Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2 JUST AS WOLFY WAS GETTING ready to howl again, he heard something. He stopped. He listened. Wolfy was a very good listener. He had ears like a wolf. It sounded like someone was crying. It did not sound like a good cry, like when you get a new puppy or some ice cream and you're so happy that you cry. No, this sounded like a sad cry. "Hey," said Wolfy, "I hear someone." Wolfy followed the sound of crying. Vampyra and Franky went with him. The crying led them down past the graveyard, along the crooked trail, and right to the edge of the Gloomy Woods. A little boy sat by the

side of the trail. It was Peter, the piper, from the village. He was crying into his hat. "What's wrong?" asked Wolfy. Peter jumped. "Don't eat me!" The junior monsters looked confused. Stop reading and look at the nearest person. Now say, "Don't eat me!" They look confused, don't they? They are probably giving you a funny look. That is the kind of look the junior monsters gave Peter. "Why would we eat you?" asked Vampyra. "Because you're monsters," said Peter. "Monsters eat people, right?" "We're friendly monsters," said Franky.

"Friendly monsters?" Peter asked. "The stories don't say anything about friendly monsters." "That's just it," said Vampyra. She swished her cape. "They're only stories!" "My dad says Baron Von Grump made up all of those stories about us," said Franky. "And everyone believed him." "Well, you're certainly not scary, like in the stories," said Peter. "I've never met a real monster before." "We're not just monsters. We are Junior Monster Scouts!" said Wolfy. "Why are you crying?" "I was playing a song on my flute, and when I turned around, my Shadow was gone!" Peter said. "Cheer up," said Franky. "We'll find your shadow!" He looked behind a bush. He looked under a rock. "Have you checked your pockets? Oh, hey, I found it! Look, there it

is!" He pointed to Peter's shadow stretched out next to him. "Not that shadow," said Peter. "My kitten. Her name is Shadow." He started to cry again. Peter was very sad. Wolfy, Vampyra, and Franky did not like seeing anyone sad. "Don't worry," said Wolfy. "We'll help you find Shadow." "You will?" said Peter. He wiped his tears away. "We sure will," said Franky. "By paw or claw, by tooth or wing, Junior Monster Scouts can do anything!" said Vampyra.