rose.
"…That must be it!" responded Doc Gerbil, not too intelligently.
As the group gathered in front of the back door, Le Quack said, "Well, zat was easy."
"Too easy, of you ask me," murmured Agent R.
"Oh, c'mon, just open the door already!" whined Foot Fungus.
"But the riddle said the 'doorway underneath'!" argued Agent R.
"I say!" said Katz with surprise. "Why is there a doorbell for the back door of this house?"
Katz suddenly reached out and pushed the button.
Instead of a doorbell ringing, the floor underneath everyone suddenly gave way! The five detectives fell about twenty feet into a pile of hay.
Everyone struggled to their feet and looked through the square of light coming through the trapdoor.
Agent R turned to Katz, "You knew it was going to do that, didn't you?"
"Honestly," said Katz, pretending to sound hurt. "If I did, I would've gotten out of the way."
Agent R couldn't argue with that logic.
Le Quack muttered, "I guess it eez true what zey say about cats and curiosity."
"I heard that!" snapped Katz.
"Hey, hey, hey," said peacemaker Agent R. "We have a treasure to find, remember?"
Foot Fungus coughed.
"Well, all I can find is that water faucet to be annoying, see?"
Everyone stopped. There was a dripping
sound coming from the wall. They all
turned and saw a water spigot dripping water on the wall.
"C'mon," said Agent R, who played the last part of the riddle.
"…But heed my words once you are in…for the rushing waters will begin."
"Ha!" retorted Doc Gerbil, who walked over to the water spigot. "Some 'rushing waters'. Heh-heh. 'Heed my words,' he says. Well, heed this!"
Without warning, Doc Gerbil kicked the water spigot. Everyone immediately thought Doc Gerbil would grab his injured foot and start hopping around in pain. Instead, the water spigot detached itself effortlessly from the wall, causing a huge shower of water to come gushing out of the wall and into the room. The blast knocked Doc Gerbil clear off his feet!
And that wasn't all. As if on cue, water started pouring into the room for other locations as well!
For the next few minutes, everyone was running around, trying to find a way out. The trap door looked like the only way out, but it had slammed shut when the spigot was kicked. Thin slivers of light outlining the trap door provided the only light.
Katz was having a miserable time trying to stay dry and eventually gave up when the room started filling with water. In a way, it was gratifying for Agent R to hear Katz yelling at others to get him out of here.
Foot Fungus was also having a miserable time. He couldn't swim very well (for obvious reasons) and the water seemed like it could do some harm to him as well. (Remember, from the episode, dog drool was the only way to get rid of him.)
Meanwhile, Le Quack sat comfortably on the surface of the water as everybody else prepared themselves to start treading water. Some of them grabbed at Le Quack, thinking they could use him as a floatation device, but Le Quack would always swim away.
Finally, Agent R screamed "LOOK!!!" Everyone turned and saw a doorway way up on the wall (from the ceiling to the wall's halfway point.)
"How do we get up there?!" shouted Foot Fungus.
"We'll have to wait until the water gets higher!" yelled Agent R.
So, with Foot Fungus struggling to keep his heads above water, the water kept rising until Agent R pulled himself up into the doorway. Everyone soon followed.
Everyone was a wet, shivering mess by now. Katz was frantically licking himself as Doc Gerbil took off shirt to wring the water out of it. Only Le Quack came out the driest. He was just about to make a remark about him being the driest when everyone suddenly felt water creeping into the doorway! The water was still coming!
"Now what??!!" cried out Doc Gerbil.
Agent R didn't have a clue what to do.
"Hmmm, I wonder…" pondered Katz as he stared at a strange, stone device on the wall. It was shaped like a toilet handle. Katz pushed the handle down. Almost at once, there was a long, continuous "whoosh" sound from inside the room. A whirlpool appeared and the water level dropped until there was barely any left.
"Well," said Le Quack. "Too bad zee riddle did not mention scuba gear. Hoo hoo hoo."
Everyone just glared at Le Quack's rare attempt at humor.
"C'mon," said Agent R, as he headed down the dark, stone hallway. He started shivering as he said, "There's a light up ahead. Maybe we can dry off over there!"
"I certainly hope so," chattered Doc Gerbil. Him, Katz, and Foot Fungus were all bitterly cold by this point, and they hoped they could dry themselves off as quickly as possible.
"American swines," thought Le Quack to himself as he followed the frigid detectives down the hall towards the light.