Chapter 2: Ghost Busters
"Who did what?" Lila asked as she came upstairs and into the treehouse.
"Someone ate my cupcakes!" Lucy pouted. "They were supposed to be for the bake sale!"
"Well, I didn't eat them." Lila pointed out. "I just got here."
"We know that." Lucy rolled her eyes.
"You don't think...that a ghost could have eaten the cupcakes?" Danny asked. "It's close to Halloween after all."
"Don't be silly! Why would a ghost come up here anyway?" Lucy asked bitterly.
"I've heard stories!" Danny reminded.
BJ scoffed "Ghosts aren't real."
It didn't take too long for the rest of the gang to enter the treehouse. "What's all the fuss?" Barney wondered.
"It's horrible!" Lucy complained "Someone ate all my cupcakes for the bake sale!"
"It COULD be a ghost." Danny remarked.
As he said that, Miss Etta flew over, looking more than a little shaken up.
"Miss Etta, you look as if you've seen a ghost!" gasped Charlie Brown.
"Is it that obvious?" asked Miss Etta.
Heather giggled. "It's an expression."
"Oh, right. While we're on the subject, what do you dears think about haunted houses...?" the bird asked.
"Haunted? You mean as in 'full of ghosts'?" wondered Chip.
"Yes!" she replied.
"I LOVE haunted houses! They're so much fun!" announced Peppermint Patty
"Do you believe in them? I mean ghosts!"
"I believe in staying away from them!" Charlie Brown announced.
Kristen shook her head. "I don't think they're real, Miss Etta."
"Same here." Linus chimed in "But the Great Pumpkin is!"
"Suppose a friend that's...very wise and not easy to fool...told you they'd seen a ghost?" questioned Miss Etta.
"Someone very wise and not easy to fool? Like YOU, Miss Etta?" Scooter tilted his head.
"Oh yes, Scooter..." the bird nodded.
"Are you sure you weren't dreaming?" asked Heather.
"Positive, child..." Miss Etta explained.
Chip then spoke up "Maybe it was just a shadow on the treehouse wall."
"Or an overactive imagination." Barney agreed.
The lavender bird chirped "It was a real ghost, my dears. In the middle of the night, I heard a noise from my nest!"
"Was is Scooter's snoring?" Linus asked.
"No, Linus. It sounded like...like, oh I can't dare replicate it."
"Ooooooooooooh!" Snoopy exclaimed in surprise, scaring the bird.
"Exactly! Like that!" Miss Etta stated. "I got up to investigate, but it was dark. I listened and peered over and then I saw it! A GHOST! I was petrified! Horrified! Terrified!"
"Mortified? Paralyzed with fear?" Marcie continued, trying not to yawn again.
"Exactly! And a lot more!" Miss Etta complained.
"You know, you really DON'T scare easily..." Scooter said.
"Maybe you ate something before bed, that gave you bad dreams." BJ suggested.
"Like an entire tray of cupcakes, perchance." Lucy assumed.
"Why would Miss Etta lie about seeing a ghost?" asked Lila.
"Guys, we just need to catch this ghost and set it free." Charlie Brown said. "Or just catch it to prove that there is one.
"And how do you propose we do that, blockhead?!" Lucy asked bitterly.
"We set a trap!" Charlie Brown smiled.
"A FOOLPROOF one!" Linus smirked.
"We can set out some sweets overnight!" Chip suggested.
"Great idea, ChipFlip!" Peppermint Patty smiled.
"Who's got sweets?" BJ asked.
"Oh, I got cheesecake!" Heather smiled, pulling out one from her backpack.
"All that's gonna attract are the ghosts of old ladies." Lucy scoffed.
"We also need someone to look for the ghost." Charlie Brown added.
"I'll stay up ALL NIGHT, to catch the ghost!" Kristen smirked.
"Good idea!" Peppermint Patty smiled.
"And I'll set up the trap!" Lila smiled.
Within minutes, Lila had prepared a trap.
"How's it work?" Lucy asked.
Lila smiled "It's easy. When the ghost goes to get a slice of cheesecake, a big net will fall on them and sirens will blare to signify the capture."
"Are you sure it will work?" Barney asked.
"It's foolproof. This chart shows that 9 out of 10 ghosts will be confuzzled by the trap's layout. Because ghosts don't have a brain!" Lila winked.
"AND ghosts AREN'T REAL..." Lucy added.
That evening, Kristen was preparing a little spot to hold a stakeout with Snoopy as the World Famous Ghost Hunter. Meanwhile, The dinosaurs and the rest of the kids would camp out in the library (with permission, of course) and would communicate via walkie talkie.
"If there are any ghosts out there, you better NOT be thinking of stealing this here cheesecake." Kristen announced, "You BETTER think twice BECAUSE I can tell you RIGHT NOW, THIS 10 year old is NO SCAREDY CAT!"
Snoopy however could only study the cheesecake. It looked so tempting to sneak a slice. The beagle waited late into the night, until Kristen accidentally dozed off while on guard.
Seeing a chance, Snoopy tried his best to avoid Lila's trap. He managed not to set off any traps at first "Mmmm!" he wagged his tail and began to cut a slice, only for a sensor on the knife he was using to blare as loud as it could.
"What was that?!" Kristen gulped as she awoke with a fright. She then looked over and mistook Snoopy's furry white body for a "GHOOOST!" she hollered into the Walkie-Talkie.
With that, Lila got a huge butterfly net and captured the 'ghost' as the others came back up to the treehouse.
"WE CAUGHT IT!" Charlie Brown exclaimed.
"YES! WE CAUGHT THE GHOST! AND IT'S..." Lucy happily exclaimed only to find…
"SNOOPY?!" The kids exclaimed, seeing Snoopy eating the cheesecake. Snoopy laughed nervously.
"Well, now that we know it was Snoopy, I can leave my carrot-peanut cupcakes out and there'll be no more ghostly beagles." Lucy grinned.
"Snoopy looked like a ghost." Kristen added.
"Well, his white fur in the darkness of autumn probably LOOKED ghost-like." Linus commented.
"Hopefully Linus is right." Barney added,
"Shadows can make anything look scary!" Linus smiled.
Barney:
Sometimes those big scary shadows
Are made by little things
And they don't have to be scary at all
Baby Bop, BJ, Barney's Friends, and Peanuts Gang (Barney):
If we just understand
What makes the shadow
We won't be scared by all
Those shadows on the wall (At all!)
We won't be scared by all
Those shadows on the wall
Chip:
A little bitty thing
Can make a great big shadow
If the light shines on it it just right
BJ:
Sometimes the shadows
That are in your room
Are made by a little night light
Linus:
Or a light from the hall,
Or a light from the moon
Could make those shadows appear
Hannah:
As long as I know that,
It makes me not afraid
And makes me smile from ear to ear
Barney:
Sometimes those big scary shadows
Are made by little things
And they don't have to be scary at all
Baby Bop, BJ, Barney's Friends, and Peanuts Gang (Barney):
If we just understand
What makes the shadow
We won't be scared by all
Those shadows on the wall (At all!)
We won't be scared by all
Those shadows on the wall
Danny:
If the curtain in your window
Is blowing in the breeze
When the moon is out at night
Peppermint Patty:
It can make a moving shadow
On the wall right there
But we know everything is alright
Baby Bop:
Or a light from the closet
With a door not shut
Can make a shadow that looks kind of weird
Lucy:
But if you know it's being caused
By the light from the closet
Then it's absolutely nothing to be feared
Barney:
Sometimes those big scary shadows
Are made by little things
And they don't have to be scary at all
Baby Bop, BJ, Barney's Friends, and Peanuts Gang:
If we just understand
What makes the shadow
We won't be scared by all
Those shadows on the wall
Barney, Baby Bop, BJ, Barney's Friends and Peanuts Gang:
At all!
We won't be scared by all
Those shadows on the wall