8 Bloody Mary, Bloody Mary

BLOODY MARY, BLOODY MARY

"I'm not going back there," Stink said. "Well, don't look at me," said Webster. "Besides, it says KEEP OUT. Mr. Crab Cakes wouldn't go in there." "Hermit crabs can't read," said Sophie. "Judy. Let's get Judy!" said Stink. They hurried back to the far end of Sharks Ahoy. Judy was sound asleep. "Webster. Get a ketchup packet. Stat," said Stink. Stink squirted ketchup all over his hand. He held his ketchup-y hand in front of her face. He whisper-yelled into her ear, "Shark attack! Shark attack! Aagh! My hand!" Judy bolted awake. "Stink. Your hand! What happened—?"

Stink licked the ketchup off his hand. "Pranked you. We got you so good." "ROAR!" Judy growled. "Now that you're awake," said Stink, "we need your help." "Mr. Crab Cakes is lost," said Sophie. "Our search party followed a trail of water drips. We think he crawled under the KEEP OUT door." "We're afraid Bloody Mary might have gotten him," said Webster. Judy rubbed her eyes. "If I help, you have to promise to let me go back to sleep. And not play

any more pranks on me tonight?" Stink held out his shark-tooth necklace. "I shark-swear it." Judy Moody led the way to the KEEP OUT door. The low moo of a whale groaned in the background. She reached for the door handle. "Wait!" whispered Stink. "First make sure there's no spooky red glow coming from under the door." Judy bent down to look. "No red glow, Stink." She put her ear to the door. "Shh. I hear something." "Is it a phone ringing?" asked Webster. "It's not a phone ringing," said Judy. "Is it a moaning? Or a groaning?" asked Sophie. "More like a humming," said Judy. Stink gulped. Webster went as pale as a moon jelly. Sophie covered up her ears. "Bloody Mary!" they all screeched, huddling together like a waddle of penguins.

But Judy was already turning the handle. A strange sound echoed suddenly in the dark. Aii ooh eee moo... Before you could say one-two-three-squidoo, Stink and his friends jumped back, hanging on to one another. "Let's look for Mr. Crab Cakes tomorrow," said Sophie. Stink nodded. "No way am I going in there," said Webster. "Psych!" Judy grinned. "Gotcha back, Stink. That was just me."

"You spooked the goose bumps right off of me!" said Stink. "C'mon." Judy opened the KEEP OUT door, shining her flashlight left and right. Trays of bones! Boxes of claws! Jars of eyeballs! "This looks like a workroom," said Judy. They followed the beam of light, searching under table after table for Sophie's hermit crab. "He could be anywhere," said Sophie. "I hope a tiger shark didn't eat him," said Stink. "Or a bat ray," said Webster. "Or a giant octopus." Stink shook off a shiver. "Maybe they're putting skeletons together here. Maybe it's a bazillion-million-year-old Megaxantho skeleton." "What's a Megaxantho?" asked Sophie. "Giant prehistoric crab," said Stink. "Hey, maybe it's the great-great-great-great- grandfather of Mr. Crab Cakes," said Sophie. Suddenly, in the beam of flashlight, a giant pincher appeared. It seemed to reach out—