Coraline set some mice bait for the mice she saw yesterday. Shaggy, Scooby and Courage have all decided to slept at the foot of her bed. They knew they all had to stay with her, leaving her alone would not be a good idea. After a few minutes Coraline came fully awake in time to see three mice hop through the crack in the door.
Looking over at the door, she, and the cowardly trio saw that the last mouse was holding the last bit of cheese and watching them intently.
Turning to descend the rest of the staircase, the kids and puppies realized that the mice were once again waiting for them at the bottom. Now they hopped off down the hallway, in the direction of the living room and the little door.
Carefully Shaggy, Scooby, Courage and Coraline went down the last two pieces of staircase and set off down the hall. When they entered the living room, the mice were all waiting in the middle.
And they hopped over to the door and through the crack, Coraline then grabbed the door and yanked it open. Light streamed out, turning the girls' skin blue and purple and pink, and out of the tunnel came the faint silvery sound the kids and puppies had heard the night before. At the end they could see the crack of light made by the other door.
Coraline slowly crawled into the tunnel. Shaggy, Scooby and Courage followed her, frowning. When they reached the other end, Coraline pushed open the door and she and the cowardly trio crawled out.
They walked down the hall and through the dining room, which tonight was dark, and stopped at the kitchen door.
The kitchen table was set for four. In the center was a large basket lined with a white napkin and piled high with various types of large muffins. There were also a pitcher of orange juice, a container of syrup, and a stick of butter on the table. On the counter behind the table was a huge stack of waffles next to a waffle-maker.
The Other Mother was standing at the stove, humming. Tonight she wore black pants with a thin red band above the cuff, red slippers, and a black hip-length dress with small white polka dots and red trim.
When she turned and smiled, they could see that over the dress she wore a dark pink apron that tied in the back and had a thin white scalloped edging, as did the triangular pocket on one side.
"Welcome back darling," the Other Mother said, "You too Shaggy, Scooby and Courage of course."
"Hi," Coraline said.
Shaggy, Scooby and Courage felt small chills now that they're was back in the woman's presence. They waved shyly, for they didn't trust her.
"So thoughtful of you to send this nice cheddar, Coraline," the Other Mother said.
"Cheddar?" Coraline asked.
She, Shaggy, Scooby and Courage looked down. On the stove were two frying pans. One held small sausages that were browning: the other, the one directly in front of the Other Mother, was full of cooking scrambled eggs. The Other Mother was grating cheese onto the eggs.
"Oh!" Coraline said in understanding, and whispered to her friends, "The mice bait."
The Other Mother finished grating, tapped the grater to loosen any stuck bits of cheese, and set it down on the counter. She turned to the kids and puppies, "Would you go fetch your father? I bet he's hungry as a pumpkin by now," she said brightly.
"Like, do you mean her OTHER father?" Shaggy protested.
The Other Mother held up one finger with a slight frown, "Her better father, dear."
This gave Shaggy, Scooby and Courage a bad feeling, they didn't like this...Coraline's 'better' father? If they didn't know better, they'd say they're trying to keep her in this weird, strange place. Coraline didn't seem to catch the 'better father' part of the conversation.
The Other Mother just continued her reply, "He's out in the garden."
Coraline looked at her quizzically, "But my parents don't have TIME to garden."
"Sh sh!" the Other Mother reached into a bowl on the counter and pulled out a strawberry, she popped one into Coraline's mouth.
"Mmm!" Coraline exclaimed, looking happily at the ripe, tasty, dark red berry she held.
"Go on," the Other Mother said laughingly, gently prodding them.
Coraline finished her berry with smile, while Shaggy and Scooby took a couple of strawberries for the road, licking their fingers from it as they walked off toward the side door, which would lead them to the garden.
The kids and puppies walked out onto the porch, as they watched, a waning half moon rose. When the moon's rays touched the garden, two red-flowered trees slowly untwisted, rising upward as they did so. As a strange tree-like thing uncurled in the middle of the garden, several little golden lights fluttered around the two flowered trees, kindling the flowers into glowing red clusters.
Shaggy, Scooby, Courage and Coraline reached the iron gate and Coraline pushed at it. The two sides swung open with a creak and the kids and puppies stepped through, looks of awe on their faces. Plants in the small plot in front of them pushed up through the soil.
Before Coraline had a chance to bend down and closely examine the plot, several bright golden hummingbirds swooped down and hovered, wings humming, in front of the kids and puppies as if saying hello, they could have been made of gold instead of only colored that way: their feathers shon and glinted in the bright moonlight. They were the lights that had made the trees glow red.
Shaggy, Scooby, Courage and Coraline stood in awe as the pretty birds circled them and then flew to the plants in front of them. Tall, covered, pitcher-like flowers grew up from the soil, each a different mottled mixture of green and orange and yellow and even some red around the top, and each with several long leaves to match. The hummingbirds flitted about, dipping their long beaks into each flower, and lights began to glow in the base of every bloom.
Shaggy, Scooby, Courage and Coraline split to walk around the plot. As Coraline stepped past the final flower, the covering leaf abruptly flipped backwards and a button-eyed frog popped up to croak in a hoarse bass. The surprise coupled with the animal's odd light-blue and red coloring made Coraline laughed, but it freaked out Shaggy, Scooby and Courage as they let out yelps.
The hummingbirds also split, some flying up both side paths and wakening the large red flowers that grew along and on the inner stone wall. These flowers outwardly resembled huge blooms of the 'bleeding heart' flower, but no bleeding heart ever actually beat as these did, light pulsing in their cores. Other golden birds flittered around the plots nearer to the edge of the garden, bringing light and life to transparent pink tube flowers, smaller blue flowers with long orange stems that grew in dome formations, red-and-yellow petaled flowers in bushes, and vaguely fern-like plants with huge white leaves.
Shaggy, Scooby, Courage and Coraline trotted up the left path, pausing frequently to gape and marvel at all the different kinds of flowers. Orangey-brown creepers twined along the cobblestones in their wake and under their very feet, sprouting single petals in varying shades of white, pink, and peach. The kids and puppies had nearly reached the bridge when Coraline grabbed Shaggy's arm and gave an excited cry, pointing.
Something had just come into sight from behind one of the small rolling hills on the outside of the garden. It seemed to be a blue metal contraption that bore an exceeding resemblance to a praying mantis. Round yellow headlights formed eyes, a pair of legs in the front provided motion, and two wheels in the back were turned by two more pairs of metal legs.
As it walked there was no other word for it along the ridges, the head turned from side to side, spitting seeds onto the ground. On the tail end hung a watering can, from which poured a stream of water that sprinkled the ground. Odd flowers whose many petals rather resembled teaspoons sprouted behind the mantis, their color an unusual deep blue.
Shaggy, Scooby and Courage didn't like this place...it was too...perfect.
"Heeeeeyy!" he cried, waving at them.
"I LOVE your garden!" Coraline shouted happily, cupping her hands around her mouth to be heard over the mantis tractor.
"OUR garden, Coraline!" the Other Father called, smiling and spreading his arms out wide to encompass everything.
Then the kids and puppies yelped as their feet were attacked by several yellow flowers that had sprouted around their feet. they darted here and there, yapping like puppies. Their gentle pokes produced quite a tickling effect, the cowardly trio actually couldn't stop laughing, for they're very ticklish.
"Stop tickling me!" Coraline chortled, rolling back and forth in helpless laughter.
On the tractor, the Other Father leaned to one side and put a hand to his ear, "Ooh, daughter and friends in distress."
The kids and puppies were still laughing helplessly, rolling from side to side and slapping ineffectually at the flowers. When the mantis halted next to them, the snapdragons stopped and turned their attention to its rider, stretching their stems to full length, mouths wide open.
The Other Father shook a finger at them, "Tickle no more you dragon snappers."
The praying mantis swiped one scythe-like front leg through the stems, severing them, the Other Father gathered the cut flowers together with a graceful sweep of his hand.
Shaggy, Scooby and Courage felt a warm soothing feeling spread through them. They found...strangely...they didn't remember why they didn't want to come here...almost like the dragon snappers affected their feelings on the Other World...It was comforting, but it was also dizzying….
Now that the excitement was over, Shaggy, Scooby and Courage remembered why they had come out in the first place.
"Well, SHE says it's time for dinner," Coraline said, poking her head around to look up at the Other Father.
"Actually I think it's breakfast," Courage said.
"Breakfast!" Shaggy interjected, remembering the cheesy scrambled eggs and sausages.
The kids and puppies looked at each other, then at the Other Father.
"FOOD/ROOD," they said in unison, certain that THAT would be a safe description.
"Hop on, Kiddos. I wanna show ya something," Other Father said as he grabbed Coraline, Shaggy, Scooby and Courage.
As soon as the kids and puppies had clambered onto the mantis and was securely seated above the left wheel, the Other Father pulled a lever. A double-bladed propeller unfolded from the back of the mantis and sprang upright, then whirled round and round. Gently, the mantis rose up into the air.
As they rose higher and higher, Coraline, Shaggy, Scooby and Courage noticed something. On the ground, the garden was a riot of color, a mishmash of hues. But from up here, it was clear that the plants were NOT randomly situated...it revealed that the garden looked exactly like Coraline!
Shaggy, Scooby and Courage suddenly snapped back to themselves, cutting through whatever warm hazy feeling they'd had, and they frowned suspiciously. Only someone trying to suck up to Coraline would make their garden like her face...
"I can't BELIEVE you did this!" Coraline exclaimed, almost bouncing from excitement.
"Mother said you'd like it," the Other Father said, turning to smile at the kids and puppies, "Boy, she knows you like the back of her hand."
Later, they enjoy the supper and chat more.
"Mmm, so GOOD," Coraline mumbled through a mouthful of waffles-and-strawberries.
"I LOVE dinner-breakfast-food," the Other Father said, grinning, his plate was piled extremely high with a sort of triple-decker sandwich of waffles, eggs, and strawberries. Same with Shaggy and Scooby's plates.
The Other Mother had placed the bouquet of snapdragons in vase in the center of the table, and was feeding the excitable flowers bits of sausage.
Courage took a bite of his dinner and glanced to the other mother's plate, sure enough it was empty and spotless just like last night.
"Hmmm..." Courage said out loud.
"What was that dear?" the Other Mother asked.
Courage gulped, he looked up, trying to think of a lie. "I said mmmm, because these waffles are delicious," he said giving a weak grin at her.
Scooby is suspicious about this. What if the Other Mother was distracting Coraline while she went into the real world and did who knows what?! What if she was stealing Coraline and creating an evil Coraline clone? Scooby didn't like the thought of something happening to her.
She smiled, "Glad you liked them. "Coraline, Mr. Bobinsky has invited you Shaggy, Scooby and Courage to see the jumping mice perform after dinner," Other Mother said.
"Really? That know-it-all Wybie said it was all in Mr. B's head. I knew he was wrong," Coraline said, pleased with this news.
"Well, everything's right in this world, kiddo," said the Other Father, grinning at Coraline.
The Other Mother got up and walked around the table to put a hand on her husband's shoulder, she smiled. "Your father and I will clean up while you, Shaggy, Scooby, Courage and your FRIEND head upstairs."
"My friend?" Coraline repeated, confused.
The Other Mother went to the door, opened it to reveal Wybie, but he was different with the button eyes.
"Great, another Wybie," Coraline scoffed, "Hello Why-were-you-born."
Other Wybie didn't say anything...but he only smiled.
"Ruh," Scooby questioned, it was getting a little weird now.
Coraline finished with, "Hello?"
Again there was no answer, but Other Mother approached and faced them the kids and puppies.
"I thought you'd like him more if he spoke a little less, so I FIXED him," she said.
…What?…Shaggy, Scooby and Courage felt cold chills run over him, causing their bodies to give a small involuntary shiver. The Other Mother's smile was bright and happy, but they could see the small tightening in the Other Wybie's own smile.
Fixed him? She fixed Other Wybie...that did not sit well with Shaggy, Scooby nor Courage. HOW!? How could she do something like that and SMILE!?
"S-so he… he can't talk? At… a-at all?" Courage begged for his mind to reveal it had been playing tricks on him. He silently prayed he had misheard her or that the Other Wybie was simply playing a joke by not answering yet.
"Nope," the Other Mother replied.
"Hmm," Coraline, putting her hand on her lips, and then said while putting her hands on her sides, "I like it."
Shaggy, Scooby and Courage felt pools of dread and nausea settle inside their stomachs, and suddenly Courage felt like his appetite was not only dead but needing to purge his stomach, he was given this sudden urge to curl up into a ball and hide.
"Hmm," Coraline, putting her hand on her lips, and then said while putting her hands on her sides, "I like it."
Oh gosh. Courage thought, feeling his body begin to shake.
The Other Mel soon said while pushing the Other Wybie a bit, "Now, run along, you five, and have fun."
The kids and puppies then headed outside. Scooby thought maybe he could see what was truly going on with Other Wybie.
"Ro..." Scooby began he didn't care if this was all a dream or not, or if they were fake, or even if they just couldn't feel pain…that was MESSED UP.
But Coraline interrupted, "You're awful cheerful...considering you can't say anything."
Shaggy wondered… He really needed to know, "Um...Like, did it hurt when she...fixed you?" he asked.
Coraline elbowed him then she looked at Other Wybie, she asked, to the boy, "It didn't hurt, did it, when she..."
The Other Wybie only pointed up and the children saw a small blimp floating up across the sky up to Mr. Bobinsky's apartment. They knocked on the door, and if flipped. Coraline, Shaggy, Scooby and Couragw shrieked as it flipped and pushed inside. They saw around them...cannons and popcorn machines. Shaggy, Scooby and Coraline giggled at the popcorn machines because it was a chicken.
"Cool!" Coraline said. She soon chuckled a bit, and walked toward the tent
The chicken would pick up kernels...and then popcorn would come out under the tail. They looked over to see Wybie was playing with the cannons which fired out cotton candy. Shaggy and Scooby managed to get a bunch of cotton candy and popcorn.
Coraline laughed, "Look at you!"
Then they heard Bobinsky's voice announcing something. They crawled into the small little tent which turned out to be quite big.
"Lady and gentlemen, for to tickle your eyes and ears...and making hearts to thump, I, Sergei Alexander Bobinsky, am introducing my astoundishing, ...stupendulous and amazing...jumping mouse circus!"
With that, a bunch of mice jumped out, and it spelled Coraline's name.
"My name!" Coraline cried.
Then the circus began. The mice soon got out of position, and begin to playing a fanfare, with trumpets, trombones, sousaphones, cymbals, and drums, along with one mouse parachuting down with a baton, making him the leader, who lands on a small ball. They mice soon begin to play some circus music, while jumping around, making shapes with first a star.
Coraline grinned towards the Other Wybie,
The mice soon continue to go around, while Coraline took another thing of cotton candy off of the Other Wybie. Soon the center of the ring, continue to rise up with the lead mouse in the middle, while the other mice begin going up the ramp, then stopped.
"Wow!" Coraline yelled.
The lead mouse soon begins rolling down on the ball, which caused the mice to jump off out of the way, and once the mice were near the edge of the ring, and the lead mouse of off the ramp, the tall pyramid went down, revealing the Other Mr. B, who pose, then kneeled down, and smiled, causing the Other Wybie to clap.
Coraline jumped back and yelled, "Yahoo! That was great!"
"Very, very thank you, lady and gentleman," the Other Mr. B. replied.
Soon the lead mouse squeaked, then jumped on the ball, as if it was on the drum, and the other mice jumped to the rhythm of the beat. The mice soon were going into the Other Mr. B.'s sleeves, except for the lead mouse, who soon rolled up to the top of the Other Mr. B.'s head, which he then puts on his hat to cover the mouse.
The Other Wybie and Coraline soon clapped.
Coraline spoke up while getting up, "We loved it, Mr. B. It was so... So..."
"Ah..." the Other Mr. B said, waiting for an answer.
Coraline then threw out her hands, and yelled, "Amazing!"
It was amazing Shaggy, Scooby and Courage will admit, but something is wrong..
"You are very welcome anytime you like. You and also your good friends there," the Other Mr. B. replied, he soon extended his hand, and said, "DO SVIDANIYA, Coraline."
She soon puts her hand on top of his hand, and he kisses it.
After the circus, The Other mother tucked Coraline in bed, while Shaggy, Scooby and Courage went into the guest room.
Shaggy, Scooby and Courage know something is up here. They're being too nice to her. They're doing things that she wouldn't even be able to dream her parents could do. They're trying to suck up to her...the question was...what is the horrible future that awaits in this world once they are done sucking up to her?...What is it they want with her...and why does is seem they're trying to keep them there too?
Well that's all for now. This is vakarns signing off.