12 LOOK OUT BELOW

CHAPTER 12 LOOK OUT BELOW DING-DING-DING！ Cap'n Putterbeard rang a bell mounted on the wall. "Grab your putters, mateys! It's golf time!" he shouted. The partygoers followed him downstairs. "So what's the plan, Salamander?" asked Nikki. "I guess we pretend to play mini-golf while we search for the monster," said Alexander. "We'll start at the windmill—" He froze. "Rip, your ears are blue again!" "Nuts!" said Rip. He clamped his hands over his ears.

"You must be allergic to all cupcakes," said Nikki. "You shouldn't have eaten the whole thing. Yesterday, you were splotchy from just one bite!" "I'm sure I'll get better," he said. "Like yesterday." The golfers split up. Alexander, Rip, and Nikki were grouped together, while Dottie played with her cousins. Alexander's group ran from hole to hole, looking for clues. Rip saw something brown and shaggy in the cave at hole #7, but it was just a fake gorilla.

Nikki slipped on a snot-puddle near the anchor at hole #10. "Looks like we're getting warmer!" she said. "...and stinkier," said Rip. "This lagoon is a dump!" HOO-RONNNNNK!!! "Another honk!" said Alexander. Nikki checked the treasure map. "It came from the python pit at hole #12!" "No way," said Rip, yanking the map away. "It came from that giant telescope at hole #13!" "Incoming!" said a voice. PLOP! A purple golf ball landed in the snot puddle.

"Oh, hey!" Dottie hopped across the bridge and picked up her ball. "Are you having fun?" she asked. HOO-RONNNNNK!!! The honk startled Alexander, Rip, and Nikki. But Dottie kept smiling. "Didn't you hear that?" asked Rip. "Hear what?" asked Dottie. "The monster!" cried Alexander. He pointed to the treasure chest up on the dam. The huge, shaggy beast stood beside the chest. It had big round eyes, and a snout like a pig. It snorted angrily and FWOP! —seven more noses popped out of its body.