Festival of Shadows (47 page)

Theo turned the Whatsamadoozle into the giant kissing cockroach. The roach made a smooching sound as it tapped her on the shoulder.
 

“I’m busy right now,” Verona said, not turning around.
 

The cockroach tapped her on the shoulder again and she whipped around. Seeing the bug, all the color in her face drained and she dropped her knife.
 

POW!
Bethany punched her then grabbed the clown by the feet and dragged her outside the car, puffing as she heaved Verona across the floor.

“Let me go!”

“This is payback for kidnapping Gasket,” Bethany said, pulling harder.

Verona kicked Bethany, almost knocking her off the train. Bethany stumbled back and Verona jumped on top of her, pulling her hair.

Theo turned the Whatsamadoozle into a Taser and zapped Verona. She twitched involuntarily as Bethany rolled from underneath her.
 

“Good riddance,” Bethany said, kicking her over.
 

“You’re going to pay for that!” cried a voice. Ludwig had sneaked up behind Theo. He jumped into the air, ready to stab him.

CRACK!

 
The lasso whizzed over Theo’s head. Bethany roped Ludwig out of midair and whipped him off the train.
 

“Adios,” she said. She gave Theo a high five. “We sure gave those misfits a roundup, didn’t we?”

Gasket licked her.
 

 
Their celebration was interrupted by clashing on the roof. Theo turned the Whatsamadoozle into a propeller and flew outside, where Beasley and Heinrich were boxing. Andersen and Lucinda were cheering them on.
 

POW! POW!
Heinrich and Beasley took turns wailing on each other.
 

Andersen snickered and a pistol popped out of his suit. He aimed it at Heinrich.
 

Theo turned the Whatsamadoozle into a hundred-pound weight and landed on Andersen, crushing him.
 

“Ow . . .”

Heinrich uppercut Beasley, and the clown staggered backward. Lucinda hit Beasley with a dream blast, knocking him off the train.
 

Andersen’s suit glowed. An electric blast zapped Theo away.
 

“I’m fully charged now,” Andersen said. “It’s time to end this.”

The suit beeped, and an electric force field appeared around Andersen. He assumed another karate pose and kicked the air a few times. Then he spun and kicked Heinrich, who shook as volts surged through his body.

Theo swung the Whatsamadoozle at Andersen, but the clown jumped back and assaulted Theo with quick karate chops and kicks. Theo ducked, rolled, and jumped out of the way as the clown
hi-yah
ed maniacally.
 

“I’m invincible now,” Andersen said. He looked at Theo. “My offer still stands. You can join me now, and I’ll promise your friends a quick death.”

Theo turned the Whatsamadoozle into a high-pressure water hose. “Never.”

WHOOSH! Theo sprayed water on Andersen, and the force field sparked violently before disappearing. The suit beeped and lost all its power. Andersen leaped out. “My suit! You drained the power from it. Now it has to charge all over again.” He grunted and pulled out a pistol, aiming it at Theo. “This one’s loaded. Hyuk hyuk.”

He’d just put his finger on the trigger when Gasket swooped down and engulfed him in fire. The clown screamed and dropped the pistol off the side of the train.

Gasket landed, and Bethany slapped the roof of the train with her rope. “That’s for kidnapping Gasket, you stupid clown!” Bethany shouted.

The toys approached Andersen and he stumbled backward. “I’ll never give you the satisfaction,” he said.
 

The train crossed a bridge; a rushing river ran far below. Andersen leaped off the train. A parachute popped out of his clown suit, and he waved as the wind carried him away.

Bethany spat in Andersen’s direction. “And don’t come back!” she shouted.
 

Theo patted Gasket. “Good work, pal.”

“We gave them the ouchies of a lifetime,” Heinrich said.
 

Theo sheathed the Whatsamadoozle. He saw Andersen’s metal suit, still propped on its knees at the edge of the car.
 

~ Theo left the suit alone.

~ He pushed it over.

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Lucinda glanced ahead. “We’re almost at the castle.”

“This is your chance, Theo,” Bethany said. “You’ll be able to rescue Grant now.”

~
This really is my chance.
 

~
I need to make sure my friends are safe first.

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“Are you sure?” Heinrich asked.

~ “I’m sorry you guys were kidnapped, but I have to go.”

~ Theo was silent.
 

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Lucinda hovered away and didn’t acknowledge him. He shook hands with Heinrich and Bethany, and he patted Gasket.

“Good luck,” Bethany said.
 

Theo nodded.
 

The toys gathered on Gasket, and they flew into the sky, away from the train. Theo watched until they disappeared behind a cloud.

At least they’re safe now.

The castle neared, and Theo turned the Whatsamadoozle into a sword.

“I’m coming, Grant.”

CHAPTER COMPLETE!

~ Continue.

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Chapter 10

The Castle

The castle gates opened. The train whistled to a stop in the middle of the courtyard, and Theo jumped down into the grass, which was dead and overgrown with weeds. The castle rose high into the sky, and its gray bricks were missing here and there.
 

I’m finally here.

He thought about the caravan, and hoped that they would forgive him. But then again, if he killed Stratus, he would free them forever and they would have no choice but to forgive him.
 

He faced the castle doors. They were big stone doors, and they opened on their own, inviting him into the darkness.
 

The castle was lit by torches on the walls. A grand staircase spiraled up to the second floor, and he ran upstairs and into the throne room, where Grant was lying on the ground. A portal swirled next to the throne, and Grant’s room was on the other side.

“Grant!” Theo cried. He ran to Grant’s side and touched him on the shoulder.
 

Grant opened his eyes. “Theo . . .”

“It’s okay, pal. I’m going to get you out of here.”

Grant’s eyes widened, and Theo turned around just in time to see Stratus rising behind him.
 

Theo turned the Whatsamadoozle into a sword and he slashed Stratus’s torso. Stratus groaned and toppled over; a waterfall of shadow and fog spilled across the floor, and he was gone.
 

Theo helped Grant up. “Stratus is gone now.”

Grant struggled and dragged his feet. They entered the portal, and they landed in the bedroom.
 

Grant began to scream and cry, and Theo went stiff.

No. Not again. I rescued him. Why is he screaming? I defeated Stratus!

 
Mom and Dad rushed into the bedroom and embraced Grant.

“Where have you been?”

Grant shook his head. He stopped screaming and wiped his eyes.

Thank goodness. I thought it was going to like when Shawn came back. You’re safe now, pal.

Grant followed Mom and Dad out of the room, and Theo sat up and sighed.

“Mission accomplished.”

The toys in the toy box climbed out and cheered.
 

“What was it like in the Stratusphere?” Tompkins the Tow Truck asked.

Before Theo could reply, Grant returned to the room, and all the toys went stiff. He picked up Theo, stared at him for a long time, and he sighed. He set him on the bed and left the room again, and a few seconds later, he returned with a large box. He picked up the toy box and dumped all the toys in, and then he threw Theo in. The toys looked up in shock as Grant taped the box shut.

Theo tried to right himself as Grant carried the box, but he kept tossing and turning with the other toys until they crashed to the ground.
 

“Where is he taking us?” Planeby asked after Grant’s footsteps faded away.
 

They heard a loud engine, and then more footsteps on concrete, and the box went up again, and it felt as if someone hurled it. It crashed against a wall, and the top split open, and the toys spilled out.
 

They were in a garbage truck. Theo saw the windows of the house before the garbage man shut the back door of the truck.
 

The other toys cried.
 

“He abandoned us!”

“We’re as good as dead!”

“This is your fault, Theo!”

Theo tried to stand, but the trash he was standing on gave way, and he slid down.
 

“Be quiet,” he said. “I’ll get us out here.”

“How?” Nora the Boombox asked.

Theo tried to think, but he saw Stratus’s grinning face in his mind’s eye.

He tricked me.
 

“The walls are moving!” Tompkins cried.

The walls rumbled and began to close in. Theo pursed his lips as they moved closer and closer.

There was no escape.
 

THE END.

~ Accept it.

~ Never lose hope!
 

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Theo saw the castle and realized that his chance
was
quickly approaching. In just a few minutes, the train would enter the courtyard of the castle, and he’d be in. All he would have to do was find Grant and they’d be able to escape this place once and for all.
 

The Whatsamadoozle glowed in his hand, and he sighed deeply at the thought that it would almost be over—the final battle.
 

But then he saw the caravan.
 

No. I owe them.
 

He deactivated the Whatsamadoozle and looked the other way.
 

“What are you doin’?” Bethany asked. “This is your chance!”

Theo jumped on Gasket. “What are you guys waiting on? We’ve got a festival to run.”

CHAPTER COMPLETE!

~ Continue.

SORRY!

You didn’t make a selection. Go back to the previous page. Otherwise, you may get lost.

Theo saw the castle and realized that his chance
was
quickly approaching. In just a few minutes, the train would enter the courtyard of the castle, and he’d be in. All he would have to do was find Grant and they’d be able to escape this place once and for all.
 

The Whatsamadoozle glowed in his hand, and he sighed deeply at the thought that it would almost be over—the final battle.
 

But then he saw the caravan.
 

No. I owe them.
 

He deactivated the Whatsamadoozle and looked the other way.
 

“What are you doin’?” Bethany asked. “This is your chance!”

Theo jumped on Gasket. “What are you guys waiting on? We’ve got a festival to run.”

CHAPTER COMPLETE!

~ Continue.

SORRY!

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Theo pushed the suit over the side of the car, and it whistled as it plummeted into the river below. The current took it and eddied it downstream into a drain under the castle.
 

Lucinda glanced ahead. “We’re almost there.”

“This is your chance, Theo,” Bethany said. “You’ll be able to rescue Grant now.”

~
This really is my chance.
 

~
I need to make sure my friends are safe first.

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“Are you sure?” Heinrich asked.

~ “I’m sorry you guys were kidnapped, but I have to go.”

~ Theo was silent.
 

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Lucinda hovered away and didn’t acknowledge him. He shook hands with Heinrich and Bethany, and he patted Gasket.

“Good luck,” Bethany said.
 

Theo nodded.
 

The toys gathered on Gasket, and they flew into the sky, away from the train. Theo watched until they disappeared behind a cloud.

At least they’re safe now.

The castle neared, and Theo turned the Whatsamadoozle into a sword.

“I’m coming, Grant.”

CHAPTER COMPLETE!

~ Continue.

SORRY!

You didn’t make a selection. Go back to the previous page. Otherwise, you may get lost.

Chapter 10

The Castle

The castle gates opened. The train whistled to a stop in the middle of the courtyard, and Theo jumped down into the grass, which was dead and overgrown with weeds. The castle rose high into the sky, and its gray bricks were missing here and there.