The Creepy Sleep-Over by Beverly Lewis Page B

school.
    Dunkum didn’t line up right away. He checked out the fort. It was really cool. It had a large main entrance, curved like acave. There were lookout holes on the top and sides.
    Making the fort with his friends gave him a good feeling. Abby would call it double dabble good.
    But he didn’t feel so great about something else. Miss Hershey’s house.
    Was it really haunted?

THREE
    Lunch recess came fast.
    The Cul-de-sac Kids crawled around inside the snow fort. “This is better than making a snowman,” Eric said. “And we’ve made lots of them.”
    Dunkum wasn’t interested in a snowman. Something else was on his mind: the teacher’s cats. “What’s with Miss Hershey’s cats? Why so many?” he asked.
    Abby looked surprised. “She loves them, that’s why.”
    â€œBut eight cats? C’mon!” Dunkum answered.
    â€œThat’s way too many,” said Eric.
    Jason was nodding his head. “I heard she willed her mansion to them.”
    â€œWhat’s that mean?” Dunkum asked.
    Abby spoke up. “When she dies, her cats get the house.”
    Dunkum couldn’t believe his ears! He’d heard of fat cats, but rich cats?
    Abby giggled. “They’re like her children, I guess.”
    Dunkum shook his head. “Aren’t we her children? Well, you know. . .”
    Jason started jigging inside the snow fort. “Mama Hershey. . . Mama Hershey,” he chanted.
    The kids laughed, holding their stomaches. “You’re crazy, Jason Birchall,” shouted Eric.
    Dunkum thought the same thing. Jason was a little crazy.
    Finally, Stacy told Jason to quit dancing. “It’s too crowded in here. Go outside and do your jig.”

    But Jason wouldn’t listen. He kept it up. “Just wait’ll tonight,” he said in a weird voice. “Miss Hershey’s house will be dark as midnight. There’s no streetlights out there in the country. There’ll be spooky music, too.”
    Eric joined in. “And don’t forget all those cats.” He and Jason were cackling like hens.
    â€œCats don’t scare me,” said Dunkum.
    â€œWhat about black ones?” Jason joked. “How’d ya like a sleep-over with eight black cats?”
    Abby put a stop to it. “Nobody knows what color Miss Hershey’s cats are. It doesn’t really matter anyway.”
    â€œAbby’s right,” said Eric. “But what about the bathroom? What color is that? ”
    Eric, Abby, and Stacy started laughing again.
    â€œHey! What’s so funny?” Dunkum asked. “Who says Miss Hershey even has a bathroom?”
    â€œYeah, who says?” Jason said.
    Abby waved her hands. “Whoa! Miss Hershey’s a human being. People need bathrooms, right?”
    Eric’s eyes were wide. “But she’s our teacher, so that makes her special. And different.”
    Jason stopped jigging. “Then maybe she does have a bathroom and wears pajamas . . . and takes out the trash.”
    â€œWell, why not?” said Abby.
    Dunkum didn’t want to hear about Miss Hershey’s pj’s or her garbage. He wanted to know if her house was haunted. And how she discovered music in Poe’s poetry.

    Dunkum’s mom helped him roll up his sleeping bag. They tied it neatly.
    â€œDon’t forget your toothbrush,” his mother said. “And your warmest pj’s.”
    Dunkum remembered his flashlight.He wanted to take it along for sure. “Anything else?” he asked.
    His mother went down the teacher’s checklist. “Let’s see.” Her finger slid over the page. “I think everything’s packed now.”
    â€œIt’s just one night. I don’t need much,” Dunkum said.
    His mother looked over the list again. “What about stuffed animals?” she asked. “It says you may bring two animals each.”
    Dunkum wondered about his friends.