The Berenstain Bears in Maniac Mansion

by Stan

  “And they’re still here?”

  “Yes, sir,” said Harris.

  “Now listen carefully, Harris,” said the squire. “Close and lock the front gate. Call the other guards on your walkie-talkie and tell them to lock their gates, too. Let no one leave the grounds until I say so. Got that?”

  “Yes, sir,” said Harris. “Right away, sir.”

  Squire Grizzly looked off in the direction of the west wing. His eyes blazed with fury. “Greeves, that traitor!” he snarled.

  Hanging on the wall was a row of riding crops. The squire took two of them down and handed one to Papa. “Let’s go get him, Papa!” he cried. “Him and those phony exterminators! To the west wing!”

  Off ran Squire Grizzly, waving his riding crop.

  Sister grabbed Papa’s arm. “Don’t go, Papa!” she pleaded. “It could be dangerous!”

  “The squire’s out of control!” said Papa. “I’ve got to protect him! Stay here, cubs!”

  And off he ran after Squire Grizzly.

  Chapter 12

  The Grandfather’s Clock

  Meanwhile, in her east-wing study, Lady Grizzly was talking on the phone to a carpenter in Big Bear City. Papa’s list lay before her on her desk. Against the wall behind her stood her favorite antique grandfather’s clock.

  Usually the peaceful ticking of the old clock and the swinging of its great pendulum were soothing to Lady Grizzly. But right now she was too upset to be soothed by anything.

  “Oh, I’m so glad you’re in, Mr. Bevel,” she said into the phone. “I wonder if you’ve recently made a copy of a Bruin Phyfe rosewood chair? No?” She ran her finger down the list. “What about a Chippenbear drop-leaf table?”

  Lady Grizzly was concentrating so hard on her list that she didn’t notice that the grandfather’s clock had stopped ticking. It had stopped ticking because its pendulum had stopped swinging. And that was because a gloved hand had reached out from inside the wall behind the clock and grabbed the pendulum!

  Now the hand carefully drew the pendulum to one side as another hand pushed open the long, narrow glass door of the clock. Moments later the clock began ticking again.

  Lady Grizzly continued reading the list of items. She had no idea that someone had slipped into the room through the grandfather’s clock and was tiptoeing toward her.

  “I want to thank you for your patience, Mr. Bevel,” Lady Grizzly said. “There’s just one more item on the list. It’s a—”

  She never finished her sentence. A gloved hand had clapped itself over her mouth.

  Struggling with all her might, Lady Grizzly was dragged across the room and into the grandfather’s clock. Then the glass door of the clock was pulled shut from within.

  Once again the great clock ticked peacefully away in the empty room.

  On the desk lay the phone, talking to no one. “Hello? Hello?” it said. “Lady Grizzly, are you still there . . . ?”

  Chapter 13

  In the Old Library

  Riding crop held high, Squire Grizzly crept into the old library of the west wing. He had heard a noise there. Could it be the burglars?

  “Squire!” came Papa Bear’s voice from the direction of the ballroom. “Squire! Where are you?”

  But the squire didn’t answer. He was staring at a shelf filled with books. Hadn’t he just heard a clunk behind it?

  Squire Grizzly tiptoed to the bookshelf. He listened. Another clunk. He leaned toward the shelf until his ear was almost touching the books . . .

  All of a sudden the bookshelf folded inward and disappeared into the wall! Two arms shot out of the black space, grabbed Squire Grizzly around the neck, and pulled him in!

  Back into place swung the bookshelf.

  In the ballroom, Papa was getting worried. “Squire Grizzly?” he called again. “Are you all right?”

  The only room in the west wing that Papa hadn’t checked yet was the old library. So he went in and looked around. There was no one there. Nothing but rows and rows of dusty old books.

  “Hmm,” Papa said to himself. “Maybe the squire didn’t come in here.”

  Papa suddenly felt very tired. After all, he had looked all over the west wing. He decided to rest for a few seconds before going on with his search.

  He noticed a comfortable-looking chair against one of the library walls. Better not, he thought. He remembered what Squire Grizzly had done to one chair already. But his feet ached. I’ll be extra careful, he thought.

  The moment Papa sat down, the wall opened up behind him and swallowed the chair with him still in it. Seconds later the chair slid back out, and the wall closed again.

  But the chair was empty!

  Chapter 14

  Bear Detective for a Day

  In the east-wing dining room, the cubs strained to hear.

  “Papa’s not calling anymore,” said Brother.

  “He must have found Uncle Squire,” said Bonnie.

  “Either that,” said Sister, “or something bad happened to him.”

  “Like what?” said Cousin Fred.

  “Like maybe he was caught by the burglars,” said Sister. She looked as if she might cry.

  “You’ve got it backwards,” said Fred. “Papa and the squire are trying to catch the burglars, not the other way around. And if I were a burglar and someone were trying to catch me, I’d run away.”

  “You’re not a burglar,” said Sister.

  “No, and I’m not a ghost, either,” said Fred.

  “Knock off the arguing, guys,” said Brother. “I think what we should do is call the police.”

  Brother dashed to the phone and called the police station. Deputy Hoskins answered and said that Chief Bruno and Officer Marguerite had taken the squad car to the other side of town. He would radio them right away, but it might take a while for them to get to Grizzly Mansion.

  “I don’t know if we can wait for them,” said Sister. “I’m worried about Papa. Let’s go look for him and the squire!”

  “But Papa told us to stay here,” said Brother.

  “That’s because he wants us to stay out of trouble,” said Sister. “But what if he’s in trouble?”

  Brother looked from Sister to Fred to Bonnie. “Sister’s right,” he said. “We’ve got to do something. Bonnie, I’m making you a Bear Detective for the day.”

  Brother went to the wall and took down several riding crops. He passed them out to the cubs. “Defend yourselves if you have to,” he said. “Let’s go!”

  Chapter 15

  Picking Up the Scent

  “Papa? Squire Grizzly?” the cubs called out as they stepped into the west wing of the mansion. But except for their own voices, there wasn’t a sound.

  “Now I know something’s happened to them,” said Sister.

  “Come on. Let’s check out the ballroom,” said Brother. He and Bonnie and Cousin Fred made their way down the hall toward the ballroom.

  Sister was left standing in the hall. Her feet just wouldn’t move. She was scared to be left alone. But she was even more scared to go into that ballroom—the room where she had seen the ghosts of Bad Bart and his thieves.

  Sister’s heart pounded. Thoughts raced through her mind. First, she remembered that she hadn’t really seen ghosts in the ballroom. That had just been a nightmare.

  But then she remembered that Maisie had seen the ghosts. At least Maisie had thought so. But hadn’t Bonnie explained that? And hadn’t Squire Grizzly said her explanation was so good that it deserved to be true?

  But Sister still wasn’t convinced.

  What finally did get Sister moving was her pride in being a Bear Detective. The Bear Detectives never quit, she reminded herself. The Bear Detectives keep going until the case is solved.

  Sister tiptoed down the hall and into the ballroom. No one was there. She began to get scared again. Just then a cloud passed across the sun. Shadows crept through the great ballroom.

  Sister stared at the row of suits of armor. She imagined one of them
holding a candle. Then she imagined that the candle was moving toward her . . .

  All of a sudden something brushed against Sister’s shoulder. Instantly she turned, swinging her riding crop this way and that as hard as she could.

  “Hey! Stop, Sis! It’s me!”

  Brother had his arms over his head, trying to shield it from Sister’s attack.

  “Don’t sneak up on me like that!” snapped Sister.

  “Sorry,” said Brother. “We were in the old library when we realized you weren’t with us. I came back to look for you.”

  “Well, you found me,” said Sister. “Whew! I’ve got to sit down for a second. I feel a little dizzy.”

  “Come on with me,” said Brother. “You can rest in the library.”

  Brother and Sister found Bonnie and Cousin Fred inspecting the bookcases.

  “There’s something weird about this,” said Fred, pointing to one of the shelves. “All the books in this room are covered with dust—except for the ones on this shelf.” He tried to pick one up. “It’s stuck,” he said. He tried some others. “They all are.” He hit one to jar it loose. It made a funny sound. “They’re hollow!” Fred said. “And they’re attached to the shelf!”

  Suddenly, the bookshelf folded into the wall, leaving a gaping black hole. At the very same moment, Sister disappeared into the opposite wall—along with the chair she’d just sat on!

  But none of the other cubs noticed that Sister was gone. They were too busy staring into the hole in the wall where the bookshelf had been.

  “What’s in there?” said Fred.

  “It’s a stairway,” said Brother, peering in.

  “And it goes down. Maybe Papa and Squire Grizzly went down it. Let’s go see!”

  The three cubs climbed through the wall and started down the dark stairway.

  “I hear pounding,” said Bonnie.

  “Maybe it’s them!” said Brother.

  But as they made their way down the stairs, the pounding seemed to get farther away.

  That’s because it was Sister Bear who was doing the pounding.

  Chapter 16

  Trapped!

  Sister pounded the wall with her fists. “Hey! Let me out of here!” she yelled.

  But no one came to help.

  They’re gone, she thought. Now what’ll I do? I’m trapped!

  Everything was pitch-black. Sister felt around her. Walls. A low ceiling. She must be in one of Farnsworth Grizzly’s secret rooms! Was there a way out?

  Suddenly her hand touched something on the floor. It felt like a handle! She yanked at it. A door opened.

  Peering down through the opening, Sister saw a dimly lit stairway. A secret entrance to the old cellar, she thought. The cellar must have some windows near the ceiling, she figured, or it would be pitch-black down there, too.

  Should she go down? Her heart thumped against her ribs. She could almost hear ghosts creeping up those stairs . . .

  Somehow Sister made her mind go blank. Slowly she stepped down the stairs. They went round and round in a spiral. Sister could barely breathe as she went. But at least there was enough light to see by.

  At last she reached the bottom of the stairs. A long, dark tunnel stretched off before her. She walked down it, running her hand along the cool wall. Her heart fluttered as a mouse scurried past.

  Finally, Sister came to a spot where the tunnel made a sharp turn to the left. What was that sound around the corner? More mice? Or was it . . . ghosts?

  Sister raised her riding crop just as three spooky figures jumped out from around the corner and began hitting her over the head. She screamed and struck back wildly. She had been right! The place was haunted! The ghosts screamed, too, as they swung at her with riding crops . . .

  “Stop!” yelled Brother. “It’s just Sister!”

  The four cubs lowered their weapons and stood panting.

  “Whew!” said Brother. “We thought you were a burglar, Sis.”

  “I thought you were burglars!” said Sister. She was too embarrassed to say what she had really thought.

  Chapter 17

  To the Rescue

  “There’s light coming from that direction,” said Fred. He was pointing back down the tunnel. “Let’s go check it out.”

  This time the cubs held hands to keep together. They made their way down the dimly lit tunnel as quickly as they could. The light at the end of the tunnel seemed to be coming from above. It fell on a clutter of large, dark objects.

  “Furniture!” cried Brother.

  “Auntie’s stolen antiques!” said Bonnie. “The burglars must have stored them here.”

  Fred pointed to a wooden ladder that led up to a square of light near the ceiling. “The light’s coming from that open cellar door,” he said. “They must have got out that way.”

  Just then a thumping sound came from somewhere nearby.

  “Or in,” whispered Sister.

  Another thump. And another.

  Brother put a finger to his lips and pointed to a door just down the tunnel. With their crops raised, the cubs tiptoed toward it. Their hearts pounded.

  Sister’s knees shook so much, she could hardly walk. She kept telling herself that she didn’t believe in ghosts. But deep down, she was still terrified that the burglars would turn out to be the ghosts of Bad Bart and his band of thieves.

  As the cubs neared the door, they heard a new sound.

  “Shhh!” said Brother.

  “Voices,” whispered Fred.

  “Voices moaning and groaning,” whispered Bonnie.

  “That’s it,” said Sister. “I’m outta here!”

  Sister turned to run, but Brother grabbed her by the arm. “You know I don’t believe in ghosts, Sis,” he said. “But the ghosts I don’t believe in don’t moan and groan like that.”

  “They d-d-don’t?” said Sister.

  “No,” said Brother. “Real live bears who are bound and gagged moan and groan like that! Let’s go!”

  Sure enough, inside the old storage room were three bears all tied up. Pieces of cloth were fastened tightly around their mouths. The bears were Lady Grizzly, Squire Grizzly, and Papa Bear.

  The cubs untied them by the light from a little square window near the ceiling.

  “Greeves!” bellowed Squire Grizzly the moment the gag was out of his mouth. “He and his phony exterminators! They tied us up!”

  “See?” said Bonnie. “I told you the butler did it.”

  “That traitor!” growled the squire. “When I get my hands on him—”

  A loud thump interrupted the squire. “What was that?” he said.

  “It’s coming from that wall,” said Papa. “There must be a hidden room behind it.”

  And indeed there was. On one wall of the old storage room Brother found a button. He pressed it, and a hidden door slid open.

  The light from the storage room fell across another figure that was bound and gagged. He lay on the rough cellar floor, dressed only in pajamas.

  Squire Grizzly let out a gasp. “Greeves!”

  Chapter 18

  The Butler’s Tale

  “I don’t understand,” said Lady Grizzly, peering in at the butler. “Why would Greeves tie himself up?”

  “For heaven’s sake, dear!” said Squire Grizzly. “He didn’t tie himself up!”

  “Then who did?” said Lady Grizzly.

  “Isn’t it obvious?” said the squire. “He and his partners must have had an argument—probably about who would get the biggest share of the money when they sold the stolen antiques. So they tied him up and left him behind.”

  By now the cubs had untied Greeves.

  “That’s not what happened!” cried the butler. “I had nothing to do with the burglary!”

  “Then why did you and your partners tie us up!” said Squire Grizzly.

  “We didn’t!” said Greeves. “I mean, I didn’t! I mean, they’re not my partners! I don’t even know who tied you up!”

  “You did!” ro
ared the squire. “I looked you right in the eye while you did it!”

  “But I’ve been down here since before dawn!” said Greeves. “The ghosts attacked me while I was still in bed! They tied me up and dragged me down here! I was terrified!”

  “Did you say ghosts?” said Lady Grizzly.

  “Yes!” said Greeves. “The same ones Maisie saw in the ballroom last week!”

  Just then a police siren wailed aboveground.

  “I won’t allow you to hide behind this ghost nonsense!” Squire Grizzly said to the butler. “Get up! We’re turning you over to Chief Bruno!”

  Chapter 19

  Which One?

  After all that time in the dim cellar, the bears had to shield their eyes from the bright sunlight as they came out.

  “Aha!” said Squire Grizzly. “Here’s the getaway van!”

  It was pulled up close to the cellar door. On its side was printed THE BUG BEARS in big letters. Smaller letters below said We Do Mice, Too!

  Just then Chief Bruno came walking around the corner of the mansion. Tillie and Maisie were with him.

  “Greeves?” said Tillie, staring hard at the butler. “Is that you? What in the world are you doing in your pajamas?”

  “My wife’s antiques have been stolen, Chief,” said Squire Grizzly. “And we’ve caught the head burglar!”

  “The butler did it,” said Bonnie.

  “No, I didn’t!” said Greeves.

  “I believe him, Chief,” said Lady Grizzly. “The mansion is haunted! The ghosts of Bad Bart Grizzly and his band of thieves have made off with a dozen of my antiques!”

  “I saw them stealing one,” said Maisie.

  “And they tied me up!” said Greeves.

  “Nonsense!” roared Squire Grizzly. “His partners tied him up, Chief! And he tied us up!”

  “Then why is he in his pajamas, dear?” asked Lady Grizzly. “He was in uniform when he tied us up. Why would they make him get into his pajamas just to tie him up? I believe he was attacked while he was still in bed, just as he says.”