Chapter 12

CHAPTER 12 BARONESS VON GRUMPIER WATCHED THE village from the old windmill. "Where's all the noise?" she asked. "Croak," said Wilma. "Where's all the fuss and the ruckus?" asked Baroness Von Grumpier. "Croak," said Wilma. "Things were just getting exciting!" said Baroness Von Grumpier. "And now it's too boring, too drab." Baroness Von Grumpier had watched the villagers. One by one, the villagers had stepped out of their homes with trash buckets and boxes. They had followed Franky and the mayor out of the village.

"They've all left," said Baroness Von Grumpier. "They've followed that Junior Monster Scout away from the village!" "Croak?" "I have no idea where." She leaned out the window and shouted, "I demand you come back!" Franky and the villagers might have heard her if they had been closer to the village and if that were not the exact time that the trash heap let out the longest, biggest BURRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRP! The village was now quiet and empty. This did not make Baroness Von Grumpier happy. Not one bit. Franky led the villagers and their trash back to Stargazer's Point, just as the trash heap was looming over his friends.

"Excuse me, trash heap?" Franky said. He tugged at his bolts. He did this sometimes, when he was nervous. "SNORGLE?" "Are you still hungry?" Franky asked. The trash heap nodded. "SNORGLE?" The mayor stepped forward and placed a bucket of garbage from his very own house in front of the trash heap. It swallowed it all up and smiled. "We have more for you," said the mayor. (Remember that thing that Franky knew the villagers did not want? That's right! They didn't want their garbage. It was garbage, after all!) "HUNGRY," said the trash heap. "We know you're hungry," said Wolfy. "But you can't just go around scaring everyone and eating everything that you see," said Vampyra.

The trash heap opened its mouth. It closed its mouth. It looked at the empty bucket the mayor had given it. It thought that it had been very kind and generous of the mayor to offer it trash from his own house.

"SNORGLE MUCK," said the trash heap. It drooped its shoulders and bowed its head. "What if the villagers brought you their trash every week?" Franky asked. "Would you promise not to bother the village?"

"GLOBBLE MUCK!" The trash heap nodded again. "Wait a minute," said Boris. "That's supposed to be our trash!" "That is why we'd like to partner with you rats," said the mayor. "Each week, you collect the garbage from the village and bring it out to our friend, the trash heap. In return, you get to keep some of it. Is that fair?" Boris and the rats put their heads together. "Throw in the occasional block of cheese, and you've got a deal," said Boris. "Done," said the mayor. "Trash heap, is that okay with you?" "GLOBBLE MUCK," said the trash heap. It nodded yet again and smiled. "Then it's decided!" said the mayor. "The village will be cleaner, the trash heap won't be hungry, and the rats will help and be