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| - Back at the now-clean cottage Olivia (dressed in green footy pajamas with snaps and a lighter green collar and wrists) held a lit candle in her hands and walked over the stairs with the Pokémon, Dumbo, Timothy (dressed in a red flower, a purple lei, and a green grass skirt as his pajamas), Spike, the crows (Jim was dressed in a clean pair of blue boxer shorts and a red undershirt, Reverend Zachariah was dressed in a gray nightgown and a matching nightcap, Tyrone was dressed in orange long-sleeved pajamas, Big Daddy Lou was dressed in a large green T-shirt and yellow boxer shorts, and Lil' Urle was dressed in purple footy pajamas), and the ponies (Twilight Sparkle was dressed in a purple nightgown with stars on it and lavender pantalettes, Rainbow Dash was dressed in blue pajamas with lightning bolts on them, Rarity was dressed in a pink nightgown, matching curlers, baby pink pantalettes, and a yellow sleeping mask, Fluttershy was dressed in light pink pajamas with butterflies on them, Sunset Shimmer was dressed in magenta pajamas with a red and yellow sun on it, Applejack was dressed in orange pajamas, and Pinkie Pie was dressed in blue pajamas with balloons on them). "Let's see what's upstairs." Olivia told her friends, as she led them upstairs and into a small room. Only Spike didn't come upstairs; he was knocked backwards. So he decided to climb up the stairs himself. "Oh, what adorable beds!" she squealed, as she noticed seven beds against the walls. "And look, they have their names carved on them." Olivia said to the Pokémon, elephant, circus mouse, crows, and ponies. "Bill the Lizard, Old Blind Joe McDowell, Max Henshaw, Bartholomew Ingham. What funny names for children!" she giggled while she continued reading the remaining names on the beds. "John Robertson, Fidget the Bat, and Peewee Pete." Olivia yawned and rubbed her eyes. "I'm a little sleepy myself." Dumbo, Timothy, the crows, and the ponies began to yawn as well. "Oh! Oh!" Olivia lay down across Bill's bed, John's bed, and Max's bed. As Olivia fell asleep, Taillow put out the candle while the Pidgey, Starly and Emolga covered up the sleeping Scottish girl mouse. Soon, Dumbo, Timothy, the crows, the ponies, and several other Pokémon fell asleep on the other thugs' beds as well. As Spike was still climbing up the stairs, music began to fill the bedroom as the seven thugs came closer and closer to the cottage. Bill, John, Old Blind Joe, Peewee Pete, Fidget, Max, and Bartholomew: Hi-hoHi-hoHi-hoHi-ho As the music got louder, the Pokémon, Dumbo, Timothy, Jim, his brothers, Twilight Sparkle, and her friends woke up and jumped off the beds. Bill, John, Old Blind Joe, Peewee Pete, Fidget, Max, and Bartholomew: Hi-hoHi-ho The Pokémon, Dumbo, Timothy, Jim, his brothers, Twilight Sparkle, and her friends ran out of the beds and down the stairs, knocking over Spike again. Then they ran over to the window and saw the thugs come closer and closer to the cottage. Bill, John, Old Blind Joe, Peewee Pete, Fidget, Max, and Bartholomew: Hi-hoHi-hoIt's home from work we goHi-hoHi-ho!Hi-hoHi-hoHi-hoHeigh-hoHi-hoHi-hoIt's home from work we go As the singing grew louder, the Pokémon, Dumbo, Timothy, Jim, his brothers, Twilight Sparkle, and her friends ran out of the cottage, forgetting that they had knocked over Spike. Bill, John, Old Blind Joe, Peewee Pete, Fidget, Max, and Bartholomew: Hi-hoHi-hoHi-hoHi-hoHi-hoHi-hoHi-hoHi-hoIt's home from work we go The Pokémon, the elephant, the mouse, the crows, and the ponies ran back into the forest, making sure the thugs didn't see them. Bill, John, Old Blind Joe, Peewee Pete, Fidget, Max, and Bartholomew: Hi-hoHi-hoHi-hoHi-hoIt's home from work we goHi-hoHi-hoHi-hoHi... "Look!" yelled Bill, as he stopped walking and pointed to their house, causing the bat and mice to bump right into him. "Our house! The lit's light... Uh, the light's lit!" Bill told his friends in shock. The bat, lizard, and mice poked their heads out from behind three different trees. "Jiminy Cricket!" they gasped. "The door is open." said Bill. "The chimney's smoking." said Old Blind Joe. "Something's in there." said Max. "Maybe a ghost." suggested Old Blind Joe. "Or a goblin." suggested Fidget. "A demon." suggested Bill. "Or a dragon." suggested Max. "Mark my words, there's trouble a-brewin'!" warned John. "I felt it coming all day." He lifted up his right foot and pointed to it. "My paws hurt!" he nodded in a haughty way. "Gosh." said Fidget. "That's a bad sign." said Max. "What will we do?" John, Old Blind Joe, Peewee Pete, Max, and Bartholomew asked in unison. "Let's sneak up on it." suggested Fidget. "Yes. We'll, uh, squeak up... Sneak up." said Bill before he cleared his throat. "Come on, guys. Follow me." So armed with their pickaxes, Bill, John, Old Blind Joe, Peewee Pete, Fidget, Max, and Bartholomew snuck to the front of their cottage and looked inside. "Psst!" whispered Bill, as he snuck into the cottage with the mice and bat right behind him. When they were all the way in the cottage, Bartholomew slammed the door behind him. The lizard, bat, and other four mice scrambled around in terror, ready to attack. "Shhhhhh!" They all shushed Bartholomew, startling him. "Shhhh!" Bartholomew shushed the door, as well. "Why did I have to shush the others?" he said to himself. "Careful, everyone. Search every cook and nanny... Hook and granny... Crooked fan... Search everywhere." Bill told his friends, as they split up and began to seach the entire downstairs for whoever was in the cottage besides them. But all they found was a clean cottage. Bill pointed to the floor with Fidget and Max right behind him. "Look! The floor, it's been swept!" They looked at the floor with suspicion. John wiped his fingertip over one of the chairs. "Hah!" he exclaimed, "Chair's been dusted!" Old Blind Joe looked at the clean window and opened it. "Our window's been washed." "Gosh, our cobwebs are missing." gasped Fidget. Bill looked surprised. "Why, why, why, why, the whole place is clean!" he said. "There's dirty work afoot." John said with determination, as Bill nodded at him. Max looked in the sink to see that it was bare. "Sink's empty. Hey! Somebody stole our dishes!" he cried. "They're not stolen, they're put away." Old Blind Joe said, pointing to the cupboard with his thumb. Fidget took out his clean light blue cup. "My cup's been washed." he said. Then, he swiped around the inside of the cup with his wing and sadly said, "Suger's gone." Old Blind Joe and Bartholomew were standing by a cauldron that was cooking over the fire in the fireplace. "Something's cooking." said Old Blind Joe, as he and Bartholomew sniffed the air. "Smells good." He grabbed a spoon and was about to taste what was inside the cauldron before John stomped towards him and Bartholomew. "Don't touch it, you fools!" snapped John, as he shoved the two mice aside from the pot. "Might be poison." The pot's contents hissed with steam, and the lid rattled. "See?" John explained, "It's witch's brew." "Look what's happened to our stable... Uh, table." said Bill, as he noticed the now-clean table with clean dishes and a vase filled with white daisies and red roses on it. Fidget stared at the flowers that had been put in the vase and took them out. "Flowers!" he exclaimed, as he took a sniff. Max looked at him. "Huh?" "Look! Honeysuckle!" He shoved the honeysuckle flowers in the mouse's face, causing him to push the honeysuckle away and step back. "Don't do it! Take them away!" sputtered the striped shirt-wearing mouse. "My allergies! I'm allergic to pollen! You know I can't stand it! I ca- I ca-" The poor mouse with the gray cap, striped shirt, and jacket, was about to sneeze until the lizard, the bat, and the other four mice rushed to stop him from sneezing. "Look out!" "I know how to stop him!" "No! Hold his nose!" "Don't let go!" The six thugs stopped him from doing so by putting their forefingers under his nose. Max sighed. "Thanks, guys; I'm OK now." With that, the other thugs walked away. But he wasn't OK, oh no! "AAAAAHHHHHH-CHOO!!!!" With a great sneeze, he blew out a mighty gust of air that sent Bartholomew, Fidget, Old Blind Joe, and Bill flying off their feet. Only John managed to keep his feet on the ground and across the room. "Hey!" He fought against the wind by walking towards Max, holding onto his bowler hat. Peewee Pete and the other four thugs crashed against the wall and ended up in a big pile. They shushed Max, who rubbed his nose with a finger. The cigar-smoking mouse angrily stomped towards Max. "Max, you imbecilic buffoon!" he shouted, "Why did you have to sneeze?" "I'm sorry, I can't help it. You know I'm allergic to pollen." declared Max, "It's natural, so when you gotta, you gotta." Then he felt another sneeze coming on. "Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah! Oh, it's coming!" Max was going to sneeze again until Bill, John, Old Blind Joe, Peewee Pete, Fidget, and Bartholomew piled on top of him and tied his hat around his nose to stop him from sneezing again. "Get him!" Fidget shouted. "Don't let him!" cried Peewee Pete. "Tie it tight!" Bartholomew wailed. "I'll make a hard knot!" said Old Blind Joe, "There! That oughta hold him!" "Thanks again." sighed Max just before Old Blind Joe shushed him again. "Quiet, you fool!" John snapped indignantly, "Do you wanna get us all killed?" Suddenly, Jim, Zachariah, and Lil' Urle, who were hiding in the rafters, looked at each other and smiled before they tapped on a wall, causing the thugs to look around the room, thinking that the creature was in the room. "Wh-wh-what's that?" gasped Max. "That's it!" Bill whispered to his friends. "The monster is in this very room right now." added John. Then Jim, Zachariah, and Lil' Urle gave a loud shriek, causing the thugs to run around the room, scared and hiding in different places. Max hid in a pot. Old Blind Joe hid behind a chair. Peewee Pete hid in a bucket with a broom on his head. Bartholomew hid in a woodpile with an axe on one of the logs. John hid in a sack of potatoes. Fidget hid under the stairs. Bill and his friends crawled out of their hiding places and tiptoed towards the steps where Fidget was hiding. "It's up there." Bill said, pointing up the stairs. "Yeah. In the bedroom." said Peewee Pete. "One of us has to go down and chase it up. Up. Down." said Bill, as the others nodded in unison. Then they turned their heads toward Bartholomew, who tried to escape. "I'm outta here!" Bill handed Bartholomew the candle. "Here, take it." "But I don't want to do it." said Bartholomew, sweating buckets. "Don't be nervous," Bill smiled. "Don't be afraid. We're right behind you." "Yes," John, Old Blind Joe, Peewee Pete, Fidget, and Max added. "Right behind you." Bartholomew took a deep breath and nodded. "OK." Nervously, he crept up the stairs, pushed opened the door, and looked into the room. As Bartholomew spun in the room, he heard a groaning noise as he saw Olivia stretching with the covers over her. "IT'S A MONSTER!" screamed a terrified Bartholomew, as he ran right back down the stairs where the other thugs were waiting. But Bill, John, Old Blind Joe, Peewee Pete, Fidget, and Max thought Bartholomew was the monster, so they ran out of the cottage and locked Bartholomew in the cottage. Finally, Bartholomew pulled so hard that he broke the door knob and ended up falling into the pots and pans, making him look like a monster. As he ran out of the house, Bill, John, Old Blind Joe, Peewee Pete, Fidget, and Max were hiding behind a tree. "Here it comes!" gasped Max. "Now's our chance." said Old Blind Joe. The two mice and the rest of the thugs were ready to attack the creature. "Give it to 'im!" Bill shouted. "Don't let him get away!" cried Fidget. "Take that, and that, and that!" snapped Peewee Pete. But when they did, they ended up knocking all of the pots and pans off of Bartholomew. "Hold on there. It's only Bartholomew." said Bill. The thugs began to ask Bartholomew what the monster looked like, but they kept asking their questions all at the same time confusing the little drunk mouse. "Did you see it?" asked Bill. Bartholomew nodded. "Yes." And he started to do some gestures. "How big was it?" asked Fidget, as Bartholomew spread his arms open wide. "Was it a dragon?" asked Max. "Has it got horns?" John questioned in wonder, as Bartholomew put two index fingers on top of his head and wiggled them. "Was it breathing fire?" Old Blind Joe wanted to know, as Bartholomew stuck his tongue out and spat. Bartholomew's tongue then started to emit saliva. "Was it drooling?" Peewee Pete asked. "What was it doin'?" questioned Fidget. Finally, Bartholomew managed to tell them that the monster was sleeping in their beds. "Like this." Bartholomew demonstrated by tilting his head to the right, putting it on his clasped hands, closing his eyes, and snoring. "He says it's a-a monster...asleep...in our beds." said Bill. John took the cigar out of his mouth and tapped out its ashes. "Let's grab it while it's sleeping!" "Yeah, while it's sleeping!" agreed the six thugs in unison. "Hurry, men!" Bill ordered, "It's now or never!" "Off with his head!" Old Blind Joe yelled. "Break it to pieces!" Max yelled. "Chop it to pieces." Peewee Pete corrected. "Don't stop until it's dead!" John agreed. They marched back inside the cottage. Bartholomew was the last one to go into the cottage, his foot still caught in a pot. Cautiously, Bill, John, Old Blind Joe, Peewee Pete, Fidget, Max, and Bartholomew entered their bedroom, where Olivia was still moaning and stretching under the covers. "Jiminy Cricket!" gasped Max. "Gosh!" added Fidget. "Gee!" Peewee Pete explained. "What a monster!" Bartholomew hiccuped. "And it's sleeping on my bed!" complained John. "Let's kill it before it wakes up!" a determined Bill exclaimed. "Which end do we kill?" asked Old Blind Joe. Bill, John, Peewee Pete, Fidget, Max, and Bartholomew glared at him. Then the seven thugs rushed towards their beds, holding up their weapons (pickaxes, clubs, swords, and whatnots). When Bill pulled off the covers, he and the other thugs were amazed to see little Olivia Flaversham snoozing peacefully. Bill pointed to the tan-furred mouse. "Why!" "What is it?" asked Old Blind Joe. "Why it-it-it's a mouse! A female Scottish one!" stuttered Bill. "She sure is purdy!" Max gushed. "She's beautiful," Fidget beamed with hearts in his eyes. "Just like an angel." "Angel? Ha!" John scoffed. "She's a female and all females are poison! They're full of wicked wiles!" "What are wicked wiles?' asked Fidget. "I don't know, but I'm against 'em, you know!" John remarked the bat. Bill shushed the cigar-smoking mouse, "Not so loud! You'll wake her up!" "Oh, let her wake up! She don't belong here no how!" John complained loudly. Bill, Old Blind Joe, Peewee Pete, Fidget, Max, and Bartholomew glared at John and shushed him again. The thugs saw Olivia moving around. "Look out!" Peewee Pete cried, "She's moving!" "What'll we do?" Max gasped, hugging Fidget. "She's scratching herself!" Old Blind Joe noted, as he saw Olivia scratching her head. "She's really waking up!" Bartholomew guessed. "Hide!" Bill cried. He and the other thugs scrambled around, and, eventually, they all hid at the foot of the beds. Olivia woke up and yawned. "Oh, dear. I wonder if the children are. . . oh!" As she noticed the heads of the seven thugs she gasped in shock, and she grabbed the covers to cover up needlessly, since she was still wearing her pajamas. Of course, Olivia realized that a big girl like herself couldn't have men see her in her pajamas. "Why, you're five adult mice, a peg-legged bat, and a lizard! How do you do?" The thugs popped their heads up from under the foot of the bed and looked at each other sceptically. "I said, how do you do?" Olivia repeated. "How do ya do what?" snapped John, angrily crossing his arms. Olivia laughed. "Oh, you can talk! I'm so glad! Now don't tell me who ya are. Let me guess." She looked around and said to Bill. "I know, you're Bill the Lizard." "Why-why, yes, yes. That's true. I used to be both a chimney sweep from Wonderland and one of the late Professor Ratigan's thugs. Now I'm working for Queen Mousetoria at Buckingham Palace." said the lizard. Then she looked at the bat. "And you," she said. "You're Fidget the Bat." Fidget's face turned beet red. "Oh, gosh!" he giggled bashfully while twisting his cap in his wings. The little girl mouse looked at the short mouse, who was yawning. "And you, you're Peter Colemouse, AKA, Peewee Pete." "How'd you guess?" said the short mouse, smacking his lips. Olivia looked at the mouse wearing the flat gray cap, jacket, and striped shirt. "And you?" "Ah...ah...ah...ah..." Max was about to sneeze before John and Bartholomew stopped him with the finger trick. "You're Maxwell, AKA Max, Henshaw." Olivia smiled. Max sighed after John and Bartholomew removed their fingers from his nose. But before anything else could happen,... "Ah-choo!" Max sneezed, causing the little Scotsmouse and the rest of the thugs to giggle. Olivia then looked at the eye patch-wearing mouse and the drunk mouse. "And you must be..." "Joseph McDowell, miss," said the eye patch-wearing mouse. "But you can call me Old Blind Joe as a nickname." "And I'm Bartholomew Ingham," said the drunk mouse. "I have a fondness for alcohol." "You mean you like to drink alcoholic beverages?" Olivia asked hopefully. "I don't know," said Bartholomew. "I never stopped." Bill, Old Blind Joe, Peewee Pete, Fidget, and Max only laughed. "That's too bad!" Olivia said sadly. Then she turned to look at the cigar-smoking mouse, who crossed his arms in defiance. "Oh! You must be John Robertson." "Who's that?" Bill asked, as he pointed to John while he and the remaining thugs laughed. "We know who we are," exclaimed John. "Ask her who she is and what she's doing here." "Yes," Bill said briskly. "What are you and who are you doing here? What are you..." Finally, Bill managed to change from a sharp tone of voice to a kind one. "Who are you, my dear?" he asked politely. "Oh, how silly of me!" the Scottish girl mouse said. "I'm Olivia Flaversham." "Olivia Flaversham?" asked Bill. "The princess?" the other thugs asked in unison. "Yes!" "Well," Bill smiled before stuttering a bit. "My dear quincess...er, I mean princess, we're honored. We're...um...We're...um..." "Mad as hornets!" John finished. "Mad as hornets!" Bill repeated. But then, he snapped out of what John saying and got back to what he was saying. "No, we're not! We're bad as cornets, no, as bad as...What was I saying?" "Nothing!" John growled, "Just standing there sputterin' like a doodlebug!" "Who's butterin' like a spoodledug? Who's rud, uh...the gutter bug?" Bill snapped. "Ah, shut up and tell her to get out!" John snapped. "Please don't send me away!" Olivia begged the thugs. "If you do, do, she'll kill me!" "Kill you?" gasped Bill. "Who will?" asked Old Blind Joe. "Yes, who?" added Fidget. "My stepmother, Queen Narissa." Olivia said. "Queen Narissa?!?!?!" gasped all seven thugs in unison. "She's wicked!" gasped Fidget. "She's bad!" Old Blind Joe said. "She's mighty mean," Max cried. "She's an old witch!" John added, "I'm warning you guys! If Queen Narissa finds her here, she'll swoop down and reek her vengeance on us!" Olivia shook her head. "But she doesn't know where I am." "Oh, she doesn't, huh?" John yelled angrily. "She knows everything! She's full of black magic. She can even make herself invisible! Might be in this room, right now!" The thugs looked around nervously. Bartholomew lifted up Old Blind Joe's shirt, revealing his bare, slender stomach. "Stop that!" Old Blind Joe conked the drunk mouse on the head with his fist. "Oh, she'll never find me here. And if you let me stay, I'll keep house for you," Olivia suggested, "I'll wash, and sew, and sweep, and cook. . ." "Cook!" All seven thugs exclaimed in unison. "Can ya make dapple lumplings, lupple damplings?" Bill stuttered. "Apple dumplings!" John and Peewee Pete corrected him in unison. "Yes, Crapple Dumpkings." said Bill. "Yes," said Olivia, "and plum pudding, and gooseberry pie,..." "Gooseberry pie?" all the thugs (except John) cheered, "Hurray, she stays!"
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