15-KRUNCHIES! PULLEYS! JINGLE BELLS!

KRUNCHIES! PULLEYS! JINGLE BELLS! We headed toward Singing Stone Plaza Station. It was tough going. We walked in single file along a narrow ledge. It was dark and spooky. The only sound was water dripping creepily from above: PLINK, PLINK, PLINK! "Stay clear of the rails," Thea warned us. "They are very dangerous. If you touch the third rail, you're toast!" I shivered. My great-uncle Munchy had been struck by lightning in a rainstorm. His whiskers were completely fried off. Luckily, he hadn't lost his squeak. We finally reached the subway station. The platform was lit by powerful floodlights. This is

where passengers waited for the trains. Right then, we heard voices. We hid inside a telephone booth. It was a tight squeeze. I could barely breathe. If only my big-bellied cousin hadn't eaten such a huge lunch. I peeked out of the booth. It was Inspector Clue Rat and his assistant. "We haven't found any pawprints, Inspector. Neither from a CAT nor a mouse," the assistant reported. Clue Rat muttered to himself. His assistant rambled on. He explained about the CAT TRAP. The feline psychology professor had come up with a plan. It

involved four hundred boxes of Kitty Krunchies. "The Krunchies have been transferred to a giant box," the assistant said. "The box will be shaken by a system of pulleys. Then Inspector Darren Dimwhiskers, our colleague, will hide next to the box. He will ring a huge jingle bell to lure the CAT. Isn't that a great idea?" Clue Rat looked like he was ready to explode. "Krunchies! Pulleys! Jingle bells!" he thundered. He twisted his tail up in a knot. "You call that a great idea?! You call that a scientific method?!" the inspector roared. "Well, I call that psychology professor a total cheesebrain!"

But his assistant wasn't finished yet. "Well, we also have a loudspeaker that can broadcast 'Here, kitty kitty kitty...'" The inspector just threw his paws in the air. Then he left in a huff. I watched him leave. That's when I noticed what a mess the subway had become. The benches were crooked. The floor was stained. The walls were covered in GRAFFITI. The subway system was built fifty years ago. Now it had fifty years' worth of Wear and tear. I shook my head. This place needed more than just a few repairs. It needed a megamakeover!