Ghostsitters Read Free Page A

grabbed the best seats. They looked really excited. Brenda had her best pink sunglasses on and Barry was wearing a new blue bowler hat.
    Brenda was saying good-bye to her cat, Pusskins. “Look after my ickle-wickle pussy-catkins, Wanda,” she said in the little girly voice she uses when she talks about Pusskins, and she dropped Pusskins into Wanda’s arms. Wanda staggered under the weight because the one thing that Pusskins definitely is not is ickle-wickle.
    â€œWould you like me to take care of your frogs, Barry?” I asked helpfully, since Wanda does not like frogs very much.
    Barry looked at me suspiciously, just like he always does when I mention his frogs. “No thank you, Araminta. Wanda is taking care of them, aren’t you, Wanda?”
    â€œYes, Dad,” said Wanda.
    â€œ And Pusskins,” said Brenda.
    â€œYes, Mom,” said Wanda.
    At last the trunk of the car was closed and Uncle Drac got in. “Take care of my bats, Minty,” he said gloomily.
    â€œYes, Uncle Drac.”
    Aunt Tabby poked her head out of the window and I wondered what she was going to tell me to take care of, but all she said was, “And do as you are told , Araminta.”
    I did not reply.
    â€œBye, Dad. Bye, Mom,” said Wanda a bit sadly.
    â€œMwa, mwa!” Brenda made kissing noises out the window. “One for Pusskins and one for you,” she said—then all the windows went up.

    Suddenly I saw Uncle Drac banging on his window trying to make it go down again. Uncle Drac is not good with things like electric windows. Aunt Tabby looked irritated and pressed the button for him.
    Uncle Drac stuck his head out of the window. “Minty, Minty,” he said, beckoning me over.
    â€œIt’s all right, Uncle Drac. I will remember to watch the bats. I promise.”
    â€œNo, no, it’s not that. Happy Birthday for Thursday, Minty,” he said, and gaveme a small squashy present wrapped in cute paper with spiders all over it.
    For a moment I did not know what to say. And then I said, “Ooh. Oh, thank you , Uncle Drac.”
    Uncle Drac smiled his beautiful smile that shows his long pointy teeth at the edge of his mouth and said, “I’ll be thinking of you.” Then he managed to press the right button for once and the window zoomed back up.
    The hearse moved slowly away, coughing and spluttering, and the Batty About Bats! limo followed. Wanda and I stood at the gate and waved good-bye.
    The sun was setting and the road looked nice and spooky. I guessed that Uncle Drac had let a few of his bats out in order to get the suitcase into the trunk and they were fluttering around the limo as it followed the hearse. It looked like a funeral party. I could see Uncle Drac’s round white face looking back at Spookie House; he waved and looked as gloomy as if he really was going to a funeral. But I figured that even he was not as gloomy and Wanda and I were just then.
    â€œRight, girls!” barked Nurse Watkins as soon as the bat cortège had rounded the corner. “Inside. Now! ”
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    It was time for the ANW Plan. Sir Horace had agreed to lurk in the dark corner beside the clock, and when I wanted him to do his haunting bit I would say the secret word. It was a really good plan, but the only trouble was… he wasn’t there .
    â€œAhem,” I coughed, “ahem, ahem, ahem ,”just in case he was lurking in the wrong dark corner—because Sir Horace does get confused sometimes—but there was no sign of him.
    â€œThat’s a nasty cough,” said Nurse Watkins. “You need some medicine for that.”
    I knew that Nurse Watkins’s medicine would taste horrible, so I stopped coughing at once. “No thank you,” I said. “I am fine now.” Coughing wasn’t working—I would have to try the secret word. “Cockroach,” I said loudly, as Sir Horace is a bit deaf.
    Nurse Watkins jumped a mile.