R. Stine - The Barking Ghost

Remembering just how brave Super Cooper had been. Yuck!

Back and forth. Back and forth.

Remembering the dogs.

Hey. That's weird, I thought. Those dogs I heard should have left paw prints all over the yard. But I couldn't see a single one.

I hopped off the swing and searched the ground all around the house. No sign of any dogs.

That's funny. I knew there were dogs out here last night.

I glanced up at the edge of the woods. Maybe those dogs were lost, I thought. Maybe they came to the house last night searching for help.

Maybe I should go track them down.

I bit my lower lip. A kid could lose his way — forever — in those woods, I thought nervously.

Well, I'm going in, I decided. Today is the first day of the new me. Super Cooper — for real. I wanted to find those dogs. To prove to myself that I wasn't going crazy.

Who knows? If I find the dogs, maybe Dad will let me keep one, I decided. It might be fun to have a dog.

I'd always wanted a puppy. But Mom said the fur made her sneeze. Maybe she'd change her mind.

I took one long, deep breath. Then I stepped into the woods. I saw some amazing trees. I saw beautiful old birch trees with smooth, white trunks. And I saw sassafras and maple trees. Their trunks were gnarled and thick.

They could be over a hundred years old, I thought. Awesome.

Maybe Dad can build a tree house back here, I told myself excitedly. That would be so cool. Then when Gary and Todd came to visit, we could hang out in it.

I kept my eyes on the ground as I walked, searching for any sign of dogs.

Nothing. No prints. No broken branches.

How weird. I definitely heard dogs last night.

Or maybe I just thought I'd heard those dogs. It was kind of late, and I was pretty sleepy. Maybe it was my imagination.

Or maybe it was Mickey after all.

Maybe he tape-recorded another dog and barked along with it.

He would do something like that.

He's that sneaky.

I really had to pay him back. Something way creepy. Maybe I could do something out here in the woods.

I made my way through the thick trees and tall weeds, the whole time thinking of how to scare Mickey.

I suddenly realized I hadn't been paying attention to where I was going.

I spun around and peered through the thick trunks.

My house! I couldn't see it!

Okay, Cooper, keep cool. You can't be that far away, I told myself.

But my palms began to sweat.

I swallowed hard, then tried to remember which way I'd come.

Definitely the left.

No, wait. Maybe right.

I hung my head and moaned. It's no use, I thought.

I'm lost. Hopelessly lost.

I really didn't want to cry.

Who needed Mickey seeing me with wet, red eyes?

I'd never hear the end of it.

Besides, today was the first day of the new me. The new Super Cooper.

I took a really deep breath and tried to calm down.

I decided to walk a little to my right. If I didn't see my house, I'd turn and double back to the left.

It was worth a try.

What did I have to lose? I was lost anyway.

I turned to the right. I tried to take the straightest path possible.

The snapping of branches behind me made me spin around.

No one there.

It's just a harmless squirrel or something, I told myself. Just keep going.

I returned to my straight path again. But with my first step, I heard leaves rustling behind me.

I didn't turn around. I quickened my pace.

And I heard it again.

Twigs snapping. Leaves rustling.

My throat suddenly felt dry. Don't panic. Don't panic. "Wh-who's there?" I croaked.

No answer.

I turned back.

Whoa! Which way had I been walking? My head began to spin. I suddenly felt dizzy. Too dizzy to remember where I had been.

Snap. Snap. Crack. Crunch.

"Who is there?" I called out again. My voice didn't sound all that steady for Super Cooper.

"Mickey, is that you? This isn't funny! Mickey?"

Then I felt something horrible scrape my cheek. Something cold. And sharp.

I couldn't help it. I started to scream.

A leaf. A dumb leaf.

Come on, Cooper! Get a grip!

I sat down on the ground for a second. I checked my watch. It was almost eight.

Dad would be out in the yard soon. He planned to set up the new barbecue grill first thing this morning. I figured I could just wait for the hammering to start, then walk in the direction of the noise.

I'd just sit here. And wait. Wait for the hammering. Good idea, I thought.

I heard something rustle behind me.

Just the leaves, I told myself. The dumb leaves.

I stole a glance up at the trees. I tilted my head way back — and someone grabbed my arm.

I jerked away. Sprang up. Started to run.

And tripped over my own feet.

Scrambling up, I gasped in surprise.

A girl.

She was about my age and had really long, red hair. It was frizzy, and it stuck out in a million directions. She had big green eyes. She wore a bright red T-shirt and red shorts. She reminded me of a rag doll Todd's little sister used to carry around.

"You okay?" she asked, her hands on her waist.

"Yeah, sure. Fine," I muttered.

"Didn't mean to scare you," she said.

"I wasn't scared," I lied.

"Really," she said. "I would have been scared, too, if someone grabbed me like that. I really didn't mean to."

"I told you," I said sharply, "I wasn't scared."

"Okay. Sorry."

"What are you sorry about?" I asked. This had to be the weirdest girl I'd ever met.

"I don't know," she replied, shrugging. "I'm just sorry."

"Well, you can stop apologizing," I told her. I brushed the dirt off my clothes and picked up my baseball cap. I quickly set it back on my head. To cover my ears.

The girl stared at me. She stood there and stared. Without saying a word. Was she staring at my ears?

"Who are you?" I finally asked.

"Margaret Ferguson," she replied. "But people call me Fergie. Like the duchess."

I didn't know what duchess she was talking about. But I pretended I did.

"I live through the woods that way," she said, pointing behind her.

"I thought no one lived around here for miles," I said.

"Yeah. There are some houses around here, Cooper," she replied. "They're pretty spread out."

"Hey! How did you know my name?" I asked suspiciously.

Margaret, or Fergie, or whatever her name was, turned beet-red.

"I, uh, watched you move in yesterday," she confessed.

"I didn't see you," I replied.

"That's because I hid in the woods," she said. "I heard your father call you Cooper. And I know your last name, too. It's Holmes. I saw it written on all the boxes in the moving van. And I know you have a brother, Mickey," she added. "He's a jerk."

I laughed. "You got that right!" I exclaimed. "So how long have you lived around here?"

She didn't answer. She kept her eyes on the ground.

"I said, how long have — "

Suddenly, her head jerked up and she gazed into my eyes.

"Wh-what's wrong?" I asked when I saw her frightened face.

Her face tightened, as if she were in pain. Her lips trembled.

"Margaret!" I cried. "What? What is it?"

She opened her mouth, but no words came out. She breathed deeply, gulping air. Finally, she clutched my shoulders and shoved her face right up close to mine.

"Dogs," she whispered. Then she let go of me and darted away.

I froze for a moment. Then I chased after her.

She made it to a big tree stump before I caught up. I grabbed hold of the back of her T-shirt and spun her around.

"Margaret, what do you mean 'dogs'?" I asked.

"No! No!" she cried. "Just let me go! Let me go!"

I held her tightly.

"Let me go! Let me go!" she cried again.