Chapter 10

CHAPTER 10 "LOOK, THERE'S A LEVER," SAID Franky. Vampyra groaned. "Oh no, not another lever," she said. Vampyra, Franky, and Wolfy had had a very scary experience with a lever in Doctor Frankenstein's laboratory when they'd helped their friend Igor Junior get out of trouble. "I think this one is okay," Franky said. "How do you know it's okay?" Vampyra asked. "It could do anything!" said George. "There has to be a way to turn it on and off, right?" Franky asked.

"And there doesn't appear to be any other buttons, switches, or levers," said George. "Wait… there's writing," said Franky. "What's it say?" asked Vampyra. Franky peered closer. "It says…" HYPNOTIZE OFF REVERSE "So all we have to do is move the lever to reverse," said George.

"Here goes nothing," Franky said. He pulled the lever. Baron Von Grump had just settled into a calm, quiet, relaxed moment of silence when… "Woof!" said Sprocket.

Baron Von Grump jumped. He was not expecting Sprocket to bark, and it startled him. But Sprocket was not barking to startle him. She was barking because Wolfy and the cubs had snapped out of their hypnosis. Their eyes weren't spirals or swirly. They seemed very confused. Everyone seemed very confused. "Sprocket!" Wolfy said. "Where're Franky and Vampyra? Wait a minute.… Baron Von Grump?" "What's going on here?" asked the mayor. "Why are we all out here around this wagon?" asked another villager. "Say, what are you doing up there on my hay?" asked a third villager. "I can explain!" said Baron Von Grump. "It… It wasn't me. It was…" "Caw!" said Edgar. "Caw! Caw!" "Yes, exactly. It was another guy with a very tall top hat, and funny glasses, and a

colorful scarf. He hypnotized you! I was just trying to break the spell!" Wolfy sniffed the air. It smelled like Baron Von Grump was not telling the truth. "You mean this very tall top hat?" Fern asked. She and the other cubs appeared from behind the ticket stand carrying one very tall top hat. "And this colorful scarf?" asked another cub. "And these funny glasses?" asked a third cub. "How did those get there?" asked Baron Von Grump. "Haha… that's strange, isn't it?" "Not as strange as that mirror inside the Fun House of Fun," said a voice right next to Baron Von Grump. "Who said that?" asked Baron Von Grump. You and I and Wolfy and the cubs know who said it, but nobody else did because they

could not see him. But George had climbed right up next to Baron Von Grump. "Who said what?" George asked. "Who's talking?" asked Baron Von Grump. "Who's playing tricks on me?" "You mean tricks like… hypno-sizing people?" asked Vampyra. She flittered over to the wagon in her bat form. "And making them cluck like chickens and moo like cows?" Franky asked. He carried the large, cape-covered mirror out of the Fun House of Fun and set it down. "Explain yourself," said the mayor. "I want my money back!" said a villager. "Get off my hay!" said another villager. "You wouldn't happen to have any cheese, would you?" Boris asked. "Caw!" said Edgar. "Yes!" said Baron Von Grump. "Run!" He jumped down from the hay wagon and ran as fast as he could toward the Old