Chapter 8

CHAPTER 8 "THERE'S THE MOUTH OF THE river," said Franky, pointing to where the lake emptied into the wide ribbon of water that ran all the way to the edge of the cliffs. "I don't see Cleo," said Neveen. "Maybe our friend Laguna saw her," said Vampyra. "She lives in the lake and swims in this river all the time." Wolfy proudly pointed to his Swimming Merit Badge. "Mrs. Lagoon taught us all how to swim." Fern tugged her brother's scout sash. "Wolfy?" "Yes, Fern?" he asked.

"I don't think Laguna is going to be able to tell us where Cleo went," Fern said. Fern was right. Neither Laguna nor Mrs. Lagoon were going to be able to tell the Junior Monster Scouts anything. They were sitting beside the river, very still and very much turned to stone. Not only were they turned to stone, but so were five fish all lying along the riverbank, and several ducks. "We're too late," said Neveen. "And at this rate, there won't be anyone not turned to stone besides us." The Junior Monster Scouts were beginning to feel very deflated. They had no

one to tell them where Cleo went, and they had to stop her before every person, monster, fish, duck, frog, and rat was turned to stone! Wolfy picked his way along the riverbank. "Aha! Look what I just found!" said Wolfy, holding up a large, round, smooth river stone. "Cleo left us another clue." The stone had a picture of a beetle on it, just like the tree in the Gloomy Woods had. Wolfy did what Franky had done. He placed his own lucky scarab on the picture, and just like the tree in the Gloomy Woods, the stone began to glow. There was another bright flash and another loud POP, and then a floating stone tablet appeared. Neveen read the hieroglyphics. "Everyone has me, but nobody wants me —yet I'm still collected and regularly emptied. What am I?" "That's another tough one," said Vampyra.

"It's too tough," said Fern. "But what does everyone have?" said Wolfy. "Fur?" "I don't have fur," said Neveen. "I have bandages. What about skin? Hair? Claws?" "What about a shadow?" asked Vampyra, looking at Wolfy's shadow on the water. "Everyone has a shadow!" "They do," said Franky, "but people don't want to get rid of their shadow." "I love my shadow," said Spike. "You can make funny animals with it. Look, here's a giraffe!" Spike made a shadow puppet of a long-necked giraffe. "And what is collected and then emptied?" Wolfy asked. Wolfy's lucky scarab began to glow, just like Franky's had. A crinkled tin can appeared in the grass, rolling along the riverbank.

"Look at that," said Vampyra. "Litter!" She picked up the can. "I'll make sure this gets thrown away." Wolfy jumped in the air and howled. "It's a clue," he said. "And I think you just figured it out, Vampyra." "I did?" she asked. "What is collected but emptied?" asked Wolfy. Vampyra held the crinkled "Ohhhhh… garbage!" regularly can up.

"Everyone has it, but nobody wants it," said Franky. "Except for maybe Boris and the rats, but I'd say they're an exception." "Could Cleo be at Stargazer's Point?" asked little Fern. "Only one way to find out," said Wolfy. "Everyone, follow me!" Wolfy led the Junior Monster Scouts, Little Junior Monster Scouts, and Neveen away from the river's mouth and out to Stargazer's Point. That was where the village's trash was dumped, and that was where they hoped they'd find Cleo and help her realize that this wasn't just a game, that the villagers couldn't stay stone forever.