The Howling Ghost

by Christopher Pike

  “Do you want to sit down?” she said quietly. “Are you thirsty? Would you like some lemonade?”

  “We never take refreshment until the job is done,” Sally said, sitting down.

  “I’d like some lemonade,” Adam said, sitting beside Sally.

  “Adam,” Sally scolded. “We’re here to help Cindy, not take from her.”

  Adam shrugged. “But I’m thirsty.”

  “So am I,” Watch added. “Do you have any Coke?”

  Cindy stood. “We have Coke and lemonade. I’ll be back in a second. Are you sure you don’t want anything, Sally?”

  Sally considered. “Well, now that you mention it. Do you have any ginger ale? I like Canada Dry best, in the green cans. Chilled but not too cold.”

  Cindy nodded. “I’ll see what we have.”

  Cindy disappeared inside the house. Adam spoke to Watch, who continued to stand. He was staring in the direction of the ocean.

  “What are you looking at?” Adam asked.

  Watch pointed. “The lighthouse. You can see it from here.”

  Watch was right. Around the corner of the house, the lighthouse was just visible, a tall pillar of white plaster. At this first sight of the structure, Adam shuddered, although he wasn’t sure why. He had never seen a lighthouse before he saw this one. It was hard for him to tell a normal one from a haunted one. It was only a quarter of a mile away.

  “It’s tall,” was all Adam could think of to say.

  “It’s old,” Watch said, finally sitting down. “It was built before there was electricity. From what I heard, they used to burn oil in lamps in the top and shine the light over the sea to warn ships away from the rocks.”

  “I heard they used to burn people,” Sally said.

  “People don’t burn that well,” Watch replied matter-of-factly. “Bum once told me it was the Spaniards who built the lighthouse, that it was the first one constructed in America. But it’s hard to imagine it’s that old.”

  “But later electricity was installed?” Adam asked.

  “Sure,” Watch said. “The waters around Spooksville are treacherous. Even modern ships have to be careful. Yet the lighthouse was closed down before I was born. I’m not sure why. Nowadays, ships don’t get near this place. The last boat that did go by was a transport ship from Japan. It had hundreds of Toyotas on board. It sunk out by the jetty. For a while you could go down to the beach and pick out any color Camry or Corolla that you wanted. They washed ashore for months.”

  “They all smelled a little fishy,” Sally said.

  “But you couldn’t argue with the price,” Watch added.

  “I’d never go out with a guy who had fish on his backseat,” Sally said.

  “There must’ve been a reason the lighthouse was closed down,” Adam said.

  “Probably because it was haunted,” Sally said. “That’s the most logical reason.”

  “But why did it become haunted?” Adam asked. “That’s what I want to know.”

  A look of wonder crossed Sally’s face. “Why, Adam, you’re beginning to sound like you were born here. Congratulations—from now on I won’t have to yell at you half as much.”

  “I don’t know why you yell at me at all,” Adam said. He glanced in the direction of where Cindy had disappeared. “She looks so sad.”

  Watch nodded. “Like a flower that’s been stomped.”

  “A rose that’s been crushed,” Adam agreed, feeling in a poetic mood.

  “Wait a second,” Sally complained. “You guys aren’t falling in love with her, are you?”

  “Love is an emotion I only know about from textbooks,” Watch said.

  “I just met her,” Adam said. “I don’t even know her.”

  “But as soon as you met me you liked me, didn’t you?” Sally asked.

  Adam shrugged. “I suppose.”

  Sally suddenly looked worried, and a little annoyed. “Just don’t go flirting with her while I’m around.”

  “We’ll wait and do it behind your back,” Watch said tactfully.

  Cindy returned a minute later. She had two tall glasses of Coke, with ice, and one lemonade. Offering a Coke to Sally, Cindy apologized that there was no ginger ale.

  “I suppose I could use the caffeine,” Sally said, sniffing her drink before sipping it.

  Adam gulped down his lemonade. “Ah,” he said between gulps. “There’s nothing like lemonade on a hot day.”

  “It was cold a couple days ago,” Cindy remarked sadly, sitting down.

  Adam set his drink down and spoke gently. “It was cold when your brother disappeared?”

  Cindy nodded. “Yes. There was a strong wind—it whipped across the water, stirring up the waves.” She stopped to shake her head. “We shouldn’t have been walking by the jetty.”

  “What time of day was it?” Sally asked seriously.

  “Sunset,” Cindy said. “But you couldn’t see the sun because of the gray clouds.”

  “Were both of you walking on the jetty?” Adam asked.

  “No,” Cindy said. “Neil was alone. I mean, I could see him and everything. I was sitting on a boulder. He had walked alone on the jetty many times before. He was always careful to watch where he stepped. He never walked out too far. It was just that this time . . .” Cindy’s voice trailed off and she lowered her head. It seemed, for a moment, that she was going to cry, but she didn’t. She also didn’t finish her sentence.

  “It was just that this time a ghost grabbed him?” Sally said.

  Cindy took a breath. “I think so.”

  “But you’re not sure?” Adam asked gently.

  Cindy shook her head. “It happened so fast. Something came and took him. I don’t know what it was.”

  “Are you sure he didn’t just fall into the water?” Watch asked.

  Cindy raised her head. “He didn’t fall in the water. He didn’t drown. I told the police that. I told my mother—but none of them believe me.” She paused and stared at each of them. “Do you believe me?”

  “We told you we did,” Sally said, eyeing Watch to be quiet. “We just want to be sure of the facts. When you’re dealing with a ghost, you have to be careful. Can you describe this ghost to us?”

  “Neil was walking along the jetty when a beam of light shot out from the top of the lighthouse. It was a blinding light and seemed to be searching for Neil. When it caught up to him, old hands came out of the light and grabbed him. I know he was lifted into the air before the light went off and he vanished. I saw him floating above the water, above the rocks.”

  “This is what you told the police?” Adam asked.

  “Yes,” Cindy said. “This is exactly what happened.”

  “Did the police examine the lighthouse?” Watch asked.

  “I don’t know,” Cindy said. “I told them to, but they just said the lighthouse was all boarded up, that no light could have come from it. After hearing my story, they were convinced my brother had fallen in the water and been swept out to sea. They thought I was hallucinating because I was in shock.”

  “A typical authoritarian response,” Sally said.

  “There was one other thing,” Cindy said. “When the hands came out of the light and grabbed Neil, the wind howled. But it was a weird sound. It was like some evil monster laughing.”

  “Was it a female monster or a male monster?” Adam asked.

  “That’s a very weird question,” Sally remarked.

  “I don’t know,” Watch disagreed. “Personally, I’d rather deal with a male monster any day.”

  “My feeling exactly,” Adam muttered.

  Cindy was thoughtful. “I think it was a female monster.”

  “Let’s not call it a monster,” Sally interrupted. “It sounds more like a ghost.” She touched Cindy on the knee. “We’re going to get your brother back, no matter what.”

  “We’re going to try to get him back,” Adam corrected.

  “As long as we don’t have to risk our own lives,” Watch added.
>
  Cindy’s lower lip quivered, and her eyes were wet. “Thank you—all of you. You don’t know what it means to me to have someone believe me. I know he’s alive, I feel it in my heart.” Cindy paused. “The only thing is: what do we do now?”

  Adam stood up, and with more courage than he knew he had, said, “It’s obvious. We break into the lighthouse.”

  4

  The way to the lighthouse was hard. Not only was the lighthouse at the end of the jetty, but also the narrow wooden bridge that crossed from the piled boulders to the lighthouse itself was worn and cracked. Adam took one look at it and wished he’d brought his bathing suit. The bridge looked as if it would collapse the moment he stepped on it.

  Fortunately, the ocean was calm. The waves brushing against the jetty were only a foot high. Adam believed if he fell in the water, he’d have no trouble getting out. But then Sally started on her gruesome history of Spooksville again.

  “It was near here that Jaws lost his leg,” Sally said as they stared down at the water that separated them from the lighthouse.

  “Who?” Adam asked, with regret.

  “David Green,” Sally said. “He was the guy I told you about. He was out on his boogie board when a great white shark came by and bit off his right leg. In fact, I think it was almost at this exact spot.”

  “I thought you said he was close to shore when he was attacked,” Adam said, glancing back the way they had come. Jumping from rock to rock to reach the end of the jetty had not been difficult, but they were nevertheless pretty far from the beach. Adam wouldn’t like to be out on the jetty when the surf was up. The waves would crash right over them.

  “I can’t remember every detail,” Sally replied. “All I know is if you go in this water, you will probably come out with pieces missing.”

  Adam turned to Watch. “The bridge looks as if it’s about to fall. I don’t know if we should risk it.”

  “The girls weigh less,” Watch said. “We should send one of them across first to see how it holds up.”

  “Watch!” Sally yelled. “You miserable coward!”

  “I was just making a logical suggestion,” Watch said.

  “I’ll go first,” Cindy said quietly. “If my brother’s in the lighthouse, I should be the one to take the biggest risks.”

  Sally patted her on the back. “I wish I had a sister as devoted as you.”

  Adam stepped between them. “Wait a second. This isn’t right. One of us guys should go first.”

  “Are you forgetting that there are only two of us guys here?” Watch asked.

  “Why are you being such a coward?” Adam asked. “It’s not like you.”

  Watch shrugged. “I don’t want to hurt Cindy’s feelings, but I think the chances that her brother is locked in the lighthouse are lousy. For that reason I don’t want to lose a leg or an arm.” He paused and glanced at Cindy, who had lowered her head at his words. “But if you all want to give it a try, I’ll go first.”

  Watch took a step toward the rickety bridge. Adam stopped him.

  “I’m lighter than you,” Adam said. “I’ll go first.”

  Watch glanced down at the blue water, which had begun to churn slightly since they arrived. “All right,” Watch said. “If the bridge breaks, get out of the water as quick as you can.”

  Adam nodded and felt his heart pound in his chest. He was about to take his first step onto the bridge when a hand touched his arm. It was Cindy. Her face was creased with worry. For the second time that day he thought how beautiful her blue eyes were, how bright the sun shone in her blond hair.

  “Be careful, Adam,” Cindy whispered.

  Adam smiled. “I’m used to danger. It doesn’t faze me.”

  “Yeah,” Sally said sarcastically. “Mr. Kansas City grew up wrestling great white sharks in his backyard swimming pool.”

  Adam ignored Sally and turned back to the bridge. It had handrails that were made of rope and looked every bit as old as the wooden planks beneath them. Carefully placing his weight on the first plank, Adam took a step above the water. He had to try hard not to glance down at the water. It looked awfully cold and deep. If he stared real hard he could imagine huge shapes just below the surface.

  Adam took another step forward. The bridge creaked uneasily and sagged beneath him. He now had his entire weight on it. A third step forward caused the bridge to sink even more. It was only twenty feet from the end of the jetty to the pile of stones that supported the lighthouse, but at the rate he was going, he wouldn’t reach it till next month. The thought came to him that perhaps if he hurried, the bridge wouldn’t feel his weight as much. It was a brave idea, but a bit foolish.

  Adam took off running across the bridge.

  He was inches from the other side when it broke.

  The bridge didn’t just break in one spot. The whole thing collapsed. One second Adam was running for his life and the next he was swimming for it. He hit the water hard and went under. His timing was bad. He was sucking in a breath when he slipped under the surface. As a result he came up choking. He could hear the others yelling, but he couldn’t answer them. Saltwater stung his eyes. He coughed hard and flayed with his arms. The water was freezing!

  “Swim!” Sally cried. “A shark’s coming!”

  Adam almost had a heart attack right then. The day he moved to Spooksville, a tree had almost swallowed him. But in his mind getting eaten by a shark would be a thousand times worse. Frantically he spun around, trying to get his bearings. He didn’t know if he was closer to the lighthouse or the jetty, and at the moment he really didn’t care. He just wanted to get out of the water.

  “I don’t see any shark!” he heard Cindy yell.

  “You don’t see them till it’s too late!” Sally yelled back. “Adam! Save yourself!”

  Adam stopped choking long enough to look back at his friends. “Is there really a shark?” he gasped, treading water.

  Watch shook his head. “I don’t see one.”

  “Yeah, but you’re almost blind,” Adam said.

  “I don’t see one either,” Cindy said.

  “This is a big ocean and there are sharks in it somewhere,” Sally said impatiently. “If you don’t hurry and get out of the water, I’m sure you will see one soon enough.”

  “Oh brother,” Adam grumbled, tired of Sally. He saw he was closer to the lighthouse than the jetty and decided to swim for it. A few seconds later he was out of the water and shivering beside the front door of the lighthouse. Now he knew why the police hadn’t bothered to check out Cindy’s story. What was left of the bridge smashed back and forth against the jetty as the surf played with the wooden planks. In a sense, he was trapped, unless he wanted to get back in the water and wait for Sally’s next shark attack.

  “Can you feel your legs?” Sally called across the distance.

  “Yes,” Adam called back. “They’re still attached to my body, thank you.”

  “Try the door to the lighthouse,” Watch said. “There might be a rope inside that you can throw to us.”

  The door—no surprise—was locked. Adam looked around for a large rock to break the handle. He doubted that the ghost inside would sue him for damaging his property.

  But this was Spooksville. He probably should have thought more about what he was doing. But he was cold; his clothes were soaked. He just wanted to get inside, so he could dry off. Picking up a stone as big as his head, he brought it down hard on the doorknob. The knob broke off, and the door swung open.

  It was dark inside. How clever of them to forget flashlights. Adam took several steps forward, once again feeling his heart pound. There was a musty smell; the place had been locked up a long time. His shoes left clear prints in the dust on the wooden floor. Water dripped from his clothes, smearing the dust. From the light that poured in through the door, he was able to see a spiral staircase that wound up to the top of the lighthouse. The very top was lost in shadows, and the stairway seemed to vanish into unnatural night.

  “
Hello,” he called.

  The word echoed back to him.

  Hello. Hello. Hello.

  Each repetition was heavier than the one before, more spooky.

  Hollo. Hollo. Hollo.

  Actually, it sounded as if a ghost were talking.

  Olio. Olio. Olio

  But not a friendly ghost. Not one welcoming him.

  Ogo. Ogo. Ogo.

  Adam shivered as he listened to the sound.

  Go. Go. Go.

  There was a small storage room off to his left. Inside was a shovel, a wheelbarrel, several metal containers that smelled of kerosene, and a rope. Surprisingly, the rope was fairly new, in better shape than the other equipment. He hurried back outside and held it up for the others to see. Watch spoke for all of them with his next questions.

  “Do you want to use it to get back here?” he asked. “Or do you want us to come over there?”

  Cindy stepped forward. “I want to search the lighthouse,” she said. “I have to.”

  Sally eyed the water uneasily. “If the rope breaks, we’ll all end up in a shark’s belly.”

  “Is there a good place to tie it on your side?” Watch called to Adam.

  Adam glanced back at the winding stairway. He had at least a couple hundred feet of rope in his hands. It would reach, he decided. “Yeah,” he said. “Do you have anything to tie it to on the jetty?”

  Watch studied the boulders. “Sure,” he said. “But we’ll be dangling just above the waterline.”

  “I wonder how high a shark can reach out of the water?” Sally muttered.

  Adam threw one end of the rope over to Watch, who wrapped it around a boulder. Before Watch tied his end off, Adam reentered the lighthouse and secured his end to the stairway. He knew it was ridiculous, but he thought he heard his hello still echoing. It was only a faint moan though.

  Oooooo.

  Adam went back outside. Watch had drawn the rope tight and tied it. It stretched only three feet above the water. “Who’s going first?” Adam called.

  Cindy grabbed hold of the rope. “I will.” Then she paused. “What do I do?”

  “Start with your back to the lighthouse,” Watch explained. “Grab the rope tightly with your hands and pull yourself out slowly. When you’re above the water, throw your feet around the rope, too. And don’t fall off.”