think about it until the golf tournament was over.” She sat back in the armchair, cracking her knuckles. “When Mac wrote that he had a problem with ghosts, he didn’t mean I should pop the one he had. He meant that he was having a problem getting more ghosts to come help haunt. He told me earlier tonight that his intention was to drive off the dratted Spillingbirds. But I couldn’t bear to tell him I had popped his only ghost. And if you pop one, it’s difficult to coax others over, obviously.”
“So what are we going to do, Grandy?”
“Well, I don’t know.” Grandy scowled. “Why is it up to me to solve everything? Besides, advanced-star spells don’t work on that confounding couple. Which means we can’t turn them into dandelions or bread-crumb toppings or goldfish. Or, for that matter, hypnotize them into selling back Glenn Bly. Hmm. If only we knew who used to live in this castle...”
“Why? How would that help?” Claire leaned forward.
“Well, obviously, ” said Grandy, rolling her eyes, “if we had a record of who used to live here, we could scrounge up a really good ghost. A professional, who is specifically trained to haunt houseguests.”
Claire smiled at her twin as she snapped her fingers. “I’ve got an idea!” She leaped out of her chair and ran to the secret, strawberry-scrolled charter-room door. “Follow me!”
With Grandy and Luna behind her, Claire led the way up-up-up the stairs, and, with a turn of the key, into the charter room.
At midnight, it was dark as the inside of a boot.
Grandy quickly took care of that. “Light, alight!” she commanded, sweeping her finger in a circle. Candles sputtered to life in their sconces. “Well, well, well,” exclaimed Grandy. “What have we here?”
“See that book?” Claire pointed excitedly. “That’s the Book of All Records. The whole history of Glenn Bly is in it. If you need the names of people who’ve lived and died at Glenn Bly, then that’s the book for you!”
She pounced to the table and grabbed the quill pen. Now was her chance to sign her name. She had been itching to write Ms. Claire Bundkin in giant cursive letters ever since she first saw the book. She loved-loved-loved the idea of adding her name onto a thousand-year-old page of ancient history.
“Put that pen down, Claire!” hissed Luna, snatching the quill from Claire’s grasp.
“Foiled again,” muttered Claire.
“Hush, girls!” said Grandy. “You’re both so busy squabbling, you didn’t even notice that this room is shaped like a circle!”
“Actually, I noticed,” said Luna.
“And I noticed, too,” said Claire.
“But. Do you know what it means?” asked Grandy.
Both twins shook their heads.
“In past centuries, circular rooms were built specially as meeting places for witches,” said Grandy. “It’s an outdated custom, since circle-shaped rooms proved to be such a pain in the neck to decorate. But witching power lives deep within these walls. Can’t you feel it?”
Claire nodded. She did feel a bit tingly, especially in her spell-casting pinkie finger. At her side, Luna nodded, too.
Now Grandy glided over to examine the Book of All Records.
“Fascinating!” she exclaimed, as she turned the parchment pages. “Aha. Oh, yes. Very interesting.”
“What’s interesting, Grandy?” asked Luna.
“Well, it seems that some of these guests were actually Bramblewine witches. Sophia Spregg Bramblewine visited in 1899. And Eulalie Bramblewine was Glenn Bly’s Witch Laureate in 1731. Do you know what this means, twinsicles?”
Again, the twins shook their heads.
“It means,” said Grandy with a gleeful grin, “that we can cast a very BIG spell in this room, using the leftover magic of our ancient Bramblewine relatives!”
Then she cackled her special five-star cackle and clapped her hands. Claire shivered. At midnight, in her velvet robes, Grandy always seemed more frightening than she did by day in her gaucho pants and golf
“So what are we going to do, Grandy?”
“Well, I don’t know.” Grandy scowled. “Why is it up to me to solve everything? Besides, advanced-star spells don’t work on that confounding couple. Which means we can’t turn them into dandelions or bread-crumb toppings or goldfish. Or, for that matter, hypnotize them into selling back Glenn Bly. Hmm. If only we knew who used to live in this castle...”
“Why? How would that help?” Claire leaned forward.
“Well, obviously, ” said Grandy, rolling her eyes, “if we had a record of who used to live here, we could scrounge up a really good ghost. A professional, who is specifically trained to haunt houseguests.”
Claire smiled at her twin as she snapped her fingers. “I’ve got an idea!” She leaped out of her chair and ran to the secret, strawberry-scrolled charter-room door. “Follow me!”
With Grandy and Luna behind her, Claire led the way up-up-up the stairs, and, with a turn of the key, into the charter room.
At midnight, it was dark as the inside of a boot.
Grandy quickly took care of that. “Light, alight!” she commanded, sweeping her finger in a circle. Candles sputtered to life in their sconces. “Well, well, well,” exclaimed Grandy. “What have we here?”
“See that book?” Claire pointed excitedly. “That’s the Book of All Records. The whole history of Glenn Bly is in it. If you need the names of people who’ve lived and died at Glenn Bly, then that’s the book for you!”
She pounced to the table and grabbed the quill pen. Now was her chance to sign her name. She had been itching to write Ms. Claire Bundkin in giant cursive letters ever since she first saw the book. She loved-loved-loved the idea of adding her name onto a thousand-year-old page of ancient history.
“Put that pen down, Claire!” hissed Luna, snatching the quill from Claire’s grasp.
“Foiled again,” muttered Claire.
“Hush, girls!” said Grandy. “You’re both so busy squabbling, you didn’t even notice that this room is shaped like a circle!”
“Actually, I noticed,” said Luna.
“And I noticed, too,” said Claire.
“But. Do you know what it means?” asked Grandy.
Both twins shook their heads.
“In past centuries, circular rooms were built specially as meeting places for witches,” said Grandy. “It’s an outdated custom, since circle-shaped rooms proved to be such a pain in the neck to decorate. But witching power lives deep within these walls. Can’t you feel it?”
Claire nodded. She did feel a bit tingly, especially in her spell-casting pinkie finger. At her side, Luna nodded, too.
Now Grandy glided over to examine the Book of All Records.
“Fascinating!” she exclaimed, as she turned the parchment pages. “Aha. Oh, yes. Very interesting.”
“What’s interesting, Grandy?” asked Luna.
“Well, it seems that some of these guests were actually Bramblewine witches. Sophia Spregg Bramblewine visited in 1899. And Eulalie Bramblewine was Glenn Bly’s Witch Laureate in 1731. Do you know what this means, twinsicles?”
Again, the twins shook their heads.
“It means,” said Grandy with a gleeful grin, “that we can cast a very BIG spell in this room, using the leftover magic of our ancient Bramblewine relatives!”
Then she cackled her special five-star cackle and clapped her hands. Claire shivered. At midnight, in her velvet robes, Grandy always seemed more frightening than she did by day in her gaucho pants and golf
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