Secrets of Goth Mountain Read online

CHAPTER 6

  HOMECOMING

  As Dooley had discovered years earlier, Ned snored. Loud. Ned lay sleeping in Dooley's bed, making a terrible racket. Taking the shape of massive Great Two Bears and fighting Skunk had been exhausting for the little goat man, and he was too far from the Mountain to rapidly regain his strength.

  Dooley lay on the floor nearby, dead tired himself and honestly trying to fall to sleep, but also fighting back a powerful giggle-fit. He was much too exhilarated to fall asleep; Johnny was back! Also, when he was exhausted Dooley always became very silly, much more silly than usual even, and was prone to uncontrollable fits of hysterical laughter that kept him awake, which in turn made him still sillier.

  Downstairs on his cot, his Dad could surely hear Ned snoring, and would assume that it was him. The situation was so hilarious that Dooley has biting his right arm, using the pain to fight back hysteria.

  It hadn't been easy, sneaking worn out little Ned past the Professor. Ned had stayed overnight with Dooley before, but never while his father was home. Indeed, the hairy goat man fit in well with Dooley's collection of interestingly colored rocks, abandoned bird nests, pinecones, wax coated leaves, recovering little forest critters healing in their boxes and cages, and other Dooley projects.

  Pop's key projects involved tracking down old legends. What would he say, Dooley wondered, if he knew that a creature of legend was actually sleeping in his own shop right now? Trying to imagine his face if Pop were to see Ned in action, Dooley fought back more giggles.

  The bedroom door suddenly opened with a loud creaking sound. Dooley felt sure that the jig was up. He next expected to hear his father's voice, demanding to know who the hairy little guy snoring in the bed was.

  But the shadowy figure that stood in the doorway was far too tall and menacing to be his father, and had red, glowing eyes, and a smile that exposed white fangs of inhuman proportions. With a shock, Dooley recognized Dark!

  Dooley's jaw dropped open and it seemed like his heart stopped beating. He had completely forgotten about Dark! Earlier he was going to warn the Tribe but then that library business with Skunk happened and Johnny returned, and then he came home with Ned and he had simply forgotten! Dooley started to stutter the same Tribal chants of power that had helped defeat Dark earlier, but the terrified lad barely started before Dark, falling down on him like an ebony avalanche, knocked him senseless with an impossibly hard fist.