The Howler Read Free Page B

clock lying on its side. A stack of dishes.
    And then…
    And then…
    Vanessa and I saw her at the same time. An old woman—so pale, her face so ghostly pale—standing against the curtained back wall. Her old-fashioned clothes were faded. No color. No color anywhere.
    My mouth dropped open. A tiny cry burst out.
    Vanessa grabbed my hand. “Scott wasn’t kidding!” she whispered.

8
    I swallowed. Was I really seeing a ghost?
    The old woman stared out at us with glassy eyes. She seemed to stare into the distance, as if watching for someone else.
    She stood so still. Her faded blouse was tattered and stained. A faded brown hat covered her hair. Her hands were hidden in the ragged pleats of the long, old-fashioned skirt.
    “I—I don’t believe it,” I murmured. I realized I was trembling.
    Scott reached for the light switch. “Let’s leave her in peace,” he whispered.
    “No, wait,” Vanessa said. She took a few steps forward.
    “No—stop!” Scott grabbed her. “Don’t go any closer. She might be dangerous.”
    Vanessa pulled away from him. She stepped closer to the ghost.
    “Stop!” Scott cried.
    Too late. Vanessa stepped up to the ghost—and pulled off her head.
    “Huh?” I gasped. “It’s…it’s a dummy?”
    Vanessa laughed. “It took you long enough, Spencer!” she declared. “I knew it was a dummy as soon as I saw it.”
    Scott laughed. “I gotcha good, Spencer. You should have seen the look on your face!”
    He took the wooden head from Vanessa and placed it back on top of the body. “Actually, it’s an old dress dummy my parents found up here when we moved in. Women used it for sewing dresses and stuff. Dad put the head on it a couple of Halloweens ago.”
    He pointed at me and laughed loudly again. “Suck-er!”
    I let out a sigh. I felt like a total jerk. What could be worse than being fooled by that idiot Scott?
    The whole school would hear about it by tomorrow, I knew.
    I angrily kicked a carton out of my way and started toward the steps. I stormed out of his house and ran across the driveway to my yard. My hands were balled into angry fists. I wanted to go back and punch Scott’s fat face until he was a ghost.
    I hated feeling like such a jerk. But I knew it was because I needed to believe. I was so desperate to contact Ian, I’d even believe Scott!
    Vanessa came running after me. She stopped mehalfway through my kitchen door. “Lighten up, Spencer,” she said. “You’ve just got to get over this ghost thing. Just forget about it.”
    When I turned to her, I suddenly felt like crying. “I…I don’t think I can,” I whispered.
    That night, I think I saw Ian’s ghost.

9
    After dinner, I was fiddling with the specter detector, when Nick burst into my room. He shoved the end of a candy bar into his mouth and tossed the wrapper onto my floor.
    “What’s that?” he asked, chewing noisily. Chocolate ran down over his chin.
    “It’s nothing,” I muttered. I wasn’t in the mood to fight with him.
    “It’s another ghost detector—isn’t it!” Nick said. He grinned at me. He had chocolate stuck to his teeth. “You know what you are, Spencer? You are one of those loonies. You’ve become a nutcase.”
    “Takes one to know one,” I muttered.
    “You’re out there. You’re really out there,” Nick said, still grinning. “You’re out there searching for ghosts and goblins, right? With all the other nutcases. Ooh—look out, Spencer. You’d better search for UFOs too. You might find a UFO, Spencer. Wouldn’t that be a thrill?”
    “Give me a break,” I groaned. I really don’t—”
    “Look out!” he shouted. “I see something. Oh, no! Duck! Here comes a UFF!”
    And he slapped me in the back of the head—so hard, I went sailing off my chair.
    “Hey—stop it!” I shouted.
    “Didn’t you see it coming? You got hit by a UFF! Unidentified Flying Fist.” He laughed as if he’d just made the funniest joke in the world.
    I rubbed the back of my head.