The Haunted Haunted House
by Roberta Tracy

From behind torn lace curtains, the creature watched the sun sink towards the horizon. Another day over and nothing had changed. His life had become an endless war with an army of evil spirits who made his waking hours a living nightmare.

He rubbed his leathery shoulder. Oh to be bigger and braver, he wished, and, most of all, not alone.

When the stars came out, his legs began to stiffen. He blew out the flame in the hurricane lamp and plodded up the stairs. By the time he reached the top, his arms could barely move. Painfully, he crawled through an attic window and rolled to the edge of the roof to give one last look at the fence and forest. Somewhere out there must be the town of Pine Valley he had dreamed about but never visited. With a huge sigh, the creature sat up, hugged his knees and turned to stone.

Chapter 1 - The Pine Valley Five

Pine Valley was a little country town. There were hardly any pines and no valley, unless you wanted to count a small dip by the river running through Frank Marshall's property. Most of the 134 people were retired, but from time to time a young family moved in. When the Strangest Event Ever happened, only five children lived there.

As far as the oldest folks could remember, Colin Sweeney was the first child to arrive as a baby and stay. There weren't any nearby schools and the grownups worried about it. Colin didn't mind the bumpy roads or rickety old yellow school bus. His imagination held more adventures than a Saturday morning cartoon show and kept him entertained during the hour and fifteen minutes it took to get to Lakeport Elementary.

Most of the grownups thought he was special, so instead of just two parents, Colin had more than 100. Sometimes having all these watchful eyes was a pain, but most of the time it worked out well. Colin was always the first to sample Mabel Potts's Saturday morning cookies when the chocolate chips were still warm and just firming up in the soft golden dough. His lemonade stands brought in lots of change, although the customers usually had full pitchers of the summertime drink in their own refrigerators. Everyone tried to make holidays wonderful. Colin enjoyed more Valentine-getting, Easter egg-hunting and Christmas tree-decorating than most people do in a lifetime and his Thanksgiving wishbone collection couldn't be beat.

By the time he was in fifth grade, Colin was the leader of the kids who lived in Pine Valley. Twins Barney and Benjamin Lawson and their baby sister Samantha moved into the white house with the big porch at one end of Main Street. The eight-year-old boys loved mischief more than bears love honey, but they always watched out for Samantha who usually toddled after them dragging her blanket.

Coaxing Josie Jackson away from her books and out of her room was hard when her family first moved there. Her parents wanted a quieter life; she wanted to go to libraries, museums, and the ballet. Josie missed the city terribly and, for the first four weeks, was too shy to say hello. On the trip back from school one day, Colin was the first one to get Josie to talk. After that, she joined the group.

When fall came, people were glad there were only a few pine trees in Pine Valley. Strawberry-red and dandelion-yellow leaves fell to the ground in bright celebration of the harvest season. Soft breezes blew the branches until the colors mixed like a kaleidoscope. In fields and backyard gardens, pumpkin vines produced giant orange fruit shaped just right for jack-o-lanterns.

On one of those mellow fall days, the Pine Valley Five raked piles of leaves into a fort around them and sat on the ground, munching a picnic of leftovers and wondering what to do next. Marmalade the mascot cat tunneled through the fortress walls, playing the big game hunter who only caught slow bugs and twirling leaves.

Colin picked up the protesting cat and pulled orange leaves out of its honey-colored fur. "Wouldn't it be great to make a haunted house here? Mom and Dad took me to one at Lakeport High School cafeteria last year. The place was filled with cobwebs and fake blood and most of the monsters' masks weren't on straight. We could do better."

"Where could we put on something like that?" sniffed Josie. "Who would come?"

Colin stood up, his face lit with a sudden idea. "You're so new, Josie, so you wouldn't have seen it yet, but there's an old abandoned house between the Johnson farm and Francher Woods. You can walk there in less than an hour. It's behind a high metal fence and lots of trees. I saw it a couple of months ago when I was trying to find Ruffles." Colin's usually happy face clouded over as he thought about how his dog had disappeared one day.

Barney and Benjamin's eyes lit up and they asked him, "Did it look creepy? Was there a gate? Did you go in? Can we see it?"

Colin chuckled and started to talk in a scary voice. "It looks creepy enough to make even you guys happy. The gate was unlocked and open a little but it was too rusty for me to move."

Then he added quietly, "I wanted to go in, but I had to find Ruffles and that big old dog couldn't squeeze through the gate any more than I could. I asked Mr. and Mrs. Potts about it but they said no one had lived there for years and it wasn't a safe place. I'll show you the way if you want. Maybe we can figure out how to get in."

Josie, always careful, said, "Let's take Samantha home first."

"Good idea, Josie. If we get the gate open and if the house is safe, we can make it into a haunted house and invite the grownups." Colin thought for a moment. "Maybe we can work the gate hinges loose. I'll pick up an oil can and some tools from my dad's workbench."

Josie almost volunteered to stay with Samantha at the Lawson house but playing with pull toys and picture books seemed worse than exploring some old, abandoned place. "Let's take some drinks and snacks," she suggested.

About an hour later, the friends began their trip. Colin missed Ruffles and could never understand how such a noisy, shaggy, sloppy-sweet dog could vanish so completely. When he first found the old house, Colin almost thought he heard a muffled bark, but after he whistled and called out "Here, boy!" it stopped. Maybe he should have tried to climb the high fence. Instead, he had run back to the Potts's house and sat on the porch while Mabel and Arlo listened to his story and gave him cookies. Colin stopped suddenly. "You know, when I dropped by the Potts's porch the day Ruffles ran away, old Mrs. Trimble, Mabel's mother, was rocking away in her chair."

"So what?" said Josie. "She's usually out there when the weather's good, bundled up and never saying a word."

"She did that day, right after I told them about the house and the stuck gate."

Barney chimed in, "Probably she didn't make sense,"

"She didn't make sense, but she looked right at me and said in the quietest voice, 'Look for the witch with the curling nose'."

Chapter 2 - Three, Four Open the Door

Forty-five minutes and a few mosquito bites later, the children found the old house. They saw the old iron fence first, looking like red-black spears aimed at the sky. Just as Colin remembered, the gate stood about two inches open and could not be budged.

"Let's start oiling," Colin suggested. He squirted all around the bottom hinge, but could not quite reach the top one. Looking at the twins, Colin had an idea. "Barney, hold the can and I'll lift you up on my back. When we're steady, you can probably stand on my shoulders and squirt the top hinge."

Barney scrambled up and teetered on Colin's shoulders until the job was done. They collapsed at the end but Barney turned his fall into a somersault.

"You should be in the circus!" cheered Josie. "Let's get this thing open."

The two-man crew dusted themselves off and joined the others. Benjamin almost got his head stuck between the bars as he attacked the gate. Colin pushed high, Barney pushed low and Josie pushed somewhere in the middle. After Colin counted, "One-two-three," for the fourth time, the gate groaned open enough for them to slip through.

They trampled the high weeds and uncovered a flagstone path leading up to the house. When they were near enough to see the porch, Josie hesitated.

"It doesn't look safe," she said, looking at a board sticking up from a broken front step, "or tidy," she added, curling her lip at the hundreds of cobwebs clinging to the pillars and railings.

"It looks great!" shouted Barney and Benjamin.

The two-story house had been white once; now it looked gray and tired. A long swing seat still hung by one chain. Honeysuckle vines and peony bushes covered the walls. There were many windows, all coated with too much soot to see in. Just under the roof peak, a round stained glass window shone dully. Fancy carvings trimmed the roof edge and the old brick chimney looked as if it might slide off any minute. Colin said quietly, "This house looks lost."

"We'd better knock," suggested Josie. The twins started pounding on the carved wooden door, rattling windows, and bellowing, "Is anybody home?" at the top of their lungs. No one answered. They tried the knob but it didn't move. Barney picked up a rock and aimed it at the window but Colin grabbed his hand.

"Let's go around back and see if there's another way. You're too young to start breaking into houses."

Barney grumbled and dropped the rock. While the others began to clear a path to the back, Barney plopped down on the front steps and refused to follow.

Colin was the first to reach the back porch. The door wasn't big and fancy like the one he'd just tried, but it was just as tightly closed. "Oh, boy," he murmured, tapping his foot on the wooden slats and wondering what to do next. Suddenly, a porch board tilted up. Reaching in the space below, Colin felt something metal and square. As he drew it out, he saw it was an old tin box. Inside, wrapped in a bit of black velvet, was a large brass key.

"Look what I found!" he yelled. Josie and Benjamin came running. They were so happy about Colin's discovery they hardly heard Barney's voice calling for help - and coming from above! When they finally paid attention to the cries, they saw Barney, stuck in the chimney, waving his arms wildly and bellowing, "Get me out of here! I'm stuck! It's hot! I can hardly breathe! Get me..."

His voice was cut off by a giant whoosh. Barney disappeared. "Something...or someone...pulled him down inside. We've got to save him!" cried Benjamin.

Colin slipped the key into the lock. It fit, but wouldn't turn. A tinny voice said, "Wiggle-piggle, you've got to jiggle." The children looked around and finally at the key. The end that wasn't in the lock was shaped like a small skull with a toothy grin. "Can't you see . . . I'm a skeleton key?" the bony jaws squeaked.

"I must be dreaming," muttered Colin. He clamped his thumb over the skull and jiggled the key. The door opened.

Chapter 3 - Lost and Found

"Ouch!" yelped Colin as the key sank its tiny metal teeth into the fleshy part of his thumb.

"Ouch, yourself!" the key replied. "That hurt too much, use a softer touch."

Taking care not to handle the skull, Josie grabbed the key from Colin's hand and slipped it into the bib pocket on Benjamin's overalls. "There, you keep the nasty thing."

Benjamin paid little attention to the key's muffled protests. He buttoned his pocket closed and began to look for any sign of his twin.

"If Barney came down the chimney, he must be in the fireplace," reasoned Colin, "but where's the fireplace?"

Slowly, the children’s' eyes adjusted to the dark surroundings. In one corner there was an open cupboard stacked with creamy bone china, gold-rimmed black plates, black-rimmed gold plates, and child-sized bowls. Nearby, an old oak table stood on heavy claw legs, looking like some huge creature balancing dirty dishes and a bouquet of withered flowers on its back. As they turned their heads, Colin, Josie and Benjamin could see an ancient upright piano, an overstuffed purple sofa with spider web lace doilies on the arms, and shelves full of dusty books, but no fireplace.

"Ee oo airs mus kime da sarez," came a voice from Benjamin's overalls. Benjamin unbuttoned his pocket. "What a treat! I can repeat!" the key announced clearly. "Ahem . . . he who dares must climb the stairs."

"Or she who dares," Josie stated firmly as she walked quickly towards the dark wooden staircase. Colin and Benjamin glanced quickly at each other, shrugged their shoulders, then followed. The steps creaked warnings as they climbed, but the trio didn't even pause at the first landing.

At the top of the stairs stood six closed doors along one wall. Before the children could decide which one to open, the key piped up again. "Use your head; look up instead!"

They saw hinges and the square outline of an opening above them. A chain hung down just within Colin's reach and he pulled on it hard. A ladder dropped down from the ceiling. This time, Benjamin, sure he was getting close to finding Barney, was the first one up.

With no more ladders or stairs to climb, they knew they were in the attic. Cobwebs coated stacks of trunks and boxes; the sunlight that managed to pass through the round stained glass window painted everything in sooty pastels. On the far wall, a stone-faced fireplace framed a huge black pot hung over roaring flames. Facing the fire, an ancient rocking chair creaked back and forth, but they couldn't see anyone in it.

"They're cooking him for lunch!" screamed Benjamin. He pushed Colin, Josie and several boxes out of the way to get to the simmering pot without looking at the mysterious chair. A solid boy chuckle stopped him in his tracks. "Better use a pot holder, Benjy, or part of you will get cooked!"

The chair stopped. Throwing off blankets and stretching arms and legs full length, the sitter got up and took two steps closer to the fire. The fire light revealed a damp, safe and smiling Barney.

Colin, Josie, and Benjamin ran to Barney and flung their arms around him.

"You're safe!" yelled Benjamin.

"I can't believe it!" cried Josie.

“Let's get out of here!" shouted Colin.

"I'm perfectly okay and you are too," responded Barney, freeing himself from the group hug.

The children quieted down as they heard creaks and groans nearby. At first the bookshelf near the fireplace shook and seemed about to fall over, then it opened towards them like a door.

"That must be George," said Barney. A short, square, bronze-colored creature with claws for fingers came through the opening toting a tray of bowls and spoons. "Friends, let me introduce my rescuer, George Griffin."

"Er...pleased to meet you," offered Colin, amazed at George's gigantic almond eyes and huge pointy ears.

"All I can say is, it's about time," grumbled George, putting down the tray and going back to the open bookcase. As he turned around, the children could see copper-gold wings sticking out of holes cut in the back of his shirt. "What does it take to get a fine young human like you to drop by for a visit? Maybe this?" His mask-like face split into a grin before he whistled into the secret passage.

It sounded like a stampede coming up the hidden stairs, but when a single, shaggy, black and white bundle bounded into the attic, all Colin could say was, "Ruffles!"

"Down, boy; down, Ruffles," gasped Colin, knocked to the floor by massive paws and slobbery licks. He managed to sit up half way and throw his arms around his dog. Colin asked George, "How did you find him?"

"The question is, why didn't you try harder to follow?" snorted George, sticking his pointy chin up in the air. He squinted at Colin's face, then shook his head. "I admit I managed to lure him in here, but I thought...I hoped...you'd come, too."

"But I wasn't sure he'd come here and the house looked spooky and I couldn't get in the gate and I didn't think he could, either," said Colin all at once.

"Sometimes dogs are more clever than boys, especially when they smell some juicy bones," replied George. "He simply burrowed under the back fence. Those spikes are tall but they're not sunk far into the ground. Easy as wagging a tail for big old beast like Ruffles. You could have squeezed under too, if you'd just stayed calm and taken a good look."

Josie kept hoping she was in a weird dream, but the fireplace was too hot, the dog too bouncy, and her friends too surprised to be anything but real. "Mr. . . . ah . . . Griffin, why didn't you just go outside and invite Colin in instead of tricking his dog?"

"Young lady, would you accept an invitation from a gargoyle, even in broad daylight? That's what I am, you know. Even with my limited experience with humans, I know I look strange to you. Anyway, I can't go outside during the day and that's a big part of my problem. I thought Colin would follow Ruffles and find the key, as he did this time. Poor Ruffles had to root around in the garden until I let him in that evening. We need your help badly."

"We? You mean there's more than one of you?" asked Benjamin. "Why should we help anyone in this creepy old place?"

"George didn't trick me into trying to go down the chimney; I did that all by myself," reported Barney. "He pulled me out of the fireplace pot and gave me blankets and tea. He's a pretty good guy, or gargoyle, or whatever. Listen to him."

George gave Barney an approving look. "Thank you, young man. Good thing I just started that pot; you came out wet instead of boiled. For a foolish boy who likes to throw rocks, you have a thoughtful side." Barney's face reddened.

"I watched you from the attic rose window," the gargoyle continued. "Adventurous Colin who must learn not to give up too easily, intelligent Josie who needs to be a little less careful, loyal Benjamin who should think about helping others as well as he helps his friends and family, and brave Barney who simply needs to think before he acts. You four may be just the ones to save us."

A chorus of "How?", "Why?", "When do we start?" and loud barks came from the gargoyle's visitors. George asked them to sit on a faded hooked rug in front of the fireplace as he passed out gingersnap cookies and cups of wildflower tea to the children and homemade dog biscuits to Ruffles. He plopped down with them, stretching his wings to take in warmth from the flames.

"It started out as a very nice place," he began, "but the good woman who dreamed it up forgot about us. Now evil forces want to move in and use us to take over Pine Valley."

Chapter 4 - The Tale is Told

George continued, "Before Miranda Warren created this house, she was the local healer. If you had a bad cold or your cow wouldn't give milk, you came to her and in a matter of minutes your sniffles would be gone or your milk pails would be full. She looked after neighbors in need, and there were many more people in Pine Valley back then."

"Back when?" interrupted Josie.

"I'm not sure, my dear," answered George, "but it was quite a while ago. The townsfolk didn't know how hard she studied old books of spells and how much her magic grew every time she used it to do something good. She was such a beautiful woman and could see what others couldn't, like elves sitting on mushroom stools. "What worried her most were the lost spirits she saw wandering around in the night. Some ghosts haunt a place not to scare people but to settle things left unfinished when they were alive. Wandering spirits have no place to haunt. Maybe their homes burned down or friends and families moved away. A ghost can't stray too far from where his or her body died. I don't know why. If there isn't a place for them, they can get into all sorts of trouble.

"Miranda knew there were several lost ghosts in Pine Valley. She decided to build this place for them - a home for wandering spirits. She hoped they could live with her and do some good work here so their souls would be at peace. Trouble was, she had never conjured up a house before. That's why the stairs are so rickety and there's a fireplace in the attic. She may have used a magic wand instead of a hammer and nails, but she should have drawn up some blueprints first."

"Does that mean you have to haul all your hot water downstairs?" asked Josie.

"You bet," replied George, rubbing the small of his back, "but fortunately ghosts don't need to eat or bathe. I like to, however, and I love to cook for guests, rare though they may be.

"Miranda realized she had a lot to learn about building houses. I was her artistic triumph, a carved creature sitting peacefully on the peak of the roof. She coaxed twelve stray ghosts into staying here and brought me to life because she needed someone to take care of her phantom family while she went all over the world building bigger houses and rescuing stray sheets. I'm sorry, my dears, you may think that's a disrespectful thing to call them, but sometimes those ghosts act as if they had no brains when they were alive."

"So you run the place," said Colin.

"If it were only that simple," sighed George. "At first, I loved the life she gave me. There's a simple rule about gargoyles: even with the best of spells, we can only be alive during half a day. For the remaining twelve hours, we must go back to being our stony selves. I don't mind that part. It's restful and taking care of this house and those creatures takes a lot out of me. What I do mind is Miranda starting my living time at noon. Ghosts get into trouble past midnight. It's such a responsibility and I can't keep them in line while I'm a statue on the roof!"

George's sturdy body shook with emotion. "There, there," soothed Josie, patting him gently between the wings, "doesn't Miranda ever come back to help?"

"No," said George. "She made a pantry that never runs out of food, taught me how to cook and clean, then vanished. I'm sure she's busy setting up houses around the world and never even thinks about us."

"She must have a lot of faith in you," offered Colin.

"I'd like to think that was true, but it's been more years than I can count. Many summers ago, a young girl, Lucy Danforth, tried to help me find her. She told me she thought she would find Miranda, but then stopped coming here and I never learned what happened. Either she was mistaken or Miranda had better things to do."

"Where did Lucy live?" asked Barney.

"In Pine Valley." answered George. "Probably came from a good family, because she was nice child and wanted to help. Lucy found us the same way you did, although she followed a cat."

George uncrossed and recrossed his leathery legs. "There's more danger here now. After Lucy stopped visiting, a nasty woman started coming around, poking her head in the windows and spying on us. I know she wants in, but she hasn't discovered the key. Hope she doesn't find out about Barney and the chimney."

"Take it from me, she can't find this key," chimed in a voice from Benjamin's bib pocket.

"One of these times you must stop making rhymes," snapped George.

"I just wanted to tell you she never found me," whined the key.

"He has to be the only poet in the room or he won't try to rhyme," whispered George to the children, then in a clear voice, "Thanks, Key, I'm glad you know your place.

"I turn back into stone at midnight, but sometimes I go up to my roof perch around eleven o'clock to moon bathe and gaze at the stars," the gargoyle continued. "After sighting this horrible creature on our property several times, I decided to take along the binoculars Miranda left in the library. The hag showed up; some of the ghosts oozed through the walls and circled around her head. She was asking them to let her in and telling them how much fun they could have scaring the people in Pine Valley. She even promised each one a house of its own to haunt. Only Miranda's special spell keeps the ghosts from wandering beyond the fence, but spells can be broken as easily as poorly made promises if someone wants to badly enough."

"Pine Valley could turn into a real ghost town," said Benjamin, picturing spirits shopping at the country store or drifting through locked doors. "No one would have any privacy."

"No one would be left, Ben. She'd see to that. And people might get hurt, or worse, while the sheets could have a grand old time making lots of mischief. Her thoughts were so evil I could read them. Once the town was empty, she'd bring in demons. Starting with one little town gone bad and continuing to the next, this woman wants to rule a wicked kingdom."

Chapter 5 - A Ghost of a Chance

The children shuddered, first at the thought of no more Pine Valley and then from a sudden draft. Shifting white shapes with no more form than puffs of smoke squeezed through floorboards and slipped through walls. They bunched together like a lumpy fog hovering a few feet away from the fireplace. Benjamin grabbed Barney's arm. Colin and Josie jumped to their feet. Ruffles growled, then wagged his tail. George stood up with a frown on his face and placed his hands on his bony hips.

"This is a fine way to treat our guests," he said to the new arrivals. "Couldn't you wait to be properly introduced?"

"We-e-e're sorrrry," moaned voices sounding like far away bells. Then a single voice, higher and clearer than the rest, added, "We wanted them to know we care. Once we, too, lived in Pine Valley."

"If you care so much, why do you pay attention to that woman who wants to get in?" demanded George. "Don't you have any backbones?"

"Not since we had bodies," answered a lower voice. Hollow laughter filled the room.

"Enough of that," cut in George. "Children, these are the ghosts. Ghosts, meet Colin, Josie, Benjamin and Barney."

"Gla-a-ad to meet you," said the ghostly cluster coming closer to the children, then circling George. "What are your plans now-w-w, George? How wil-l-l you get Miranda back?"

The ghost cloud dissolved into separate shapes, some like overpuffed marshmallows and others long and skinny as giant drinking straws. They rose suddenly and, touching shimmering hands, became a giant wheel rotating above the heads of George and the children. First one, then another, dived directly at the gargoyle, tickling him so strongly that he dropped to his knees and pounded the floor.

"Cut that out!" demanded Barney, with more courage than he dreamed he had. "That's no way to treat someone who takes care of you."

"It's always like this," moaned George, "Ruffles could tell you if he could talk, although they treat him fairly well. They don't respect me."

The ghosts regrouped near the terrified children. A round, almost motherly form slipped from the cloud. "We won't harm you," it said in a clear female voice. "He gets on our nerves and we have too much time on our hands. All we need are proper homes to haunt and families, like yours, to take care of us. Then we could be happy."

Colin swallowed hard. Someone should step in with a plan but he didn't have one.

He talked directly to the ghosts. "If we could get you past the evil woman and into Pine Valley homes of your own, would you promise not to be too scary?"

"If no one bad is in control we can positively haunt, or maybe I should say, haunt positively," replied the she-spirit. "If your soup was about to boil over, we couldn't turn off the fire but we could make a noise in the kitchen so you'd come running. We can test for loose shutters and creaky floorboards better than anyone. And if a robber came, well, you can imagine what robbers would do if they saw us! Ghosts are good household security. No home should be without one."

"Do you think the evil woman knows what Miranda looks like?" asked Jody, the glimmer of an idea lighting her eyes.

"Probably not," answered George, "She didn't start coming around until long after Miranda left."

A deep whisper came from the cloud. "I spoke with her. She knows about Miranda and her marvelous magic. Only Miranda's spells keep her outside and only her return will make that woman go away."

Josie pulled George and her friends into a huddle. "I think I know how we might fool her," she whispered, pointing a finger at the ghosts behind her. "Can they be trusted?"

"Probably not," said George quietly. "Let's go downstairs. If you have a good idea, they might make a mess of it. We can't afford to take any chances."

He turned to face the ghosts. "The children must go now. It's past dinnertime and their parents must be worried. I'm going downstairs to get them a lantern. I want you to sit on the roof and look out for the evil woman. If you do see her, swoop down and keep her busy so they can leave safely."

"Of cour-r-rse, George, anything for the children," answered the ghosts, their voices fading as they squeezed through the rose window and onto the roof like a huge blob of toothpaste.

"Quickly, children, we must get out of here," urged George. "Josie, tell me about it on the way down."

Between ladder rungs and stair steps, Josie unfolded her plan. "I'm tall for my age and I can wear heels and makeup. I can pretend I'm Miranda. The guys can dress up, too, and it will look like Miranda came back with a lot of strange creatures to help her control the ghosts and the house. If we did this for several evenings, the bad woman might be fooled."

"Of course, we'll have to do this on weekends so we can stay out late and our parents might not notice," added Colin.

"I'll be Dracula!" whooped Barney.

"I'll be Frankenstein!" shouted Benjamin.

"You'll be quiet!" warned George, holding a finger to his lips. "Around here, the walls really do have ears."

When they were all the way downstairs, George padded to the parlor. He came out with a lantern and handed it to Colin. "First of all, keep the key and try to come early enough so the sheets don't see you use it. They usually float in their bedrooms in kind of a dream state from dawn until late afternoon. Miranda made sure they never knew about the key so they couldn't tell anyone where it was."

He opened the door. "I'll tell the ghosts; their concern for you may outweigh their fascination with that woman. You have a good plan, but take your time and think out everything carefully. One false move might put you all in danger."

"Just as you say," Colin promised. "We'll be back next Saturday."

"We can do it!" said Barney firmly, bending to shake George's hand.

"I know you can," replied George, a tear trickling down his scaly cheek. "For the first time in a long time, I have hope. Now go back around the house and through the front gate. I'll join the ghosts on the roof. If you run into any problems, raise the lantern three times and we'll try to help."

The four friends left quickly. When they reached the gate, they looked back to see George back on the roof, swatting the ghosts with one hand and waving goodbye with the other. An owl's unanswered question, "Who-o-o?, Who-o-o?" broke the evening quiet. Weeds and branches, stretched into skeleton arms by the wind, reached for them.

Colin realized there was nothing to be scared of. "We can make it," he said, pushing his body through the gate and pulling the others after him.

Chapter 6 - How to Haunt a Haunted House

Colin pointed out several constellations on the way back, so the children talked about Orion, the Dippers and how to find the North Star as soon as they got home. Their parents were so impressed they didn't scold too much about being out late. After all, they reasoned, nothing bad could happen in Pine Valley.

It was hard for the children to think about anything George and what he had told them. The future of the gargoyle, the ghosts, the town, and possibly, the entire country depended on them. "Starting with one little town gone bad and going on to the next," George had warned. It was a terrible responsibility.

For the next week, they shared plans on the school bus, between classes and at recess. After school, they made costumes and practiced their parts.

Josie, the only one with a locking jewelry box, kept the Key. She worried constantly about it talking or suddenly disappearing, but other than an occasional, "Hi, Hi, Sweetie Pie!" when she opened the box, the Key behaved well.

On Friday after school, she bought black hair rinse at the drug store and used some on her brown hair and the rest on Marmalade the cat. No one objected, except Marmalade. Halloween was just two days away and Josie would make a lovely witch. The old folks stocked up treats, sure the Pine Valley kids would never be tricksters.

Saturday morning felt like reaching the highest peak on a roller coaster. The friends met in the field near town. Barney and Benjamin's folks were out shopping, so Samantha and her blanket had to come along. Josie carried an unhappy Marmalade in a cardboard box with air holes. Colin toted a huge bag of costumes and decorations. Only Ruffles, bouncing in a circle around them, seemed eager to return to Francher Woods.

At the gate, the children unpacked and handed each other the costumes, followed by the cat, as they slipped through the opening. Ruffles ran around to the back fence and burrowed under. Josie slipped the Key into the lock and the door opened wide. "Well done, brave one," congratulated the key.

George entered the room carrying a cookie jar. "Keep it low, for in you go," he warned as he plunged the key inside and put on the lid. He smiled up at the children. "I knew you'd come back," he said softly. "Let's have lunch."

A tower of peanut butter sandwiches and a mound of strawberry short cake waited for them on the old oak table. George scurried from place to place, making sure each child had enough to eat. He was delighted with Samantha, who was no bigger than he, and brought a thick book from the library for her chair to boost her to the table. Samantha, still clutching her blanket, studied George with unblinking blue eyes, not sure whether he was a person or a pet.

"Delightful child," George declared, "but isn't bringing her along risky?"

"We had to babysit and we didn't want to wait another week," explained Barney. "She's real good. I don't think she'll be any trouble."

"I help, too," said Samantha, slowly but firmly. The others stared at her in surprise. Samantha had rarely taken her thumb out of her mouth long enough to say anything more than "Mommy" or "Daddy."

As soon as lunch was over and the dishes put away, Josie began to decorate with bat and spider cutouts from Colin's bag. They sprinkled glitter on the spider webs George had missed in his dusting and soon all the walls and corners of the room were laced with sparkling threads. Benjy and Barney hung black and orange streamers tacked to matching balloons from the banisters and the stage was set for Miranda's return.

Colin and Josie shoved Ruffles into a raggedy jacket and trousers and tried to get the dog to stand on his hind legs. "Will anyone think he's a werewolf?" thought Colin out loud.

"Maybe," answered Josie, "Especially if they don't notice his tail wagging inside his pants."

While Josie disappeared into the bathroom to change, Colin slicked his hair back, covered his face with white makeup and pushed vampire fangs over his retainer. After he put on a huge black cape, Colin helped Barney into pants that went over his head. Benjy slipped on a shirt that covered him from head to toe. Colin put Benjy on Barney's shoulders, tucked in the shirt, put a belt through the pant loop holes, and a green paper mache head under Benjy's arm. A headless Frankenstein monster was born.

"If you get tired, sit down," Colin warned.

Josie, in a black satin gown, teetered into the room, looking three inches taller in high heels and several years older with lipstick and false eyelashes. The rim of a crow-colored hat framed her face.

"Lovely, my dear," remarked George, reaching for her hand. "You are as beautiful as Miranda."

They opened the small box and released Marmalade, teeth bared and fur standing on end. She circled the room in a frenzy.

Samantha watched carefully, then pulled her blanket over her head, and repeated, "I help, too!"

Colin used a marker to draw two big eyes and a scary mouth on the part of the blanket covering her face. "Can you breathe okay?" he asked. The tiny ghost giggled and nodded.

"How-w-w ador-r-rable" said windy voices blowing in from the top of the stairs. The ghosts dropped into the living room, each landing on the next until they looked like an unsteady tower of vanilla ice cream balls.

Vampire Colin sat down at the piano, blew dust from the keys and began to play. At first the tunes were straight out of his practice book. When the headless Frankenstein monster tried to boogy with the witch and the ghosts started to shimmy all over the place, Colin's fingers made music he'd never thought of before.

Ruffles the werewolf chased Marmalade the witch cat. Samantha, finding it hard to see through her costume, circled in place and sometimes fell down. George danced on top of the piano and roared, "You never can tell what I will do when the spirit starts to move me."

"I can do that al-l-l right," said one of the ghosts, swirling around George. The other ghosts joined him and made an out-of-focus hurricane that sucked up the gargoyle and carried him across the room. Instead of yelling, George laughed and enjoyed the ride.

The dancing and singing went on for hours, but no evil face showed up. Samantha fell asleep on the sofa with one ghost rolled up as a pillow under her head and the blanket pulled around her.

"Uh-oh," said Colin, "we've stayed out too late. Sorry, George, we'll be back next week, if we're not grounded."

"Oh my goodness," cried George, "it's almost time to go up on the roof. Thank you for the best time of my life. Leave the decorations up and put the costumes in the closet."

They followed his directions.

"Ho-o-ope you'll return to these o-o-old haunts," said the ghosts as they followed the children to the door.

"Don't worry, we'll be back," promised Josie, trying to hug the bubble-like forms. The ghosts swirled around the friends until they reached the gate. They looked back at the roof to wave at George, but he had already turned into a statue.

"What will we tell our parents?" worried Barney on the way back.

"Maybe they didn't notice. Maybe they think we're sleeping over at another house," replied Benjy.

"They'll check with each other," groaned Colin, weighed down by his worries and Samantha on his back. He looked up and his face froze with fear.

An old, bent-over woman dressed in black was coming up the path. Her wrinkled face never looked up from a piece of paper. Her nose coiled like a sweet roll against her face. Suddenly, she stopped and stretched it out like a pointer.

"It's the evil witch," Josie whispered loudly. "Let's get out of here!"

They ran back through the woods, tripping over each other and tearing their clothes. Josie stumbled on a tree root and dropped Marmalade's box. The cat escaped into the night and Ruffles chased after her.

Colin was the first to notice a shining light as they came to a clearing. A beautiful woman, dressed in a white gown covered with diamonds, opened her arms to them.

"Miranda! Miranda!" the children shouted with joy. "Save us!"

"At last you found me, my young friends." Her arms seemed to lengthen and held the children so tightly they could not move. The eyes narrowed into slits and her ruby mouth sneered, "But my name is not Miranda."

Chapter 7 - Far From Heaven

The woman clutched the children and twirled in place. As the earth split under her feet, she floated in the air and dropped them, screaming, into an underground cave. Stocky horned monsters covered with matted hair caught the children, then tied them to a pillar of rock. Samantha sobbed. The others fell silent, terrified of what would happen next. As their eyes adjusted to the dim light, they saw the woman drift down, light as a burning ash. The creatures bowed before her.

"You may rise," she laughed. "We've done a very good job tonight, especially these darling children. I've waited for so many years and all it took was a group of silly young humans to give me what I wanted."

She turned to face the children. "I'm Mavis, Queen of the Underworld. I saw your foolish party with the ghosts and that nasty little gargoyle. He's not the only one with binoculars, you know.

"He couldn't let you in, so you must have found the key. Who has it? Who holds the key to my future in the world above?"

She snapped off a stalactite and pointed it at Colin's chest. "You look like the leader. Want to tell me now, boy, or . . . ," she paused and breathed hot air at one end of the ice stick to form a large hole. "Or shall I thread a rope through this frozen needle and pull it through your soft little bodies? What a sweet idea - a giant necklace of human beads."

Colin swallowed hard. "None of us has it. Maybe we left it inside the house."

Mavis's pale skin flashed purple with rage. "How could you be so stupid? How could everything come my way and still be out of reach?"

The tallest of the hairy monsters stepped between Mavis and Colin. "Now, now, Your Wickedness. Mustn't harm the children," he growled. "Children might be valuable if people loves 'em. You could trade 'em for what you need."

"Of course," said Mavis shakily as she dropped her arms to her side. "But who would I...how would I...where, what...oh, it's too much to think about tonight. Cage them!"

The children were almost relieved when the monsters obeyed and locked them in separate cages. Mavis pulled the stalactite against the bars like she was playing a room full of xylophones, then tossed it on the ground. "Sleep well, young humans; dream up a way to make all my dreams come true or you'll never dream again."

She disappeared in a puff of smoke. The hairy beasts gazed at the children with eyes full of kindness. The smallest found Samantha's blanket and pushed it through the bars of her cage. The leader yawned and stretched, dropping the rope that had bound the friends by the door of Colin's cage. "I'll just check this young one's secure, mates. Go to your bunks and I'll be right with you."

He fiddled with the lock, looked Colin in the eye, then winked. As he trudged slowly out of sight, Colin pushed the door open.

"Whew," he whispered, "time to leave." The others tried hard to open their cages, but the doors wouldn't move. Colin couldn't open them from the outside, either.

"I'm not leaving without you," he declared, going back in his cage and closing the door.

"Don't be silly," snapped Josie. "If you can escape, you might save all of us. Get out of here now."

"But how in the world . . . ?" Colin looked around him. "I guess they left the rope here on purpose."

Barney pointed through the bars of his cage. "Try climbing. We fell in and the witch came the same way. There should be a hole up there somewhere."

They looked up but the dark rock formations hid any sign of an opening. Colin tried to scale the pillar they had been tied to, but lost his footing and fell with a thud.

"Use the rope!" yelled Benjy.

"Sh-h-h!" warned Colin, his eyes darting between the rope coil and Mavis’s ice needle.

He threaded one end of the rope through the needle, fastened it tightly and threw

it up in the air as hard as he could. A clinking sound followed and long length of rope dangled from wherever the stalactite had landed. Hand over hand, Colin climbed the rope.

"They let the wrong one loose. You're much better at climbing than I am, Barney."

The prisoners left behind called to him, "You can do it . . . take your time . . . but not too much time."

Colin reached a ledge and paused to rest. He yanked the needle out of the wall overhead and gazed above at twinkling lights above him.

"Stars, I hope?" he wondered out loud, then flung the needle and rope one more time. He pulled himself towards clean night air pouring through a crack in the ground. Colin came out into the clearing and a night that was still not over.

He used his knowledge of the North Star to head straight towards Pine Valley. His heart pounded, part from running faster than he'd ever done before and, most of all, from the terror of what might happen to his friends.

"Mom! Dad!" he shouted when he reached his house. All the lights were on, but no one was home. Colin tore down Main Street, knocking on doors and ringing doorbells, but no one answered. When he couldn't find Mabel and Arlo at home, he threw himself on their porch swing, terrified by the thought that all the citizens of Pine Valley had completely disappeared.

Chapter 8 - Which Witch?

The door of Mabel and Arlo's house creaked open. Old Mrs. Trimble, Mabel's mother, stuck her gray-curled head into the cool night air. Her worried eyes softened when she saw Colin.

"What are you doing out there, boy? They're all trying to find you," she scolded gently as she opened the door wide.

Colin went in. "You mean everyone in town's looking for us?"

She glanced at the kitchen clock. "It's almost four in the morning. You children never came home and the dog and cat stampeded down Main Street sometime past midnight. I don't think there's one person here who didn't hear the barking and hissing. They organized a search party and headed towards Lakeport, thinking you might have gone to town in your Halloween costumes."

Colin looked confused. "Excuse me, Mrs. Trimble, but I never knew, er, I thought . . ."

"That I'd lost my marbles?" Mrs. Trimble lowered herself slowly into a rocking chair. "Oh no, dearie, if my legs were as good as my brain I'd be out with all of them right now. People don't bother to talk to me much anymore so I sit back and listen. I learn a lot that way. Now, where were you and where are the others?"

Colin quickly told her everything from planning the haunted house to escaping Mavis's cave. To his amazement, she wasn't surprised by his fantastic story.

"It's my fault, in a way," Mrs. Trimble said with a shake of her head. "If I hadn't been so frightened I could have helped out seventy years ago and none of you would be in trouble now."

"Seventy years ago?" Colin repeated. He remembered George telling them about the last child who had helped. "Is your name Lucy?"

"Lucy Danforth, back then. George must have told you about me. I'm afraid I let him down badly."

"He said nice things about you but was puzzled because you never came back. What happened?"

"He told me about Miranda. I started to look for her, but all I found was a witch with a curling nose; her ugliness scared me and I ran away. After going back in the woods many times, I came upon a woman who sparkled like an icicle, and, being only ten years old, I thought she was Miranda. I told her about George and the ghosts and her eyes lit with greed. I felt her evil and ran away and never came back."

"We thought she was Miranda, too," Colin said, taking Lucy Trimble's hand. "George said Miranda was beautiful and Mavis is, from far away."

"George is a gargoyle," Mrs. Trimble reminded him, "strange looking at first, but wonderful once you know him. Gargoyles probably judge people by what they're like inside. That awful-looking hag we both saw on the way home could be Miranda."

Colin jumped to his feet. "Then she's back and I must find her!"

"When I saw her so many years ago, she probably checked if the place was still standing and left. She was busy setting up houses all over the world. If she feels Mavis's evil around, she might stay this time. Go back, Colin. It's the only chance to save your friends."

Colin raced down the street, across the field and through Francher Woods until he came to the haunted house. He jammed his body through the gate and crept closer.

"George!" he called in a loud whisper, afraid of being watched by evil eyes.

Low clouds brushed with the first light of dawn framed the place. Looking at the roof peak, Colin saw George was not on his usual perch. If George was a statue for half the day, he shouldn’t be active until noon.

Crouching low, Colin moved through the brush towards the back door. He crawled on his belly across the porch, then popped his head up above the rear windowsill. Through the dirty glass, he recognized the old crone seated at the table reading an enormous book. Every few seconds, she uncurled her hideous nose and used it to mark a spot on the page while she scribbled notes. Her hunched back under a long black robe and the coiled snake nose on her wrinkled face terrified Colin.

He was relieved to see George come into the room, hop up on the chair next to the hag and hug her. If the gargoyle welcomed this woman, Mrs. Trimble must be right. Colin knocked on the glass.

She looked up and, as George jumped on the table and mouthed words Colin couldn't hear, she smiled. A beautiful spirit shone through her worn surface like a candle burning in a torn paper lantern. She hurried towards the door.

"You must be one of the children who came back to help my house." As she opened the door, her voice, mellow as the first taste of homemade apple cider, made Colin feel welcome.

"It's Colin, Miranda! Miranda, meet Colin. Colin, meet Colin, er, I mean Miranda. Oh, I'm so clumsy at introductions." George pulled Colin inside.

Colin grabbed Miranda's hand and looked her in the eye. "My friends are all in cages underground somewhere near here. The woman we thought was you will hurt them if you don't let her take over."

“It's worse than we thought, George. The last time I came through here, I just checked that this place was still standing and went right on by because I had a new house opening out in California. If Mavis is as bad as you think and has the children, she has the upper hand. I must give up or she might kill them all."

"But Miranda," George interrupted. "If you let her in, all of us, including the Pine Valley children and their families, will be destroyed."

"He's right!" gasped Colin with sudden understanding. "Please stop her!"

Miranda put her hands on Colin's and George's shoulders. "I don't know if I have the strength any more. I've lived more than two mortal lifetimes and my body is wearing out. Tonight is Halloween; she'll surround herself with evil forces. I might not be a match for her," she paused to look at their pleading faces, "but I'll try my best."

Like generals before battle, the three sat at the table planning ways to defend the house. George told Colin Miranda's magic had improved during her travels and how, last night, seeing his lonely outline on the roof, she transformed him into a full-time living creature, able to dream and sleep whenever he wanted.

"I can go outside now. What a life; if we can only overcome Mavis."

"There's no 'if only,' about it, George. We have to win," mumbled Colin, as he drew a map to where he had first seen Mavis.

Miranda showed Colin her books and they wrote down plans. George brought in more tea and cookies. When the sun moved to the west but the sky was still light, the ghosts wound their way down the staircase and wrapped them in a milky cloud.

"Gl-l-lad you're back, Mira-a-anda!" they welcomed in loud whispers.

"I'm sorry I left you alone for so long. The children you seem to like so much are in terrible trouble. If you hadn't shown yourself to the woman who came after me, maybe she would have gone away. Her name is Mavis and she's holding your friends in underground cages!"

The ghosts gasped, remembering how it felt to care for someone. "Ple-ease let us hel-l-lp," they begged.

Miranda stood up, looking determined. She waved her arms at the spirits. "Stay inside until morning. When I find Mavis, there will probably be a battle. If I win, I'll come back with the children. If I lose . . . well, try not to do what she'll tell you."

She put on a cloak. "Colin, I think I can follow your map but please come part way so I start out in the right direction. Then come back here. Give him the key, George."

Colin led Miranda to the path leading to the clearing where they parted. He returned to the house with a heavy heart, propped the door open, and returned the key to the box under the porch. Miranda made her way to the edge of the clearing and waited until dark fingered clouds parted to reveal a pumpkin-colored moon against a purple sky.

The earth trembled. A giant crack split the ground and a gush of smoke and steam spit Mavis into the clearing.

Chapter 9 - The Strangest Event Ever

Mavis plucked a short wand from the folds of her silvery gown. She waved it three times and a set of stairs tumbled from the opening in the earth to the underground cave. With slow steps and muffled sobs, the children climbed to the surface. They were linked by a heavy chain running through iron collars. The monster leader carried Samantha, the last in the line, because her legs were too short to keep up.

"Get the rest of your miserable crew up here now, Silas!" Mavis commanded with a swat to his hairy backside. "I'll need all the help I can get, even help stupid enough to let a boy escape."

"He was a smart, that one," muttered Silas as he put Samantha down. "Never made so much as a peep getting away. Wonder how he did it?"

He hid a smile behind a hairy paw and returned to the stairs. "Look lively, mates! Time to come above ground."

With an "Aye, aye, let's look 'em in the eye," the rest of the monsters marched up the stairs and formed a fuzzy wall around the children. They stood straight for a minute, but Silas's order, "At ease, mates!" bowled them over like wooden pins.

Mavis circled in place and began to chant.. Her wand cast a bright beam and marked a round, shiny area on the ground. She turned once. The circle doubled in size, almost covering the clearing. She turned twice more. The circle advanced to the edge of Francher Woods.

"It's easy when you know how," she snickered, pausing to look at her progress.

"More than one of us knows," declared Miranda, stepping out from behind an oak. As Mavis hissed in surprise, Miranda shut her eyes, stretched her hands and nose towards the sky.

With the first blast of Miranda's good magic, the chains fell from the children's necks. The light shrunk and swirled around Mavis like water going down a drain. As the edge of the circle came close to the hem of her gown, Mavis pointed her wand at Josie. A bucket appeared above the girl's head and spilled slime and spiders over her. She screamed. Miranda rushed to Josie's side and the circle stopped shrinking.

"Soft touch, eh, Miranda" teased Mavis. "Too bad you're so good. There's no telling what I will do if I don't get my way."

"You're Miranda?" gasped Josie, shaking loose from the old woman wiping spiders and mud from her face. "Don't worry about me. Please, stop her."

Mavis was spinning faster than a top. The ring of light grew quickly, shriveling every leaf as it sliced through the woods and transported the women, children and monsters with it. As one edge neared the fence surrounding Miranda's house, there was an explosion followed by sudden bursts of flames dancing through the iron railings.

Mavis froze and anger twisted her face.

"Nice work, Colin and George!" muttered Miranda, as she summoned her magic. Once again, the circle shrank, but just as it started back into Francher Woods, Mavis cast her wand towards Benjy and Barney, surrounding them with a wall of fire. Miranda's spell faded with her hopes. Two of the monsters reached through the flames to seize the twins. They blanketed the twins with their hairy bodies and rolled them unhurt through the flames.

"Traitors!" snarled Mavis. She waved her wand with a force no storm could equal.

Ghouls popped out of gopher holes. Mounds erupted like a rash on the land. From each burst demons.: toad-squat and rail-thin, stinking of sulfur or perfumed with nightshade -- as each one stepped inside the circle it grew bigger until it reached the porch of Miranda's place.

The ghosts slid through the walls and gathered in front of the door. Mavis glided over the demons' backs and hovered a few feet away.

"At last, my dearest friends, we're here to free you from this poor excuse of a house. Join us and take your rightful place in the world!"

The spirits huddled to make their decision. Colin and George crept across the roof and looked down at them. Disappointed their gunpowder and cooking oil defense had not stopped Mavis, they watched three misty arms point away from the group towards the spot where the key was hidden.

"They must have seen me put it back!" whispered Colin.

"Smarter than I thought," growled George, "and trickier. Time to do something!"

Earlier in the night, the two had dragged the black cooking pot from the attic fireplace onto the roof and filled it with garbage, leftover soup and George's bath water. They heaved it over the side, covering Mavis with overcooked vegetables and gargoyle musk.

A gasp came up from the crowd forming beyond the front gate. Following Mrs. Trimble's directions, the citizens of Pine Valley had made one last effort to find the children. The sight of so much danger sickened them.

Mavis raked tomatoes from her hair with long blood-red nails. She aimed her wand like a dagger at the boy and gargoyle, then paused, smiled a superior smile, and pointed it behind her. Invisible forces picked up Samantha and hurled her through the air toward the house. Mavis laughed triumphantly; the demons growled with pleasure; the children and grownups screamed and the ghosts bellowed, "No-o-o-o!"

Faster than they had ever moved, the spirits bounced up to the roof and formed a giant pillow to cushion Samantha's fall. They carried her to George and Colin and dropped down to face Mavis. "No-o-o-o!" they repeated.

"But I can give you everything," Mavis shrieked. "Places to haunt, people to torment, and power."

"You'r-r-re the only on-n-ne who will hav-v-ve the power-r-r. And we'l-l-l be no-o-o better off; no-o-o one to car-r-re for and no-o-o peace."

The first light of dawn blurred the circle and the demons scurried underground. As suddenly as she had popped up from the cave, Mavis began to shrink. Within seconds, she was shorter than Samantha. Moments later, she was the size of a squirrel. Mavis stomped her foot and waved her wand, but only turned a golden dandelion to silver seed. Soon she was too small to see.

Colin, Samantha and George crawled back through the rose window, came downstairs and threw open the doors. Miranda, Josie and the twins greeted the townsfolk of Pine Valley at the front gate. George brought out trays of juice and muffins from the magic pantry. Soon the children gathered on the porch and told their parents and friends everything that had happened and how they had turned Miranda's place into a haunted, haunted house.

Chapter 10 - Home Again

The ghosts were another matter. Feeling guilty about almost giving in to Mavis and shy around so many people, they hid all over the house.

Miranda and George joined the others on the porch.

Josie's mother questioned Miranda. "Will Mavis come back?"

"I don't think so. She won't be able to control those poor monsters any more."

"I think Silas and the other guys deserve medals!" declared Benjy.

"Of course, they do," announced Mayor Dinwiddy, happy at last to be the center of attention. "We'll have ribbons made up and proclaim November Monster Month. We'll have a parade and invite the press and.Silas, who had been sitting quietly with his crew on the lawn, spoke up. "If it's all the same to you, gentlemen and ladies, me and the boys would just like to go home to our cave and turn it back into the nice place it was before she came along."

"Can we help?" asked the twins.

"We'd love to have you over. We'll make you a welcome mat once we shed our winter coats."

Everyone laughed. Samantha wriggled from her father's arms and announced, "Ghosts help, too. We take them home!"

"Smart girl, wonderful girl!" cried George, eyes aglow at the thought of no ghosts to care for. "I'll help you find them."

They went through the house, peeling ghosts from the backs of pictures, releasing some from inside the upright piano, removing others from closet hangers, and even pouring one out of a milk pitcher. Although they were scared to face the good people of Pine Valley, the ghosts followed Samantha meekly out the door.

The grownups had become used to weird things in the past few hours and accepted the ghosts as if it were their civic duty. Mabel and Tom Potts took home the spirit of Sarah Thompson who had kept her house so clean she forgot to enjoy her children. Mabel was sure Clara would watch over her baking and perhaps be good company for her mother, Mrs. Trimble.

Colin's family adopted Captain Pete, whose family had left their home when he stayed too long at sea. He had spent the rest of his life searching for them. Josie's parents agreed to let The Great Sylvester stay with them. He had been a circus acrobat who had died, along with some of his family, doing his new trapeze act.

The Lawsons chose three ghosts: Professor James Fenwick to help Benjy with math, Miss Elizabeth Sutton to tutor Barney in English, and little Susannah Westerfield to keep Samantha company.

Mayor Dinwiddy appointed Martin Pitt, a former miser, to be the town's financial advisor and outlaw Dan Dupree, last of the great train robbers, to be special assistant to Officer Burns, Pine Valley's entire police force. Pastor Jonathan Clark agreed to house the new town officials in the church social hall.

Isaac Howe, an inventor in life whose creations had blown up once too often, went home happily with Andrew Fister, owner of the hardware store. Lenore Hughes, who had spent her adult life and savings decorating and redecorating her mansion, found a special place with the McNeil family, who were just fixing up an old farm house. Deborah Dundee, former star of a traveling road show, agreed to assist Millicent Dinwiddy, the mayor's wife, with her efforts to bring culture to Pine Valley.

Only tiny Tom Winslow, a ghost-boy who had accidentally lost his life playing tricks on friends, stayed on the porch. He wrapped himself around Miranda like a shawl and refused to go.

"It's the only home I remember," he cried.

"I must put my foot down, Miranda! He's worse than the others put together." George pulled himself to his full height and glowered.

"He's just a little boy," Miranda scolded gently, then uncurled her nose to tap George on the shoulder. "And he needs a little friend."

By lunchtime, all the good folk of Pine Valley and their new inhabitants returned to town. Someone mentioned raising the population number from 134 to 145 on the "Pine Valley - City Limit" sign, but no one was sure if ghosts counted as whole people, so they forgot about it.

George spent the rest of the day trying to tame Tom. He gave him little chores to do, sweeping out the attic and stirring up a breeze when the afternoon turned hot. He read to Tom, taught him to play checkers and took him on a hike in the evening.

The gargoyle did the hiking. Tom hung onto his neck and floated out behind like a cape with eyes. George collected every rock Tom wanted and brought along a jar with air holes to fill with bugs.

Snug in a real bed for the first time in his life, George finally went to sleep. He left the bug jar by an oil lamp and Tom spent the night gazing at it. Every few minutes, the bugs changed shapes and colors. All but one bug, that is. . . the silver one, shaped like a woman, who twirled around and around waving a tiny stick.

THE END