Chapter 13
Later that night, Don led Mike and Sulley to their room. “And here’s what you’ve been waitin’ for, fellas — your very own Oozma Kappa bedroom!” he said, switching on the light. Mike and Sulley looked around the tiny room with bunk beds. Don smiled. “We’ll let you guys get settled,” he said cheerfully. “Anything you need, you just give a big holler-oony!”
Sulley nodded as Don closed the door and left. Then he turned to Mike. “Are you kidding me?” he asked, convinced the Oozmas could never become Scarers.
“Look, they don’t have to be good. I’m going to carry the whole team,” Mike replied.
“Really? And who’s going to carry you?” Sulley huffed.
Mike was suddenly furious. “Hey, you want to go back to Can Design, you know where the door is!”
Sulley shuffled his big feet. Mike was right. They were going to have to make good here. Just then, the lights went out. Sulley flicked the light switch. Nothing happened. “Great,” Sulley muttered.
“Guys? Anybody home?” Mike said as he and Sulley felt their way through the darkened house. A door creaked open, revealing stairs to the basement. “Um, hello?” Mike said, seeing a dim light. “Fellas?”
Mike and Sulley stepped down into the basement. A single candle flickered in the center of the room. They flinched as a robed monster stepped forward from the shadows. “Do you pledge your souls to the Oozma Kappa brotherhood?” the robed figure asked solemnly. The figure’s hood fell back a little, revealing a mustache. It was Don.
Someone suddenly whacked Mike on the behind with a paddle. “OW!” Mike yelled.
A robed two-headed monster stepped from behind them. One head said, “Do you swear to keep secret,” and the second head finished, “all that you learn here?”
Sulley was whacked on the behind, too. “HEY!” he shouted angrily.
Squishy emerged from the shadows dressed in a black robe. “Will you take the oath of the —” he began, when the lights came on brightly. A roly-poly monster in pink hair curlers waddled down the stairs, carrying a basket of laundry.
“Oh, for cryin’ out loud, Mom!” Squishy said, squinting at the light. “We’re doing an initiation!”
“Oooh, scary!” Ms. Squibbles said. “Well, carry on. Just pretend I’m not here.”
Squishy looked at Mike and Sulley, embarrassed. “This is my mom’s house,” he explained as Ms. Squibbles loaded the washer. Squishy sighed and started again. “Do you promise to look out for your brothers, no matter what the peril?”
As Squishy recited the oath, Ms. Squibbles put a pair of sneakers in the dryer and turned it on. Squishy tried to talk over the sound of the sneakers thudding louder and louder. “Will you defend Oozma Kappa, no matter how dangerous? In the face of unending pain?” Squishy yelled over the constant th-thud, th-thud of the sneakers in the dryer. “Sacrificing all that you —” Th-thud. “Oh, forget it,” Squishy said, finally giving up. “You’re in.”
The brothers of Oozma Kappa crowded around Mike and Sulley. “Look, we know we’re no one’s first choice for a fraternity,” Don said. “So it means a lot to have you here with us.”
“I can’t wait to start scaring with you brothers,” Squishy told Mike and Sulley, hugging them awkwardly. He handed them each an Oozma Kappa baseball hat. Mike put his on. Then he looked at Sulley, who stood with the cap in his hand as if he hadn’t quite made up his mind. Finally, Sulley put the tiny cap on his giant head, and the Oozmas cheered.
Terri and Terry rushed over to Sulley and whacked him on the behind again. Sulley turned, grabbed the paddle, and snapped it in half.
“Ahh!” Terri and Terry screamed as they scurried away.
The group happily headed upstairs to the living room. “Time for a celebration!” Squishy said. “Grab the couch cushions, gentlemen, ’cause we’re building a fort!”
第 13 章
晚些時(shí)候,老唐領(lǐng)著麥克和毛怪來到他們的房間。“這就是你們期盼已久的——伙計(jì)們——你們?cè)贠K會(huì)會(huì)所的獨(dú)立臥室!”他一邊說著,一邊打開房間的燈。麥克和毛怪環(huán)顧著這個(gè)有一張上下鋪床的袖珍房間。老唐笑著說:“你們倆先安頓一下,有什么需要,大喊一聲就行了!”
毛怪點(diǎn)點(diǎn)頭,老唐就關(guān)上房門,離開了。毛怪立刻轉(zhuǎn)向麥克問道:“你是在逗我嗎?”他確信OK會(huì)的成員是永遠(yuǎn)也成不了驚嚇專員的。
麥克回答道:“聽著,他們不需要多厲害。我會(huì)帶整個(gè)團(tuán)隊(duì)的。”
“是嗎?”毛怪不屑地說,“那誰來帶你呢?”
麥克被激怒了:“嘿!如果你想回去繼續(xù)設(shè)計(jì)那個(gè)什么收集罐,就從這兒出去!”
毛怪摩挲著雙腳。麥克說得對(duì),他們必須成功。就在這時(shí),屋里的燈突然滅了,毛怪重新打開了開關(guān),但也無濟(jì)于事。“這下好了。”毛怪抱怨道。
“有人嗎?家里有人嗎?”麥克一邊喊,一邊和毛怪摸黑慢慢往外走。突然,一扇門嘎吱一聲開了,露出一道通往地下室的樓梯。“嗯……有人嗎?”麥克說著,看見了一束微弱的燈光,“伙計(jì)們?”
麥克和毛怪順著樓梯走進(jìn)了地下室。屋里,只有一支蠟燭在房間的中央搖曳閃爍。他倆有些害怕了,這時(shí),一個(gè)披著斗篷的怪獸從黑暗中走出來,嚴(yán)肅地問道:“你們?cè)敢獍l(fā)誓將靈魂獻(xiàn)給OK會(huì)嗎?”說罷,他的斗篷稍稍往下滑了一點(diǎn),露出一抹小胡子。原來是老唐。
突然,又有人在麥克身后用球拍狠狠打了他一下,麥克“哦”的一聲大叫起來。
一個(gè)穿著斗篷的雙頭怪獸從他們后面走來,其中一只頭問道:“你們能發(fā)誓保守秘密嗎?”另一只頭接著說道:“保守這里的一切秘密。”
毛怪也被人從后面狠狠地打了一下,他生氣地喊道:“嘿!”
史乖寶穿著黑色斗篷從暗處走出來,問道:“你們?cè)敢獍l(fā)誓……”話還沒說完,燈突然亮了,一個(gè)矮胖矮胖的怪獸搖搖晃晃地從樓梯上走下來,頭上戴著粉色的卷發(fā)器,手里還拿著一筐要洗的衣服。
史乖寶瞇起眼看著燈光喊道:“哦,媽媽!你在搞什么!我們正在舉行入會(huì)儀式呢!”
“哦,好嚇人呢!”史太太說道,“好吧,你們繼續(xù),就當(dāng)我不在這兒。”
史乖寶尷尬地看著麥克和毛怪,解釋道:“這是我媽媽的房子。”這時(shí)史太太開始往洗衣機(jī)里放衣服,史乖寶嘆了口氣準(zhǔn)備重新開始:“你們能發(fā)誓無論面對(duì)任何困境,都永遠(yuǎn)守護(hù)你們的兄弟嗎?”
就在史乖寶宣讀誓詞的時(shí)候,史太太把一雙運(yùn)動(dòng)鞋塞進(jìn)了烘干機(jī),并打開了電源。烘干機(jī)的聲音越來越響,史乖寶只能扯著嗓子說:“你們能發(fā)誓無論多么危險(xiǎn)都守護(hù)OK會(huì)嗎?哪怕遭受無休止的痛苦?”史乖寶不停地提高自己的音量,以蓋過烘干機(jī)里的運(yùn)動(dòng)鞋那越發(fā)嘈雜的“砰砰”聲:“隨時(shí)準(zhǔn)備犧牲自己所有……”又是“砰”的一聲。最后,他實(shí)在忍不下去了:“哦,算了,你們?nèi)霑?huì)了。”
OK會(huì)的兄弟們上前圍在麥克和毛怪身邊。“二位,我們知道這個(gè)社團(tuán)不是大家的首選,”老唐說道,“所以你們的加入對(duì)我們來說,意義非常重大。”
史乖寶笨拙地抱住麥克和毛怪說道:“我都等不及和你們一起嚇人了。”他一邊說,一邊遞給倆人各一頂OK會(huì)的棒球帽。麥克戴上帽子,看著毛怪,而毛怪卻拿著帽子站在一旁,好像還沒有下定決心。最終,他還是把那頂小帽子戴在了自己的大頭上,OK會(huì)的成員們都開心地歡呼起來。
泰瑞和泰銳又跑到毛怪身后用球拍狠狠地打了他一下。毛怪轉(zhuǎn)過身,搶過球拍,一下子就把它掰成了兩半。
“哎呀呀!”泰瑞和泰銳兩兄弟尖叫著跑開了。
整個(gè)團(tuán)隊(duì)開心地朝樓上的客廳走去。“接下來是慶祝時(shí)間!”史乖寶說道,“去多搶幾個(gè)抱枕吧,兄弟們,我們待會(huì)兒要來蓋堡壘嘍!”