There was another loud clap of thunder, and another flash of lightning. Everyone jumped, afraid the lights were going to go out again. Cedric was a complete basket case.
"I can't believe it!" he shouted. "I-I-I-I just can't believe it! Sophia's gone! She wouldn't just up and leave without Forest and Evelyn! She . . . . she just wouldn't! We've got to find her!"
"Don't panic, Cedric," Melissa said, putting her hand on his arm. "I'm sure Sophia's around here somewhere."
"She couldn't have gone far," Schafer said.
"Not without stepping on someone or tripping over them, anyway," Cyril said. "We would've heard her if she left the room."
"M-m-m-maybe the ghost got her," Floyd said, nervously.
"For the millionth time, there are no such things as ghosts!" Cyril yelled, getting fed up with the Pigs.
"Then who was just yelling at us to get out or face the consequences?" Bert asked. "The pizza delivery guy?"
"Can we argue about it later?" Cedric asked. "We've got to find Sophia!"
"Cedric's right," Schafer said. "I suggest we split up. We'll cover more ground that way."
"Okay," Ralph said. "Bert, you Lisa, and Bentley check the north wing. Cyril, you and Schafer take Forest and Evelyn and check the east wing. Pigs, you take the dogs and check the west wing. Cedric, you come with me and Melissa and we'll check the south wing."
Everyone agreed, and then split up. Schafer took the stroller and pushed it along while Forest grabbed onto Cyril's hand.
"I'm scared, Gampa," he said. "What if Floyd's right, and the ghost really did get Mommy?"
"Don't worry, Forest," Schafer said. "We'll find her."
"And those porkers are never right about anything," Cyril said. He picked up Forest and started carrying him, so they could move faster.
"Will the ghost hurt Mommy?" Forest asked, hugging Cyril around the neck, nervously.
"Stop worrying, Forest," Cyril said. "I'm sure your mother's fine."
"I hope so," Forest said, and he stuck his thumb in his mouth, and began sucking on it. He usually only did that when he was nervous. Evelyn could sense that Forest was nervous, and so were Schafer and Cyril, and she started whimpering.
"Don't you start up, too, Evelyn," Cyril said. "I'm not in the mood."
"She's scared, too," Forest said. "She thinks the ghost got Mommy."
Cyril groaned. It was obvious the kids were not going to change their minds over the existence this ghost, so he and Schafer just kept walking.
Meanwhile in the north wing, Bert, Lisa, and Bentley were wandering around.
"Sophiiiiiaaaaa!" Bert called. "Come out, come out wherever you aaaarrrrrre!"
"I don't think we'll find Sophia that way, Bert," Bentley said.
"Well, it was worth a shot," Bert said, shrugging.
"I'm getting worried," Lisa said.
"I'm sure Sophia's around here somewhere," Bert said. "She probably just ran off when the ghost showed up."
"I don't know, Bert," Lisa said. "She wouldn't just run off without Cedric or the kids. Especially not the baby!"
"Yeah, you're right," Bert admitted, starting to feel a bit worried. "Boy, I hope she's okay."
"I hope we find her soon," Bentley said. "Then we can get out of here. This place gives me the creeps!"
"You said it, brother," Lisa said, as the trio continued walking. As they walked, they could hear the floor creaking.
"Boy, this really is an old house," Bentley said. "The floor creaks worse than Grandma's floor!"
"Yeah, I wouldn't be surprised if this place had trap doors and everything," Bert said. "You take one step, and whoosh! You'd go right through the floor!"
Well, Bert just had to go and open his big mouth. The minute he said that, the floor beneath Lisa and Bentley dropped out, and the two of them fell through a trap door.
"Yaaahhhh!" they screamed as they fell.
"Yeah, my sediments exactly," Bert said, not even noticing Bentley and Lisa were gone. "Come on, guys. We've got a lot of ground to cover."
Lisa and Bentley slid down a slide of some kind, and landed in a tunnel, which was lighted dimly by torches on the wall. They got up, and began walking around.
"I really wish Bert would learn to keep his big, fat mouth shut," Bentley groaned.
"You and me both," Lisa replied, brushing herself off. "Where are we anyway?"
"Looks like a secret room under the house, just like in the movies. Let's see where it leads! Maybe Sophia's down here!"
"Okay. Let's go."
Bentley and Lisa started to walk down the tunnel, when they suddenly heard something on the other side of the wall. It sounded like sinister cackling.
"What's that?" Bentley asked.
"Shh!" Lisa hissed. "Listen!"
"Those fools are still upstairs in my manor," a voice said. It was the same voice that warned the group to get out of the house, or face the consequences.
"It's the ghost," Bentley whispered.
"Quiet, Bentley," Lisa said. "I'm trying to hear what he's saying."
"I thought for sure they would have left by now," the voice continued. "No matter. If they don't leave, then they'll just have to stay, permanently!"
"I don't like the sound of that," Bentley said.
"Shhh!" Lisa hissed once more. "He might hear us!"
"Now then, my little pretty," the voice went on. "What shall we do with you?"
The ominous voice laughed again, and the laughter slowly faded away. Lisa figured he left the room.
"Come on," she said to Bentley. "We've got to find out how to get on the other side of this wall. Something's telling me he's got Sophia."
"I think I see something down there," Bentley said, pointing. "Come on!"
Bentley ran down the tunnel, with Lisa close behind him. They turned a corner, and sure enough, that led them to the other side. On the other side, they found another tunnel.
"I think our ghost went through here," Lisa said. "Let's go."
"But what if he's still in there?" Bentley asked.
"What are you, Bentley? A man or a mouse?"
"Neither. I'm a raccoon!"
"Wise guy."
Lisa and Bentley continued walking down the tunnel. Suddenly, they heard footsteps, and leaned against the wall, as far in as they could. A ghostly looking figure was coming down the tunnel. Both Lisa and Bentley shuddered a bit when he walked by them, but it appeared that he had not noticed them.
"I think that's the ghost of Count Verner Von Varkenstein," Bentley whispered.
"Shh!" Lisa hissed. "He'll hear us!"
Luckily for them, Count Von Varkenstein walked on, taking no notice of the two raccoons in the tunnel. Once he was out of sight, Lisa and Bentley snuck down the tunnel, and peered through a doorway. In a small room, lit only by torches was Sophia, sitting on a bench, blindfolded. Her hands were tied together at her wrists in front of her, and her ankles were tied together as well.
"Sophia?" Lisa asked, as she and Bentley slowly walked toward her.
"Lisa, is that you?" Sophia asked, turning toward where she heard Lisa's voice.
"Boy, are we glad to see you!" Bentley shouted. He got to work untying Sophia's ankles while Lisa removed the blindfold and began untying her wrists.
"Are you okay?" she asked.
"Yes, I'm fine," Sophia said. She heaved a sigh of relief. "But what are you doing down here?"
"We were looking for you upstairs, and we fell through a trap door," Bentley said. "How did you get down here?"
"I'm not too sure," Sophia said. "All I remember was some kind of door creaking open, and this horrible laughter . . . . . then someone grabbed me, and I screamed, and I must have fainted, because I don't remember what happened after that. When I woke up, all I could hear was that awful laughter again."
"We'd better find a way back upstairs and tell the others what we know," Lisa said.
But before the trio could take one step out of that small room, a stone wall came out from a hidden panel, and slammed shut, sealing Lisa, Bentley, and Sophia inside that room. Then, they heard Count Von Varkenstein cackle outside, and then he left.
"We're trapped!" Bentley shouted.
"We've got to find a way out of here so we can warn the others!" Lisa shouted. "Before it's too late!"
