Ann Martin - Kristy And The Haunted Mansion

"Wow!" Karen said. "I hope she knows what she's doing. Go on, Kristy! What happened next?"

"Nothing," I said. "I mean, I'm sure something happened. But there are no more entries. I guess we'll never know." I shut the little book and tucked it carefully into its original hiding place.

Karen was gazing up at Dorothy's portrait. "Women didn't have it easy back then, did they?" she asked. "I mean, she wanted to get out of her father's house, and the only way was to marry this guy."

"It doesn't seem fair," agreed Patty. "I just hope she got to travel."

I was lost in thought. I was awfully curious

about Dorothy and about what had happened to her. How could we find out more? Then, suddenly, I heard a tapping noise, and I froze. "What's that?" I whispered.

"It's me," said Bart, coming into the room. "Charlie and the boys are downstairs. We explored the upstairs where the servants' quarters were, and the attic, too. It was pretty awesome. We found all kinds of neat stuff. Anyway, we're having a little snack, since we're already starving again. Come on down!"

The girls and I joined the others in the kitchen. Charlie and Bart were talking about going outside and looking for help. "I can't stand just waiting around anymore," said Charlie. "Maybe we can find a phone, at least."

"No way," I said firmly. "First of all, you can't leave me alone with these kids. And anyway, how would you get across that stream, even on foot?" I peered out the window. "And look, the storm hasn't let up at all. In fact, I think it's gotten worse." It was true. The rain was still pouring down, and the wind was blowing harder than ever.

Charlie and Bart looked at each other and shrugged. "I guess you're right," Charlie admitted. "It's going to be dark soon, too. We'll just have to stick it out."

"Right!" I agreed. "We'll be safe here. At least we're out of the rain." I tried to sound convincing, but I was wondering just how safe we were, in that big old mansion on Sawyer Road.

Chapter 8.

By the time Claudia was ready to leave for her job at the Newtons', she had heard that Bart and Charlie and the kids and I were missing. For a few minutes, she considered canceling her job because she wanted to be available to help if she was needed. After all, she thought, the job was a short one. Mr. and Mrs. Newton were only going out for two hours: from seven to nine.

Then Claudia thought again. She told me later that she tried to imagine "what Kristy would say" if she canceled her job, and she realized it was out of the question. "I knew you'd say it was unprofessional," she told me. "I thought you might even yell at me," she added with a grin.

So, Claudia got ready for her job. First, she ate a sandwich since she figured Jamie and Lucy would already have had dinner. Then she checked herself in the mirror and decided she didn't need to change. She was wearing white knee-length jeans shorts, white Keds, and a tie-dyed T-shirt she'd made the weekend before. It was a beautiful one, with spirals of yellow and green and purple, and she was proud of it. She was also wearing a pair of earrings she'd made from green glass she had found on the beach. The glass had been polished by the waves so it had no sharp edges, and Claud had hung two pieces in little silver cages that now dangled from her ears.

Claudia's sister Janine came into her room just as Claud was ready to leave. "Have you heard any news about Kristy yet?" she asked.

"No," replied Claudia. "Nobody's heard anything. I'm really worried."

"I'm sure they'll be fine," said Janine. "Kristy is very intelligent and resourceful."

Claudia rolled her eyes. Janine seems to think that intelligence can solve any problem. Still, Claud knew that Janine was just trying to make her feel better. "I hope you're right," she said to Janine. "And — thanks."

Claudia ran downstairs and looked out the window. The rain, which had been pouring down for hours, finally seemed to have let up. The sky was still dark with clouds, but looked as if it might start to clear up soon. So Claudia decided to forget about a raincoat and umbrella, and just dash to the Newtons'.

" 'Bye!" she called to her parents, who were in the living room. "If anybody calls, I'm at the Newtons'." Claud had talked to Bart's father and Watson, and to Stacey, Mary Anne, and Dawn. Everybody was in a panic, but they could do nothing except wait for good news. Claudia headed out the door and down the

street. The Newtons live around the block and across the street from the Kishis, so it’s only a two-minute walk. But guess what happened during those two minutes? It started to pour again. Within seconds, Claudia was soaked. She broke into a run, and arrived, panting, on the Newtons' porch. "Oh, man," she said, wringing out her hair. She did not have time to go home and change, so she just shrugged and rang the bell.

Jamie flung the door open. He's four years old and one of our favorite kids to sit for, since he's very cute and almost always in a good mood. "Hi, Claudia!" he said. "Hey, you look like a rainbow!"

Claudia was confused until she glanced down at herself. Then she cracked up. Her shorts and sneakers were no longer white. Instead, they were streaked with green and purple and yellow. The dye in her beautiful shirt had run! Claud's legs and arms were streaked with color, too. "Oh, no," she said. "I don't believe it."

Mrs. Newton came to the door, carrying Lucy, Jamie's baby sister. "Oh, dear," she said. "You're soaked, aren't you? Do you want to run home and change?"

"No, I don't want to make you late for your dinner," said Claudia. "I'll call my sister and

ask her to bring me some dry clothes." Claudia tiptoed into the kitchen, being careful not to drip any color onto the hall carpet, and called Janine.

The next half hour was so busy that Claudia almost forgot to be worried about me. The Newtons left, after Mrs. Newton put Lucy in her baby seat. "I'd give her to you to hold, but I'm afraid I'd come home to a green baby," she joked to Claudia. Lucy cried for a few minutes after her parents left, but stopped when Janine arrived with Claud's dry clothes. Lucy is always very interested in what's going on around her, and she stared wide-eyed at Janine, who smiled back at her. Jamie, meanwhile, was dancing around and singing "Somewhere Over the Rainbow," although he was messing up the words a little.

"Somewhere, over the rainbow," sang Jamie, "there's a pie."

Claudia thanked Janine and asked her to stay for a few minutes while she changed. Then, as soon as she went into the downstairs bathroom to peel off her wet things, she heard Lucy start to cry again.

"What should I do?" called Janine. For all her intelligence, Janine doesn't know nearly as much about little kids as Claudia does.

"There's probably a box of Cheerios in the

cabinet," called Claudia. "Give her a handful."

"But she's going to get milk all over herself!" called Janine.

Claudia giggled. "Don't give her milk," she replied. "Just dry Cheerios. Babies like to eat them."

Claud hurriedly put on the dry clothes and then stood at the sink, trying to scrub the color off her arms and legs. After a few minutes, she gave up. The dye wasn't going to come off that easily. She headed back to the kitchen. Lucy was happily eating Cheerios, Jamie was still singing, and Janine was looking tired.

"I don't know how you do this all the time," she said. "Taking care of kids is hard work."

"But it's fun, too," said Claudia. Then she showed Janine her arms and legs. "How am I going to get this off?" she asked.

Janine frowned. "I'm sure there's a simple solvent," she said. "I'll go home and research it. What are the particular properties of the dye you used?"

"What?" replied Claudia, bewildered.

"Never mind," said Janine. "I'll figure it out."