Read Online Moon-Faced Ghoul-Thing by Barry Hutchison - Free Book Online Page B

being bossed around by the great and terrible Lord Scarrabus. We’ve been looking fora way to get rid of you for years.”
    With a flying grab, the goblin caught hold of Ben’s gauntlet and tugged. Ben yelped in surprise as the glove slipped off and Mr Nuttendudge scurried with it out of reach.

    “And now we have one,” Nuttendudge cried.
    “Give that back,” Ben barked, making a dive for the little goblin. Mr Nuttendudge’s mouth moved as he muttered an incantation. The glove flashed purple and Ben was sent flailing backwards through the air. He slammed hard against one of the standing stones and landed in a crumpled pile on the sand.
    By the time he got to his feet, all nine stones were lit up with the same purple glow. A bubble of indigo light was forming in the air above the circle. Paradise and Wesley backed away towards the centre.
    Mr Nuttendudge squashed his oversized hand inside the gauntlet and his eyes lit up a violent shade of violet.
    “That’s enough, goblin,” barked Scarrabus,stomping towards Mr Nuttendudge. The Luck Goblin muttered another enchantment. There was a flash and a pop and Scarrabus’s golden armour fell to the ground as the demon-lord disappeared.
    A moment later, a plump white rabbit hopped out from within the armour and blinked its glassy eyes in surprise.
    “That was quite impressive,” Wesley was forced to admit.
    “There’s more than one wizard around here,” said Mr Nuttendudge.
    “Why are you doing this?” Ben demanded.
    The goblin’s face twisted in rage. “Because I’m sick of it. Fed up. Taken all I can stand, and I can’t stand no more. Five long decades living in Goonderslarg with only monstersand bad luck for company. Five long decades stuck in a Monstrous Realm while you and all the other humans party it up in the dimension next door. It’s not fair!”
    He placed his bare hand against the closest stone. The energy bubble glowed brighter and Wesley screamed in pain.
    “Stop it!” Paradise cried. “You’re hurting him.”
    “What are you doing?” Ben demanded.
    “I’m draining his magic. I’m draining every last drop.”
    Ben made a run for the goblin again, but the Moon-Faced Ghoul-Thing caught him in its long spider arms.
    “Thank you, old friend,” said Mr Nuttendudge. “Our time has come at last!”
    Ben struggled against the creature’s grip but he didn’t have the strength to break free.

    He glanced sideways at Wesley, who was thrashing around on the ground.
    “Why are you draining him? What are you going to do?”
    “I’m going to crash you humans’ party,” sniggered the goblin. He raised the gauntlet above his head and lightning exploded from the fingertips. “And I’m going to bring some friends.”
    Wesley cried out again as the lightning from the gauntlet became a spray of purple fire that stretched all the way up into the clouds. Far overhead, Ben heard the rumble of thunder as the clouds began to bubble and boil.
    “Stop,” howled Paradise. “You’re hurting him. Stop!”
    Ben wrestled against the grip of the ghoul-thingas seven holes tore open in the sky above them. Through the holes he saw thousands of dark, twisting shapes. They wriggled and fought and squirmed. It would surely be just moments before they came flooding through.

    “The Monstrous Realms,” Mr Nuttendudge announced. “Ooh, aren’t they horrible!”
    “Why are you bringing those things here?” asked Ben.
    “Oh, I’m not. No, sir.” The goblin nodded in the direction of an eighth hole as it opened like a shutter in the sky. Through it, Ben could just make out the village of Lump. Home. It was so close and yet so impossibly far away.
    “You can’t,” Ben pleaded. “You can’t send them there. They’ll destroy everything.”
    Mr Nuttendudge winked. “Yes,” he said. “I know. That’s the point. They’ll swarm over there, clear it out, destroy each other, then we’ll swoop in and rule what’s left.”
    Ben tore his eyes away from the