looking tense. Rudyard, the youngest
of them all, was definitely afraid.
Of ghosts especially.
The full moon hung above like
a huge grapefruit, shedding eerie
pink light on the crowd of kids
collected on this end of the bridge.
Most everyone looked anxious,
Rudyard thought. And there was
that creepy old woman standing
near the Barnacle entrance.
“Children, children,we’reabout
to start. Try your best to brace your
heart!” she announced in a croaky
voice that instantly shut everyone
up. “The bridge will show you what’s
inside. Mind the fears you cannot
hide.”
She cackled like a witch, making
Rudyard shudder.
“What’s she talking about?”
Doodlebug asked.
The cousins all shrugged. Nobody
knew. But everyone was on edge now.
Kids began shuffling toward
the entrance, which was covered
with a shimmering curtain so you
couldn’t see inside. The first gutsy
kid disappeared behind the curtain.
Everyone outside heard a moaning
OOOOOH sound followed by a
wild, shrieky shout, then laughter.
“Weird,” said Dandelion, frowning
a little.
Each time another kid did the
Ghost Walk, different sounds issued
from inside the Barnacle. And outside,
a wave of skittish murmuring, the brave
and the not-so-brave waiting their turn.
Whatwent on inthere?Yeah, nuthin’ worse
than cackling grackles!Meh, the birds didn’t faze me—
cause me to be upset. It was
the fruitbomb.¡Caramba! It makes me skittish—
nervous and shy—about walking
under trees. We don’t call it
Fallfornothing.