Ghost at the Drive-In Movie Read Free

these people didn’t know about the rule. They’ve never been here before.”
    Uncle Flick looked down at his feet. “Yes, you’re right,” he said. “They couldn’t have known.”
    “We’ll be sure not to break the rule next time,” the man in the Jeep said.
    “You can go on in,” Uncle Flick told the couple. “I’m very sorry about the trouble. Enjoy the show.”
    “And enjoy the hot dogs, too,” said Mr. Duke. Uncle Flick shot him an angry look.
    The white Jeep drove through the gate into the theater. The children were glad to see the problem was resolved.
    “I’m glad they got to keep the hot dogs, too,” Benny whispered to Jessie. “They sure smell good.”
    “Thank you for speaking up, kids,” Uncle Flick told the Aldens. “Sometimes it helps to have another point of view.”
    Mr. Duke spoke up then. “Well, if you want my point of view,” he said, “one of these days, Flick, that temper of yours will get you in trouble, and you won’t be able to talk your way out of it.” He turned around and walked back to his hot dog stand.
    Uncle Flick shook his head as he drove the golf cart back into the drive-in. “Mr. Duke and I used to be friends. But we haven’t gotten along in years,” he said sadly.
    Jessie couldn’t stop thinking of what Mr. Duke had said. What did he mean by trouble? It sounded almost like a threat.
    The children returned to the minivan. Grandfather had brought back dinner from the snack bar. There were slices of pizza, chicken fingers, and bowls of chili.
    “Good thing we didn’t fill up on popcorn,” said Jessie, as she took a pizza slice.
    “I never fill up on anything!” said Benny. It was true that the youngest Alden always had a great appetite.
    “This chicken is delicious,” Violet said. “Mr. Duke was wrong when he said that the food at the Diamond Drive-in isn’t as good.”
    “It’s great,” said Henry. “But there aren’t hot dogs here. And I could see how someone might want a hot dog at the movies.”
    Everyone agreed it was too bad that Uncle Flick and Mr. Duke didn’t get along with each other.
    The sky over the drive-in theater had darkened to deep blue, and a few stars had come out.
    “Look at the screen!” said Benny. “Here comes the movie!”
    They turned the car radio on so they could hear the movie. Violet and Benny moved up to the front seat with Jessie so they could have a good view out the windshield. Henry and Grandfather sat in the back seat, since they were the tallest. Watch curled up in Jessie’s lap.
    First they watched trailers for upcoming movies, and then a funny commercial for Brinker’s Auto showing Dan Brinker on roller skates. “I love speedy deals!” he shouted.
    Finally, it was time for the movie Island of the Horses to begin. The Aldens fell quiet as they followed the story, which was about a boy who had been in a shipwreck and was on a raft looking for land. It was so good that they began to forget they were even in the car. Jessie felt like she was in the scene, too, out on the softly rolling sea—
    “One-two-three o’clock, four o’clock rock! Five, six, seven o’clock, eight o’clock rock —” The sudden loud music from the radio surprised everyone.
    “Yikes! What’s that?” Jessie cried. “Did someone change the station?”
    “It just changed by itself! And it’s really loud!” shouted Benny.
    The music blasting out of the radio was clearly not the sound that was supposed to go with the movie. Henry looked around at the other cars. People reached for their radio dials or covered their ears.
    “Oh, no!” Violet said. “It’s ruining the movie!”
    The children got out of the car and started running towards the projection booth. Car horns were honking. “Fix the sound!” someone yelled. When they got to the projection booth they saw the door was wide open.
    “No one’s there!” Jessie said, gasping. But then they saw Amy Castella running towards the booth. She hurried up the steps in a