finger to my lips again.
Vanessa dropped to her knees beside me. “Wow,” she muttered, pretending to be amazed. She and I exchanged glances.
Oooooooowooooo . Another howl, louder this time.
“The ghost seems so sad,” I whispered. I turned to Scott. “That’s why they howl. They can’t stand the pain.”
He nodded but didn’t say anything. His eyes were bulging. His mouth kept twitching.
“I…I don’t believe this!” Ed whispered.
“ Help us…Help us out of here… .”
The raspy, whispered words made Scott cry out. “Turn it off!” he shrieked. “I—I don’t want to disturb them!”
“Shhhh. Listen,” I said, pointing to the speaker.
I pressed the red button. “Where are you?” I asked. “Are you in this room with us?”
Silence. A long, tense silence.
“ Help us…. The snow is so high…. ”
Vanessa covered her mouth. I could see she was about to laugh.
I turned and saw that Scott wasn’t laughing. He was buying it.
He believed he was hearing a real ghost.
I pressed the red button. “Can you hear me?” I asked. “Where are you? Who are you? Please—tell us.”
“ The snow is so high ,” came the whisper. “ We’ve been snowed in for days. And we’re so hungry…so hungry .”
“But where are you?” I called into the Howler. I turned to the others. “I don’t think he can hear me.”
“Maybe he’s very far away,” Scott said. He kept swallowing. He shoved his hands into his jeans pockets and stared at the gray box.
“ Can you help us? ” came the whisper. “ We’ve been trapped here for so long. We’d be so happy…so grateful…. Please… ”
I pressed my face close to the Howler. “We can help you,” I said. “You have to tell us where you are.”
“But—maybe we don’t want to help them,” Scott said softly.
Ed laughed. “You’re chicken—aren’t you!”
Scott didn’t reply.
“The ghost sounds so sad,” Vanessa said. “We have to help him.”
“ Please…let us out of here. Let us out! ” came the cry, so faint, so far away.
Justin is doing an awesome job, I thought. Look at Scott. He’s shaking like a leaf. Excellent! This is excellent!
I pressed the red button. “We will try to helpyou,” I shouted. “But you have to tell us where you are.”
“ In the closet ,” came the reply. “ Please…we’ve been in the closet for so long…. It’s so dark, so cold. And we’re very hungry. Please… ”
I jumped to my feet and turned to the closet.
This was the big moment. Time for Scott to get the scare of his life.
My heart was pounding. I couldn’t wait. I caught the excited expressions on Vanessa’s and Ed’s faces.
“Wait—” Scott cried. “Spencer, where are you going?”
“To the closet,” I said, pointing. “We have to open the closet.”
“But—but—” Scott sputtered.
“You’ve told us all about the ghosts in this house,” Vanessa said. “Don’t you want to see them?”
“Don’t you want to help them?” Ed added.
I didn’t wait for Scott to answer. I pushed him up to the closet door. “Open it,” I said.
He tried to back away, but we had him surrounded. He was trembling. Large beads of sweat rolled down the sides of his face.
“Open it, Scott,” Vanessa urged.
“Just open it,” I said.
“Okay, okay,” he muttered. He grabbed the door handle. He took a deep breath.
Vanessa, Ed, and I braced ourselves. We were ready for the big moment.
Scott hesitated…hesitated…. Then he pulled open the closet door.
All four of us stared—stared into the shallow, dark closet.
THERE WAS NO ONE INSIDE.
21
“Oh, wow.” I stared into the empty closet.
Vanessa grabbed my arm. “Where’s Justin?” she whispered.
Before I could answer, I heard a clumping sound on the stairs. I turned and saw Justin step up into the attic.
“Hey, guys—sorry I’m late,” he called. “My mom beeped me, and I had to see what it was about.”
Scott still had his hand on the closet doorknob. He
Vanessa dropped to her knees beside me. “Wow,” she muttered, pretending to be amazed. She and I exchanged glances.
Oooooooowooooo . Another howl, louder this time.
“The ghost seems so sad,” I whispered. I turned to Scott. “That’s why they howl. They can’t stand the pain.”
He nodded but didn’t say anything. His eyes were bulging. His mouth kept twitching.
“I…I don’t believe this!” Ed whispered.
“ Help us…Help us out of here… .”
The raspy, whispered words made Scott cry out. “Turn it off!” he shrieked. “I—I don’t want to disturb them!”
“Shhhh. Listen,” I said, pointing to the speaker.
I pressed the red button. “Where are you?” I asked. “Are you in this room with us?”
Silence. A long, tense silence.
“ Help us…. The snow is so high…. ”
Vanessa covered her mouth. I could see she was about to laugh.
I turned and saw that Scott wasn’t laughing. He was buying it.
He believed he was hearing a real ghost.
I pressed the red button. “Can you hear me?” I asked. “Where are you? Who are you? Please—tell us.”
“ The snow is so high ,” came the whisper. “ We’ve been snowed in for days. And we’re so hungry…so hungry .”
“But where are you?” I called into the Howler. I turned to the others. “I don’t think he can hear me.”
“Maybe he’s very far away,” Scott said. He kept swallowing. He shoved his hands into his jeans pockets and stared at the gray box.
“ Can you help us? ” came the whisper. “ We’ve been trapped here for so long. We’d be so happy…so grateful…. Please… ”
I pressed my face close to the Howler. “We can help you,” I said. “You have to tell us where you are.”
“But—maybe we don’t want to help them,” Scott said softly.
Ed laughed. “You’re chicken—aren’t you!”
Scott didn’t reply.
“The ghost sounds so sad,” Vanessa said. “We have to help him.”
“ Please…let us out of here. Let us out! ” came the cry, so faint, so far away.
Justin is doing an awesome job, I thought. Look at Scott. He’s shaking like a leaf. Excellent! This is excellent!
I pressed the red button. “We will try to helpyou,” I shouted. “But you have to tell us where you are.”
“ In the closet ,” came the reply. “ Please…we’ve been in the closet for so long…. It’s so dark, so cold. And we’re very hungry. Please… ”
I jumped to my feet and turned to the closet.
This was the big moment. Time for Scott to get the scare of his life.
My heart was pounding. I couldn’t wait. I caught the excited expressions on Vanessa’s and Ed’s faces.
“Wait—” Scott cried. “Spencer, where are you going?”
“To the closet,” I said, pointing. “We have to open the closet.”
“But—but—” Scott sputtered.
“You’ve told us all about the ghosts in this house,” Vanessa said. “Don’t you want to see them?”
“Don’t you want to help them?” Ed added.
I didn’t wait for Scott to answer. I pushed him up to the closet door. “Open it,” I said.
He tried to back away, but we had him surrounded. He was trembling. Large beads of sweat rolled down the sides of his face.
“Open it, Scott,” Vanessa urged.
“Just open it,” I said.
“Okay, okay,” he muttered. He grabbed the door handle. He took a deep breath.
Vanessa, Ed, and I braced ourselves. We were ready for the big moment.
Scott hesitated…hesitated…. Then he pulled open the closet door.
All four of us stared—stared into the shallow, dark closet.
THERE WAS NO ONE INSIDE.
21
“Oh, wow.” I stared into the empty closet.
Vanessa grabbed my arm. “Where’s Justin?” she whispered.
Before I could answer, I heard a clumping sound on the stairs. I turned and saw Justin step up into the attic.
“Hey, guys—sorry I’m late,” he called. “My mom beeped me, and I had to see what it was about.”
Scott still had his hand on the closet doorknob. He
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