Lure Read Free Page B

had been a handsome man. As honest and forthright a woman as my dear mother was, I must confess that I found that quite impossible to believe.
    Father was pacing back and forth across the room whilst lighting his pipe. I watched with trepidation as the flame from the match rose up from his hand. Then he drew in a deep breath, removed the stem from his mouth, and blew out a long stream of ghostly, grey smoke. My father’s fingers were permanently blackened by the smith trade and, even now, I can vividly remember just how grimy and stained they appeared as they grasped the clean, white bowl of his pipe. While I concentrated on keeping my breaths silent so as not to give away my hiding place, Father smoked and considered his reply.
    The pipe had been his wedding gift from my grandfather. It had a large, carved ivory bowl depicting a medieval hunting scene and a long, ebony stem that curved gracefully upward like the neck of a swan. Although Father never let on, I could tell how much he cherished it by the uncharacteristic tenderness he used when he carried the pipe down from the mantle. Memories of Father’s pipe have stayed with me over all these years because it was the only article of any value that he kept. This was quite against his nature. Father didn’t believe in owning material possessions. He likened unnecessary purchases to throwing money upon the rubbish heap. We didn’t even own the house at 10 Colborne Street, choosing to rent it from a local family instead. My father was a man who was firmly set in his ways. I was painfully aware that changing his mind would not be an easy task.
    “Please, Robert,” Mother said again, placing her small, pale hand on his large, dirty one. I bit my lip while he took another puff from his pipe and considered her request. His black bushy side whiskers seemed to grow longer as I waited for his answer. Finally he stopped pacing, let out a rattling sigh, and gave the slightest of nods.
    “Fine … a few more years, then.”
    I wanted to cry with relief, but fear held me back. If my father saw tears, he would surely get angry and change his mind. So instead, I crept back upstairs to continue with the painstaking task of salvaging what I could from the ruined mess of my secret insect collection. Mother had proposed the idea that my teacher, Mr. Brown, might allow me to keep it at the schoolhouse when the new term began in September.
    Whether it was the threat to my health that caused Father to relent or Mother’s melodic lullaby voice, I’ll never know for certain. But to my knowledge, it was the first argument on the subject of my future that my mother had ever won.
    And as I was to find out in the coming years, it was also to be the last.

4 - Max
    I couldn’t help myself. I just had to laugh. “What do you mean, a ghost ?”
    Caroline’s eyes locked with mine. “Exactly what you think I mean,” she replied, her voice cool as ice.
    Was this girl serious? I couldn’t tell by the mysterious look on her face. Her smile was frozen and her gaze steady and firm. She’d probably make an awesome poker player.
    “Okay … well, since ghosts don’t exist, I figure you’re talking about a Halloween prank or something?”
    “No prank. I’m talking about a ghost … spirit, phantom, spectre … take your pick of words if you like. But it all means the same thing. This library has been haunted for years.”
    Man, she was serious. I swallowed hard, wondering what to say. This morning was getting weirder by the minute … maybe ditching school wasn’t such a good idea after all. From under the daisy patch, I could hear the sound of Peanut’s high-pitched whine.
    “If you don’t believe me, you can ask my grandmother,” Caroline added, ignoring the pug’s cries. “Nana’s seen and heard a lot of strange stuff since she started working here.”
    She was right … I didn’t believe her. But I wasn’t going to come right out and call her crazy. I’d figured out enough about