Nighty-Nightmare by James Howe Read Free Book Online

said, after a while. ‘We’ll be a family,’ he said. ‘A family . . . forever. Follow me!’
    â€œAs the boys ran after Dr. Diabolicus and his housekeeper, Fritz whispered hoarsely to his brother, ‘Are you crazy? What’s gotten into you?’
    â€˜I’m not crazy at all,’ said Hans. ‘We’re going to London.’
    â€œYes, thought Fritz, as he boarded the black coach drawn by the black horses. We’re going to London. But will we return?”
    The moon was now high in the sky. It would soon be midnight. And Dawg was wide awake.



[ SEVEN ]

A Family Forever
    â€œD ID THEY EVER GET to London, Pop?” Howie asked.
    â€œEventually,” Chester replied. “First, they had to make the arduous journey through Hungary and Austria, Switzerland and France. In each land, Bella and Boris met other rabbits, and in time their numbers grew.”
    â€œGee,” said Howie, “I’ll bet I know where they found rabbits in France.”
    â€œWhere?” Chester said.
    â€œThe hutch back of Notre Dame.”
    Howie got quite a chuckle out of this. Chester, I could see, was annoyed not to have his story taken seriously.
    â€œAnd if they weren’t there,” Howie went on, “they could always have checked the Sor-bunny!” He laughed even harder, while a vacancy sign went up in Dawg’s eyes.
    Chester’s tail began flicking the ground again. “If you don’t want me to go on,” he said.
    â€œNo, no!” Howie cried.
    â€œDon’t stop,” said Dawg. “We’ve gotta know what happens next.”
    â€œWell,” said Chester, relaxing his tail. “If you insist. Where was I?”
    â€œFrance,” said Howie, stifling a chuckle. “The hutch back—”
    â€œNever mind that,” said Chester. “After France, they crossed the English Channel and came at last to London, where they settled into Renfield Manor, their wearisome journey at its end.
    â€œSleep well, my children,’ Diabolicus said to Hans and Fritz that first night, as the boys settled into two large feather beds in a tower bedroom. Hans and Fritz were so overcome with exhaustion from their travels, they barely heard the door close as Diabolicus slipped out of the room. But thesound of a heavy bolt falling into place jolted them awake.
    â€œ ‘We’re locked in,’ Fritz whispered in alarm. ‘I told you we shouldn’t have spoken so freely on our way here. He knows we plan to leave him, Hans.’
    â€œ ‘How could he have heard?’ Hans said. ‘We talked of our plans only during the day when he was sleeping in that crazy box of his. Boy, what a nut case he is.’
    â€œ ‘Yeah? What about Erda?’ said Fritz. ‘She’s as weird as he is. And those rabbits with their red eyes! Have you noticed their teeth, Hans? Have you seen how they’ve grown?’
    â€œ ‘Don’t worry,’ Hans assured his brother. ‘We’ll be out of here tomorrow, mark my words. Tomorrow, we will be free.’ And soon the two boys fell asleep.
    â€œThey didn’t know that all this while Dr. Diabolicus had been listening outside their door. He didn’t move, even now as they began to snore. ‘Listen to them,’ he said to the housekeeper, as she approached on slippered feet, ‘the children of the night. What music they make. Ah, but Erda, theyare deserting me. How can I let them go? They are my family, they are my
own!
    â€œ ‘Give them eternal life,’ Erda suggested.
    â€œ ‘Eternal life?’ said Diabolicus.
    â€œ ‘You have given it to Bella and Boris. They will be with you always. Why not Hans and Fritz as well?’
    â€œ ‘I don’t have the time,’ Diabolicus replied. ‘It will take months to duplicate the laboratory I had in Transylvania. By then, the boys will be gone. Or if I manage to keep them here, it will