20-THE MYSTERIOUS DOOR

THE MYSTERIOUS DOOR Was this the phantom feline's hiding place? I cringed. I wanted to run squeaking from the tunnel. But I didn't. I didn't want to leave without finding out the truth. Plus, I didn't want Thea to tie my tail up in knots. The pawprints led us deep into the dark tunnel. Then, suddenly, they stopped. "Look at this!" Pinky exclaimed. "The prints end right at this wall. If there really is a phantom CAT, he could have walked right through the wall!" My fur broke out in a sweat. My whiskers trembled. It was all very strange. And very scary. Cheese niblets!

I needed a vacation. Somewhere sunny. And warm. And happy. A terrifying sight snapped me out of my daydream. It was Pinky Pick. One minute she was doing tricks with her YO-YO, and the next minute she had disappeared. "Heellllpppp!" we heard her shriek. We called her name. But she had vanished into thin air! "There must be a secret passage somewhere," Thea decided. She shone her flashlight onto the wall. She examined each stone. Then she pressed one. Two seconds later, she had disappeared, too. "I guess we're next, Gerry Berry," squeaked Trap. I WAS PETRIFIED. But I didn't want Trap to call me a scaredy mouse.

Together, we pressed our paws on the wall. It moved! ON THE OTHER SIDE WAS TOTAL DARKNESS. "Is that you, Geronimo?" whispered my sister. She switched on her flashlight. We were at the top of a long staircase. It smelled like moldy blue cheese muffins. Pee-yu! I hate stinky smells. Someone needed to use a mop and some Mr. Cleanrat in this place. Carefully, we made our way down the old steps. At the bottom was a gigantic oak door. It had an enormous keyhole and a huge key in it. Carved into the door were the initials P.V.

Thea pushed the door open with her paw. Then she took the key out of the keyhole. "I think we'd better take this with us," she declared. "Here, do something useful for a change, Geronimo," she added, passing me the key. I wanted to point out that I was already carrying half her stuff. I had all of her extra film, her big fur brush, and five different types of nail files in case she broke a pawnail. But I didn't say a word. I was too SCARED to argue. I hooked the key to my belt. Then I followed the others.