The Phantom Hour

by Kat Shepherd

  Clio knelt down to help him. “What would keep her trapped here? Why do ghosts get stuck?” She took a handful of papers and stacked them neatly in the wooden chest.

  Ethan smoothed out a crumpled piece of paper and handed it to Tanya. “Here, Tanya. I think this is from your notebook.” He handed another stack of papers to Clio, and she flipped through them, turning them over so they all faced the same way. “Most spirits are happy to move on when they die, because it means they’ll be reunited with their loved ones.”

  “But that doesn’t make any sense,” Tanya said. “Harriet spent her entire life trying to reunite with Eudora, right? So why stick around here if she could be with her sister instead?”

  Clio looked down at the stack of papers she was sorting, and her eyes widened. “But what if she couldn’t reunite with her sister? What if…” Clio struggled to formulate her thought into words. “What if when she died, she was expecting to see her sister again, only her sister wasn’t there?”

  “What do you mean? Where would she be?” Maggie asked.

  “They never found Eudora’s body, right?” Clio held up a child’s drawing that was brown and brittle with age. “Look at this.” The drawing showed a young girl and a tall woman in a long gown standing in the water, holding hands. The little girl had yellow hair with bangs. The tall woman had blue skin, and wild tendrils of hair stuck out from her head like spiders’ legs.

  “Eudora didn’t drown in the pond. She was stolen by the Night Queen.”

  Rebecca, Maggie, Tanya, and Ethan stared at her in shock.

  “That’s why Harriet’s still here!” Clio continued. “Her sister is trapped in the Nightmare Realm, and Harriet won’t move on to the Spirit Realm without her. And if she drew that picture, she must have seen it happen.”

  “Sisters can never be parted,” Rebecca whispered sadly. “Poor Harriet, to see her sister taken with no way to stop it.”

  “Poor Eudora!” Maggie said. “Imagine being trapped in the Nightmare Realm for over a hundred years.…” She shuddered, and the other girls grew quiet, remembering how close they had come to sharing Eudora’s fate.

  “We have to help them,” Clio said. “We have to get Eudora back.”

  “But we can’t get to the Nightmare Realm anymore, remember? We closed the portal. Besides, even if we could, the queen would never let us out of there alive,” Maggie said. “Are you guys really willing to risk your lives for a couple of ghosts?”

  Clio stood up. “But remember Minna’s dream? Harriet’s never going to leave this house without her sister, and you saw what she did in this dining room. If we don’t help Harriet find Eudora, it’s only going to get worse. The Lees will be in real danger. Especially Minna.”

  Maggie folded her arms. “I understand that, but I am not going back to the Nightmare Realm. I’m sorry, but I’m just not.”

  Clio looked at Ethan. “Maybe there’s another way.”

  “What do you mean?” Rebecca asked.

  “Well, we do have a spirit expert at our disposal,” Clio said, gesturing to Ethan.

  “Great idea.” Tanya grinned at Clio. “So, how ’bout it, Ethan? Wanna help us rescue a spirit from the Nightmare Realm?”

  Ethan blushed and took off his glasses, turning them over in his hands. “Uhh … I don’t … no one’s ever … I wasn’t, um…” He polished the lenses with a corner of his shirt. “I, uh, wasn’t … trained in that?” he finished lamely, his voice rising into a question.

  “You weren’t trained in any of this,” Clio countered, “but you’ve done okay so far. Go with your gut.”

  Ethan thought for a moment. “Well, I don’t know if it will work with the Nightmare Realm, but we could try making a spirit hole.”

  “A spirit hole?” Rebecca asked.

  “Yeah. Sometimes there are places where the border between realms is thin. Thin enough to punch a hole in, allowing a spirit to slither through.”

  Maggie shivered. “Slithering spirits. Ugh.”

  Ethan shrugged. “Sorry. I don’t know how else to describe it.” He stood up. “I think I have all the stuff we need to do it. Let me go grab my ghost kit.” He disappeared into the kitchen.

  “Do you think it’ll work?” Rebecca asked.

  “It’s worth a try, at least,” Clio said. “Harriet and Eudora need our help, and whether they’re ghosts or not, I’m not turning my back on them.”

  Tanya grabbed her pencil and opened to a fresh page in her notebook. She jotted down a few notes and looked up thoughtfully. “Wow, this whole realm thing is so fascinating! I mean, it just gives so much more support to the whole quantum multiverse theory, don’t you think?”

  “I have no idea what you just said,” Maggie said, “but sure, definitely.”

  The girls laughed, and Clio stretched her arms over her head, easing some of the tension in her shoulders. “What’s Ethan doing? I thought he was just getting his kit.”

  Then they heard the kitchen erupt in screams.

  CHAPTER

  22

  “ETHAN!” MAGGIE SHOUTED. “Are you all right?” The girls ran into the kitchen. Ethan was rolling on the floor with a snarling, snapping creature, both of them shrieking at the top of their lungs. Ethan’s glasses had been knocked off and lay nearby.

  Rebecca ran to the writhing pair and pulled at the long, ropy arm that was wrapped around Ethan’s head. The creature looked up, startled. “Horrible! What are you doing?” Rebecca cried. “Get off him!”

  The changeling’s grip loosened, and Rebecca dragged him away from Ethan, who was white with fear, chest heaving. “What is that thing? I found it rummaging through my backpack.”

  “It’s not a thing,” Rebecca said huffily.

  “That’s the changeling I told you about,” Clio explained.

  Ethan looked in shock at Horrible, who sat placidly next to Rebecca, playing with a small mirror he had taken. A trickle of yellowish drool leaked from the corner of the changeling’s gaping mouth. A few grubs wriggled out of his filthy blue onesie and dropped to the floor. “That’s the changeling?” Ethan asked. “Wow. He is way uglier than you described.” Horrible hissed and kicked at Ethan with his talons. “Wait, he can understand me?”

  Rebecca nodded.

  Maggie handed Ethan his glasses, keeping well out of the changeling’s reach. “What’s Horrible doing here, anyway?”

  “That’s a good question,” Rebecca said. “Horrible, what are you doing here?”

  The creature stood up, rocking slightly on his bowlegs. He scuttled across the kitchen floor and beckoned to Rebecca. When she didn’t respond, he crept back to her and pulled at her wrist. She finally understood and let him lead her across the kitchen, the others following.

  Horrible brought them past the pantry and into the hall, until they were standing in front of the clock. Hissing and cowering, the creature gesticulated at the clock. “What is it?” Rebecca asked. “I don’t understand.”

  Horrible pointed at the clock’s face. “Okay, so it’s something to do with the clock,” Tanya said, “but what about the clock?”

  The changeling pointed more emphatically at the clock’s face. “Do you want us to tell you what time it is?” Maggie asked impatiently. “Because don’t bother with that thing. It’s haunted and always wrong.”

  In frustration, Horrible jumped over to the window and pulled open the blinds, still clutching the mirror he had taken from Ethan’s bag. Then he wriggled up the clock, grimacing as though he was in pain, and sat at the top, his talons digging into the wood. “Be careful of the wood!” Rebecca said.

  Horrible ignored her. He dug his claws in deeper and pointed at the clock’s face. A shaft of moonlight shone through the window, and Horrible caught the silvery beam in the mirror’s glass, aiming it at the clock’s face. As soon as the light hit the woman on the clock, she transformed. Spider legs sprouted from her head, and her skin turned a deep, midnight blue.

  “That’s no moon!” Clio gasped. “It’s the Night
Queen.”

  The group stood staring at the clock for a moment, stunned. Finally, Maggie spoke. “No wonder that clock is so awful!”

  Tanya wrote frantically in her notebook. “Why is he showing us this?”

  “I don’t know,” Rebecca answered, “but he obviously wants to keep the Night Queen out of our world just as much as we do. I think that’s why he followed us to the portal that night, to make sure it was really closed and she couldn’t come after him.” She looked at the changeling with sympathy. “Maybe he’s been hanging around here for the same reason. If this thing adds to her power, then it has to be shut down, and I don’t think Horrible could do that alone.”

  “So he’s on our side?” Tanya asked dubiously.

  “Does it matter?” Maggie said. “As long as he’s helping us defeat her, I’ll take it!”

  Horrible hopped down from the clock and clawed at its cabinet door, his mushroom-tipped fingers scrabbling ineffectively at the glass.

  “It’s okay,” Clio said. “I got it.” She pulled on the cabinet’s handle. As soon as her fingers touched the clock, the bells inside slammed together with a deafening clang that rang on and on. Clio tried to jump back, but Horrible pushed her forward. “What is it?” she shouted over the ringing. The others covered their ears at the unbearable sound.

  Horrible pointed down inside the clock. Clio reached her arm down, feeling around the rough wooden sides. A splinter sliced into her finger. “Ouch!” She tried to pull her hand back, but Horrible hopped frantically up and down, urging her on. She pushed her arm down still farther, as far as she could reach, until her fingers just grazed the bottom. She ran her hand along the cabinet floor until her fingers closed on something light and thin. She pulled it out, and the chiming ceased. The clock’s ticking wheezed and faltered before stopping entirely.

  Clio held up the slender white object, drops of blood oozing from her finger. “I’m guessing this is what you wanted me to find?” Horrible hopped up and down.

  The others crowded around. Maggie took it from Clio’s hand and held it closer to the light. “What is it?”

  Tanya peered closer. “Uh, it looks like a finger bone.”

  “OMG, ew!” Maggie dropped the bone on the floor and jumped away.

  Ethan picked it up and closed his eyes. He breathed in and out slowly, then opened his eyes. “It’s Harriet’s,” he said. “And I think I can use it to find her sister.”

  CHAPTER

  23

  ETHAN HELD THE bone in the palm of his hand. “Have you guys heard of dowsing?”

  Tanya laughed. “Have I ever! It’s one of the biggest scams of the Middle Ages. People had forked sticks that they claimed magically helped them find underground water.” She shook her head and snorted. “Honestly, people back then would believe almost anything!”

  Ethan blushed. “Um, yeah. So, uh, my dad is descended from a British clan of dowsers that dates back to the 1400s. That’s how we got our last name.” He shrugged. “You know. Underwood: Underground water found with wood.”

  “Oh. That’s neat,” Tanya said faintly, her face a mask of embarrassment. “Yeah. Sorry about that. I’m sure your ancestors were really great dowsers. Totally legit.”

  Ethan grinned at the floor and shook his head. “Don’t worry about it.” He picked up the bone with his other hand, holding it between his forefinger and thumb. “We can use this to do something called spirit dowsing.” He closed his eyes, and the bone twitched lightly in his fingers. “In spirit dowsing, the bone works like a divining rod, only instead of guiding us to water, it guides us to the trapped spirit.” He opened his eyes.

  “That’s so cool,” Rebecca said. “Do you think it will really work?”

  The bone twitched again in Ethan’s fingers. “Well, usually we need a bone from the spirit’s own body, but Harriet and Eudora were as close as two people could be, and this bone seems to be itching to lead us somewhere.”

  A cool breeze blew through the hallway, lifting Clio’s scarf for a moment before it gently fluttered down again. “I think Harriet approves,” Clio said.

  Ethan smiled at Clio. “Looks like I may not be the only one who has a talent for understanding ghosts.”

  Following the bone like a compass, Ethan led the others out the back door. Horrible scampered behind them for a moment before disappearing into the woods. “So much for being on our side,” Tanya said.

  “Oh, leave him alone,” Rebecca said. “He’s scared. I mean, would you hang around here if you didn’t have to?”

  “No way,” Maggie said. “Do you think it’s too late for me to go with him?” Clio laughed and gave her friend a squeeze.

  The night was quiet and cool, and the light from the moon edged the tree line with silver. A shadow detached itself from the darkness of the garage and loped over to join them. “Hey, buddy,” Ethan said to the dog. Wesley nuzzled the boy’s palm and leaned into him. “It’s safe for the time being, but it could get a little hairy later, so you may want to lie low.” Wesley licked Ethan’s hand and trotted off back to the garage.

  The kids soon found themselves near the pond, and Ethan stopped. Past the pond they could just make out the crumbling pillars of the folly, its interior cloaked in shadow. “She’s in the pond,” Maggie whispered, but Ethan shook his head. Maggie gave him a quizzical look. “But she has to be in the pond, doesn’t she? It’s where she disappeared.”

  “It’s where she was last seen,” Clio said, “but I don’t think it’s where the Night Queen took her.” She looked at Ethan. “Am I right?”

  Ethan nodded approvingly. “You’re really good at this, you know?” He pointed at the folly. “I think we can find her in there.”

  Tanya offered her flashlight to Rebecca. “Can you hold this? I want to take notes.” Rebecca grinned and held out her hand. She clicked on the switch and shone the light into the dark recesses of the folly. The dim light barely penetrated the deep shadows, and the group gingerly crept forward.

  Even though the structure had no walls, the air felt immediately dank once they crossed the threshold. The smell of pungent decay hung over everything, and the folly’s pitted marble floor was slick with moss. Clio tread carefully behind Ethan.

  “Ugh. This place is so … Night Queen–y,” Maggie mumbled. “I can’t believe Butch would have taken anyone on a date here!” She slipped on the moss and grabbed onto Rebecca for support. “At least Bad Breath Stanley took her someplace nice.”

  A marble fountain stood at the center of the folly. The finger bone vibrated in Ethan’s hand, leading him straight to it.

  “Rebecca, can you shine the flashlight on that?” Tanya asked, nodding toward the fountain. She lifted up her pencil to make a sketch.

  Rebecca ran the beam up the base until it shone on the fountain’s marble statue. It was a woman leading a little girl by the hand, guiding her into the fountain’s basin. The woman’s feet had disappeared into the pool, and her long gown was carved to look as though it were floating on the surface. The little girl’s bare toe was just dipping below the waterline. Choked with algae, the fountain’s water burbled thickly into the catch pool below.

  Tanya’s pencil stopped sketching. “It’s Harriet’s drawing,” she breathed. “This is where Eudora disappeared.”

  CHAPTER

  24

  THE GIRLS STARED in wonder at the statue. The woman’s face had weathered away, but they could still make out the faint spidery shape of her hair and the delicate curve of her ram’s horn crown. “Harriet must have had this fountain built after her parents died,” Clio said. “She never wanted to forget what happened to her sister.”

  Ethan rummaged through his kit and pulled out a few items, which he piled on the slippery floor near the fountain’s edge. Finally, he looked up. “Okay, I think I’ve got it all.” He picked up the bone and worked his way around the fountain’s base. After a few moments, he stopped in front of a blackened marble tile that poked out from the floor like a decayed tooth. “It�
�s here.”

  The girls rushed over. Ethan placed a marble mortar and pestle in front of the stone. He unscrewed a small jar and scooped a few spoonfuls of loamy material into the mortar. “What is that?” Rebecca asked.

  “Soil from a fresh grave,” Ethan answered. “It represents the physical link between life and death.” He opened another small jar and poured some liquid into the mortar. “Now I’m adding mourners’ tears. That represents the spiritual link.” He ground the two together. “So I mix them together and make—”

  “Mud!” Maggie interjected. She noticed the deadpan looks on the others’ faces. “Sorry, just trying to lighten the mood. Jeez.”

  Ethan dipped his fingers into the mixture and daubed the paste onto the stone. “Do you want to help?” Clio knelt down and dipped her fingers into the mortar. The muddy paste was gritty and cool, and her fingertips tingled where it touched her. Following Ethan’s lead, she daubed the paste and began spreading it in a thin layer over the stone. The other girls joined in, and when the marble tile was completely covered, Ethan stopped them. “We have to spread the spirit paste with our bare hands, but make sure you go to the pond and rinse all of it off before we open the spirit hole. This stuff works as a kind of conductor, so we definitely don’t want it anywhere it shouldn’t be.”

  The pond was covered with a thin layer of scum. Clio grimaced when she dipped her hands in. The slime seemed to cling to her skin. Beside her, Ethan scrubbed out the mortar and pestle, drying his hands on the grass.

  “I wish I had brought my backpack down here,” Rebecca said. “We could be smelling like cotton candy–scented wipes instead of stanky pond scum.”

  “Seriously!” Maggie said. “This is a one-way ticket to barftown!” She gingerly dipped her fingers in and snatched them away as soon as they touched the algae-choked surface.