Chapter 14

CHAPTER 14 BARON VON GRUMP GLARED OUT his window. He grumped and he glared. He glared and he grumped. Edgar perched on his shoulder and glared as well. "Junior Monster Scouts," he grumbled. "Caw-caw caw-caw caw," grumbled Edgar. Baron Von Grump put his eye to his telescope and peered out over the village, over the covered bridge, beyond the Gloomy Woods, past the old graveyard, and to the top of the hill. There, in the great stone castle, Dracula's castle, the monsters were celebrating. They were celebrating how they

had foiled him. Him, Baron Von Grump! That would never do. Why, the monsters were the very reason Baron Von Grump had never been recognized for his musical talent! Ever since that day when he was just a young lad, onstage at the village talent show, prepared to play the song he had practiced over and over and over so that he might win the trophy... those meddling monsters had come in and scared everyone. Scared him so much that he'd pulled the bow across the

strings in a terrible, earsplitting screech. No one had wanted to hear him play after that. No one would listen. Oh, how Baron Von Grump hated monsters. He hated monsters more than he hated smiling, talking, breathing, "good mornings," or gum-chewing. "Laugh now, you pesky monsters," he growled. "You may have won this round, but you have not seen the last of Baron Von Grump!" "Caw! Caw!" said Edgar. Baron Von Grump pulled his shutters closed... right onto his telescope. The telescope spun around and slapped into his big, bushy, black eyebrows. Baron Von Grump fell back onto the floor with a loud THUMP. "I meant to do that," he said, rubbing his eyebrows.