Chapter 11

CHAPTER 11 BEFORE YOU BEGIN TO WORRY, I want to assure you that Baron Von Grump was okay. He wasn't hurt, not in any way. He was a bit stinky, and a bit slimy, and he may have had a banana peel on his shoulder and some old pudding on his sleeve, but otherwise he was fine. In fact, he was rather happy. Happy? Happy to be swallowed by a trash heap and surrounded by piles of gross garbage? That can't be right. But it was. You see, inside the trash heap it was quiet. Smelly, yes. But quiet. And there was his old picture, the one of young Baron Von Grump playing his violin. Speaking of violins, there it was, his most favorite thing in the whole world.

Baron Von Grump picked up his violin and pulled it close. "I'll have you fixed up in no time," he said. "New strings, a bit of polish, and a nice tuning." And so, you see, Baron Von Grump was quite fine, and quite happy. Edgar, however, was not. "Caw, caw!" he said. He flew in circles around the trash heap. The trash heap spun in circles, following the frantic crow. Edgar was very concerned about his best friend being swallowed whole by a giant trash heap. Wouldn't you be? Of course you would. That's because you're a good friend, and so was Edgar. "Edgar, I know you're upset," said Franky. "But together we might just be able to save the baron." "Caw?"

"Take this old boot and lure the trash heap to Stargazer's Point," said Franky. "Caw!" "I know it's gross," said Franky. "And yes, it smells like a hundred sweaty toes stepped in a puddle of old milk." "Caw?" "I'll be there shortly," said Franky. "There's one more thing I need to do." Edgar took the old, slop-stained boot in his beak. He flew above the trash heap, swooping down every once in a while to dangle it in front of the trash heap's mouth. "SNORGLE BELCH GLOBBLE MUCK!" said the trash heap. But no matter how much the trash heap tried, it just could not get that old boot. Edgar was too quick. With loops and swoops and dips and twirls, Edgar led that giant trash heap all the way out to Stargazer's Point.

Wolfy stood atop a large rock at Stargazer's Point. He had been keeping an eye out for the trash heap. "Here they come!" he said. The trash heap was the biggest they had seen it yet. It was five times the size it had been when they had first seen it. It was headed straight for them, chasing Edgar. "What's Edgar doing here?" asked Vampyra. "And what's he doing with that old boot?" "And where's Franky?" Fern asked. "What do you want us to do with all this sweet, wonderful, stinky old garbage?" Boris asked. He and the rats had armfuls of trash. Vampyra remembered Franky's plan. "Put it in one nice pile, right here," she said. "Yoo-hoo," called Wolfy. "Over here!"

Edgar dropped the old boot atop the new pile of garbage. The trash heap lumbered forward. "HUNGRY!" It opened its mouth wide and gobbled up every bit of the trash they'd collected, including the old boot. It grew in size again. It grew three more times. It shook. It shivered. It rumbled and grumbled and quivered and quaked. "SNORGLE BELCH GLOBBLE MUCK!" it said. And then it let out the loudest, grossest, smelliest burp anyone had ever heard. BURRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRP It was so loud and so long that it shot Baron Von Grump right out of the trash heap's belly. He landed with a splat, still holding his dear violin. "MORE GARBAGE EAT!" said the trash heap.

It loomed over the Junior and Little Junior Monster Scouts, Baron Von Grump, Edgar, and Boris and the rats. It seemed there was no stopping the trash heap. It was still hungry.