Ghost at the Drive-In Movie Read Free Page B

Now it was in a small ditch. Some of the balloons that had decorated the car had come loose. The car door was open. Dan Brinker was hurrying about trying to pick up the balloons. He looked pale and shaken.
    “Are you all right, Mr. Brinker?” Henry asked.
    “What happened, Dan?” Uncle Flick called out.
    “It was … it was a ghost!” Dan Brinker said, gasping. “I saw it. Over there.” He pointed towards the darkness of the outdoor theater.
    “A ghost?” Benny whispered. “Wow.”
    “I … I was taking the back road. I was driving back to my office,” Dan went on. “And then I saw the ghost! It was walking along! And … I suppose I began to panic … and I lost control of the car …” He took several deep breaths and wiped his brow with his handkerchief.
    “Do you think it was really a ghost?” Jessie asked Henry quietly.
    “No, of course not,” said Henry. But he wasn’t so sure himself.
    “This ghost stuff is nonsense, Dan,” Uncle Flick said. “You must have been seeing things! Maybe it was one of those balloons. It’s foolish to try to drive with those all over your car.”
    “I know what I saw, Flick,” said Dan. “And what I saw was a ghost!” He straightened up and smoothed his hair. “Now, if you don’t mind, I’ll be on my way. Thank goodness the car wasn’t hurt. I’m just … spooked, that’s all.”
    He got back into the car and closed the door. He started the car and drove off.
    “I wonder what that was all about,” said Grandfather.
    “He sure looked like he’d seen a ghost,” said Henry. Everyone agreed.
    “Wait—what’s that?” Violet asked.
    Just then, they all heard footsteps coming out of the darkness behind the road. Benny held his breath. Was it the ghost?
    But it was only Joey Fletcher. “What was all that racket?” he asked his uncle.
    “Nothing,” said Uncle Flick. “I thought you’d finished cleaning up the snack bar an hour ago. What took you so long?”
    “Oh … I was just being extra careful. I wanted to make sure nobody was trying to make any more trouble,” Joey said. He shrugged and went inside the house.
    By now it was past bedtime. Jessie and her brothers and sister went back upstairs. They all sat on the big bed Jessie and Violet were sharing and looked out the window towards the dark drive-in theater. They could see the screen in the moonlight.
    “There really is a lot of trouble here,” Jessie remarked.
    “Yes,” said Violet. “So many strange things are happening.”
    “I think it is haunted!” Benny said. “And I want to see the ghost.”
    “Benny, you know there’s no such thing as ghosts,” Henry said. “Now let’s go to bed.”
    Jessie added, “Yes, Mr. Brinker was just seeing things that weren’t really there.”
    “Maybe you’re right,” Benny said. But he also thought to himself: Maybe not.

CHAPTER 3
Strange Intermission
    “Uncle Flick, is there anything we can do to help out while we’re here?” Henry asked. “Besides fixing breakfast, I mean.”
    They were eating breakfast with Uncle Flick in the kitchen of the Fletcher house. Grandfather had brought back muffins from a bakery in town, and the children had helped wash and cut fresh fruit.
    “Yes, we can lend a hand around the theater,” Jessie added.
    It was true—the Aldens always liked being helpful. But they also hoped that by helping out around the theater, they could figure out why so many odd things were happening.
    “Why, thank you,” said Uncle Flick. “There are plenty of things you can do before the theater opens tonight. Pick up litter, check to make sure the car speakers are working, stuff like that.”
    “I can test popcorn!” Benny said. “I can taste it to make sure there’s enough butter!”
    Uncle Flick laughed at this. “No need to do that, Benny! But we’ll figure out a job for you.”
    After lunch, the children got right to work. Henry carefully checked the cords on all the speakers. Jessie and Violet picked up litter with