The Berenstain Bears in the Wax Museum Read Free Page A

“Talk about pressure!”
    â€œHey, you two!” scolded Mama. “That’s not very nice.”
    â€œYou know what they say,” said Papa. “‘Nice guys finish last.’ We’re gonna get a counter-campaign going—in favor of Madame Bearsaud. And we’ll call it … what should we call it, cubs?”
    â€œI know!” said Brother. “BAD. Bears Against Dullsville.”
    â€œYeah!” said Sister. “We can have T-shirts printed up that say WE BAD!”
    â€œI don’t know,” said Mama, shaking her head. “That might put off a lot of folks …”

Chapter 6
    The Truckers Cometh
    Mama was right about BAD, of course. But it didn’t matter. As usual, Papa was mostly hot air: all talk, no action. And the cubs quickly forgot all about trying to fight Lady Grizzly’s campaign. They didn’t really believe she would be successful. They were so in love with the idea of Madame Bearsaud’s Wax Museum and Entertainment Center that they couldn’t really imagine it not coming true.
    Meanwhile, Brother and Fred continued their summer of adventure. And Madame Bearsaud’s entertainment center was now at the center of their adventures. In fact, it seemed on the verge of becoming the Great Adventure Fred had dreamed of. As the days of construction wore on, the cubs hatched a scheme to sneak into Madame Bearsaud’s for a look-see. It would be a huge thrill to see what was inside before anyone else did. And an even bigger thrill to report their exploits to the rest of Beartown’s admiring cubs. All that was left to do was choose the right moment.
    That moment came sooner than they expected. Work on the center had speeded up lately. Perhaps Madame Bearsaud had got wind of ABATE’s campaign and decided that an early completion of the center would put a stop to it. But whatever the reason for the speed-up, the massive building was finished in a matter of days, and now trucks labeled MADAME BEARSAUD’S WAX MUSEUM began coming and going through the gateway in the multi-colored fence.
    â€œDo you think they’re bringing in the wax statues?” Brother asked Fred as they stood watching from across the street.

    â€œIf I were a betting bear,” said Fred, “I’d give you a hundred-to-one odds that they are.”
    â€œWell,” said Brother, “what are we waiting for? The time for our Great Adventure is upon us!”
    Fred smiled, and across the street they went.

Chapter 7
    No Trespassing
    Brother and Fred crept along the alleyway behind the building project, staying close to the fence. They were looking for a break or hole in the fence in a spot where they wouldn’t be seen sneaking in. And sure enough, they found one: a crack in the fence just wide enough for a cub to slip through.
    Brother was ready to go for it, but Fred held back. “Are you sure we should be doing this?” he said. He pointed to a sign just above the crack in the fence. It read: NO TRESPASSING .
    â€œHmm,” said Brother. “Trespassing. That’s an awful big word, and I’m just a cub.” He winked. “I don’t know what it means. Do you?”
    Now, Brother hadn’t forgotten that Fred liked to read the dictionary for fun. But he expected his wink to do the trick. And it did. Fred suddenly lost his memory for long words.
    â€œTrespassing,” he said, scratching his head. “I’m not sure … I think it’s a fancy word for fishing.”
    â€œOh,” said Brother. “‘No fishing.’ Well, that’s no sweat. We didn’t even bring our fishing poles, did we? Come on, let’s go.”
    No one could possibly have seen the cubs dart from the crack in the fence to a back door that was propped open with a garbage can. Before you could sneeze, they were inside the building. It was very dark. From the little bit of daylight coming through the propped-open door,