THE GREEN BEANS
VOLUME TWO
THE STRANGE GENIUS
OF LEFTY O’HOULIHAN
GABRIEL GADGET
Copyright 2012 Gabriel Gadget
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This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
THINGS GET SCIENTIFIC
Two weeks have passed since the Green Beans solved the mystery of Hollow Oak, making remarkable discoveries in the process. In the wake of their findings, Jack has been placed within the huge, eerie manor of his new guardian – an eccentric uncle, known as Lefty O’Houlihan.
Before long, Jack comes to suspect that something strange is afoot in his new home. Weird noises, curious sights, and his uncle’s odd behavior have led Jack to believe that all is not well at Lefty’s Manor.
Seeking help, Jack finds that his friends are more than ready for adventure and investigation. Neil, Sara, and Maria gladly answer the call, along with Nibbler, the faithful Labradoodle.
From the rumors that the Green Beans have been able to gather, it seems that Lefty may have once been a brilliant scientist… until his ‘strange genius’ spiraled out of control, forcing him to part ways with his former employers. Now, the Green Beans are determined to uncover the truth behind Lefty’s current scientific project… and what it may mean for the future of Hollow Oak.
Chapter One
You Can Lean on Nibbler
His breath held within his lungs, and his ear pressed against the door to the basement, Jack listened closely. For a moment, there was nothing. Nothing in the stretching silence, but for the thudding of his own heart, echoing in his ears.
Upon further contemplation, he could also hear the tick of the odd, ancient grandfather clock, which stood in the nearby parlor. Its elegant hands, piano black in color, slowly revolved, marking the passage of time as midnight drew closer. The clock was a strange relic, in a house of similarly weird objects and items.
Had he imagined it, Jack wondered? Had it all been inside of his head? His lungs burned from holding his breath, and his skin felt clammy, cool, and peppered with goose bumps.
His dog, Nibbler, stood beside him, braced and ready to leap into action. The big, furry Labradoodle waited in equal stillness, his head tilted up at Jack in a quizzical fashion.
“Ah-roo?” the dog inquired softly.
“Shh, boy,” Jack whispered to Nibbler, with a finger pressed against his lips.
As if sensing the gravity of the matter, and understanding that stealth was in order, Nibbler said no more. He leaned closer, carefully easing his weight, so as to not let his claws click upon the floors, which were built from durable lengths of maple wood. He pressed his own furry ear against the basement door, and his glistening, black nose quivered about in concentration. Together, the boy and dog listened.
As the silence continued, Jack eventually began to give up on the notion that there were strange goings-on occurring in the cellar. He slowly eased away from the basement door, and once more began to draw in regular breaths.
But then, just as he began to retreat from the door, the sound came again.
Thoom!
Jack’s heart lurched within his chest, and his breath staggered. Caught by surprise, he briefly stumbled as he stepped away from the basement door, but Nibbler leaned against him. Jack steadied himself by placing a hand on the dog’s sturdy back. Having regained his balance, Jack once more pressed his ear against the door.
Yes! There it was!
Thoom! …Thoom! …Thoom!
Jack felt the flesh upon his forearms and the nape of his neck crawling, once more alive with goose bumps. Every now and again, the strange noise could be heard from the other side of the door, down in the basement. Each time it sounded, Jack’s heart seemed to leap into his throat.
Thoom! …Thoom! …Thoom!
Whatever it was that was causing such a ruckus down there, it was something of raw, savage power. Jack could not even begin to guess what it might be.
Now, at this close proximity to the door, he realized that there was another sound drifting from the basement. It was some kind of funky music, like nothing he had ever heard before. It was playing at a somewhat subdued volume… but it was still loud enough for Jack to hear, even at the top of the stairs, on the other side of the closed door.
And then, when it seemed that things could not possibly get any weirder, another sound joined it… that of laughter from the basement. A more precise definition of the laughter might have been… cackling. It was more than enough to generate hair-raising results.
Forcing himself to focus on the moment (a skill he had learned playing baseball), Jack took a few slow breaths. He pressed two fingers against his wrist, and was not surprised to feel that his pulse was racing.
But this was okay. In fact, this matter was relatively mild (strange as it might seem), compared to his recent experiences in what could only be called extreme weirdness. Once, there had been room (however small) in his life for things like fear. But there was room for such, no more. He had, after all, faced some of the worst that life could throw at him, and he was still standing.
In the town of Hollow Oak, Jack had recently become a celebrity of sorts… but his was a reputation that nobody would willingly seek. With his father jailed for crimes against the town, he had become an object of pity, and at times… contempt.
The only family that Jack knew had been taken from him, without warning or preamble. But what made the matter far worse was the fact that he had been ridiculed beyond endurance, by those who sensed a weakened prey, and were eager to strike. The worst offenders were the surly Cragglemeisters, who seemed to harbor an unrelenting vendetta against him.
Fortunately, Jack had the support of his friends. They had remained beside him, when others were glad to turn their backs. They were there for him… Neil, and Sara, and Maria… his very best friends. And there was, of course, the undying loyalty of Nibbler, who was a cold-snouted, floppy-eared, and thoroughly fur-covered friend like none other.
With such recent, trying experiences in tow, there was no fear to be gleaned from Jack. He had always possessed an aptitude for adventure, and his recent trials had only made him more resilient.
He had suspected strangeness abounding in this old, weird house, ever since he had come to live with the man known as Lefty O’Houlihan… a person who Jack had only recently learned was his uncle. Apparently, his father had not stayed in touch with Uncle Lefty, because Jack had never even heard his name mentioned before.
When Jack’s father had gone to prison, employees of the state had gotten involved. They were searching for a home to place him in, but finding relatives had been a difficult task. As far as Jack knew, his father was his only family (other than Nibbler, but for obvious reasons, the Labradoodle was not a suitable caretaker).
After several days of researching, however, the state workers had discovered that Jack did indeed have one relative… the mysterious and eccentric Lefty O’Houlihan.