I, Geronimo Stilton, have a

lot of mouse friends, but none as

spooky as my friend CREEPELLA

von CACKLEFUR ! She is an

enchanting and mysterious mouse with

a pet bat named Bitewing . Creepella lives in a

cemetery , sleeps in a marble sarcophagus , and drives

a hearse . By night she is a special effects and set

designer for scary lms, and by day she’s studying

to become a j o u r n a l i s t ! Her father, Boris von

Cacklefur, runs the funeral home Fabumouse

Funerals , and the von Cacklefur family owns the

creepy Cacklefur Castle, which sits on top of a

skull-shaped mountain in Mysterious Valley .

YIKES! I’m a real ’fraidy

mouse, but even I think

Creepella and her family are

AWFULLY fascinating.

I can’t wait for you to read

this fa-mouse-ly funny and
spectacularly spooky tale!

Geronimo Stilton
 von
pella
Cree
lefur
Cack

ing
Bitew

Billy
eare
aksp
Sque

dpa
Gran ein
kenst
Fran

A journalist who lives in A famous writer

Mysterious Valley and and friend of
solves spooky cases with Creepella.
An extremely mad inseparable pet
her
scientist and an Bitewing.
bat,
Snap
expert in Egyptian
and
mummies.
Snip

reen
Shive
t
Cryp
dma
Gran

Troublemaking twins

and expert spies.

Dolores

Kafka
Creepella’s
favorite niece.

The von Cacklefur

She loves spiders, and her family’s pet
pet is a gigantic tarantula cockroach.
named Dolores.
 Booey
the
Polterg ham
eist Bone
Baby

He was adopted and

raised with love by
the von Cacklefurs.

The mischievous

ghost who haunts

The butler to the von
Cacklefur Castle.
family, and a
Cacklefur
right down to the tips
snob
t
Stewra of his whiskers.
Chef

Madame
von
Bor
is LaTomb
ur
klef
Cac
The family
housekeeper. A
ferocious were-canary
nests in her hair.

pers
Chom

The cook at Cacklefur

Castle. He dreams

of creating the
Creepella’s father, and The von
ultimate stew.
the funeral director at Cacklefur family’s

Fabumouse Funerals. meat-eating

guard plant.
Geronimo Stilton

CREEPELLA VON CACKLEFUR

THE PHANTOM
OF THE THEATER

Scholastic Inc.
Copyright © 2012 by Edizioni Piemme S.p.A., Palazzo Mondadori, Via
Mondadori 1, 20090 Segrate, Italy. International Rights © Atlantyca S.p.A.
English translation © 2015 by Atlantyca S.p.A.

The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any
responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.

GERONIMO STILTON names, characters, and related indicia are copyright,

trademark, and exclusive license of Atlantyca S.p.A. All rights reserved. The
moral right of the author has been asserted. Based on an original idea by
Elisabetta Dami. www.geronimostilton.com

Published by Scholastic Inc., 557 Broadway, New York, NY 10012.

SCHOLASTIC and associated logos are trademarks and/or registered
trademarks of Scholastic Inc.

Stilton is the name of a famous English cheese. It is a registered trademark

of the Stilton Cheese Makers’ Association. For more information, go to www.
stiltoncheese.com.

All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright

Conventions. No part of this publication may be reproduced, transmitted,
downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into
any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means,
whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without
the express written permission of the publisher. For information regarding
permission, please contact Atlantyca S.p.A., Via Leopardi 8, 20123 Milan,
Italy; e-mail foreignrights@atlantyca.it, www.atlantyca.com.

This book is a work of ction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are
either the product of the author’s imagination or are used ctitiously, and
any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments,
events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

e-ISBN 978-0-545-94089-4
Text by Geronimo Stilton
Original title Il fantasma del Teatro dei Sospiri
Cover by Giuseppe Ferrario (pencils and inks) and Giulia Zaffaroni (color)
Illustrations by Ivan Bigarealla (pencils), Antonio Campro (inks) and Daria
Cerchi (color)
Graphics by Yuko Egusa

Special thanks to Joanne Ruelos Diaz

Translated by Anna Pizzelli
Interior design by Becky James

First printing, 2016

 NO TIME FOR DRAMA

It was a splendid September evening, and

all the New Mouse City residents were

ready to relax and let down their fur after

a hard day at work. Everybody . . . except

yours truly!

But wait! Pardon me. Allow

me to introduce myself: My

name is Stilton, Geronimo

Stilton , and I run The

Rodent’s Gazette, the most

FAMOUSE newspaper on Mouse Island.

It had been a hectic day, and I was as

buried under my work as my lasagna gets

buried under shredded cheese.

 Mountains of paper covered every

corner of my desk. I was deciding what

to do next — should I rewrite an

article, or edit a feature, or sift through

PHOTOGRAPHS ? — when my sister,

Thea, walked into my of ce wearing an

elegant evening gown.

“Still working, Geronimo?” she asked,

looking quite bright-eyed and bushy-furred.

“I wanted to invite you to the theater !”

be
l
wil
U n fo it !
rtuna
t e l y, Bu
t
o use
I ca um
n’t . . f ab
.
 “Unfortunately, I’m up to my SNOUT
in work.” I sighed. “What show are you

going to see?”

Before Thea could answer, my grandfather

William Shortpaws barged into the room,

screaming as usual.

“It’s opera ,
the Grandson!

Stop
pretending
to work and come

with us!” he bellowed.

I hadn’t yet

squeaked a word

in reply when too

It’s in
my grandfather ot
h
e!
scurried over her

to the window.

“It’s stuf er
than a vampire’s

cof n in here!” he
grunted, opening the window.

“Nooo!”
I tried to stop him, but it was too

late. A GUST OF WIND from

the open window ew past me,
and before I knew it, my organized

piles of work swirled into the air

and tumbled into one big mess on the

oor.

“You are too M E S S Y, Grandson!”

said my grandfather, shaking his snout.

I got up to close the window, but a ying

SHADOW appeared through

the evening darkness —

and something grazed my

whiskers!

“Careful where you put your

paws, C h e d d a r h e a d!”
It was Bitewing , the pet bat of my friend
CREEPELLA CACKLEFUR
VON ! She is the most

infamouse writer in Mysterious Valley. In his

claws, Bitewing was holding a tape recorder,

which he ung at me.

“Here you go! It’s Creepella’s newest

novel
,” he screeched. “Publish it IMMEDIATELY
,

a
at
Wh
e!
voic
you weak-whiskered rodent!” And with

that, he was off.

FASTER than a hungry cat chasing a

mouse, I turned on the tape recorder.

“
AAAA-AAA-AAAAH! ” Out came a
high-pitched shriek that pierced my

eardrums and rattled my eyeglasses.

“I’ve never heard such a high squeak,”

Thea said, lowering the paws from her ears.

“But WHO can sing like that?” my

grandfather wondered.

The tape recorder emitted another sound,

even higher pitched than the rst one.

Thea’s paws went right back to her ears.

But I smiled wider than my whiskers.

“Thea, Grandfather, sit back on your tails .
You are about to listen to one of my most
amazing adventures in Mysterious Valley!”
 TOM
N
PHA ER
AT
THE THE
THE NS
BY

OF
T IO
RAC FUR
UST KLE
ILL
CAC
AND
RY VON
STO
LLA
EPE
CRE
 A VOICE FROM

THE PA S T

Creepella von Cacklefur blotted her lips

and gave one last glance to Mirror.

Ghastly
! “Ms. Creepella,” the talking mirror

declared. Slug Stain

“Your

Th
ank
Number 5 lipstick really
! brings out the ghastly
you
glow in your eyes.”

“Why, thank you,

MIRROR ,” the mouse

replied. She took a

moment to admire her

cheekbones, which were

dusted with Gravestone

 Gray blush , and her eyelashes, elongated

TERROR
with AT MIDNIGHT
BLUE mascara.
“While I’m happy to be seen au naturel,

I enjoy my deliciously dreadful makeup

too much to be without it!” she said. Now

Creepella was ready for breakfast, and she

bent to pick up the menu that the butler had

left for her.

VON CACKLEFUR BREAKFAST MENU

FOOD
(CHALKY AND CRUNCHY!)
Spoiled milk and tomato oatmeal stew

Pancakes with bruised bananas and larvae jam

Horned lizard egg frittata with side of home ies

DRINKS
( SCRUMPTIOUSLY SLIMY ! )
Smelly socks smoothie

Komodo dragon drool shake

Unlimited stagnant water

 “Since Chef Stewrat started training

Top
for Chef: Challenge at the
Dump , he has been preparing spectacularly
disgusting dishes!” Creepella said, hungrily

licking her whiskers. She started to head

down to the dining room, but on her way,

she realized something was VERY WRONG .

The pawrail on the stairs was not as dull

as it usually was. The dust that Madame

LaTomb, the housekeeper, took great care

in layering on all the furniture each morning

was missing. And if that wasn’t enough, the

table in the dining room wasn’t set and the

youngest von Cacklefur, Baby, was crying

furiously.

A A A H !
A A A A A
W A
 e!
wid
n
Ope
Chef Stewrat tried
Wa
aa h!
to comfort him by

feeding him a

spoonful of

CURDLED
cream of wheat

stew. “Here you go,

sweet abominable
one. Open up for

some stinky mushy-mush.”

“But . . . where is Madame LaTomb?”

Creepella asked. It was unusual for Baby

to cry without the housekeeper instantly

hurrying over.

“She came downstairs with Baby. But

once she looked through the mail, her face

turned paler than a block of feta, and she

scurried off to her room, leaving me alone

with the little one,” Chef Stewrat explained.

 Creepella was intrigued . She went

back upstairs to look for Madame LaTomb.

When she got to the housekeeper’s room,

she stuck her snout inside and saw Madame

sitting at her vanity, not moving a whisker .

Creepella cleared her throat and took a few

Oh,
dea
r
me!
steps into the room. As she got closer, she

noticed that Madame LaTomb was clenching

a C A R D with a black border.

“Oh, hello,
my dear. I didn’t hear you,”

Madame said vacantly, not taking her eyes

off the card in her paws.

Is
som
ethi
wron ng
g?
 “What’s going on, Madame? Is something

wrong ?” Creepella asked.

Madame LaTomb shook her head, which

sent Howler , the were-canary who nested

in her hair, ying with a grumble.

“Oh, dear,” Madame said, startled. “It’s

such frightfully fabumouse news that I’ve

been in a daze ! Here, read this,” she said

excitedly, handing Creepella the card.

Creepella began reading the card aloud.

Your Mousey Exc elle nce

is invited tonight to

Mousetropolitan The ater

the Royal

watch the macabre opera

to

La Ratviata
the most superb, exce ptio nal ,
performed by

mousetastic singer

Violetta von Cacklefur

 ANOTHER

VON CACKLEFUR?!

Creepella leaped into the air and twirled

around the room. Her whiskers trembled

with anticipation . “Violetta von Cacklefur!

!
AAA
Rotten ricotta! She is one of our A
la LA
la
most famouse relatives — La

and the best opera

singer in the world!

No mouse can sing high

notes like Violetta!”

“I’m so excited, I’m

bursting out of my

fur!” Madame LaTomb

Violetta von Cacklefur
squeaked. “I’ve loved
 opera ever since I was a young mouselet. I

even used to sing myself — did you know

that? When I read the invitation, my heart

melted faster than Brie on burnt toast. I

still can’t believe it!”

“What’s so special about her?” Howler

muttered, grumpy as usual.

Creepella ignored him completely . “This

will be a W I C K E D LY wonderful,
So
excitin
g! Ma
marvemouse event that
rvem
ous
e! the whole family
must see!”

“ Absolutely !”

Madame agreed. “And

perhaps we can even

go backstage to

say hello before

she goes on.”

“That’s an excellent
idea! Let’s tell everyone,” Creepella replied.

In two shakes of a rat’s tail , Madame was

calling all the members of the family, and

Creepella dashed away to call Geronimo.

“Hello, my little Gerrykins! Get ready —

I’m coming to pick you up!” Creepella

cackled into the phone as soon as he

y?
ead
R-r
picked up.

“R-ready? Ready for what?

Who is squeaking?” Geronimo

asked. It was early, and he

hadn’t quite woken up.

“Your beloved Creepella , of

course! I’m changing our date

plans for tonight —”

“D-date? We don’t have date

plans!” Geronimo interrupted. “We’re just

going to a movie. But no horror movies,

please , because —”
 But Creepella took no notice. “We are

going to the darkest and most macabre

opera house, the Royal Mousetropolitan

Theater!”
le
who
“B-but why?”
The
“And that’s not all,” ily?!
fam

Creepella said, dramatically

raising the suspense . “My

whole family is coming!”

“Argh!” Geronimo blurted.

“ The whole ”
family
“And
?!
what’s wrong with that?” Creepella

asked in a tone that could freeze a pot of

boiling FONDUE .

“N-nothing . . . nothing at all!”

“All right, then. I’m on my way. Dress

to impress — from ears to tail. We will

be meeting the one and only Violetta von

Cacklefur!”
 Geronimo was so surprised that the

phone almost slipped right out of his paws.

“Violetta von Cacklefur? Another relative?

How many mice are in your family?!”

“Oh, Gerry Berry. What a silly question.

Go pick out something debonair. I'll be

there soon! ”
 Diva in
Despair

The von Cacklefur family gathered outside

the Royal Mousetropolitan Theater

faster than a hungry ratling can eat a cheese

baguette. While the show wouldn’t start

Oh for a few hours, Madame LaTomb had

,
the
me arranged to get everyone inside
mo
ries
.
.
through the back entrance.
.
She guided them con dently

through the theater’s maze

of hallways .

“I know this theater like

the back of my paw,” said

Madame LaTomb, slowing

down to take it all in. “This feels

like going back in time! You

know, when I was young, I met

Armando di Formaggio , the

great-great-grandson of the

ARCHITECT
who designed the Armando
di For m ag gi o
theater,” she said fondly .

“He was a true gentlemouse ,”

she continued, her eyes glazing over like

warm caramel on a cheesecake.

“A real r a s c a l!” Howler screeched. “As

skinny as a skeleton on a diet!”

“Madame, we can scurry down memory
lane later,” Creepella said gently. “But if we

want to spend some time with Violetta . . .”

“Yes, yes,” Madame said, picking up the

pace. They turned a corner. “Ah, here we

are!”
 ves!
rsel
you

ave
Beh
 .
. What’s
.
d is a s te r ! on?
What
a no going
Oh
 The dressing room door was open, and the

von Cacklefurs could see Violetta lying on

a chair. The family entered quietly on their

tippy-paws so they didn’t startle her.

“My dear friend,” Madame cried, rushing

over to hold the singer’s paw. “Whatever is

the matter?”

Violetta looked up and studied each

member of the family she hadn’t seen in

ages. Then suddenly, she burst into tears .

“My frie
nds —
. .
s .
relative
dear
my life is
over!

AM RUINED!”
I
 THE GOLDEN

BOX

The most famouse singer in the world looked

sadder than a mouse with an empty cheese

plate. Her eyes were RED , her voice was

weak, and her paws were shaky .

“What’s going on?” Creepella asked,

approaching the distraught singer. Violetta

moaned and handed Madame LaTomb

a golden box. Creepella glanced at its label:

Rich Dark Chocolate Toad Phlegm

Truf es .
“No, thank you, my dear,” Madame

answered , thinking Violetta was offering

her a sweet. “I had a huge bowl of s t e w

 for breakfast.”

Violetta shook her snout.

“It’s all because of these

little chocolates. I found

te them here in my dressing

cola
Cho
es room, and I thought
Dar
k
r u ffl
T
Rich

Toa
d
Phl
egm they were a gift from
a fan. Everyone knows they are my

favorites . . . I had one, and . . . oh, what

a disaster !” Violetta cried, dropping her

snout into her paws and beginning to weep

again.

“What happened after you ate the

chocolate?” Creepella prodded.

Violetta’s tears streamed down her

whiskers. “Something terrible! My high

notes — they’ve . . .

d is a p p e a r e d
!”
 Violeta gulped and took a deep breath.

She opened her mouth wide:

Everyone gasped.

“Yikes!”
“Your voice!”
“This is terrible!”
“What a t r a g e d y !”

“Violetta von Cacklefur needs her high

notes!” Madame LaTomb squealed. “An

opera singer without her high notes is like

an attic with no dust —”

“Or a sarcophagus with no mummy!”

Grandpa Frankenstein added.

“Or a COFFIN with no corpse,” Creepella’s

 father, Boris von Cacklefur, said, joining in.

“Or my stew with no stinky socks,” Chef

Stewrat mused.

“That’s enough!” Creepella exclaimed,

giving a scolding look to her family.

“We have to gure out who sent that

w it h
a c o ff in
Or
. . .
no corpse
Like a sarcophagus
with no
with no my stew
mummy . . . Or
socks!
stinky
 why?
And
box of chocolates to Violetta,” Who
?

Creepella declared. “I smell a

mystery !”
Geronimo had been

keeping quiet, but Creepella’s

words compelled him to

squeak up. “Not only do we

have to gure out WHO they’re from, dear

Creepella, but also WHY they were sent!

Why would someone play this terrible

trick on Violetta?”

The singer looked at Geronimo with teary

eyes. “I don’t know . . .” she whimpered .

In a corner of the dressing room, the

black-and -gold wrapping paper

that the chocolates came in was crumpled

on the oor. Creepella’s niece, Shivereen ,

picked it up and looked at it carefully. A

moment later, she let out a squeal.

 “Auntie, look at this! A c a r d is

stuck to the wrapping paper!”

Violetta looked over in confusion . “I

didn’t notice anything. I was so eager to

unwrap it that I just tossed the paper away.”

Creepella opened the card.

“There are two words . . .” she said,

studying it. “Ah, it’s a name !”

“What name?” Geronimo asked.

Creepella squinted as she tried to decipher

the handwriting.

BARIONIO
BLACKSONG

Violetta let out a BLOODCURDLING

scream that sounded like a hundred

tortured toads. Then, in a move worthy of

the dramatic diva that she was, she put a

paw to her forehead and fainted .

Everyone was so captivated by her reaction

that they clapped excitedly.

“How elegant !” Grandma Crypt squeaked.

“Such emotion !” Madame LaTomb

said breathlessly .
 A BROKEN

PROMISE

Grandma Crypt took a small bottle out

of her spider-shaped purse. “It’s Slimy

Swamp Salts ,” she explained. “The

stink is strong enough to bring mummies

p
Swam
Slimy
back to life!” She put
Salts
the little bottle under

Violetta’s snout, and

she revived instantly.

“Alas, this is all my

fault!” Violetta cried out as

soon as she came to.

Creepella was beginning

to get sick of the mouse’s

MELODRAMA . “Can you just tell

us why already?” she said, rolling her eyes.

Violetta’s tail drooped with despair. “If

I had read that name, I would never have

eaten those chocolates. My sweet tooth will

be my downfall!” she moaned, her paws

covering her face.

The family couldn’t take it any longer.

“Who is Baritonio Blacksong ?!” they all

shouted.

Violetta began wringing her

nervously. Finally,
paws
she gulped and took a

deep breath. “It’s time I told the truth, no

matter how dreadful it makes me look.

I met Baritonio Blacksong many, many

years ago. He is the legendary, mysterious,

and ghoulish phantom of the Royal

Mousetropolitan Theater.”

Madame LaTomb’s fur stood on end. “The

phantom really exists ?!”

Violetta explained. “At the time, I was

a promising young singer. I was good, but

so were many others. One day, Baritonio

appeared in my dressing room and offered

to teach me the SECRET to singing the

highest notes. He was stern but very kind.

Thanks to his secret lessons, I learned to

reach notes higher than any other mouse,

even higher than the great Lucia Pawsarotti!

Because of him, I got the lead role in

Madame Ratter y.”

The singer paused and sighed. “But on

OPENING NIGHT , I did something

terrible. Something unforgivable .”

Violetta fell silent , and Madame LaTomb

went to comfort her. “Come sit down, my

dear. Take a deep b r e a t h .”

Violetta followed her friend’s advice and
 Fa
,
sol
,
la,
tii
iii
i!

Do
,
re,
iiim
!iii
then continued her story. “I had promised

Baritonio that during the curtain call at the

end of the show, I would reveal that he

was my teacher, and we would perform the

duet from the opera, The Furdresser of

Seville . But . . .” the mouse trailed off.

“ But what?!? ” the family shouted in

suspense.

“I forgot about it!” Violetta burst out.

“I was so overwhelmed by the standing

ovation from the audience. I took my bows

and walked right OFF the stage!

“As soon as I was backstage, I saw

Baritonio — as angry as a rat stung

by a thousand furious wasps. He had

transformed from the kind phantom who

had taught me everything I knew into a

terrifying GHOUL ! He whipped out the

secret contract I had signed. Then he

shook his paw at me and swore he would

have revenge !

“That is why I never came back to

Gloomeria . . .” Violetta looked up

with tears in her eyes . “I had hoped he

would have forgotten about it by now — but

I was wrong .”

s?!
thi
.
.
. er
.
I
ememb
. R
.
r ry
so
I’m
 LATOMB TO

THE RESCUE

Violetta’s SOBS shook the whole room.

The von Cacklefurs didn’t know what to do.

Creepella studied Violetta, then nodded

with DETERMINATION . “We have no choice,”

she said. “We have to find the phantom

before the show starts!”

Geronimo began to tremble immediately.

“W-we? Who’s ‘we’?”

“Why, cheddar cheeks ,” Creepella

replied, “you and me, of course.”

Faster than mold growing on old blue

cheese, Geronimo tried to FLEE the

dressing room.
 But Snip and Snap, the troublemaking

twins, tripped him.

“ Aaaah! ” Geronimo let out a

high squeak as he went ying.

“Nice tone !” Grandma Crypt noted.

Geronimo landed with a hard THUD . He

knew there was no getting out of helping

Creepella. “And wh-what will we do after

we nd the ph-phantom?” he stammered as

he got back to his paws.

“ Elementary, my dear Stilton ,” Creepella

cooed. “We convince him to forgive Violetta

and give her back her voice!”

The other von Cacklefurs chimed in with

approval. “ Excellent idea!”

However, Geronimo wasn’t convinced.

He stood up, dusted off his jacket, and

asked, “Creepella, in the name of all things

cheesy , do you have the slightest idea

 where Baritonio is hiding?”

Creepella looked at her furry friend with

supreme con dence. “Of course not. That’s

why we have to nd him!”

Violetta interrupted them with a weak

voice. “The theater is . . . sniff . . . huge. The

basement alone is lled with closets and

passageways . . . sniff . . . that no one

but Baritonio knows about . . .”

“ Almost no one!” squealed Madame

LaTomb.

“ Almost no one!” screeched Howler.

Alm
ost The von Cacklefurs, Geronimo, and
no
one
! Violetta stared at the housekeeper

with puzzled expressions.

“As I told you, I met Armando di

Formaggio , the great-great-grandson

of the ARCHITECT of the theater,”

Madame explained.
 “Useless bag of bones . . .” Howler

muttered.

“One day, he took me to what used to be

his great-great-grandfather’s of ce,” the

housekeeper went on. “In an old trunk,

he had found a map of the theater, which

we both studied. Violetta is right that the

p!
ma
A

What a find!
 basement is a real maze.
But I still remember where

the entrance is, and I can

lead you to it!”

Creepella wasted no time. She

pushed Geronimo out the door, shouting,

“Shivereen! Bitewing! You’re coming

with us. The show is starting shortly. Let’s

scurry!”

However, Bitewing was already making

himself comfortable hanging upside down

from the chandelier . “I wanted to take a

nap!” he protested.

Creepella threw the bat a gummy

beetle , which he snapped right up.

“Mmm . . .” Bitewing ew to

the door as he gulped down

the treat. “You’ve convinced Gummy

me. Let’s goooo!” treat

bettle
 TRICK OR

T R E AT ?

The dressing rooms lined a long hallway

that ended with a tiny door . It was painted

the same color as the wall and had no

knob. They wouldn’t have noticed it at all

if Madame LaTomb hadn’t stopped and

pointed to it. “Here’s the ENTRANCE to the

basement. I’m sure of it!”

On the door was written:

STEP RIGHT IN, AND USE YOUR SNOUT.

BUT ONCE YOU’RE IN, YOU CAN’T COME OUT!

 “It’s a line from one of my favorite operas,

RATOLETTO by Giuseppe Mousi!”

Madame LaTomb exclaimed. Creepella

pushed the door ercely , but it didn’t

budge.

“Hmm,” Creepella thought aloud. “There’s

no knob or lock. There has to be another

mechanism to open the door . . . but what

is it?”

“Step right in, and use your SNOUT .

But once you’re in, you can’t come out . . . ”

Madame LaTomb sang quietly. “An

eternity of fears awaits. Find the key .

Unlock your fate!”

Suddenly, the door CLICKED and

popped open.

“The unlocking mechanism must be voice

activated!” Creepella exclaimed. “By singing

the lyrics, you cracked the code !”

 Creepella pushed open the

door farther to discover a

steep spiral staircase.

She took a few steps

Help!
and called back to the

others. “Careful —

the steps are a little

rotten .” Shivereen and

Madame LaTomb followed

Creepella on light paws.

As Geronimo trailed them,

one of the steps gave out.

His paw went straight

through it. hee!

Hee,
“Ack! A little rotten?!

The steps are completely

rotten!” he screeched,

clambering to get

free.
 “Oh, hush, you scaredy-mouse ,”
Creepella said with a snort from the

bottom of the stairs. She pulled out

the ashlight Grandpa Frankenstein had

given her on her birthday. She

turned it on and waved

a spider-shaped

beam of light around

the area.

They were in a

small room, and in

front of them was

a STEEL big

DOOR covered
with thick chains

and a huge lock. The

walls were draped with

thick spiderwebs woven

in beautifully intricate patterns. Madame

LaTomb was mesmerized . “Who could

have woven these?” she marveled.

Creepella directed the ashlight to a

corner of the room and revealed the answer.

There was a HUGE HAIRY SPIDER

sitting on top of a key ring! Its

RED eyes

scrutinized the newcomers.

“What an adorable little critter!”

Shivereen gushed. She approached the

spider, holding her paw out toward it.

“Careful! Better not to trust a strange

spider,” Creepella said. “I have Kafka’s

huge!
it’s
B-but

!
Fe t c h
cockroach crunchies in my pocket. Let’s

see if it likes them.”

She tossed one to the spider, who snat ched

it out of the air and gobbled it right up.

Creepella then threw one crunchie after

another across the room, each one a bit

farther than the last. The enormouse

spider followed the treats, moving away

from the corner little by little and leaving the

keys exposed . As it munched another

crunchie, Creepella shouted, “Shivereen,

now! Grab the keys!”

Her niece snatched up the keys, RAN

to the door, and unlocked the bolt. All

the mice rushed through it, leaving the well-

fed spider behind them.

 TRA-LA-LA!
RIDDLE-DEE-DEE!

Creepella aimed her ashlight in front of the

group and illuminated a long, narrow,

seemingly endless tunnel .

“D-do we h-have to go in there?” asked

Geronimo.

“Most de nitely,” Creepella insisted. “We

can only go forward,” she said, strutting

down the tunnel.

“B-but why?” Geronimo stammered.

Creepella snorted. “Cheesy pie, must

I explain everything? Everyone knows that

once you enter a DARK tunnel like this,

you can only go forward. Otherwise , you

end up getting trapped ! I learned this my

very rst year of the Acad —”

THUMP!

“What was that ?” Shivereen asked.

“The fur-face has fainted!” Bitewing

snickered.

Creepella knew just what to do. “No need

to panic . Luckily, Grandma Crypt gave me

her bottle of Slimy Swamp Salts .”

She swiftly pulled it out and waved it under

Geronimo’s nose.
 He came to so fast it was as if he’d

been dumped into the frigid waters of the

Ratlantic Ocean. Instead of fear, a look of

utter disgust had taken over his face.

“What is that HORRIFIC smell?!”

he cried, furiously rubbing his snout with

the back of his paw.

“Why, a delightfully dreadful perfume !”

Creepella replied while Shivereen, Madame

LaTomb, and Howler nodded behind her in

agreement.

Geronimo walked quickly to get away

from the stink.

is
What
smell?!
that
 Finally, the long hallway ended in a large,

round room with a small blocked door.

Creepella directed her light to the door and

noticed a yellowed note stuck to it with a

skull-shaped pin.
The fearless mouse took it down and read:

MUSICAL RIDDLES

Tra-la-la! Riddle-dee-dee!
Solve them all or never be free!

“ Riddles?! What if we can’t gure them

out?!” Geronimo said, whiskers trembling.

“We’ll be stuck here forever !”

“Don’t worry your pretty little fur,” his

friend answered . “We can’t have you faint

aga —”
 But it was too late. Geronimo had already

collapsed . Ohhh
h . . .

Creepella groaned .

“We’re out of

smelling salts!”

“Don’t worry,

my dear,” Madame

LaTomb said reassuringly.

“ Bitewing will take care of him.”

The housekeeper shot a stern glance at the

bat. “In the meantime, we have to gure out

these riddles !”

When Geronimo came to, he was

SHOCKEDto nd out that the riddles

had all been solved .

“B-but how?” the mouse stuttered.

“Gerry Berry, riddles are NO MATCH

FOR ME,” Creepella said casually. “All

we had to do was figure out all the

 MUSICAL RIDDLES
1. I have eighty -eight keys, but there’s

no door I can open. What am I?

2. I'm an instrument that a skeleton might

play. What am I?

3. I’m a type of band that doesn’t play music.

What am I?

4. You can play me best when you hold me by

the neck. What am I?

5. I have strings you can’t tie and a bow that

is straight. What am I?

6. No one’s scales are better than mine. What

am I?

7. I’m an instrument you can hear but can’t

touch or see. What am I?

8. I’m a part of your head where you can play

the best rhythms. What am I?

9. I am a phone that plays the best songs.

What am I?
answers , say them in a loud voice to

activate the unlocking mechanism —

because, as we know, everything down here

works through vocal commands — and the

door opened. Piece of cheesecake! ”

She took a moment to give a smile of

satisfaction.

“Now, let’s s h a ke a t a i l! I’m sure

we’re close to getting out of this

maze!”

enohpoxas A .9 ratiug A .4
smurdraE .8 dnab rebbur A .3
eciov ruoY .7 enobmort A .2
ekans A .6 onaip A .1
niloiv A .5 SREWSNA
 ENT
BASEM
R
THEATE g!
ITAN Blackson
TROPOL Baritonio
MOUSE get to
to
ROYAL the maze
through
the way
Find
 EMBRACE YOUR

DOOM!

To Creepella’s surprise, nding their way

through the maze proved harder than

nding a moldy cheese slice in a haystack.

After many, many attempts scurrying up

and down the labyrinth of passageways, the

mice nally found their way to the other

side of the theater basement. Unfortunately,

Baritonio was still nowhere to be found.

“We'll never get out of here!” Geronimo

wailed.

Instead, the mice found yet another

locked door with another note attached

to it with a skull-shaped pin. Creepella read

the shaky handwriting:

One step from your tomb,

Don’t try to be brave .

Embrace your doom.

Geronimo GREAT stared at the note. “

CHUNKS OF CHEDDAR! What

in the name of string cheese does this mean?”

Creepella twirled her tail thoughtfully.

“I’m not sure yet, my handsome Havarti . . .”

“Maybe it’s another verse to a song!”

Shivereen suggested. “If we sing the next

verse, we could trigger the unlocking

mechanism, just like with the other doors.”

Madame LaTomb began to nod her

head sadly. “You’re right . . . it’s a song

from Ratcido Domingo’s least successful

opera, Mouse of La Nacho . It's about

a mouse who eats nachos that he knows

are poisonous , but he can’t stop himself.

Whoever wrote this note is an expert . I can’t

remember how the rest of the song goes!”

“Try, Madame, try!” pleaded Geronimo.

“Or else we’ll never get out of here!”

The housekeeper closed her eyes and tried

to will the words into her brain. But

they wouldn’t come.

“N-now what do we d-do?” Geronimo

stammered, starting to sway .

“ Don’t faint! ” Creepella shouted.

“Maybe we could think of a word that

rhymes with ‘brave’ to help Madame

remember the words to the next line,”

suggested Shivereen.

“That’s a mousetastic idea!” Creepella

replied. “Let’s think. Wave rhymes with

b r av e . . .”
 “ Cave, pave, rave. . .” Geronimo offered.

“ Shave , crave . . .” Shivereen tried.

The mice were interrupted when Howler

JETTED out of Madame LaTomb’s hair.

“You three are terribly amusing,” the

were-canary said with a chilly shrill. “Too

bad you could t MOUNT RATVEREST

it?
is
what
Howler,

us!
Tell
us!
Tell
between you and the solution.” Everyone

stared at him, annoyed but hopeful.

“Does that mean you know what comes

next?” Geronimo asked urgently .

“But of course! I know every verse in

every song of every opera . There is

no better singer than me. Not even Violetta

von Cacklefur —”

Now it was Madame LaTomb’s turn to

jump in. “For Gouda’s sake, Howler, don’t

be RUDE ! And stop wasting time!”

she said reproachfully . “If you know the

song, sing it at once!”

Howler GLARED at Madame for a

moment, grumbling quietly. Then he took

a deep breath, puffed out his chest, and

howled:
“ONE
STEP FROM YOUR TOMB,

DON’T
TRY TO BE BRAVE.
 EMBRACE
YOUR DOOM.

YOU
CAN’T AVOID YOUR GRAVE!

GHOULS
AND GOBLINS

WILL
SOON START TO ARRIVE

TO
HAUNT YOUR COFFIN!

YOU
WON’T COME OUT ALIVE!”

And as slowly as a mouse

savors his last piece of

cheese, the door creaked

open.
 REVENGE, SWEET

REVENGE!

A large room with an enormouse bed

and a wardrobe piled high with clothes

and accessories awaited Creepella and

company. Inside the wardrobe, hundreds of

beautiful dresses hung on the racks.

“These are all the stage costumes!”

Madame exclaimed. “This is from The

Jealous Cof nmaker starring Chordelia

Callas. And this is from Mousezart’s The

Macabre Flute !”
“How fabumouse!” Creepella exclaimed.

“I love the little embroidered BATS on

that one.”
 In one corner was a gramophone and piles

of dusty oldrecords. Madame stooped

down to take a closer look. “This really is an

enviable collection ,” she noted.

On a round table next to the records,

Shivereen found a BIG RED BOOK . She

leafed through it and saw pages and

pages of pictures and articles about

Violetta. Someone had compiled all the

clippings about the singer from the last few

years.

“Look what I found, Auntie. One of

Violetta’s biggest admirers must live

here,” she said, holding up the book.

“Hm . . . You may be right! Or perhaps

this rodent has become an ex-admirer ,”

Creepella pondered.

“Congratulations!” BOOMED an

unfamiliar voice. Baritonio Blacksong

BARITONIO BLACKSONG’S ROOM
WATCH OUT! CREEPELLA AND FRIENDS ARE NOT ALONE!

CAN YOU FIND BLACKSONG?

 .esackoob eht fo
tuo gnimoc si gnoskcalB :REWSNA
Cong
ratula
tions!

appeared in front of the

bookcase and took a bow.

“No mouse has ever

managed to get this far.

You solved all my TRICKY

PUZZLES . You deserve a

special prize . . .”

His words were kind, but

the mice felt shivers down

their tails.

Creepella proceeded with

caution. “We don’t want a prize. What we

want is for you to give back Violetta’s high

notes .”
Blacksong’s nose wrinkled , and then

he took a letter out of his pocket and

handed it to Creepella with a strange look.

“This is the promise that Violetta made to

me many years ago. You can still smell her

rotten violet perfume on it. Read it and

you will understand . . .”

Creepella didn’t move a

whisker, so Geronimo took the

letter instead.

“No, don’t!” Creepella

said, EYEING the

letter suspiciously.

However, Geronimo was

more curious than a CAT,

and he immediately read the letter.
’t !
don
“Actually, listen to this,” Geronimo No,

said. “The phantom is not

completely wrong for

being angry.”

Geronimo read aloud

the agreement written

and signed by Violetta:

“Without the phantom ,

Baritonio Blacksong, I would never have

been able to sing the highest notes of

any mouse. I swear that tonight I will tell

the world about his generosity by singing

the duet from . . .”

As the mouse continued, Creepella noticed

that Blacksong’s grin was growing.

“Gerrykins, stop! Stop reading! Don’t you

see?!” she yelped.

But it was too late. “. . . The Furdresser of

Seville,” Geronimo nished.

“Noooo!” Creepella cried.

The oor beneath them OPENED

UP. A trapdoor swung down, sending the

mice FALLING . They landed on the

oor of a cold, dark cell with a loud and

painful CRASH !
“Do you have mold for brains?” Howler

shouted. “By reading the letter, you

activated the voice command

for the trapdoor!”

Up above, they heard

the phantom cackling.

“ REVENGE! SWEET ,
SWEET REVENGE!
I will never forgive

that ungrateful

mouse. Tonight

she will learn

the lesson she

deserves!”

o!
Noooo
 A CAPTIVE

AUDIENCE

“Everything hurts !” Geronimo moaned.

“Even my whiskers hurt.” But with one

glance from Creepella, he shut his snout.

This was the least of their problems.

They were in an UNDERGROUND PRISON ,

where no mouse would ever want to set paw.

“This is what happens when you stick

your snout into someone else’s business!”

Baritonio called down to them. “Now there’s

REVENGE PLAN
nothing stopping my . In

a few minutes, Violetta will step on stage

and give the worst performance of her

life! And you will be my HONORED

 ge!
reven
My

GUESTS for it.”

Creepella sneered.
“And how will we be

able to see anything

from down here?”

she said with a

de ant look.

Let
us
out!
 “Look to your right,” the phantom replied.

“Open that little w i n d ow and you will

have your answer.”

Creepella did as instructed,

and cold air lled their

little cell.

“What is it?” Shivereen

asked as she put her paw

through the opening.

“It’s a tube that connects directly to

the stage,” Baritonio explained. “Don’t

even think about escaping through it. It’s

much too small . But you will be able to

hear what happens above perfectly. I used

to feed lines to that ungrateful Violetta

when she forgot them. Even that opening

night, I reminded her of her promise. But

the applause apparently made mold grow

in her ears!”
 Madame LaTomb tried to defend
her friend. “But she has always been

sorry. She wants to make up for what

she did to you!”

Baritonio grunted. “You must be

joking . The only thing she cares

about is forever sounding like a warty

hear
can
We nce!
audie
the
toad. I can’t wait to hear her croak !

, HA ”

HA HA , , HA!
, HA
The chill in Baritonio’s laughter could

have frozen even the GLACIERS in

the Mountains of the Mangy Yeti, but the

chanting of the audience in the theater

silenced it.

“Violetta! Violetta! We want

Violetta!”
Baritonio’s ears twitched. “Now I must

leave you. Your friend is coming onstage,

and I don’t want to miss a moment!

, HA , A!
H
HA , HA ,
HA
The phantom closed the trapdoor, and
DARKNESS lled the cell. But despite

the despair of their current situation, the

friends had only one thought:

Poor V ii oo ll ee tt tt aa !!
Poor V letta!
Poor Vio
 THE SHOW

MUST GO ON

Meanwhile, back in Violetta’s dressing

room , the other von Cacklefurs were getting

nervous .
“Where can they be?”
Grandma Crypt
repeated for the hundredth time.

“They should have found him by now!”

GRANDPA FRANKENSTEIN exclaimed.

“Baritonio has probably captured them,

and it’s all my fault!” Violetta bawled, but

without her high notes, her sobs sounded

like vomiting toads.

K!
ROOOAAA K!"
“CRR
AAK, AA
OOO
A
OOOA
CRR CR
 Snip and Snap, who had gotten hold of

the chocolates when no one was looking,

had eaten three each, and now they, too,

were croaking .
“Enough!” cried Boris von Cacklefur. “It’s

louder than a swamp full of toads at an all-

the- ies-you-can-eat buffet! BE QUIET ,

or I’ll tie your tails together!”

Then someone knocked on the dressing

room door. It was the theater director

coming to get Violetta.

r
you
r!
tie e the
t og
I’ll
ls ak!
tai Crooo
C ro a k !

C ro a k
!
 “The theater is packed!” he announced,

his paws shaking. “Every seat is lled — from

the orchestra to the balconies. All

of Gloomeria is here

to see the great Violetta.

w
sho
on!
The go
We abso-mousely cannot
st
mu
wait any longer!”

The von Cacklefurs tried to

convince the director to stall

for a few more minutes, but

it was no use. “If we don’t

start immediately, the

audience will riot! It will

be a CAT-ASTROPHE !”

Violetta stood up slowly as if she were

carrying a heavy gravestone on her

back. “The director is right. I can’t keep the

audience waiting any longer.”

“But what will you do about your high

notes?” asked a worried Grandma Crypt.

Instead of replying, Violetta slunk out

the dressing room door. Grandma Crypt

shot glances at the others, and they all

followed her. When the family realized she

was heading toward the STAGE , they

nervously went to take their seats in the

audience.

Every mouse in Gloomeria really did seem

to be at the show. In the second row, the

entire Rattenbaum family sat smugly.

Grandpa Frankenstein stiffened when his

eyes locked with Shamley Rattenbaum.

“Those moldy sewer rats can’t wait to

see one of the von Cacklefurs make a fool of

herself!” Grandpa whispered.

Grandma Crypt shifted in her seat and

sighed . “I just wish I knew where the

others were.”
 A loud round of applause broke

into her thoughts, and the CURTAIN

lifted, revealing Violetta center

stage.
Violetta had the attention of every

mouse in the theater, including one

hidden from view. Behind a heavy

curtain on the farthest corner of the

stage, Baritonio was watching the

singer, as still as a CORPSE .

 THE LAST

LOCK

“ Great cheese balls of fire !

We have to get out of here!” Creepella fumed ,

examining the walls with her paws for the

millionth time to try to nd an opening.

“We’ve searched every nook and

cranny of this cell, my dear Creepella,”

Geronimo said, trying to soothe her. “There

is nothing left we can do.”

Howler and Bitewing agreed. They had

tried to y through the tunnel that led

to the stage, but a net blocked the way,

and they had to come back.

Then Creepella, Geronimo, Madame

 !
ch
rea
’t LaTomb, and Shivereen had
can

climb
I
tried to on top of

one another to reach the

Jus
t tle
lit
a trapdoor in the ceiling,
re!
mo
but it was t o o high
and t o o tightly
closed. They might

as well have had their

tied
Hig
her!
paws behind their

backs. Violetta was about

to making a laughingstock

of herself in front of
!
Oof all the rodents of

Gloomeria , and

they couldn’t help

Grunt! at all.

The audience’s
thunderous applause alerted them that

the singer had reached the stage.

“What will she do?” Shivereen squeaked.

“I can’t bear to listen!” Madame LaTomb

said, shutting her EYES tight and covering

her ears with her paws.

The applause died down and was replaced

with an eerie silence. The orchestra

started to play, and Violetta’s melodious
voice lled the air.

“Sing once again with me,

my perfect rat.
Your squeals will keep away
those evil cats.
When the moon shines tonight,
with song, we’ll ght!”
 Suddenly, Madame LaTomb’s eyes

ashed open. “It’s time! The high note

is coming!” she said, gripping her tail.

The high note, however, never came.

Violetta was so anxious that she fainted

right on the stage.

Thump!

Creepella and the others strained their

ears and heard her being picked up and

carried back to her dressing room . When

several minutes had passed and the singer

didn’t return to the stage, the audience

started to boo.

“Boooo!”
“We want our money back!”
“Violetta is a phony!”
“Ohhh, poor, poor Violetta!” Madame

LaTomb cried. “She’s doomed !”

 Boooo!
!
Boooo

our
want
We
back!
money
 The were-canary stalked out of his

hair nest with a spiteful look. “Well, I can’t

say she didn’t deserve it . . .”

“She made a mistake,” Shivereen said

thoughtfully. “But Baritonio could have

forgiven her by now . . . it’s been such a

long .”

time
Geronimo shook his snout in agreement.

“You’re right. I’ve never met a mouse who’s

acted so heartlessly, even a ghost.” He

paused. “But he must have a heart deep

inside. It’s just locked away . . .”

On hearing those words, Creepella yelped.

“You’re a genius , Gerrycakes! Baritonio’s

heart is just locked away! To make him open

up and feel again, we need to nd the right

song. We can x this!”
“ Fix this!
Fix this! Fix this!”
Bitewing squeaked.
 Geronimo looked at Creepella in

confusion. “But how . . . ?”

Creepella smiled. “Didn’t you hear what

the phantom said? He said he used to

whisper lines to Violetta when she forgot

the words onstage.”

“So?” prodded Geronimo.

“So, that means the tunnel carries

sound from here to the stage! All we have

to do is sing a song that will remind

Baritonio of how he loved singing with

Violetta, and he’ll forgive her!”

“I wish I could help, but I’m

as tone-deaf as a cat’s yowl,”

Geronimo said. “You’d have

better luck with a clanging

bell!”

Creepella smirked. “I’m not counting on

either of us to save the day this time.”

 A SONG FOR

BARITONIO

Back onstage, the theater director was

trying to calm the audience. “Ladies and

gentlemice, I am pleased to announce that in

tonight’s opera, Violetta von Cacklefur will

be replaced by the mezzo-soprano Wynona

B. Flatfur, fresh off her debut at the Wrong
Note Theater — aaaah!” He ducked to avoid

a bunch of rancid broccoli hurtling toward

the stage, which was quickly followed by

MOLDY C AU L I F L OW E R and mushy

ROTTEN TOMATOES .
Seizing the opportunity , Chef Stewrat

rushed to the stage to pick up the food.

“Mmm! So many delicious ingredients
for my stew!” he said with glee.

!
us p!
licio Sto
e
D
ie!
uch
O

The rest of the audience was FURIOUS .

They were so upset, it took a few minutes

for them to hear the melOdy coming from

the theater’sbasement . Then slowly, one

after another, they were captivated by

Madame LaTomb’s voice.

 The von Cacklefurs’ housekeeper had

picked an emotional song to reach the

heart of the mouse holding her dear

friend’s voice hostage: “Sorry Rotten

Heart ” from the opera Don Rattovani.

“MY TRULY DREADFUL FRIEND ,

SHE HIDES AWAY IN FEAR.

SILENT MUCH TOO LONG,

FOR ALL THESE MOLDY YEARS .

MANY MOONS HAVE PA S S E D ;

SHE’S SUNG TOO MANY SONGS .

BUT NOW IT’S TIME FOR HER

TO RIGHT HER MANY WRONGS .”

As Madame let the last notes of the

verse trail off, a heavy silence lled the air.

 Then suddenly, a roar of applause lled

the theater. The audience was on its feet,

cheering for the mysterious voice.

Down in the prison cell, Baritonio

Blacksong appeared out of nowhere and

knelt in front of Madame LaTomb.

“My dear Madame! What a haunting

voice!” he bellowed , grabbing the

housekeeper’s paws between his own. “What

a sublime interpretation ! It has been

decades since I’ve heard singing like this. I

had forgotten how moving a song could be!

to
bow grea
t
I
a
h
suc
ist!
art
I bow to such a great artist !”
Howler peeked his head out of his

mistress’s hair. “I taught her everything

she knows.”

The phantom blew his nose with an

invisible handkerchief before blubbering,

“I would do anything for you, Madame!”

Madame LaTomb smiled so wide, even

her whiskers turned up. This was the

moment they’d been waiting for. “All I ask

is that my friend Violetta get her high notes

back,” she said decidedly.

Anticipating Baritonio's resistance,

Creepella hurried to add, “She’s very sorry

for what she did to you!”

The prisoners held their breaths as they

watched Baritonio tremble with emotion.

No one moved a whisker.

“All right, let’s go to her,” he replied.

 SAVE THE

SOPRANO!

Baritonio led the small group through a

shortcut that only he knew.

“This theater is really incredible !”

Geronimo gushed, invigorated by his

freedom . “They should organize some

guided tours!”

“You like it now that you know you’re not

trapped here forever, you scaredy-

rat!” Howler teased.

Madame pushed the were-canary back into

her hair with a small but forceful SHOVE.

On the other side of the theater, the rest

of the von Cacklefur family surrounded

 Violetta as she lay on her sofa hiding under

a blanket. “Oh! What a disaster! What a

d i s a a a a a s t e r !” she moaned.

The family was starting to think Violetta

would never recover when Creepella and

the others came bursting into the room.

.
.
.
a
lett
a Vio ny !
Poor fun
at
Wh r! not
s te
d isa I t ’s
 They were even more surprised when the

phantom Baritonio dashed past them all

to kneel by Violetta’s side.

“Does this ghost do anything but kneel

down?” Shivereen wondered.

“Another softy,” Bitewing concluded.

We
did
it! Is
He she
re !
ling okay
we dar ?
are
! My
 “Oh, dear Violetta!

Please forgive me!”

Baritonio pleaded.

“Baritonio?” Violetta

whispered. She couldn’t believe it. “Oh,

please forgive ME!” she

begged, touching her

heart with her paw.

Madame sighed. “What

a
disgustingly moving
moment,” she said, dabbing

away tears .

Out in the main theater, the

audience was not sharing in

any tender moments. They

were still demanding a

show !
Baritonio handed Violetta

a small box. “Take two chocolate-

covered toad's warts , and you’ll

get your high notes back, my dear.”

Violetta nervously ate the candy. Then

she took a deep breath and sang a high C.

“Aaaa-ahhhh-eeeeee!”
“It worked!” Creepella exclaimed.

“Violetta can sing again! The show can be

saved!”

The singer smiled. “It can, but not by me

alone. Two friends will have to sing

with me.” eeeeee!

--
hh
ah
-aaa
A
 HAPPILY GLOOMY

EVER AFTER

re !”
r e! Enco Enco
“Enco re!
When Violetta, Baritonio, and Madame

LaTomb took the stage, the audience wasn’t

sure what to expect. But from the trio’s

rst note squealed in perfectly gruesome
harmony , they were mesmerized. With

each new song, the singers transported the

audience further into a terri cally dark

and dreary paradise.

“It is the most horri cally fabumouse

show I’ve ever seen!” Geronimo whispered.
 He, like everyone else, had practically

clapped the FUR right off his paws. Every

time the singers tried to leave the stage, the

audience stomped and squealed until

they were forced to come back onstage to

sing another song. After ten encores,

the show nally ended because the crowd

was hoarse from cheering.

 After the show, it was almost impossible
to get into Violetta’s dressing room.

Bouquets of rotten owers were piled

high along every wall.

The singer could not stop thanking her

family and friends. “Without you, my

career — my life! — would be over!” she

gushed. Bravo!

u,
yo

k
an !
Th
nds
e
fri
 “And now I have some exciting news,”
she continued. “Gloomeria witnessed the

incredible Baritonio Blacksong tonight. It

would be a great loss if his voice was not

heard again. And since singing with him has

made me so happy—”
“We have decided to go on a WORLD
Now, a
hung
who’s What
ry?
!
show
TOUR together!” the phantom nished.

“Hooray!” The room full of mice cheered .

With so much to celebrate , it was a long

night. It was very, very late when the von

Cacklefurs nally made their way home.

“I’m going to put Baby to bed,”

Madame LaTomb announced. “ GOOD

NIGHTMARES , everyone!”

“Madame,” Geronimo called out. “Why

don’t you join the tour with Violetta and

Baritonio? You’re a stupendous trio!”

The housekeeper looked lovingly around

the room. “No,” she replied while giving

Baby atight . “I have everything

I need
squeeze
right here at Cacklefur Castle. I

couldn’t imagine being this happily gloomy

anywhere else!”

THE END
 THE WORLD
TOUR

On the tape recorder, Creepella’s voice

faded away and was replaced with

background static. I had been in a dream

state listening to her describe that

THRILLING NIGHT at the Royal

Mousetropolitan Theater. The crackling

sounds snapped me back to my of ce in

New Mouse City.

Grandfather William and Thea were

P UMP E D U P.
“Geronimo, this story had me on the edge

of my seat. It’s a true paw-biter,” my

sister declared. “Publish it immediately!”

“Yes, y o u m u s t ,” my grandfather
concurred. “You’re a huge scaredy-
mouse in the story, but —”

I was about to squeak that I’d like to see

how he would have acted in my place when

Creepella’s shrill voice chirped back out of

the tape recorder.

“Well, furheart, I’m sure you’re already

thinking about when you can publish this

gripping story , but it’ll have to wait a few

ill!
thr
a y
aid
at vo! ’ fr
Wh Bra
You
rat!
days. Tomorrow , Violetta and Baritonio are

kicking off their world tour, The Phantom

of the Theater , at the Royal Mousetropolitan

Theater, and they are counting on you to be

there. Invite whomever you wish and get

here right away!”

A click signaled the end of the tape.

“Well!” Grandfather bellowed. “What

are you waiting for?! You heard her. We

better get going!”

He was right. Violetta’s and Baritonio’s

voices had haunted me ever since that

night, and I couldn’t wait to hear them again.

And once the performance was over, I would

publish Creepella’s book straightaway. I

knew we had another BESTSELLER on our

paws, because there’s no better suspense

writer in Mysterious Valley than CREEPELLA

CACKLEFUR!
VON
 VIOLETTA VON CACKLEFUR

AND BARITONIO BLACKSONG IN

THE PHANTOM OF THE THEATER

THE WORLD TOUR
with music by Andrew Lloyd Spiderwebber

A truly
haunti
p e r fo r ng
mance
!
 .th
gin
od
go
g
sin
to
l,
e al s!
m to ht
co frig
s
ha m
s
e rea od
tim
d go
l,
al
ky to
oo
ehT

Sp
dn
a
If you liked this book,
be sure to check out
my other adventures!
Be sure to read all my
f a b m o u s e adventures!
Join me and my friends as
we travel through time
these
in very special
editions!
Don’t miss any of

these exciting Thea

Sisters adventures !
 Meet
GERONIMO STILTONIX

He is a spacemouse — the Geronimo

Stilton of a parallel universe! He is

captain of the spaceship MouseStar 1.

While ying through the cosmos, he visits

distant planets and meets crazy aliens.

His adventures are out of this world!

 Be sure to read
all of our magical
special edition
adventures!
 1

1. Mountains of the Mangy Yeti 7. Squeakspeare Mansion

2. Cacklefur Castle 8. Slimy Swamp

3. Angry Walnut Tree 9. Ogre Highway

4. Rattenbaum Mansion 10. Gloomeria

5. Rancidart River 11. Shivery Arts Academy

6. Bridge of Shaky Steps 12. Horrorwoof Studios

 MY
STE
RIO
US
VAL
LEY

10

HORROWOOD 12

11
 19

18
9

17

7 16

10

11
6
15

14
5
13
3

1 4

12

2
 CAC
KL
EFU
R
CA
1. Oozing Moat STL
E

2. Drawbridge 12. Garage (for

antique hearses)

3. Grand entrance

13. Bewitched tower

4. Moldy basement

14. Garden of

5. Patio, with a view carnivorous plants

of the moat

15. Stinky kitchen

6. Dusty library

16. Crocodile pool and

7. Room for unwanted piranha tank

guests

17. Creepella's room

8. Mummy room

18. Tower of musky

9. Watchtower tarantulas

10. Creaking staircase 19. Bitewing's tower

(with antique

11. Banquet room contraptions)

DEAR MOUSE FRIENDS,

GOOD-BYE UNTIL

THE NEXT BOOK!

 Meet

CREEPELLA VON CACKLEFUR

Creepella is an enchanting and mysterious

mouse with a pet bat named Bitewing.

By night Creepella is a special effects

designer and director of scary lms, and by

day she’s studying to become a journalist!

THE PHANTOM OF THE THEATER

T he famouse opera singer Violetta vonCacklefur is in

Gloomeria to perform at the Royal Mousetropolitan

Theater ! But the mischievous phantom of the theater

has an old grudge against her. It’s up to

Creepella and Geronimo to track

him down in the theater’s spooky

basement . . . before the curtains

rise and he ruins the show!

www.scholastic.com/geronimostilton
SCHOLASTIC
www.geronimostilton.com

APPEALS TO
2 ND -4 TH GRADERS

READING LEVEL
GRADE 4

More leveling information for this book: