"And as it waded through the carnage it had wrought, the vampire smashed their skulls! Just for the fun of it!" Axl shouted, smashing a jelly doughnut which squirted red jelly. It was already dark out and he and his friends were sitting around a campfire ten feet away from Cindy-Lou's house. "And after a moment, the vampire hunched over its victims and breathed their vaporized blood mist! Ooooooooohhhh!"
Cindy-Lou, Izzy, Ozzy, and Groopert were giving him either confused or bored looks.
"I think I liked the guy with the jack-in-the-box for a hand better." Ozzy commented.
"Come on, that was one of my best stories!" Axl retorted.
"Hey where's Euchariah?" Groopert pointed out.
"Yeah, he's missing out." Izzy replied.
"Guys, guys, guys, guys!" Euchariah cried as he ran up to his friends; he was carrying a sleeping bag, a pillow, and a flashlight.
"There you are, Euchariah!" Cindy-Lou happily exclaimed.
"Where were you, dude? We already started telling scary stories." Axl said.
"Sorry, I got held up. But I really need to tell you guys somethi—"
"Hey, wait! Why don't we let Cindy-Lou tell a story next? This campout was her idea." Groopert said.
"But guys, it's really important!" Euchariah whined.
"You can tell us after. Why don't you join us?" Izzy chimed in.
Euchariah sighed in defeat and sat down in between Ozzy and Groopert. "Okay."
"Cindy? Do you have a story?" Ozzy asked.
"I sure do. And this is a true story." Cindy said, grabbing her flashlight and turning it on under her chin.
"Really? Is this one of those 'a friend of my cousin knew some guy that this happened to' stories?" Euchariah asked.
"No. It happened to my dad." Cindy said in a serious tone.
Her friends' expressions quickly turned just as serious before Cindy began her story.
"One winter, when my dad was about our age, a huge snowstorm buried the whole town for weeks." She started. "A month later, dad realized he hadn't seen his friend Jimmy since the storm, so dad and some others went to check on Jimmy's family. When they got there, no one was home, just a fire flickering in the fireplace. While the adults went out to search, dad stayed in the house. When he was alone, he heard a voice. 'It's so cold, and I can't get warm.'"
Cindy's friends tensed up as she continued.
"Dad turned and saw Jimmy standing by the fire; he was blue, like he was frozen. Dad ran outside for help, but when they came back, Jimmy was gone."
They gasped and backed away.
"Where'd he go?" Axl nervously asked.
"No one knows. Jimmy's house still stands empty to this day, but sometimes people see smoke coming up from the chimney, like little Jimmy is still trying to get warm."
"And, uh... where exactly is this house?" Euchariah asked, adjusting his glasses.
"It's not too far from here, actually. But hardly anyone goes near it anymore"
Cindy turned and pointed to the silhouette of a house a little ways away from her own house, but it was too dark to see any details. Euchariah paused and stood up.
"Let's go check it out." He said.
"What?!" Cindy and her friends cried.
"Let's go check out that house. I've always enjoyed a good ghost hunt."
"But my mom always told me to never go over there!" Cindy exclaimed.
"Come on, guys! Where's your sense of adventure?"
Euchariah picked up his flashlight and ran towards the house; Cindy looked at her friends who all had uneasy looks on their faces. After a few moments, they all grabbed their own flashlights and ran after him. When they arrived at the house, they saw Euchariah gawking up at it with a thousand yard stare. The house itself was an ordinary looking two story house with yellow walls, a tan colored roof, a chimney, an attached garage, and it was surrounded by a black wire fence.
"Uh, Euchariah?" Ozzy asked, shaking his shoulder.
"You okay, dude?" Groopert asked, waving a hand in front of his eyes.
"What are you looking at?" Axl asked.
"THIS is the house from your story?" Euchariah asked after a moment.
"Yeah, so?" Cindy asked.
"I've seen this before." The little Who in orange said.
"What?" Izzy asked.
Before Euchariah could answer, a light suddenly turned on in the house, illuminating all of the first story windows. The six children were so surprised that they hid themselves behind a wall of the house.
"What was that?" Axl asked.
"Cindy, I thought you said this house was abandoned for decades." Izzy whispered.
"It was! At least I thought it was." Cindy-Lou hissed.
"Shush! Somebody's coming!" Groopert said as everyone went quiet.
That was when they heard footsteps crunching on fallen leaves approach the front door. After a moment of silence, they heard someone knock at the door. The six Who children slowly poked their heads out to see who had just arrived at the house. When the door opened and the light from inside poured out into the dark world outside, they were shocked by what they saw.
"Wilbur, there you are." A new voice said from inside the house.
"Sorry I'm late. I was... looking for something decent to wear for the Grinch Night Ball." Wilbur said.
"Well... never mind. Get in here." The voice said as a hand reached out, grabbed Wilbur's wrist, and pulled him into the house.
The door closed with a loud slam, causing the young Whos to jump out of their skin.
"Wasn't that Miss May's uncle?" Groopert asked.
"Sure looked like him." Izzy replied.
"What's he doing here?" Axl asked.
"And who was he talking to?" Ozzy asked.
"Guys, shush!" Euchariah hissed before pointing to an open window above them.
"Are you sure you weren't followed?" The voice asked; it sounded feminine.
"Yes, I'm sure. Besides, who in the right mind would follow me out here at this hour?" Wilbur's voice retorted. "Everyone thinks this house is haunted anyway."
"Oh! That must be why you got such a good deal on it, Constance." A third voice commented.
"Shut up, Dallas." Constance argued.
"Dallas?!" Cindy cried before Euchariah covered her mouth with his hands.
"What was that?" Dallas asked.
The kids quickly turned off their flashlights as they heard slow footsteps approach the window. Then after a moment, the window suddenly slammed shut; Constance turned to Dallas and Wilbur.
"Let's go somewhere more private." She said before heading towards the basement; Wilbur and Dallas followed. "Wilbur, you said you weren't followed."
"I wasn't! At least I think I wasn't." Wilbur said as he, Constance, and Dallas descended the stairs to the basement.
"You can't be too careful." Constance said, turning on the basement lights.
"Hey, Wilbur? You said you were looking for an outfit for the Grinch Night Ball?" Dallas asked.
"Yeah. So what?" Wilbur asked.
"Maybe you could help me out. The party is tomorrow night and I honestly have NO idea what to wear."
Constance's eye twitched as she turned around to face Dallas; she was now giving him a very dark glare. Wilbur took a few steps back, knowing all too well where this was going to go. "Dallas? Are you serious right now? I've got about twenty-four hours to get rid of this monster or the entire scheme I've been setting up for the past several days goes up in smoke... and you are worried about WHAT TO WEAR?!"
"...Yes?" Dallas answered nervously.
That was when Constance let out a shriek so loud, it caused Wilbur and Dallas to cover their ears. She calmed down and pinched the bridge of her nose, shaking her head.
"Uh... can I say something first?" Wilbur asked.
"What?!" Constance asked.
"Look, I don't mean to be a spoilsport or anything but... what do you say we just call this whole thing off?"
"...Why?"
"Uh, well, I... I talked to the Grinch, like you told me to."
"...And what did you find out?"
"Well... it seems that he really loves Martha and... she loves him, too."
Constance scoffed. "How disgusting. She doesn't love him; Martha May never knows what she wants."
"And how do you know that?"
"My dearest brother Augustus, of course."
"Augustus? You mean the guy who was put into prison for stalking Martha and trying to KILL the Grinch? You never did tell me why your brother was locked up, Constance. Maybe that's the reason, hmm?"
"The Grinch stole Martha May from Augustus!"
"Plus, the Grinch is revolting!" Dallas chimed in.
"...No he's not."
Constance's face twitched in anger. "What did you say?"
"I said... No. He's. NOT. I talked with him earlier today and as it turns out, he and I have a LOT in common. So you can go find yourself another pawn for your sick game; I don't wanna be a part of this anymore."
"Oh Wilbur, Wilbur, Wilbur! My sweet deluded little henchman. Aren't we forgetting one teensy-weensy, little tiny detail? I OWN YOU!!!" Constance screamed, causing Wilbur to stumble backwards.
Outside, Cindy-Lou and her friends had just found the nearest window leading to the basement.
"Are you sure we should be doing this?" Izzy asked. "Spying is wrong."
"This is important." Euchariah argued.
"Shush, the bad guys are talking." Cindy said as she peeked into the basement and stopped to listen; her friends did the same.
Constance went on. "Don't you understand? You work for me! When I say 'hop', you say 'how high'. When I say 'sing', you say 'hey, name that tune'. If I say I want the Grinch's fur as a coat, you say..."
"Autumn coat or winter coat?" Wilbur answered sarcastically.
"Exactly."
The kids quietly gasped and turned away from the window.
"This is bad, this is bad, this is bad, this is bad!" Ozzy chanted.
"I knew that Wilbur guy was trouble!" Axl quietly exclaimed.
"Oh, this is going to break Miss May's heart if she finds out." Groopert said.
"Yeah. And the worst part is that they're gonna use those pink flowers that old lady's growing to turn the Grinch savage to turn the town against him." Euchariah explained. "I think those flowers are called Monstrous Venom-Virus and apparently, they turn any animal savage."
His friends gasped, being careful not to be heard.
"We gotta tell the Grinch about this, come on!" Cindy said before she and her friends ran off.
"Well newsflash for you, 'boss', you ain't getting a Grinch fur coat, not while I'm around." Wilbur shouted, folding his arms over his chest.
"Have you lost your pest-loving mind?!" Constance yelled.
"Maybe I have, but I don't care! I'm not going to help you hurt the Grinch or Martha, end of story!"
"Why are you getting so worked up over this, Wilbur?"
"Me? Pfft. You should talk. You're the one who wants to ruin my niece's marriage for no good reason."
"No good reason? Martha May's marriage to the Grinch is disgusting and vile and wrong and that's final!"
Wilbur glared at Constance. "You heartless monster! Do you have any idea how much Martha has cried over the years she was with August?! My niece deserves to be happy, even if terrible people like you fail to see that! You should be ashamed!" He picked up a gardening trowel from a nearby table and threw it at her; it hit the wall behind her, nearly hitting her in the head. "You're sick!"
"Wilbur, what you don't understand is that this is for the greater good!" Constance argued. "The Grinch is nothing but a MONSTER and I am finally going to show these simple-minded Whos the truth, even if it hurts!"
"Yeah? Well, good luck with that! And I guess Martha being pregnant wouldn't help your plans much." Wilbur suddenly covered his mouth with both hands; the realization of his foolish comment dawning on him in horror after he said it. "Did I just say that last part out loud?"
Dallas nodded as he remained silent.
"Martha May is... WHAAAAAAAT?!?!" Constance screamed. "She's going to have that CREATURE'S SPAWN?! That's even worse than marriage to a monster! This whole town is a loony bin! I think I'm going to be sick."
"Well... then get sick. I don't care. The Grinch is NOT a monster and he'll be a good father, I know he will. He's honest, smart, brave, funny, sweet, and unlike your good for nothing brother, he would never do anything to hurt Martha. And besides, you can't beat the Grinch. He has no weaknesses! He is so gonna—"
He turned around to see Constance narrowing her eyes at him mere inches from his face; she was giving him a wicked smile. "...I think he does, Wilbur. I truly think... he does." She wrapped her arms around Wilbur and Dallas's shoulders, pulling them closer to her. "Boys? I'm going to let you in on a little secret. You see..."
She cleared her throat.
"I didn't get where I am today
By letting myself get pushed around!" She sang.
"No man nor woman or child or beast
Is going to drag me down!"
She pushed Dallas and Wilbur away from her as she unveiled a bulletin board with pictures of the Grinch and Martha plastered all over it with x's drawn over their eyes. She continued to sing.
"The lightning will be flashing
The thunder, it will roar
They'll never know what hit 'em
Wait'll they see what I have in store!
Big and Loud!!
It will be big and loud!
When they fall, they'll really fall!
And they're gonna fall big!
And they're gonna fall loud!
They're gonna fall big and...
LOUD!"
She drew a big red 'X' onto the photograph of Martha and the Grinch together hanging right in the center as she and Dallas started laughing again, this time even more maniacal than before. As they laughed, Wilbur was standing in another corner of the basement in complete shock and terror.
"What in the name of Seuss have I gotten myself into?" He asked.
0-0-0-0-0-0
Cindy-Lou and her friends all knocked and pounded on the door of the Grinch's mountain cave several times before the Grinch finally opened the door; he was wearing his dark green robe and slippers and he looked like he had just rolled out of bed. Max was standing next to him and he looked very sleepy.
"Cindy? Kids? W-what's wrong? Don't you know what time it is?" He yawned, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.
That was when all six kids started talking all at once; the Grinch struggled to understand what they were trying to tell him.
"Mister Grinch, Mister Grinch! You're in big trouble!" "This old lady wants to get rid of you!" "She wants to use a flower to turn you into an animal!" "And Mister Wilbur is working for her!"
"Hey, hey, hey! One at a time! One at a time!" Grinch shouted.
They all reluctantly calmed down and took deep breaths. They stopped talking.
"Okay. Now would you all mind telling me what is going o—?" Grinch started.
"Grinchy? Is everything okay? Who's at the door?" Martha's voice called out.
"Uh, everything's fine. Nothing to worry about, honey. Why don't you just go back to bed? I'll be there in a minute." Grinch called out to his wife.
"Well, okay. But you'd better tell me what's going on later." Martha's voice replied before everything went silent again.
The Grinch and Max stepped outside and quietly closed the door, making sure Martha wouldn't be able to hear their conversation.
"This better be important. Do your parents know you're out here this late?" He asked, folding his arms.
"But this is important, Mr. Grinch!" Euchariah said. "This old lady wants to get rid of you and use your fur as a coat!"
"Hold up, hold up, hold up! Who wants to rid of me and use my fur as a what?!" The Grinch blinked.
"And that's not all!" Cindy added. "She wants to use these weird pink flowers to turn you into a savage to turn the town against you!"
Grinch's eyes widened. "...What are these pink flowers called?"
"Monstrous Venom-Virus flowers." Izzy answered.
The Grinch fell silent for a moment; he heard of those rare flowers before. He began to think, tapping his chin with one finger.
"Hmm. They want to ruin my night, huh? Well I guess I'll just have to give them a night they'll remember for a long, LONG time." He said.
"What are you gonna do?" Euchariah asked.
"I have an idea. But I'm gonna need your help on this one. Here's what we need to do..." The Grinch brought the kids closer to tell him the plan for tomorrow night.