The Berenstain Bears and the Ghost of the Auto Graveyard Read online

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  The Berenstain Bears and the Ghost of the Auto Graveyard

  Stan & Jan Berenstain

  Contents

  1. A Major Event

  2. A Classic

  3. A Not-So-Hidden Treasure

  4. The Auto Graveyard

  5. Lost and Found

  6. The Great Car Robbery

  7. Searching for Clues

  8. Ghosts?

  9. The Haunted Graveyard

  10. Down a Lazy River

  11. Recovering the Loot

  12. Collector’s Dreams

  Chapter 1

  A Major Event

  “Papa, dear,” said Mama Bear, “please put away the morning paper and listen. The cubs are talking about school.”

  Papa looked up from the newspaper that he had placed beside his bowl of blue-berries on the breakfast table. “Cool?” he said. “Then close the window.” He went back to his reading.

  It happened almost every morning. Mama or the cubs would say something, and Papa, lost in newsprint, would misunderstand. Often he wouldn’t hear at all. Reading the morning paper at breakfast was a habit he just couldn’t seem to break. Sometimes, though, he found an article that interested everyone. And that’s exactly what happened on this particular morning.

  “Not cool, Papa,” said Sister. “School!”

  Papa looked up again. “School? How did you know I was reading about your school?”

  “Reading about our school?” said Brother. “What does it say?”

  Papa cleared his throat and read aloud. “‘Beartown Mayor Horace J. Honeypot yesterday announced the first annual Beartown Classic Car Show.’”

  “What does a car show have to do with school?” asked Sister.

  “Hold your horsepower,” said Papa. “I’m getting to that.” He continued reading: “‘The show will be held for the benefit of Bear Country School and will be sponsored and run by the local PTA. Prizes will be awarded to the three finest classic cars. The mayor said …,’ blah, blah, blah. Well, anyway, to put into a few words what it took that old windbag a couple hundred to say: It’s going to be a major event, with classic cars brought in from all over Bear Country. It’ll be held on the school athletic field this weekend.”

  “Cool,” said Brother.

  “Cooler than you think, son,” said Papa.

  “Why?” asked Brother.

  “Because I just happen to be thinking of entering the Bear family car in the show,” said Papa with a wink.

  “Our red roadster?” Mama scoffed. “Oh, come on, dear. I’ll admit it’s old. But I’d hardly call it a classic!”

  Papa turned to look out the kitchen window at his beloved red roadster in the driveway. He smiled. “It sure looks like a classic to me,” he said proudly. “What do you think, son?”

  Brother seemed to be looking at the roadster, too. But he was really watching the street for Cousin Fred, Lizzy Bruin, and Bonnie Brown. They were due any minute to pick up Brother and Sister so they could all walk to school together, as usual. Today was Monday, and Brother hadn’t seen Bonnie since last Wednesday because she’d gone to Big Bear City for a long weekend on a modeling job. He’d missed her a lot.

  “Son?” Papa repeated. “What do you think?”

  Brother still didn’t answer.

  “He thinks Bonnie Brown is cute,” Sister snickered.

  Brother heard Sister because she mentioned Bonnie. “Cut it out!” he snapped.

  “Why shouldn’t you think Bonnie’s cute?” Sister teased. “She’s your girlfriend, isn’t she?”

  “No, she’s not,” said Brother firmly. “She’s just my friend.”

  “Yeah, sure,” said Sister. “And I’m Mayor Horace J. Honeypot.”

  “Stop arguing, you two,” said Papa. “Tell me what’s been happening at school lately.”

  “We already did,” said Brother, “but you were reading the newspaper.” He jumped up, straining to see far down the road. “Besides, here they come!”

  But then Brother’s face fell. Coming down the road, with their backpacks slung over their shoulders, were Cousin Fred and Lizzy Bruin. But no Bonnie Brown.

  Chapter 2

  A Classic

  “Where’s Bonnie?” asked Brother as the cubs set off for school.

  “Don’t know,” said Cousin Fred. “Maybe she’s not back from Big Bear City yet.”

  “Brother misses his girlfriend,” Sister explained.

  “I said cut it out, Sis!”

  Sister didn’t say another word. But Brother was in for more teasing when the cubs joined their friends in the schoolyard to wait for the morning bell to ring.

  “What are you looking for?” wondered Babs Bruno. Brother was staring off down the street in the direction of Grizzly Mansion.

  “Not what—who,” said Sister.

  “You mean Bonnie?” asked Barry Bruin.

  “Bingo,” said Sister. She leaned over to Barry and whispered loudly, “He misses his girlfriend.”

  “I heard that!” said Brother. The other cubs snickered. “She’s not my girlfriend,” he protested. “She’s my best friend. And that’s better than a girlfriend.”

  “Oh, sure,” said Queenie McBear. “And a cheese sandwich is better than an ice cream sandwich.”

  “Bonnie is not a cheese sandwich!” said Brother.

  “Then she must be an ice cream sandwich,” said Queenie.

  “In a shiny wrapper!” added Barry. “Wow! Look at that!”

  A gleaming silver car had just pulled up at the front gate. Bonnie was in the backseat, and one of Squire Grizzly’s chauffeurs was at the wheel.

  “It’s a beauty!” said Barry, wide-eyed.

  Ferdy Factual was polishing his glasses with a monogrammed handkerchief. Now he put them back on, looked at the car, and frowned. “But that’s not one of Squire Grizzly’s Grizzillac limousines,” he said. “What kind of car is it, Barry?”

  Ferdy Factual, cub genius, asking Barry Bruin a question? It might have seemed odd if the other cubs hadn’t known them both so well. Ferdy was indeed a genius about math, science, geography, and lots of other subjects. But there were a few things he admitted knowing almost nothing about. Cars were one of them. He could describe in great detail the operation of the internal combustion engine under a car’s hood. But when it came to recognizing the year and make of the car itself, he was lost.

  Barry Bruin, on the other hand, knew a lot about cars. Not because he was a genius. Far from it. His friends liked to joke that Barry had asked his mom to sew nametags in all his clothes so that if he forgot his name he could look it up. But although he didn’t even know what the word “combustion” meant, Barry could recognize the year and make of any car from a hundred yards away. He had spent countless hours making miniature models of classic cars. And he owned the largest collection of classic-car collector’s cards in all Bear Country.

  “What is it?” said Barry in a shocked tone of voice. “You don’t recognize that?”

  “Don’t be cute,” said Ferdy with a bored yawn. “Just tell us what it is.”

  “It’s a 1927 Bearcedes touring car!” breathed Barry.

  “Is it an antique?” asked Lizzy.

  Barry laughed. “No, it’s a brand-new 1927 Bearcedes touring car. Of course it’s an antique!” He seemed pleased that someone else looked like a dummy for a change.

  “It may be an antique,” said Cousin Fred, “but it’s in beautiful condition.”
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br />   “Squire Grizzly has a collection of classic cars, and he keeps them all in beautiful condition,” said Barry. “I’ll bet he’s going to enter some of them in the classic car show this weekend.”

  Bonnie, who had just come skipping up, confirmed what Barry had just said. “Uncle’s going to put the Bearcedes and three other cars in the show,” she said. “He wants to win all three prizes, so he’s entering four cars just to make sure. One of them is in the shop right now. But it’ll be ready in plenty of time.”

  “What’s wrong with it?” asked Brother.

  “Not much,” said Bonnie. “It needs a tune-up and a new fan belt.”

  “To qualify for the show,” Barry explained, “a car must be authentic and in perfect running order.”

  “Yeah,” said Too-Tall Grizzly, who had been listening in with his gang. “That’s why there wouldn’t even be a car show without my dad!”

  Too-Tall’s father, Two-Ton, owned a business called Parts R Us, on the outskirts of town near Birder’s Woods. On his vast lot, among the hulks of wrecked cars and trucks, were piles and piles of used auto parts.

  “With all due respect to your father,” said Ferdy, “I fail to see what an auto graveyard could possibly have to do with magnificent classic cars.”

  “Auto graveyard?” growled Too-Tall. “Take that back, you little twerp, or I’ll put you in the graveyard!”

  Quickly, Brother stepped in between Too-Tall and Ferdy. “Easy, big guy,” he said. “I don’t think Ferdy meant to insult your dad.”

  With another bored yawn, Ferdy said, “Insulting your father was the furthest thing from my mind. It’s just that I can’t see what his smelly dump has to do with the noble scientific achievement of the internal combustion engine.”

  “Smelly dump?” roared Too-Tall, balling up his huge fists. “Lemme at him! I’m gonna combust that little nerd right in the nose!”

  Brother moved away as Too-Tall raised a fist at Ferdy.

  “Aren’t you going to protect Ferdy?” Bonnie said with alarm.

  Brother just shrugged. “I already tried,” he said. “If Ferdy wants to commit suicide, that’s his business.”

  Fortunately, Queenie stepped in to calm down her on-again, off-again boyfriend. “He didn’t mean it,” she cooed, taking Too-Tall’s arm. “You’ve got to remember: His IQ may be off the charts, but his SQ is zero.”

  “SQ?” said Too-Tall, puzzled.

  “Sensitivity quotient,” said Queenie.

  Too-Tall still looked just as puzzled and just as angry. But by now Trudy Brunowitz had darted in to pull her genius boyfriend away from danger. The other cubs could hear her lecturing Ferdy about consideration for others. “Even big bullies like Too-Tall have feelings!” she scolded.

  Truth was, Too-Tall and Ferdy were both right. Two-Ton’s place of business was indeed an auto graveyard and a smelly dump. But it also had a lot to do with keeping Bear Country’s classic cars running. At the front entrance was a big sign that said PARTS R US: IF WE AIN’T GOT IT, WE’LL GET IT! That pretty much told the story. There was hardly a classic car anywhere in Bear Country that didn’t have at least one part supplied by Two-Ton. Squire Grizzly himself sometimes went looking for parts at the “auto graveyard.” In fact, the 1927 Bearcedes that had just brought Bonnie to school was running on a camshaft that the squire had dug out of one of Two-Ton’s wrecks.

  Of course, Too-Tall and Ferdy, opposites in so many ways, were exactly alike when it came to arguments. Neither was about to admit that the other might have a point. And though Ferdy was a genius and a nerd, he was no coward. One time he had stood up to Too-Tall when the big guy had gotten all riled up over Queenie making eyes at Ferdy. “If you don’t watch out,” Too-Tall had snarled, “I’m gonna give you a bloody nose!”

  “Oh, yeah?” said Ferdy. “If you don’t watch out, I’m going to give you a bloody fist!” Too-Tall got so confused that he forgot he was angry.

  This time, however, Too-Tall seemed so angry that the other cubs were afraid he might actually hurt Ferdy. So Queenie and Trudy made sure to keep their stubborn boyfriends occupied until the morning bell rang and everyone filed into school.

  Chapter 3

  A Not-So-Hidden Treasure

  In class that morning, the cubs found out that Mr. Honeycomb, the school principal, had put Teacher Bob in charge of the school’s role in the classic car show. Teacher Bob, who liked classic cars himself, was excited. He immediately called an after-school meeting for that very day to recruit cubs for various tasks. He was so excited, in fact, that he couldn’t wait until after school. Instead, he held the “after-school” meeting during the day’s final school period.

  The first thing Teacher Bob did was form a student committee, with Barry Bruin, the car expert, as chairbear. Brother Bear was appointed deputy chairbear. Because of her modeling experience, Bonnie Brown was chosen to pose with her uncle’s 1927 Bearcedes touring car for the show poster. Babs Bruno was selected to write press releases and radio promos, which Harry McGill would print out on his computer. And last but not least, Too-Tall and his gang were assigned to direct visitor parking.

  As the cubs filed out of the classroom at the final bell, Queenie McBear hurried up to Teacher Bob. “You forgot about me!” she said. “What am I in charge of?”

  After a moment’s thought, Teacher Bob said, “Er … uh … you’re in charge of keeping Too-Tall in line.”

  As disappointed as Queenie was, that’s how thrilled Barry Bruin was. Not only was he the head of a committee for the first time in his life, he was suddenly ten times more popular than he’d ever been. A knot of cubs crowded round him on the front steps of the schoolhouse. Each cub had a family car in mind for him to check out. But it was Brother Bear who got his attention first.

  “You should take a look at Papa’s red roadster,” Brother told Barry. “I think it’s pretty old, but I’m not sure it’s classic enough for the show.”

  “Roadster, eh?” said Barry. “Oh, sure. I’ve seen it around town. Let’s go check it out.”

  So Barry walked home with Brother, Sister, Lizzy, Cousin Fred, and Bonnie Brown.

  “Hmm,” said Barry when he saw the roadster in the tree house driveway. “I’ve never really taken a close look at it.”

  This time he did. He looked it up and down, over and under, and every which way.

  “Well?” said Brother. “Is it a classic?”

  “Yes” was Barry’s answer.

  “Yahoo!” cried Sister. “Wait’ll Papa hears!”

  “What kind of car is it?” asked Cousin Fred.

  “It’s a 1954 GG roadster,” said Barry. “Quite rare.”

  “What does ‘GG’ stand for?” asked Bonnie.

  “Grizzly Garage,” said Barry. “The company went out of business that very same year. In fact, this roadster is the last model GG produced. That makes it very valuable.”

  Just then Papa Bear came around the tree house from his workshop. “Hi, cubs,” he said. “What’s up?”

  “Papa, do you have any idea what you’ve got here?” said Sister, gesturing at the car.

  “Sure,” said Papa. “A 1954 GG roadster.”

  “You mean, you knew all along?” said Brother, astonished.

  “Sure,” said Papa, giving his car a friendly pat on the hood. “Gramps bought it brand-new in ’54. He sold it to me when he bought his pickup truck.”

  “Did you realize it would become a classic when GG went out of business?” asked Fred.

  Papa frowned. “Went out of business? GG? When?”

  “In 1954!” said Brother. “You’ve got the last model they ever made!”

  Papa’s frown turned into a smile. “Well, what do you know,” he said softly. “It must be worth a lot more than I thought. Guess it’s good enough for the classic car show, eh?”

  “Without a doubt,” said Barry. “It’ll need some work first, though. Authentic hubcaps and a genuine hood ornament, for example.”

  “I’ll get on it as so
on as possible,” said Papa.

  “Forget the car show, Papa!” said Sister.

  “Why?” asked Papa.

  “Because this car must be worth a fortune!” said Sister. “You could sell it!”

  “Yeah,” said Lizzy. “To a collector who wants to put it in the show.”

  “My uncle, for instance,” said Bonnie.

  Papa gave Bonnie a very serious look. Then he smiled and started to chuckle.

  “What’s so funny?” said Sister.

  “Now, look, honey,” said Papa. “Do you think Squire Grizzly would sell his whole classic car collection to another collector who wanted to put it into the show?”

  “Of course not,” said Sister. “But what’s that got to do with our red roadster?”

  Papa gently patted the hood of the car again. “This,” he said, “is my classic collection. If I sold it to another collector, I’d lose my entire collection.”

  Most of the cubs shrugged and looked confused. But one of them seemed to understand.

  Barry nodded and said, “He has a point, you know.”

  Chapter 4

  The Auto Graveyard

  Barry, Lizzy, and Cousin Fred went home, while Bonnie stayed to talk with Brother, Sister, and Papa about the red roadster.

  “Maybe my uncle knows a collector who has a GG roadster hood ornament,” she told Papa.

  “Maybe so,” said Papa, “and maybe no. But before I bother the squire with my classic car problems, I want to make a thorough check of our own local treasure trove of car parts.”

  “You mean Parts R Us?” asked Brother.

  “Exactly,” said Papa. “Problem is, I’m so busy with work that it’ll be a few days before I can get to it. And the big show is this weekend.”

  Brother had an idea. “How about if Sister and I go to Parts R Us and check it out?” he suggested.

  “That’d be real helpful,” said Papa.

  But Sister had different ideas. “No way,” she said firmly. “I’m not setting foot in that greasy, smelly old dump of an auto graveyard.”