Spooky Buddies Junior Novel Read Online Free Page B

Warwick commanded.
    â€œYes, Master,” Mr. Carroll responded. He was hypnotized.
    Warwick smiled. Finally, something was going right. “I want you to find a young warlock carrying a staff with a glowing black jewel,” he said. “Seize it—and eliminate him.”
    â€œYes, Master,” Mr. Carroll replied.
    He stepped off the porch. His foot landed right in a jack-o’-lantern, but he kept walking with the pumpkin stuck on his foot.
    Then Warwick and Hoot followed Frankendude out of the yard.



M eanwhile, the Buddies wandered down Main Street. “I think we lost him,” Rosebud said, looking behind her.
    â€œWhy is that ghost dude after us?” Mudbud wondered.
    B-Dawg shrugged. “Maybe he wants to drink our blood.”
    â€œThat’s vampires,” Rosebud told him. “Maybe he wants to eat our brains,” B-Dawg suggested.
    Rosebud sighed. “That’s zombies.”
    â€œMaybe he wants to devour everything he sees,” B-Dawg said.
    â€œThat’s Budderball,” Rosebud replied.
    Mudbud was still thinking about his question. “It’s probably because B-Dawg released it from the mirror,” he said.
    â€œOh, sure, dawg, blame me!” B-Dawg exclaimed.
    The puppies continued down the street thinking they had gotten rid of Pip. But little did they know that they hadn’t lost the ghost at all! He was still floating behind them, dressed in his sheet costume.
    Finally the Buddies arrived at a darkened store. The sign over the door identified it as the Fernfield Shop of Curiosities.
    The puppies looked up nervously, and Buddha led the way inside through a doggy door. The place was filled with all sorts of mystical stuff—beads, incense, tarot cards, and other oddities.
    â€œHello?” Buddha called out. “Is anyone home?”
    â€œCheck out this crystal ball,” Budder-ball said, spotting a large glass orb on a table.
    Buddha was still looking for his friend. “Zelda?” he called out.
    Suddenly the image of a dog appeared in the crystal ball. “Who wants to know?” a voice asked.
    â€œAaaah!” B-Dawg cried. “The gumball is talking to us!”
    â€œIt’s me, Buddha,” Buddha said to the dog in the crystal ball, “and my brothers and sister. The Buddies.”
    Suddenly, a head popped out from behind the crystal ball. It was Buddha’s friend Zelda, a Chinese crested dog dressed as a gypsy. She hadn’t been inside the crystal, merely behind it!
    â€œWelcome,” she said to the puppies. “I am Zelda. I am all-knowing and all-seeing. I specialize in the mystic and otherworldly.”
    â€œWe need your help,” Buddha told her urgently. “This ghost has been chasing us.”
    Zelda nodded. “This is Halloween, the only night spirits are free to roam,” she replied. “We must make contact with this ghost of yours.”
    Just then, Pip floated in through the wall. Budderball’s eyes widened. “There’s the ghost!” he said, pointing at Pip.
    Zelda looked at Pip. “Ghost?!” she cried. Then she fainted.
    The Buddies all froze in terror as Pip floated toward them.
    â€œPlease,” Pip begged them. “I’m not going to hurt you.”
    â€œThat’s what ghosts always say before they eat you,” B-Dawg said.
    â€œGhosts don’t eat,” Pip told him.
    Budderball’s eyes went wide. “That’s the saddest thing I’ve ever heard!”
    Suddenly, Zelda stirred. Then she woke up. When she saw Pip, she shrieked again. But this time she didn’t pass out.
    â€œI know I look strange,” Pip told everyone. “But I was once a pup just like you all. My name is Pip.”
    Buddha gasped. He remembered the kids’ class trip. “You’re the pup from the story?” he asked in disbelief.
    â€œYes. I’ve been like this ever since that night. The Hound did this to