Ghosts and Goblins and Ninja, Oh My! Read online

  That’s strange, thought Westie. Why would a ghost need something to unlock a door? Wouldn’t it just float right on through?

  The door clicked open, and the five figures darted inside. Westie took a deep breath and crawled across the parking lot as quick as he could to look in through the dojo’s window. The ghost army floated up to the ceiling and started moving toward the sacred scroll.

  Westie rubbed his eyes, barely able to believe he was seeing ghosts. Though it was rather dark. This gave him an idea. He pulled out one of his inventions—Moon-Glasses! They were like sunglasses, except they helped you see at night. As soon as he put them on, Westie looked back inside the dojo.

  “That’s no ghost army!” Westie whispered to himself. “Those are ninja!”

  The ghosts he thought were floating along the ceiling probably had tails and whiskers, and they were using their claws to crawl across the ceiling so they could avoid walking on the alarmed floor!

  “Rider was right,” Westie told himself. “There’s no such thing as ghosts. Those are cat burglars!”

  The five ninja cats made it across to the other side. Then one by one, the cats held each other’s legs. They pulled out small mirrors to divert the lasers safely away as they made a ninja ladder. The alarm wouldn’t go off with the mirrors in place. Finally, the bottom cat used his claws to cut a hole in the glass case protecting the scroll, reached inside, and took the scroll.

  “This is a major cat-tastrophe!” Westie said. “They are stealing the scroll . . . unless . . . unless . . .” Westie had done terribly in the Bark-Jitsu class. What could he do against ninja thieves?

  “I am a brilliant inventor and a detective,” Westie reminded himself. “And now it’s up to me to save the scroll!”

  NINJA SHOWDOWN

  “Freeze, you naughty ninja cats!” Westie shouted as he kicked open the front door of the dojo.

  The ninja cats looked at Westie. They started laughing. “We’re not scared of you. You haven’t even earned your yellow belt.”

  “I may not be good at Bark-Jitsu, but I’m good at other stuff.”

  “Like what?” asked the ninja leader.

  “Like stopping bad guys,” Westie said with a smile.

  He flipped a coin onto the center of the floor. As soon as it landed, it set off the alarm. All of the dojo floor tiles fell away to reveal the new, super–obstacle course underneath.

  Surprised by the alarm, the ninja cats tumbled down into the obstacle course. They leaped and jumped, trying to keep from getting trapped by the spinning wheels. A giant hook swung from the ceiling. It almost nabbed the ninja leader, but instead the hook only pulled off his mask. It was Gato Cato from Westie’s class! “You may have set off the alarm,” said Gato Cato, “but you still have to catch us!”

  “Not a problem.” Westie smiled again. He reached down and pushed a button on his mechanical silver belt. “When I’m wearing the Puppy Roller Safety Suit, nothing can hurt me.” The belt buckle opened and blew up a balloon that surrounded Westie. Westie charged forward. As he ran in the puppy ball, it bounced around from danger to danger.

  Too bad he couldn’t say the same for the ninja cats!

  The five cats tried running and dodging the terrible obstacles as best they could. But one by one, the ninja cats were knocked down until only Gato Cato remained.

  “It’s just you and me,” Gato Cato said, holding the sacred scroll over his head. “And we both know that I’m better at Bark-Jitsu.”

  “Maybe”—Westie shrugged—“but I’m a better inventor than you!” Westie pulled out a bottle and sprayed the cat’s feet. “This morning I invented a superstrong superglue. You won’t be getting unstuck from that spot for a long time!”

  Sure enough, Gato Cato couldn’t move at all.

  Westie snatched the scroll from the thief’s paw, and held up the scroll proudly. “I believe this belongs to Sensei Hiro.”

  “Are you sure about that?” asked a booming voice. When Westie turned around, he almost screamed like a howler monkey. Gus the Goji Goblin was standing in the doorway. “Give me the scroll.”

  GUNG-HO GOBLIN

  Westie was shaking in his dog booties. The Goji Goblin Gus blocked the only exit. Smoke was rolling in from outside. “I said, give me the scroll,” Gus repeated.

  The dog inventor was terrified of the large green creature with pointy ears and a hairy nose, but the scroll belonged to his sensei.

  “No,” Westie said.

  “No?!” the goblin roared.

  “The sacred Scroll of Bark-Jitsu belongs to Sensei Hiro. And I intend to give it back to him!” Westie ran straight at the goblin. At the last moment, he ducked and slid between the goblin’s legs. Once outside, Westie placed the scroll in his mouth and darted toward Central Bark Park. He knew a shortcut through the park to get to the police department, where his friends were.

  “You won’t escape me!” the goblin growled. Thunder rumbled as Gus hopped onto a cloud and began speeding after Westie. The smoke was gray, haunting, and sounded like a loud motorcycle. When the goblin and his cloud were almost upon Westie, the inventor pup had to change tactics. He made a quick right turn and ducked through a playground.

  Westie ran over a seesaw and climbed up the slide ladder. The goblin on his cloud went up the other direction and zoomed into the air, swiping the scroll from Westie’s mouth.

  “Now I’ve got the scroll!” Gus yelled.

  “No, you don’t!” Westie pressed a button on his belt, and the scroll zoomed back into his paw. He had attached a wire to the scroll so he wouldn’t drop it—or lose it!

  Westie was on the run again. He was almost at the police station when Gus caught up to him on his loud cloud. Gus snatched the scroll, but Westie wouldn’t let go. As they fought, the cloud crashed into an alley. Westie hopped to safety, landing in a delivery truck full of pillows. Gus the Goji Goblin was not so lucky. He crashed into the wall.

  “Ouch, ruff landing.” Westie snickered.

  Gus leaped up, but when he did, his face was sideways.

  “What’s wrong with your face?” Westie asked. “Or is that a mask?!”

  Gus adjusted it. “No, it’s not!” he barked. “Now give me that scroll!”

  Westie was cornered in the alley. There was nowhere to go, but he suspected this goblin was not a goblin at all. If it was just another bad guy, maybe Westie could defeat him with his Bark-Jitsu. Westie took his attack stance.

  The goblin shrank back. “You know Bark-Jitsu?”

  “I do! Now prepare to meet my furious fist!” Westie said.

  The goblin gulped.

  Westie ran forward, kicking and chopping the air between him and the goblin. The goblin seemed . . . scared! Westie kept on attacking, but then he slipped in a puddle of oil, which was leaking from the cloud. He flew through the air and landed on his back.

  “Good try, ninja pup,” the goblin said with a cackle. He took the scroll and snapped the wire attached to Westie’s belt. “Thanks for the scroll!”

  THE GREAT GOBLIN CHASE

  Westie watched as the goblin hopped on his cloud and revved its engine. “That’s no goblin,” Westie said.

  Suddenly, a door to the alley opened. “What’s all this ruckus out here?” It was Rider Woofson and the rest of the P.I. Pack. The alley was next to the police station!

  “Better luck next time, Bark-Jitsu pup!” howled Gus as he raced away.

  “A little help, guys?” Westie asked. “That fake goblin has the Scroll of Bark-Jitsu!”

  “Jump in the P.I. Pack van, everyone,” Rider said. “The chase is on!”

  As the van veered after Gus, Westie quickly told his friends everything that happened after they had left. “I have a hunch that this goblin is not a goblin at all. It’s someone wearing a mask!”

  “Then how do you explain the cloud he’s riding?” Ziggy asked.

  “That’s no cloud.” Rider pointed. The goblin was going so fast that the cloud was fading around him. He was riding
a smoking motorcycle!

  The cycle-riding goblin was a great driver, but he was no match for Rora’s driving skills. She pulled up beside him. Ziggy and Rider opened the window, and Westie snatched back the scroll.

  “Hey! I need that,” the goblin shouted, but he wasn’t watching where he was going again, and his front tire hit a pothole. The goblin and the motorcycle both flew into the air and landed in a nearby car wash.

  The P.I. Pack pulled over and watched as the goblin was soaped, scrubbed, rubbed, and rinsed through the car wash. When “Gus” came out, his goblin costume was soaked and covered with suds. He could barely move.

  “Looks like you’re all washed up,” Ziggy said with a laugh.

  “Would you like to do the unmasking, Westie?” Rider asked.

  “It would be my pleasure,” Westie said. He pulled off the mask. The entire P.I. Pack gasped. “Rotten Ruffhouse!”

  “I should have known,” Rider said. “You’re up to your no-good tricks again!”

  “Game’s over!” Ziggy said.

  “Not yet!” said Gato Cato and his crew of ninja cats. They quickly stood between the P.I. Pack and Rotten. The dripping wet rottweiler escaped into the darkness with his tail between his legs.

  “Westie, did you really think that you could beat me?” asked Gato Cato with a laugh. “Now give us that scroll.”

  As Gato Cato reached out, Westie took him by surprise and flipped the cat over with a perfect Bark-Jitsu take down! “The scroll belongs to Sensei Hiro!”

  The other ninja were about to leap into action when Frenchie and the rest of the police force drove up.

  “Not so fast, cats!” said Frenchie. “Put those paws in the air.”

  Then Frenchie handcuffed the thieves and tossed them into the back of the police van.

  “We’ve solved another case thanks to you, Westie,” Rider said, patting his friend on the back. “I owe you a congratulations for a job well done.”

  “You don’t owe me anything. It’s my honor,” Westie said.

  “If he doesn’t want a reward, I’ll take it!” Ziggy barked. “How about a pizza with lots of extra kibble on it?”

  ALL’S WELL THAT ENDS WELL

  The next day, Westie and the P.I. Pack returned the scroll to Sensei Hiro at the Pawston Martial Arts Dojo. He insisted they come in and have some hot green tea. Then he asked Westie to stand in front of the group with him.

  “Westie, my student,” Sensei Hiro said. “You were very brave in the face of great danger. You protected the Scroll of Bark-Jitsu and stopped the bad guys. To accomplish such a feat, you must have a pure and brave heart. For that, you deserve this . . .”

  The sensei pulled out the yellow belt. “With this belt, you take one step closer to becoming a true master of Bark-Jitsu.” Sensei Hiro bowed. Then Westie bowed. Then the sensei bowed. Then Westie bowed.

  “Doggone it! Here we go again.” Ziggy rolled his eyes.

  “I am very proud of you,” Rider told his friend after all the bowing had stopped. “I can’t wait to see you earn your next belt.”

  “I don’t know,” Westie said. “Bark-Jitsu is fun, but I’m better at inventing stuff. I think I might stick to that for a while.”

  “Good call,” Ziggy said, pointing at a bowl of boring rice crackers. “Do you think you could invent some better snacks?”

  Everyone laughed.

  Rider shook his head. “Some pups never learn.”

  Across town in his secret lair, Mr. Meow was hissing at Rotten Ruffhouse. “You have messssed up my planssss again! That scroll is worth millions!”

  “I’m sorry, Boss,” said Rotten, who still had suds in his duds.

  Mr. Meow scratched his post. “I had the police take Rider and his goons away while my ninja cats were supposed to do their business. I planned everything purr-fectly. But as always, Rider Woofson foiled me again! Cursssse him!”

  “Actually, this time, it was that smart pup, Westie,” Rotten noted.

  “I am not amussssed.” Mr. Meow glared at the dog. “One day, I will get that detective, and his puppy pack, too. This issssn’t over. . . .”

  CHECK OUT RIDER WOOFSON’S NEXT CASE!

  “Pee-yew!” Ziggy Fluffenscruff barked. “This case stinks!”

  The Pup Investigators Pack always found themselves in strange spots while solving crimes, but this was their first time in a sewer. They were on the hunt for a stolen wheel of rare aged cheese called the Big Cheddar.

  “Keep sniffing for the cheesy trail,” Rider Woofson said. He was the leader of the P.I. Pack and the best dog detective in Pawston.

  “Bow-wowza! I’m trying. But all I smell is . . . yuck!” the pup said. Ziggy was the youngest member of the Pack, but he had a nose for finding clues.

  “Hey, Westie, shine your light this way,” said Rora Gooddog. She had a sharp eye for details, even in the dim, dirty sewer.

  “Sure thing,” Westie Barker said proudly. He pointed a giant helmet flashlight toward Rora. The flashlight was his latest invention, and it was a bright idea in the darkness of the tunnel.

  “More crumbs,” Rora said. “Looks like whoever stole the Big Cheddar stopped for a snack. They left us an actual trail of bread crumbs.”

  “Ugh,” Ziggy said with watery eyes. “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I think I’ve lost my appetite. That’s how bad it stinks down in this place.”

  WALKER STYLES grew up reading kids’ books, so it makes sense that he’s writing them now. And when he isn’t writing books, he’s out solving mysteries around the city of Manhattan, where he lives. Just the other day, he lost the book he was reading. Following all the clues, Walker deduced the couch ate it! (Well, the book was under the couch cushions. Still, mystery solved!)

  BEN WHITEHOUSE is an illustrator based in Birmingham, UK. He has previously worked in the animation industry as a character designer, animator, and stop-motion puppet maker before finding his feet within the world of illustration. You can visit him at stopmotionben.com.

  RiderWoofson.com

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  This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

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  First Little Simon hardcover edition July 2016

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  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data | Names: Styles, Walker, author. | Whitehouse, Ben, illustrator. | Title: Ghosts and goblins and ninja, oh my! / by Walker Styles ; illustrated by Ben Whitehouse. | Description: First Little Simon paperback edition. | New York : Little Simon, 2016. | Series: Rider Woofson ; #4 | Summary: When a team of feline ninja descends upon the animal town of Pawston and the sacred Scrol
l of Bark-Jitsu disappears, Sensei Hiro, a skilled martial arts sea otter, asks Westie and the rest of the Pup Investigators to investigate. | Identifiers: LCCN 2015038216 | ISBN 9781481463072 (hc) | ISBN 9781481463065 (pb)| ISBN 9781481463089 (eBook) | Subjects: | CYAC: Mystery and detective stories. | Detectives—Fiction. | Dogs—Fiction. | Animals—Fiction. | Martial arts—Fiction. | BISAC: JUVENILE FICTION / Readers / Chapter Books. | JUVENILE FICTION / Action & Adventure / General. | JUVENILE FICTION / Animals / General. | Classification: LCC PZ7.1.S82 Gh 2016 | DDC [Fic]—dc23 LC record available at http://lccn.loc.gov/2015038216