Chew Bee or Not Chew Bee Read Online Free PDF Page A

worry,’ said Olly. ‘I’ll make sure he does as he’s told!’
    Willy headed back into the theatre.
    â€˜Places, please!’ Charlie Ginnell was calling from the souvenir stand, where he was pricing up the Olly dolls. ‘We’ve got a play to put on, people. Let’s go!’
    As the actors returned to the stage, Willy went to find Yorick.
    Yorick looked up from his prop box. ‘Took a long time to find them nails, didn’t you?’ he said. He picked up one of the hoses from the fog machine and handed it to Willy. ‘Go an’ run this around the back of the stage. We’ll need it in a minute.’
    Willy took the hose and began putting it in place. He kept one eye on the theatre door, keeping a lookout for Skellington. He didn’t want to miss Skellington’s reactions. But hehad to make sure Skellington didn’t see him.
    Five minutes later, the door to the theatre flew open and Skellington waddled to the front of the auditorium, followed by his two goons. Rosenbloom found him a chair, and Skellington sat down heavily.
    â€˜Right,’ said Walden, ‘let’s start again from the moment the ghost appears. Yorick, is that fog thing of yours ready to go?’
    Yorick’s head appeared from behind the curtain. ‘Ready as she’ll ever be, Wally.’
    Yorick gave Willy the thumbs-up and Willy checked the hose. Yorick pushed down on a long lever attached to a bellows. White smoke blew through the hoses and began drifting around the stage. In no time at all the actors were up to their waists in fog. Using the smoke as cover, Willy dashed across the stage and clambered up the ladder behind the curtains. He settled on a shadowy top rung with an excellent view of Skellington’s face.
    â€˜Nice work, Yorick,’ said Walden.
    Yorick winked and disappeared back behind the curtain.
    Minty, who played the ghost as well as the Frenchman, lumbered through the mist towards Olly, waving his arms in the air and moaning.
    â€˜O hideous spirit leave me be!’ wailed Olly, doing a very good impression of a terrified man. ‘What vision of murder is this? What carbuncle be here before me?’
    Sir Anstruther Skellington sat bolt upright in his seat. He looked like he’d been slapped across the face with a wet fish.
    That’s weird, thought Willy. But perhaps it was just a coincidence.
    â€˜Whoooooooo-ooooo,’ moaned Minty. ‘Be afraid, Englishman, be afraid! No stinging words can stop this ardent creature. I seek bloody vengeance!’
    Olly cringed. ‘Be gone, spirit, be gone! Yourwords are fit only for a pig’s ear. You are not whole, but some sort of soup, most——’
    â€˜STOP!’ Sir Anstruther Skellington screeched. He leapt out of his chair and bustled furiously towards the stage. ‘Stop this widiculous nonsense wight now!’ He arrived panting at the foot of the stage and waved his fist in Walden Kemp’s face. ‘I see your game! I wealise your twickerwy!’ he snarled. ‘Do you take me for a fool? Do you think I don’t see what you’re up to?’
    Walden looked confused. ‘I-I don’t understand, Sir Anstruther. I didn’t write those lines. Olly must have put them in!’
    â€˜Don’t blame me!’ wailed Olly. ‘Waggledagger told me to do it! But I don’t see what was wrong with them!’
    Skellington’s eyes almost exploded. ‘Bees! Stinging! Pig’s ear! Soup! You see? You see?’
    There was a silence.
    Something’s upset Skellington, Willy thought. The last time I saw him, he said that UncleAaron drowned in Pig’s Ear soup. Now he’s also blabbering about bees as if the two are connected. Maybe he does know more about Uncle Aaron’s death than he’s letting on.
    â€˜See what, sire?’ Walden asked Skellington.
    Skellington looked around. ‘The words! They, they…’
    â€˜They