Ravenspell Book 2: The Wizard of Ooze Read Online Free PDF Page A

world working so hard to be monsters, why would you—a wondrous monster—want to become a real boy?”
    “Video games,” the slobber goblin said, a huge ball of worm slime suddenly dripping from its mouth. “I want to play video games all day and watch television. I want to wear stinky underwear and drink enough soda to rot my teeth. It’s boring down in this hole, filled with a foul smell and the leavings of old, dead worms!”
    Sebaceous Ooze laughed evilly. Suddenly, his tail whipped from behind, slapping the poor slobber goblin and knocking it across the floor.
    Sebaceous peered at the other goblins that had been slinking behind and said, “Take this one to the nearest boiling geyser and throw him in!”
    “Does this mean no?” the slobber goblin pleaded, while its fellows surrounded it, lifted it, and carried it away, kicking and screaming.
    Fluke looked at his father. He had many questions that he still wanted to ask, but now he was afraid. He didn’t dare anger Sebaceous Ooze.
    * * *
    Back in her living room, Latonia Pumpernickel watched her video on the tiny viewscreen, showing the mice doing battle with a tarantula.
    On the phone she had the police chief for Dallas, Oregon.
    “Could you at least send an officer by?” Latonia demanded.
    “What for?” the police chief asked. “To watch a movie about mice fighting a tarantula? Send it to the Nature Channel.”
    “But these aren’t just any mice,” Latonia said. “They’ve got some sort of genius mouse with them, an evil warlord, I’m quite sure.”
    The police chief laughed a deep belly laugh. “Well,” he said, “if it’s genius mice that you’re having problems with, maybe you need a super-genius cat. Have you tried calling Garfield?”
    The police chief slammed down the phone, leaving poor Latonia to sit there fuming with rage.
    “Well,” she said, “if they won’t listen to me, then I’ll just have to make them listen.”

Chapter 5
    A WORMY TAIL
    Sooner or later, everyone is food for worms.
—SEBACEOUS OOZE

“It is a ring of great power. A ring of mouse mesmerizing!”
    After a long day of sleep, Amber was wakened by the songs of young voles. This was the voles’ burrow, and Amber and her mouse friends were mere guests, so she couldn’t get mad at them for rising so early. Besides, the young voles were always so happy. They were dancing about the burrow now, singing—
Out of the burrow! Out of bed!
Why is everyone snoring?
Shadows grow long. The day is gone.
Why is everyone snoring?
The crow and hawk went with the sun,
Let’s raid the fields and have some fun.
Who will be first to eat a ton?
Why is everyone snoring?
    The young voles looked like grayish brown mice except that their tails were shorter and their hair was more grizzled. They rolled about on their backs and giggled when they finished the song. Some voles turned somersaults, rolling about like wheels while their tails slapped the ground with each revolution.
    Soon they stormed out of the burrow for the night, but Amber made sure that there were plenty of mice with spears to guard the young ones.
    As the burrow quieted, a solemn counsel was held. A magic rock in the center of the burrow glowed like a star, lighting the faces of the mice and voles that remained.
    “What do you know about worms?” Lady Blackpool asked them all from a quiet corner in the burrow. Her tone was very serious and hinted at something sinister.
    Lady Blackpool drew back a bit.
    Amber could see fresh claw marks on the walls of the burrow there among the small white roots that dangled overhead. The voles had been digging, expanding the burrow, but in doing so they had uncovered the roots, which looked uncomfortably like worms to Amber. Worm spies.
    “I did a report on worms at school,” Ben offered. He frowned as if his memory felt kind of hazy. “The biggest worm in the world was found in South Africa. A woman saw it by the side of the road and thought it was a rope. She was going to use it