5. Something Got Brian!

Chapter 5 Something Got Brian! "Lucy, what's going on?" Bradley cried. "Where's Brian?" "I don't know!" Lucy said. "He just disappeared! We were following the green footprints. When we got here, Brian saw the candy." "What candy?" Nate asked. He looked around. Lucy pointed into the ogre's mouth. A basket of candy sat between the ogre's upper and lower

teeth. "Brian ran to take some candy. When he started to grab the basket, the lights went out! When they came on again, the candy was still there, but Brian was gone." "Maybe the ogre chewed him up and swallowed him!" Nate said. "Like a candy bar!" "The ogre is made of cardboard," Lucy said. She knocked on one of the teeth. Bradley walked behind the ogre face. The black curtain went all around the head. He found an

opening in the curtain and peeked through. "Guys, come here!" Bradley yelled. Lucy and Nate ran behind the ogre head. Bradley was standing next to an enormous black pot. Water was bubbling in the pot, and misty steam was flowing over the edges. "I knew it!" Nate said. "That witch is making kid soup!" Under the pot, there were red logs that looked as if they were burning. But the flames were fake, too. Bradley peered into the pot, sweeping the fog away with his hand. "All I can see is water," he said. "Look at this!" Lucy said. A sheet of paper had been taped to the pot. Lucy read from the paper: HOW TO MAKE WITCHY STEW BOIL TEN GALLONS OF WATER. MIX IN TWO CUPS OF BAT BLOOD. DROP IN THREE SMALL CHILDREN. STIR IN CHOPPED ONIONS AND CARROTS.

ADD SALT AND PEPPER TO TASTE. WHEN DONE, POUR INTO BOWLS. SERVE WITH CRACKERS. "Three small children!" Nate cried. "The witch cooked Luke and Miss Piggy and Brian!" "She didn't cook anybody," Lucy said. "The water in the pot isn't boiling." She put her hand on the pot. "Just a little warm." "Then why is the water bubbling and making steam?" Bradley asked.

"It's Halloween magic," Nate said. "When I become president, we'll skip over Halloween and go right to Thanksgiving!" "Guys, I'm worried about Brian and those other kids," Bradley said. He walked around to the back of the pot. Something soft squished under his foot. "AHHH!" he yelled, thinking he'd stepped on a bat. But when he looked down, he saw a red cowboy hat. He picked it up and showed the others. "Luke was wearing a hat like this," he whispered. The three kids just stared at the red hat. "Maybe it's a clue," Nate said. "Maybe some monster grabbed Luke, and Luke left his hat so we'd find it!" Lucy and Bradley looked at Nate. "There are no monsters!" Lucy said. "Luke's hat was near this ogre's head," Bradley said. "It's almost like he was trying to tell us something!" "It means Luke got this far, then he disappeared," Lucy whispered. "Just like Brian

did."