Ann Martin - The Ghost At Dawn's House

Earlier that evening, she'd been left in charge of David Michael, and Karen and Andrew, who were visiting for the. weekend. Her two older brothers were at a party, and her mom and stepfather had gone to the theater in Stamford.

When everyone had left, the sky had simply been dark and threatening. An hour later, rain was falling, the wind was howling, thunder was crashing, and lightning was flashing.

Inside, Kristy was trying to interest the kids in a game of Chutes and Ladders, but it wasn't easy. Every time a clap of thunder sounded, David Michael shrieked, Andrew leaped into Kristy's lap, Louie the collie jumped (and skidded on the game board), and Karen looked disgusted and called everybody nitwits.

After that had happened three times, Kristy suggested, "Let's read a book instead of play

ing Chutes and Ladders. What should we read?"

"The Little Engine That Could," said Andrew.

"Fantastic Mr. Fox," said David Michael.

"Ramona and Her Father," said Karen.

Kristy rolled her eyes. "How about — "

"How 'bout if I tell a story?" Karen interrupted.

Kristy paused. Karen's stories are notorious. She never means to frighten anyone or to cause any trouble, but she always manages to.

"Do you know any nice, happy stories?" asked Kristy hopefully.

Karen thought for a moment. "Nope," she said.

"I want to hear a scary story," said David Michael bravely.

"You do?" asked Kristy incredulously, as thunder crashed and her brother jumped a foot in the air.

"Um . . . yes," replied David Michael.

"Me, too," said Andrew, not to be undone.

Kristy thought that all of this was a bad idea.

"Oh, we can tell scary stories any old time," she said. "Let's tell jokes instead. Knock, knock."

David Michael, Karen, and Andrew glanced at each other.

"I said, knock, knock," Kristy repeated.

David Michael heaved a great sigh. "Who's there?"

"Banana," said Kristy.

"Banana who?" asked David Michael.

"Knock, knock."

"Huh? Wait, you were supposed to tell the joke part then."

"Trust me," said Kristy. "This one's a little different."

"Oh, all right. Who's there?" asked David Michael.

"Banana."

"Banana who?"

"Knock, knock."

"Who's there?"

"Banana."

"Banana who?"

"Knock, knock."

"Who's there?" demanded David Michael.

"Orange."

"Orange who?"

"Orange you glad I didn't say 'banana'?" Kristy burst into giggles.

The three kids looked mystified.

"So," said Karen, "this is the tale of what made old Ben Brewer so weird."

Andrew and David Michael sat up straighter.

Kristy made a face and began to put the Chutes and Ladders game away. When she finished, she left the kids in the playroom, went downstairs, and straightened up the kitchen. She found a package of graham crackers in one of the cabinets, placed it on a tray with four glasses and a carton of milk, and took the tray upstairs to the playroom.

There she found Karen in the middle of her story.

"Ben Brewer had been sitting in his rocking chair by the fireplace in his bedroom for six hours. Just sitting. Outside, there was a big storm going on."

"Like this storm?" asked Andrew, wide-eyed.

"Yup," replied Karen. "And now . . ." (she lowered her voice dramatically) "... it was almost midnight."

"Oh, no!" yelped David Michael.

Karen nodded solemnly. "And you know what that means," she whispered.

Kristy joined the children on the floor. David Michael was leaning against an armchair. Andrew was sitting in the lap of a humungous stuffed panda bear. And Karen, in the center of the room, was also the center of attention. As storyteller, she'd put on a witch's hat and

a sparkly black mask, and was waving a wand around.

"It means," Karen continued, "that — "

KA-BLAM!

An enormous clap of thunder sounded. Everybody jumped — even Kristy.

"It means," Karen tried again, "that the headless ghost was going to come to Ben Brewer . . . and turn him into a crazy man."

"Ew," said Kristy.

"Ben Brewer was doing everything he could think of to keep the ghost away. He had locked the door and the windows, and he wasn't going to leave the room. Not for anything. Not if he had to go to the bathroom. He'd even put garlic all around the room."

"I thought garlic was to keep vampires away," said Kristy.

"Ben wasn't taking any chances," David Michael informed her.

"So imagine this," said Karen. "It's almost midnight, and Ben is locked up in that room. If s all quiet — "

"Except for the storm," said Andrew.

"And the fire crackling," added David Michael.

"And just think," said Karen. "This was happening right here in our house ... in that

room on the third floor." (Ben Brewer is Andrew and Karen's great-grandfather.)

"The room we never go in," whispered Andrew.

At that moment, Boo-Boo, the Brewers' fat cat, waddled in.

Karen pointed to him. "Boo-Boo knows about that room, Kristy. He knows it's haunted."

"The whole third floor is," said David Michael. He shuddered. "Boo-Boo doesn't go up to the third floor — ever."

Boo-Boo plopped down next to Karen. He sat on the floor with his tail twitching.

"Relax, Boo-Boo," said Kristy.

"He can't," Karen said. "Do you know where we're sitting? We're right under Ben Brewer's room."

"Aughh!" cried David Michael.

"Karen," said Kristy, "the last time you told ghost stories, you said Boo-Boo won't go on the third floor because it's under the attic and the attic is haunted."

Karen paused. "Oh," she said. "Well, that's true. But Ben's room is haunted, too. So anyway," she went on. "It was almost midnight. Just eleven more seconds." She paused. "Eleven . . . ten . . . nine . . . eight . . . seven ... six . . . five . . . four . . . three . . . two . . ."

(Kristy noticed that she and the boys were all leaning anxiously toward Karen.)

"One," said Karen.

"What happened then?" whimpered Andrew. He sounded near tears. Kristy pulled him into her lap.

"Ben thought there was no way to get in the room. But he was wrong. The ghost came down the chimney."

Everyone turned slightly and eyed the fireplace in the playroom.

"The ghost began to speak," Karen went on. " 'Oooh,' it wailed. I've come for you, Ben Brewer.' "

At that, Boo-Boo leaped straight into the air, darted through the door, and slid out into the hall, claws flying. Louie awoke, startled, heard Boo-Boo in the hall, and took off after him.

"It's Ben Brewer!" screamed Karen. "It's his crazy ghost! He was haunted — and now he's haunting us!"

"Karen, calm down," said Kristy, whose teeth were chattering. "There is no ghost here."

"Yes, there is! That's why Boo-Boo and Louie are scared! Animals can tell when ghosts are around!"

Andrew burst into tears. "I don't want a ghost here!" he sobbed.

"There's no ghost," said Kristy. She stood up. "Anyway, it's bedtime."

"I want to sleep with you tonight!" wailed Andrew.

"Me, too!" cried Karen.

"Me, too!" cried David Michael.

Kristy admitted (but only to herself and later to the rest of us baby-sitters) that she was glad they wanted to sleep with her. And since she has this mammoth new bed in her room at Watson's, she figured they'd all fit. She hadn't counted on Boo-Boo and Louie joining them, but they did.

Kristy woke up the next morning when she heard whispering and snickering at her door. She blinked her eyes and struggled to sit up. Outside, the sun was shining. Next to her, Karen was sprawled on her back, her mouth open, and one arm slung across Andrew, who was sucking his thumb. On her other side, David Michael was snoring lightly. Louie and Boo-Boo were scrunched up at the end of the bed.

"Look at that!" whispered a voice.