By: Mickys411 and Lisa   Rated G

It was Halloween night, and everyone in town had a way of celebrating.
There were kids out trick-or-treating; some folks had plans on going to costume parties, while the other people in the neighborhood handed out candy to the "goblins" and "witches".
Everyone was enjoying Hallows eve, except for one place, 1334 Beachwood, home of the Monkees.
The guys had planned to play at a costume party that night, however, the night of the big event, their instruments were still on the bandstand, the costumes they bought were hanging in the closet, and all four Monkees were on the couch, coughing, and sneezing.
For that night, they all had very bad colds.
"You know, I still find it hard to believe that we all caught colds at the same time," said a hoarsed up Davy.
"Yeah, and on the night of all nights," said a stuffed up Mike.
"I was really looking forward to playing at that party," said Peter with a cough.
"Same here man," said Micky, who then blew his nose.
"I was going to take Katie with me, but I had to cancel,” said Davy, “We were going to go as Robin Hood and Maid Marian."
"And I was going to go as a mad scientist," said Micky.
"I was planning on going as a cowboy," said Peter.
"And I was supposed to go as a Detective," said Mike.
He then got up from the couch and said, “I’m going to make some soup, who wants some?"
"I'll have a bowl," said Micky.
"Sure, thank you," said Peter.
"I'll have some, but don't make it like Peter did earlier," said Davy.
"What ever do you mean?"
"Well, mine was too spicy."
"And mine was too cold," said Micky.
"Ok, three bowls then," said Mike.

Soup's on!" Mike called out with a cough a few moments later.
The guys then ate their soup.
"Mmm, very good Mike," said Davy.
"My compliments to the chef," said Peter.
"Thanks," said Mike.
"I just found out something," said Micky.
"What's that?" asked Davy.
"That a mixture of soup and cough syrup can make a person sleepy," said Micky with a yawn. He then fell asleep.

Story 1 "Dr. Mickinstine’s Monster"

On a dark night, in a castle located on a hill, Dr. Mickinstine was working hard in his lab.
"Yes, yes all is ready for tonight!” he said with delight.
He then began to laugh, followed by a cough.
"Oh, doctor told me not to do that."
Dr Mickinstine then cleared his throat and said, “I must call my assistants to get me ready for my latest experiment. Igor!"
Just then two people who looked oddly like Mike and Davy, dressed in frumpy looking clothes and standing behind the scientist appeared.
"You called Dr. Mickinstine,” the two men said.
Dr. Mickinstine screamed, grabbed his chest, turned to the two and said, “How many times do I have to tell you two not to sneak up on me like that?"
"Sorry doctor," said the assistant who looked and sounded like Davy.
"But you did called Igor," said the assistant who looked like and sounded Mike.
"This is what I get for hiring two assistants with the same names," sighed Dr. Mickinstine.
He then turned to the two, pointed to the assistant who was like Mike and said, “Tell you what. I call you Igor number one.
The doctor then pointed to the assistant who was like Davy and said, “And you'll be called Igor number two to avoid confusion."
"That sounds good to me," said Igor number one.
"Ok then," said Igor number two.
"Is everything ready for tonight?” Dr. Mickinstine asked.
"We checked, double checked and triple checked," said Igor number one.
"It's all ready," said Igor number two.
"Good, by tonight, everyone will know who Dr. Mickinstine is," said the doctor with a laugh, followed by a cough.
Igor number one patted the doctor's back.
"Thanks, I needed that," said Dr Mickenstine.
The doctor and his assistants approached a table with a sheet over it.
The doctor then removed the sheet to reveal a creature with a green face, bolts on the sides of his neck and who looked oddly like Peter.
Dr. Mickinstine then picked up some wires and said, “Once I hook these wires to the bolts and the lighting in the sky hits, my creation will come to life."
"But doctor, I heard on the radio that it's going to be a clear night," said Igor number two.
"Aww man, I was looking forward to doing this,” complained Mickinstine, “What's a person gotta do to get a lighting storm?"
Just then lighting began to strike the sky.
"That was lucky."
The doctor then attached the wires to the bolts of the monster. A strike of lighting then hit some poles on top of the castle, causing the wires on the monster to light up.
With that, the monster's eyes began to open.
"Yes, it's alive, it's alive!" shouted Dr. Mickinstine with excitement.
He let out another laugh, followed by another cough.
Igor number two patted him on the back, but the doctor said, "Cut that out."

Dr. Mickinstine slowly approached the monster and began to talk to it.
"Hell-o my creation," he said.
"Hell-o," the monster answered back.
"Incredible, he already knows how to talk."
"Can't move, get free?"
"Yes of course my creation. Igor number one free the monster."
Igor number one did just that.
"Friend," said the monster hugging Igor number one, which was a very tight hug.
"Thanks but you should really hug the doctor for creating you," said Igor Number one, struggling a bit from being hugged so tight.
The monster let go of Igor number one then began to hug Igor number two.
"Friend," said the monster hugging him.
"Not me, the one in the white lab coat," said Igor number two struggling from the bear hug. The monster let go of him, then gave Dr. Mickinstine a great big bear hug.
"Friend," said the monster hugging the doctor tightly.
"Yes my creation, but please let go of me, your cutting off my circulation." said the doctor.
Though the monster wasn't sure what the doctor was saying, he let him go.
"Now, we must come up with a name for my new creation," said the doctor.
"Good idea, because the name creation will never catch on you know," said Igor number two.
"How about Mickinstine Jr.?"
The monster shook his head in a no manner.
"You don't like the one, huh?
“How about Albert?”
The monster shook his head again.
"What about Peter?" asked Igor number one.
The monster shook his head in a yes manner.
"I guess it will have to do,” said the doctor, “Now gentlemen, we have to get ready."
"Ready for what?" asked Igor number two.
"For the appearance of Peter, for tomorrow all will know who Dr. Mickinstine’s monster is!"

Doctor Mickinstine and the two Igors spent the rest of the night getting Peter the monster ready. They put on him a pair of striped pants and a poncho with flower designs. Next, they cut his hair into a Beatle haircut and put granny sunglasses on him.
"How does he look?" Doctor Mickinstine asked his helpers.
"Like a long-haired monster wearing hippie clothes." Said Igor Number one.
"Ahh, but he's not done yet!" The doctor exclaimed. He then walked over to a cupboard and took out a guitar. Smiling, he put it in Peter's hands.
"Now how does he look?"
"Like a long-haired monster with a guitar." Igor number two replied.
"Bah, go clean up the lab!" The doctor snapped, "I will teach Peter how to play. He will be famous!"
"You're going to teach him to play in one night?" Igor number one asked.
"Well, the other rock stars all sound like they only learned the night before, so why not him?" The doctor replied.
So, while the two Igors cleaned up, Doctor Mickinstein taught Peter a few chords.
"Now sing, 'Take the last train to Clarksville..." The doctor sang.
"Take...Train...Clark!" Peter repeated, slamming his hands on the guitar strings.
The two Igors rolled their eyes, but said nothing.

The next morning, everyone gathered at the town square to see the new creation that Doctor Mickinstein had discovered.
The next day, Dr. Mickinstine and the two Igor took Peter to the local town park and set put some musical equipment at one of the gazebos.
Luckily for the gang, there was a good amount of people in the park.
After setting up, Igor number 1 spoke into one the microphones, “Attention ladies and gentlemen, can I have your attention please?"
Everyone turned their head to him.
"Thank you, Igor number 1 continued, “We’d like to present a new talent.
The fresh, talented, amazing Peter."
The crowd looked a bit confused, but clapped to be polite.
The clapping stopped when Peter, still in his out-of-site clothing approached the gazebo, causing the crowd to gasp.
"I sure hope he does well," said Igor number 2.
"As long as remember everything we taught him," said Mickinstine."
"But we didn't teach him anything."
But to everyone surprise, including the doctor's and the two Igors, Peter played and sang great.
The crowd enjoyed the music quite a lot.
Just as everyone was enjoying the show, a man in a police uniform, and who looked much like Babbit showed up.
"Ok folks, show's over," said the officer.
"What seem's to be the matter Officer Babbit?" asked a man in the crowd.
The policeman pointed at Peter and said, “This creature is causing a disturbance."
"No he's not, he's playing great music," said a woman.
"Well, he's disturbing the peace anyway."
Officer Babbit then placed handcuffs on Peter and said, “Come on, I'm taking you out of here.'
Dr. Mickinstine tried to stop the officer.
"No, he wasn't harming anyone, let him go!" he said.

"Let him go, let him go,” Micky muttered in his sleep.
Mike shook his band mate and said, “Micky, wake-up, you were having a dream."
"I was?" Micky asked.
"Yeah, and what were you saying, let who go?" asked Peter.
"Sorry, it was just a very weird dream," said Micky.
"I think I take the muttering over the snoring any day" said Davy, "And since you have a cold like the rest of us, it sounds worse then ever."
Micky then blew his nose and said, “Man, a mixture of chicken soup and cough syrup can give you some odd dreams."
"Try watching some TV, it may relax you," said Peter, clicking the TV on.
"We now return to tonight's movie, Robin Hood," said the voice on the TV.
In an instant, Davy shut his eyes and fell asleep.

Story 2 ‘Davy Hood’

The scenery changed from the inside of the pad, to a wood forest.
There was a sound of something that sounded like horses coming up the path.
"Say Davy Hood, can we stop making the horse sounds now, said Peter, dressed in a long brown robe, hitting two coconuts shells together.
"Yes, I agree Friar Tork, it does look rather silly,” said Davy, who was dressed in all green, putting his coconut shells away as well, “You may do so as well Little Mick and Merry Mike.”
Mike and Micky, who were dressed similar to what Davy was wearing, placed their coconut shells down as well.
"It's a good thing we stopped," said Merry Mike.
"Yeah, could you imagine if the evil sheriff saw us, we'd be the laughing stock of Sherwood Forest," said Little Mick.
As Davy Hood and his band walked into their camp, one of his men ran over.
"Davy Hood, have you heard the news?" He asked.
"What news?" Davy Hood replied.
"Maid Michaela is being held prisoner by the evil sheriff." The man answered.
"My twin sister?" Merry Mike said in shock.
"Yes, it seems the sheriff found out your sister was helping Davy Hood and now she's his prisoner." The man replied.
"We must save her!" Little Mick said dramatically.
"How?" Friar Tork asked, "His castle is well guarded."
"I have an idea." Davy Hood said with a smile on his face.
"Ok Davy Hood, what is your plan?" asked Little Mick
"Yeah, how are we going to save my sister?" asked Merry Mike.
"Well I'd figure we pole volt over the moat, land on top of the sheriff's castle, landing close to the tower, then we climb into a near by window, and rescue Michaela," said Davy Hood.
"Sounds like a good plan, but prisoners are kept in the dungeon of castles," said Friar Tork.
"Good point."
"Maybe we can dig our way in through the ground," said Little Mick.
"We'll end up flooding Sherwood Forest," said Merry Mike.
"Wait a minute, I have a plan," said Friar Tork.

Sometime later, a large object, which turned out to be a large cat made out of wood approached the castle that was home to the evil sheriff.
The main door of the castle opened and a guard, dressed entirely in black carefully stepped outside.
"Hell-o, what do we have here?" he said looking at the object parked in front of the castle.
Just then, another guard dressed in black as well and the evil sheriff, who looked like Babbit came to the door.
"What is all this?" asked the sheriff.
"Looks like someone left us a kitty cat, how cute?" said the other guard.
"It's fake, you dummy." said the first guard.
"Will you two stop arguing and get this thing inside?" said the sheriff.
"Yes Sheriff Babbit," said the guard, dragging the wooden animal in the castle.
Little did Sheriff Babbit and his men knew, Davy Hood and his men were inside the wooden cat.
The sheriff's men dragged the wooden cat over to the wall.
"Hey it's time to eat!" The sheriff said, "Let's look at this cat later!"
So the Sheriff and his men went to eat. When all was quiet, Davy Hood and his men climbed out of the cat.
"Boy, I think we fooled Sheriff Babbit!" Little Mick smiled.
"Oh yeah?" The Sheriff's voice said.
Everybody turned to see themselves surrounded by the Sheriff and his men.
"Fooled you!" The evil sheriff laughed.
"How did you know we were in there?" asked Friar Tork.
"I've read the Odyssey," said Sheriff Babbit.
"Oh really, how was it?" asked one of the guards.
"Shut up." said the other guard.
"Never mind, where's Michaela?" asked Davy Hood.
"Yeah, what did you do to my sister?" asked Merry Mike.
"She's in the dungeon, but you will have to fight us to get to her," said Sheriff Babbit with a laugh.
"You know what we have to do now men?" Davy Hood asked his men.
"Right, we have to split," said Little Mick.
"No, we must fight."
"Oh yeah."
"Of course, after all there's three of them and four of us," said Merry Mike.
"Oh really," said Sheriff Babbit with a laugh.
He whistled and sure enough more men, about twenty of them dressed in black colored uniforms, showed up.
"Ok, now what do we do?" asked Little Mick.
"Leave them alone!" shouted a voice.
Everyone turned to see a woman, about the same age as the Monkees, who was average height with long dark hair and was wearing a pink dress.
"Michaela, how did you...?" asked Merry Mike.
"I made a lock pick out of my hairpin, that's how." Maid Michaela told her brother.
"So, now there's five of you against twenty three." Sheriff Babbit said, "You're still outnumbered."
"He's right, you know." Friar Tork said.
Merry Mike and his sister looked at each other.
"RUN!" They yelled.
"This way!" Davy Hood yelled, running back over to the wooden cat.
Maid Michaela, Merry Mike, Little Mick and Friar Tork followed him, with Sheriff Babbit's men right behind them.
"Getting into your Trojan Cat won't save you." Sheriff Babbit snickered.
But Davy Hood and his friends began to climb the wooden cat. Since it was near the wall, it was an easy jump to the castle parapet.
"Stop them!" Sheriff Babbit shouted, "Don't let them get away!"
Sheriff Babbit and his men began to climb the wooden cat too.
"Now what?" Maid Michaela asked.
In reply, Davy Hood took his bow from his back and then began to tie a rope to an arrow. Friar Tork, Little Mick and Merry Mike were swinging their swords, trying to keep the Sheriff and his men at bay.
Davy Hood took careful aim outside the castle and fired his arrow. It sailed through the air, taking the rope with it, and slammed deep into a tree below. Davy Hood then tied the other end of the rope to a stone ledge.
"Let's go!" He shouted to the others, “Our ride is here!"
Maid Michaela wrapped some lace around her hands and grabbed the rope. She then slid down the rope and to freedom!
"The rest of you go next!" Davy Hood told the others, "I'll hold them off!"
So while Davy Hood fought off the Sheriff and his men, Merry Mike, Little Mick, and Friar Tork all slid down the rope to freedom!
When it was Davy Hood's turn though, there was no one to watch his back. He ran over and grabbed the rope, but before he could slide down, Sheriff Babbit had him by the collar!
"I got you now, Davy Hood!" He laughed.
"Let me go, let me go!" Davy Hood shouted.

"Let me go, let me go!" Davy shouted in his sleep.
A concerned Peter heard the shouting and went into the living room. He saw Davy and went over to him and shook his shoulder.
"Davy, wake up!" He exclaimed.
"What? What happened?" Davy asked sleepily.
"You were shouting 'let me go' over and over again." Peter replied. "Are you ok?"
"I had this weird dream where I was some sort of Robin Hood fella." Davy replied, grabbing a tissue and blowing his nose.
"Wow, that's deep." Peter said in reply. "Why don't you go back to your bed? You'll be more comfortable there."
"Ok, mate. Thanks." Davy smiled, getting up of the couch, "What about you?"
"You woke me up, so I might as well stay up now and watch some TV." Peter replied, then coughed. "Go ahead, I'll be ok."
"Good night, Peter."
"Good night, Davy."
When Davy had gone back into his bedroom, Peter picked up the remote and began to flip channels. He stopped when he saw a cowboy movie.
"Oh boy, I love this movie." Peter thought to himself, "John Wayne is terrific."
But Peter only watched a few minutes before he too fell asleep and began to dream...

The scenery changed once again, and this time it looked like a western area.
In the distance there was a chuck wagon being pulled by a lone horse.
And inside the wagon was what it looked to be the Monkees dressed as cowboys.
"You know, I hope we cane find some go paying gigs in this town," said Davy.
"I'm sure we will Cowpoke Jones, said Mike, How far are we do we have to go Dolenz the kid?"
Micky looked at a map then into a telescope and answered, I'm afraid we still have a long way to go Roy Nesmith.
"I think you're looking in the wrong end kid," said Cowpoke Jones.
"Sorry," said Dolenz the kid with an embarrassed smile.
He then gave the telescope to Peter and said," Here Hop along Tork, your better at directions than me."
Hop along Tork looked out of the telescope the right way and said, “I believe we're here."

As the gang traveled into the town, they saw that everything looked like it was deserted.
"What's going on here?" said Cowpoke Jones.
"I hope the town isn't abandoned," said Roy Nesmith.
"Hey look," said Dolenz the kid, pointing at something."
"What's up kid?" asked Hop along Tork.
"Looks like some sort of notice.
The guys pulled the cart in front of a trough, got out of the wagon and got a better looked at the sign.
The sign turned out to be a wanted poster, featuring the photos of two men.
One looked like Babbit, the other looked like Rodney, Peter's girlfriend Valeri's ex-boyfriend.
"Black Babbit and Red Rodney-Wanted for Cattle napping," said Roy Nesmith reading the poster.
"Those two look really seedy," said Cowpoke Jones.
"Yeah, I hate to run into them at dark," said Hop along Tork.
"I don't even want to see them in the light of day," said Dolenz the kid.
"You know, all this traveling has made me thirsty," said Cowpoke Jones.
"I see a saloon over there," said Roy Nesmith.
The gang approached the saloon.
"Come for the drinks, stay for the show, starring Miss Valeri," said Cowpoke Jones, reading the saloon's sign.
And with that, the guys entered the place.
Entering the saloon, the four men walked over to the bar. It was pretty large and most of the tables were filled. Gas lights and chandeliers lit up the place. At the far end was a stage with a red velvet curtain drawn across.
"What will you gentlemen be having?" The bartender asked.
"Four root beers, please." Cowpoke Jones replied.
"Coming right up." The bartender said, walking away.
"Pretty nice place." Hop Along Tork told the others.
"Seems pretty busy." Dolenz the Kid added, "Perhaps we can get a gig here."
"Here's your root beers." The bartender send, sliding them down the bar.
"Thank you." Roy Nesmith said, grabbing his drink.
As Cowpoke Jones paid the bartender he asked, "Do you know if your boss is hiring any new acts?"
"I don't know, and I don't think he'll want to, not with Miss Valeri packing the house every night." The bartender replied.
"Oh." Hop Along Tork replied, crestfallen. "Well, when's her next show?"
"Should be soon." The bartender said, looking at his pocket watch.
Just then, a man wearing a suit walked out from behind the curtain on stage. The audience, mostly consisting of men, began to hoot and holler.
"Ok now, settle down gentlemen." The man on stage said with a smile. "Let's all give a warm hand to Miss Valleri!"
Everyone in the place cheered and clapped as the curtain parted. In the middle of the stage, sitting on a swing, was a young woman in her early twenties. She had dark hair down to her shoulders, and wore a blue gown with lace trimmings.
As the orchestra began to play, Miss Valeri began to swing back and forth and sing:
"You know, if you break my heart,
I'll go...but I'll be back again.
Because I told you once before goodbye,
But I came back again.
I thought that you'd realize,
that if I ran away from you,
that you would want me too,
but I got a big surprise,
oh no, oh no.
And you, could find better things to do,
than to break my heart again."

When the song was over, the audience erupted in applause and cheering. The four Monkees were also clapping, but Hop Along Tork just stared wide eyed at Valeri.
"Did you like her, Hop Along Tork?" Dolenz the Kid asked.
"I love her." Hop Along Tork replied, still looking at Valeri.
Valleri got off the swing, and took a bow. When the curtain closed, Hop Along Tork left the bar and headed backstage.
Hop along Tork walked around backstage, but he couldn't find Valerie anywhere.
He then spotted an elderly man pushing a broom.
"Excuse me sir, can you tell me where Miss Valerie is?" Hop along Tork asked.
"She's in her dressing room, second door on the right," the man answered.
Hop along Tork thanked the man, and went to find Valerie's dressing room.
On the way, he took a bunch of roses that were in a vase of water.
When he approached the dressing room, he knocked on the door.
"Come in," said a voice from the other side of the door.
Hop along opened it to find Valerie, still dressed in her show clothes, but was wearing a robe on top of her dress.
"Miss Valerie, my name is Hop along Tork, and I really enjoyed you show tonight," said Hop along Tork.
"Why thank you, it's nice to here a fan give me a compliment rather than a whistle," said Valerie.
Hop along Tork than handed her the roses.
"Oh these are for you," he said.
"Thank you, you're a very sweet man, said Valerie taking the flowers, "I wish my boyfriend was a kind sensitive man like you."
"Boyfriend?"
Hop along Tork gulped.
"Oh yes, Rodney has such a bad temper, especially if any man comes near me.
But luckily I dumped him."
Hop along Tork breathed a sigh of relief.
Just then, Cowpoke Jones, Roy Nesmith and Dolenz the kid entered Valerie's dressing room.
"Hop along, we have to get out of here,” said Roy said.
"Why?" Hop along Tork asked.
"Black Babbit and Red Rodney are here," said Cowpoke Jones.
"You mean my ex-boyfriend?" asked Valerie.
"Man, we better get out of here before there's trouble," said Dolenz the kid.
"He's right, you boys better leave." Valerie told them, tears welling up in her eyes. "He's probably come to see me again. Oh why can't he leave me alone?" She began to cry.
"He still bothers you, even though you dumped him?" Roy Nesmith asked.
Valerie nodded yes, as she wiped her eyes.
"Well, he's not going to bother you again, Miss Valerie." Hop Along Tork said.
"What do you mean?" Cowpoke Jones asked.
"I mean I aim to tell him to leave her alone for good." Hop Along Tork replied.
"You can't!" Valerie replied, "He's a dangerous man!"
"Danger is my middle name." Hop Along Tork replied with a smile.
"I thought it was Halston." Dolenz the Kid replied.
Just then, Red Rodney and Black Babbit forced their way into the dressing room. Like their names implied, Rodney was wearing red and Babbit all black.
"Oh hello, Valerie." Red Rodney said sweetly, "I'm glad to see you here alone."
"She's not alone anymore." Hop Along Tork said, walking over to her, "I want you to leave her alone."
"Nobody tells me what to do, especially some country cowboy like you." Red Rodney snarled, and Black Babbit laughed.
"Tell you what." Hop Along Tork said amiably, "Let's settle this at noon tomorrow in front of the saloon. Winner gets Miss Valerie. What do you say?"
"I accept."

"Are you sure what you're doing is the right thing to do?" asked Cowpoke Jones.
"A man's gotta do what a man's gotta do," answered Hop along Tork.
"So what are you going to do?" asked Dolenz the kid.
"I think I'll pretend to be sick."
Miss Valerie then took Hop along hand and said," Please, you have to fight off Rodney.
She then gave him a kiss on the cheek.
"Ok Miss Valerie, I'll fight for your honor," said Hop along Tork.
"Yeah we'll help you get ready for the show down," said Roy Nesmith.
"We better go and get ready then" said Hop along Tork.
He gave Valerie a quick kiss good-bye, then he and his posse left.

The next day, the guys stood in front of the saloon and waited for Red Rodney to show up.
"Ok Hop along, when Red Rodney shows up what are you going to say to him?" asked Roy Nesmith.
Hop along Tork cleared his throat and spoke up.
"Mr. Red Rodney, could you please leave Miss Valerie alone?" he said.
He then turned to his friends and asked, "How was that?"
"I think we better get out of here while we still have a chance," said Cowpoke Jones.
"Good Idea," said Dolenz the kid.
"It's too late now. Look,” said Roy Nesmith pointing to the town's clock tower, which was about to strike twelve.
"You know, I wonder where that Red Rodney is?" asked Cowpoke Jones.
"Maybe he's stuck in traffic," said Roy Nesmith.
"Let's hope for Hop along’s sake he chickened out," said Dolenz the kid.
"Red Rodney doesn't believe in chickening out," said a voice.
The gang turned to see a stage cart in the middle of the road.
And there inside was Rodney, with a tied up Miss Valerie, while Black Babbit was up front as the driver.
"What about the showdown?" asked Hop along Tork.
"Change of plans," said Rodney with a laugh.
"Hop Along, Help!" screamed Valerie.
Hop Along Tork started to run toward the coach, but Black Babbit just laughed and snapped the reins. The horses took off in a flash, leaving Hop Along Tork and his friends in the dust.
"That no-good snake." Dolenz the kid coughed, pulling out his gun.
"No, don't shoot." Hop Along Tork told him, "You might hit Miss Valleri."
"What are we gonna do?" Cowpoke Jones asked.
"We're going after them." Hop Along replied, running over to their wagon.
The other three followed him. Hop Along Tork took the reins and soon they were chasing after Red Rodney and Black Babbit.
"There he is!" Roy Nesmith shouted.

Inside the coach, Valerie glared at Red Rodney.
"You're not Red Rodney," She mocked, "You're yellow."
"You won't talk like that once we're married." Red Rodney replied.
"I'll never marry you!" Valerie shouted back.
Just then, Red Rodney heard hoof beats behind them. He poked his head out of the window, and saw that he was being chased.
"It's that Tork fella and his friends!" He snarled, pulling out his gun.
"Duck!" Cowpoke Jones shouted as bullets flew around them.
Roy Nesmith and Dolenz the Kid fired back, but Red Rodney ducked back into the coach. Cowpoke Jones pulled out his gun too, but Hop Along Tork stopped him.
"Take the reins." He ordered, giving them to him.
Hop Along pulled out his gun and fired at Black Babbit, his shot hitting Babbit in the shoulder. He cried out in pain, and dropped his horses' reins. The horses began to slow down.
Cowpoke Jones skillfully maneuvered the horses until they were almost even with Red Rodney. Dolenz the Kid pulled out his lasso and roped Black Babbit. With a quick jerk, he pulled Black Babbit into their wagon, where Roy Nesmith quickly tied him up. Then Hop Along suddenly jumped on top of the coach!
"What's going on?" Red Rodney demanded, hearing the noise above him.
"This is going on!" Hop Along said, reaching inside the coach. He grabbed Red Rodney by the collar and pulled him half-way through the window.
But Red Rodney held on to the door and tried to pull Hop Along off the roof. The two men struggled for several seconds until Miss Valerie shoved against Red Rodney, pushing him further out of the coach. He hung there held onto by Hop Along.
"Don't drop me, please!" Red Rodney begged.
"Do you surrender?" Hop Along asked.
"Yes!"
"Take him, Roy." Hop Along said, pushing him over to the other wagon. Roy Nesmith grabbed Rodney and quickly tied him up too.
Hop Along Tork went up to the front of the coach and halted the horses When all was stopped, he then went inside and untied miss Valerie and helped her out.
"My hero!" She cried, giving him a kiss.
"Hey, we helped too!" Dolenz the Kid said.
Miss Valerie laughed and kissed him and Roy and Cowpoke Jones too.
After giving thank you kisses to her other heroes, Miss Valerie went back to kissing Hop along Tork.
Just then, he heard someone calling his name.
"Peter, Peter, Peter, you awake?" said the voice.
The scene changed and Peter, who was wide awake was back in the pad.
He looked up and saw Mike was standing behind him.
"Hey Mike, what are you doing up?" Peter asked with a cough.
"Well, Davy is coughing in his sleep, and Micky's so congested, it’s making his snoring worse."
"You can have the couch Mike, I'm headed upstairs myself," said Peter.
"Thanks old Buddy."
Peter then got off the couch and headed up the stairs, while Mike sat down on the couch.
Though he tried, he couldn't fall asleep.
"Maybe if I watch some TV, I'll fall asleep," said Mike as he turned on the TV.
"We now returned to 'Sherlock Holmes' on Mystery Theater," said a voice on the TV.
Mike watched the movie for a bit, but then fell asleep.

Story 4 ‘Sherlock Nesmith and the Punjab Diamond'

Once more the scenery had changed from the pad to a turn of the century type town.
On a brick road was a horse draw cart, driven by Peter, who was in a dark grey colored suit and glasses, while sitting next to him was Mike, wearing brown slacks, matching cap, a white shirt, and a brown cap.
He too had glasses on his face, as well a pipe and was reading a book.

"Sherlock Nesmith, why are reading in the dark, it's now good for your eyes," said Peter.
"I'm really into this book I'm reading Dr. Thorklson," said Sherlock Nesmith.
"And it's not healthy to smoke either.”
"Oh this is the type that blow bubbles."
Sherlock poured some liquid into his pipe and bubbles came out of it.
Just then, another horse draw cart was ganging up on them.
Doctor Thorkelson turned to see what kind of cart it was. It was a police cart.
"Why is it getting close to us, I wasn't speeding was I?" asked Dr. Thorkelson.
As the cart got closer, the two were a bit relieved to see a familiar face. For driving the cart was Micky, wearing a dark blue policeman's uniform and a long black coat.
"Oh Good evening, Officer Dolenz." Sherlock Nesmith said, tipping his hat, as Dr. Thorkelson stopped the cart. "How may we help you?"
"Good evening to you too, Mr. Nesmith, Dr. Thorkelson. I have a message for you from Scotland Yard." Officer Dolenz replied, also stopping his cart.
"What is the message?"
"That Shorty Jones is at it again." Officer Dolenz replied.
"He's still at it?" Dr. Thorkelson replied, raising an eyebrow, "You men still haven't caught him?"
"No, Doctor." Officer Dolenz replied, a bit angrily. "That little jewel thief can get into and out of the smallest windows!"
"What's he stolen now?" Sherlock Nesmith asked, putting his book away.
"Just a few hours ago he broke into the British Museum and stole the Punjab diamond!" Officer Dolenz exclaimed. "It's worth thousands of Pounds!"
"My word, wasn't that a gift to her Majesty from the Rajah of Omigosh, Nesmith?" Dr. Thorkelson asked.
"Indeed it was, my dear Thorkelson." Sherlock Nesmith replied, then turned to the officer. "I take it the inspector is asking for our help?"
"Yes, Mr. Nesmith." Officer Dolenz replied, "We need your help in catching that thief and getting the diamond back!"
"Then you shall have it." Sherlock Nesmith said with a smile. "Lead the way."
Smiling, Officer Dolenz led Nesmith and Thorkelson over to the museum.

When the three reached the museum, they saw broken glass in front of the building.
They got out of their carts to get a closer look.

“My, what a mess,” said Dr.Thorkelson.

Sherlock Nesmith examined the broken glass, then at the museum door.
"I wondered how Shorty Jones got into the museum," said Officer Dolenz.
"Elementary Officer Dolenz,” said Sherlock Nesmith blowing some bubbles from his pipe, “Shorty Jones used a small but heavy object to break the glass, then was able to turn the handle from the inside putting his hand through the now glassless door."
"How do you know?"
Sherlock Nesmith then indicated his head to the garden in front of the building.
"Take a look at the garden.”
Officer Dolenz and Dr. Thorkelson did just that.
"The museum groundskeeper sure does a wonderful job, maybe he could tell me why my tomato plants aren't growing.”
"Not the plants and flowers, what's surrounding them," said Sherlock Nesmith.
"A stone fence, but there's one missing," said Officer Dolenz.
"Exactly, that's how Shorty Jones used one of those stones to break the glass.”
"Officer, does Jones work for himself or with a partner?”
"He works on his own, but I do remember hearing that he does some bidding for Prof. Babbit," said Officer Dolenz.
"Who is Professor Babbit?" Dr. Thorkelson asked.
"One of the most fiendishly clever men I've ever encountered, Doctor." Sherlock Nesmith replied, "Almost as smart as I."
"Do you think this is the case now?" Officer Dolenz said.
"Yes, I believe so." Sherlock Nesmith replied, "Something like the Punjab Diamond is too good for him to pass up." He pulled on his gloves and gently reached inside the door and pulled the handle. "Let's see what other clues there are."
The three men went inside and over to the gems collection. There were other officers already there, examining the area. In the middle of the floor there was an empty glass case on a stand. A glance told Sherlock Nesmith it had been cut open with a glass cutter.
"Very neatly done." He mused, as he pulled out his magnifying glass and began to search the floor.
"Size five shoe prints on the floor. Yes, this is the work of Shorty Jones alright." He kept looking on the floor.
"What are you looking for, Nesmith?" Dr. Thorkelson asked.
"Ah ha!" Sherlock Nesmith cried, picking up a button.
"You found a button." Officer Dolenz said, not impressed.
"This is a not an ordinary button, Officer Dolenz." Nesmith replied with a smile, "But a button made at Mutton's Button. They have a factory on Hargrove street in the East End."
"How did you deduce all that from a button, Nesmith?" Dr. Thorkelson asked.
"It says so on the back, my dear Thorkelson." Sherlock Nesmith replied, showing it to him.
"So Shorty Jones wore a button from that factory." Officer Dolenz said, "Maybe that's where his hideout is located."
"If we find Shorty Jones, we'll find Prof. Babbit too." Nesmith cried, "Let's go!"
Sherlock Nesmith and Dr. Thorkelson returned to their cart as did Officer Dolenz.
"How far are we from the factory?" Dr. Thorkelson asked.
"Not too far," said Sherlock Nesmith.
"I think I see it, up ahead," said Officer Dolenz, pointing in the distance.
And sure enough, they came up to a building.
"Mutton's Buttons, yes this is the place,” said Sherlock Nesmith, “Dr. Thorkelson, stop the cart.”
The doctor did just that, as did Officer Dolenz.
"Do you think we could find Shorty Jones?" asked Dr.Thorkelson.
"Knowing him, he'd find a perfect spot to hide," said Officer Dolenz.
Just then, they saw a small man with a mustache, wearing a brown suit and a white apron.
Sherlock Nesmith stopped the man.
"Excuse me sir," he said.
"Yes?” said the man.
"I hope you don't mind that we're bothering you sir, but we're looking for Shorty Jones.
We believe that Shorty Jones might be around here."
"Oh no sir, I work the late shift here at this factory, so I haven't seen anyone.”
"If you seen anything odd around here, you let me or Sherlock Nesmith know," said Officer Dolenz.
"Oh, yes sir," said the man.
"Thank you.”
And with that, the officer, detective and doctor left.
As soon as they were gone, the man then removed his mustache.
"That's what they think,” laughed the man, who turned out to be Shorty Jones.

Sometime later, Sherlock Nesmith, Officer Dolenz and Dr. Thorkelson were at the home of Sherlock and the doctor, sitting by the fireplace having tea.
"Would you like another cup of tea Officer Dolenz?" Dr. Thorkelson asked.
"No thanks, I'm fine," said the officer.
"What about you Sherlock?"
Sherlock didn't answer, he seemed preoccupied with thought.
"Sherlock, are you ok?" Doctor Thorkelson asked.
The detective looked up and answered, "Oh I'm sorry Dr. Thorkelson, I didn't hear you, I was thinking about the crime scene. I thought I had something."
"It's ok Sherlock, it happens to everyone," said Officer Dolenz.
"I would have thought we catch Shorty Jones for sure.”
Sherlock then got up from his chair and picked up a violin case. Doctor Thorkelson then made a pained look on his face.
"What's wrong?" the officer asked.
"You'll soon find out," said Dr. Thorkelson.
Sherlock then opened the violin case. He took out the violin that was inside the case and began to play it very badly.
Officer Dolenz then made the same painful look on his face as Dr. Thorkelson.
"Does he play often?" the officer asked as he covered his ears
"Only when he has trouble solving cases," answered Dr. Thorkelson, who covered his ears as well.
Suddenly, Sherlock Nesmith stopped playing.
"Wait a minute, I just thought of something," he said.
"You did?" said Dr. Thorkelson who was glad that not only did Sherlock had came up with something, but that the awful violin music stopped.
"What is it?" asked Officer Dolenz.
"Do you remember that man we met at the factory?" asked Sherlock Nesmith.
"Yes, what about him?"
"Didn't one side of his mustache look higher than the other?"
"Come to think of it one side did look like it was about to fall off, like it was fake or something," said Dr. Thorkelson.
"Wait a minute, I just remembered something too,” said Sherlock, “Mutton's Buttons doesn't have late shifts, and the factory closes at sundown.”
"You're right,” said Officer Dolenz, “Which can only mean that the man we saw at the factory was..."
"Shorty Jones!" the three said altogether.

The three returned to the button factory in haste.
Officer Dolenz approached the door and began to turn it, but it was stuck.
"The doors are completely shut," he said.
"Wait a minute, if the doors are locked up, how does Shorty Jones enter and exit them?" asked Doctor Thorkelson.
"There must be another way, like a trap door or something," said Sherlock Nesmith. Just then, they heard footsteps.
"Hide in there!"
The gang hid in some bushes.
Two men dressed in black approached the factory and one of them knocked at the door. Just then, the door cracked opened a bit.
"Password?" asked a voice.
"The seagulls fly at dusk," said the man who knocked at the door.
The door opened more and the men entered.
"Of course, it's some sort of operation." said Sherlock Nesmith.
"But how do we get in?" asked Dr. Thorkelson.
Officer Dolenz went to his coach and returned with two dark colored coats.
"Good thinking Officer Dolenz, we get in by disguise," said Sherlock Nesmith.
He and Dr. Thorkelson then put on the coats and went up to the door with Officer Dolenz.
Sherlock Nesmith then knocked on the door.
The door opened slightly and they heard the same voice.
"Password?" asked the voice.
"The seagulls fly at dusk," said Sherlock Nesmith in a deep voice.
The door opened more and the three entered.

When the gang got inside the factory they saw a group of men dressed in dark and shabby type clothes.
"The boss is about to say something," said one of the men.
Just then, Shorty Jones appeared on a platform located in the middle of the factory.
"Gentlemen, I have great news,” said Shorty Jones, “I have stolen the Punjab Diamond."
Shorty Jones then showed the diamond in his hand.
The group of men cheered.
"And best of all, that Sherlock Nesmith fell for my get up, leaving him cold on the chase."
The men cheered louder.
"Don't be so sure about that," said a voice.
"Who said that?" yelled Shorty Jones.
Sherlock Nesmith then removed his coat and revealed himself.
"Sherlock Nesmith, how did you get in here?" said Shorty Jones.
"Oh, we have our ways," answered Sherlock Nesmith.
"We?"
Doctor Thorkelson and Officer Dolenz then removed their coats to and showed themselves.
"Get them men!" ordered Shorty Jones.
The men then began to charge at Sherlock Nesmith and his gang. The three then began to fight the thugs off, but there were too many of them.
When the three were finally caught, a man dressed in a dark colored suit approached them.
"Well, well, well if it isn't the great Sherlock Nesmith," laughed the man.
"Professor Babbit, I should had guessed you were behind this caper," said Sherlock.
"Maybe you really are a clever man,” laughed Prof. Babbit, “And now thanks to the help of Shorty Jones I can use the diamond to rule the world."
"You're evil," said Dr. Thorkelson shaking a finger at Babbit.
Just then, there was a noise that sounded like a bell ringing.

The scenery changed back to the pad, where Mike was asleep on the couch. He then woke up with a big stretch and yawn.
"Man what a night,” he said.
He then began to sniff and realized that he wasn't congested. Mike also found out that his throat wasn't scratchy either.
"Hey I feel better.”
Just then, Micky, Davy and Peter came downstairs.
"Hey Mike, did you stay down here all night?" asked Davy, who sounded better himself.
Mike looked up, saw the guys and said, "Fellas, you look 100% better," he said.
"I feel great.” said Davy.
"Me too," said Peter, who wasn’t sounding congested at all.
"Same here," said Micky, who didn't have a scratchy voice.
"You know, I'm glad we're all well again, but it's a bummer that we couldn't go to that party," said Davy.
"Yeah we didn't get a chance to wear our groovy costumes," said Peter.
"I'm sure we'll use them eventually," said Micky.

And the guys did wear their costumes, to a new year's party…
Though it was by accident, due to that fact that Peter read the invitation wrong saying that it was a costume ball, but that is another story.