Casketball Capers (8 page)

It was Boris the bat!

Boris lifted the bandage just in time for Mr. Tut to see Growler giving Bella a great shove. With a
SPLAT!
she landed on her bottom in the mud.

“Huh-huh-huh!” chuckled Growler, running off with the ball. “So long, sucker.”

Mr. Tut was blowing his whistle.

“Foul! One penalty point to the vampires and a free throw at the casket!”

“Nice one, Boris!” grinned Lee.

“Don't mention it,” said Boris.

Growler pointed angrily at Boris. “Hey, ref!” he cried. “One of them's changed into a bat!”

Turning into a bat was against the rules. Any vampire caught doing it would be benched at once.

“Nonsense!” said Mr. Tut. “Vampire bats have got big fangs. And besides, we'd have heard it go
POP!
This is a
real
bat. And it's very useful, too. Play on!”

Suddenly the vampires had a chance. Growler glared at Bella as she stepped up for the free throw. She jogged into the scoring zone, leaped—and neatly dumped the ball into the Chaney Street casket. Five more points to the vampires!

Then, amid the cheers of the vampires, Mr. Tut blew the final whistle.

The score was St. Orlok's 6, Chaney Street 5. St. Orlok's had won!

POP! POP! POP! POP!
Within seconds dozens of joyful vampires were turning into bats and flying over the field in glee.

“I'm glad we didn't win,” said Ollie Talbot as the two teams left the field. “We didn't deserve to after all of Growler's cheating.”

“Yeah,” said Billy. “But where did that bat come from?”

Lee swished open his cape. Inside, hanging upside down, was Boris.

“Meet my new friend, Boris,” said Lee.

“Hi, Boris,” said Billy. “Thanks for helping,” said Bella.

“Well, I
do
hate cheating,” said Boris. “That's something a real bat would
never
do.”

“
Or
a vampire,” said Lee. “It's just not fair.”

Boris grinned. “I suppose you vampires are all right, really,” he chuckled. “Even if you aren't
real
bats.”

“Not real bats, huh?” laughed Lee. “We'll soon see about that.”

Lee gave Billy and Bella a funny look. They nodded. Then, with a
POP! POP! POP!
they all turned into bats.

“Right, Boris,” cried Lee. “We'll race you to the clock tower. Last one there's a zombie!”

And the four bats zoomed off, laughing and giggling high above the roofs of St. Orlok's Elementary School.