The Howler (5 page)

“But where are you?” I asked. “Who are you?” I took a deep, shuddering breath. “Ian? Is it you? Ian?”

I shut my eyes and crossed my fingers.

Please—let it be him!

“Ian? Answer me. Is that you?” I whispered.

Silence now.

I waited. And waited. But the box had gone silent. The contact was lost.

Swallowing hard, I sat there, staring at the silent machine.

“Ghosts do exist,” I murmured. “I heard one. I really heard one. Was it Ian? Does this mean I’ll be able to contact Ian?”

I stood up. I stepped away from the chair and started to jump up and down. I couldn’t control myself. I had to jump—for excitement, for fear, for the total shock of it.

I knew I’d never get back to sleep that night.

I wasn’t going to tell Nick. But once we were sitting across from each other at the breakfast table in the kitchen, I couldn’t hold it in.

“The Howler works,” I whispered. Mom was at the sink, washing out the egg pan. “I heard a ghost last night. For real.”

Nick chewed his cornflakes noisily. “You mean you had a bad dream,” he said. He didn’t look up from his cereal bowl.

“No. It wasn’t a dream,” I said. “A ghost was howling. It woke me up. And then he talked to me.”

“Yeah, sure,” Nick muttered.

“He sounded really far away, but I heard him so clearly,” I said. “He talked to me.”

Nick finally looked up from his bowl. “Did he tell you to brush your teeth? Your breath stinks.”

“Nick—” I started.

Wiping her hands, Mom came over to the table. “What are you two talking about?” she asked.

“Spencer had a bad dream,” Nick told her.

“No, I didn’t!” I cried. “I—”

“It was about a ghost,” Nick said. “It really got him scared.”

“Mom, that’s not true!” I insisted.

“Take it easy, Spencer,” Mom said, patting my head gently. “I thought you were over those nightmares. Has anything been upsetting you lately?”

“Yeah. His face!” Nick cracked.

“Nick, give him a break,” Mom said. “You can see he’s upset.”

“
I’m not upset!
” I screamed.

“Okay, okay,” Mom said, raising her hands and backing away as if surrendering. “Let’s talk about it later.”

I choked down the rest of my scrambled eggs, glaring at Nick the whole time. Why did I waste my breath trying to tell Nick anything?

He thinks life is just a big joke. And always a joke at my expense.

Well, I didn’t care what he thought. I had a machine that actually contacted ghosts. And maybe…maybe my long wait would soon be over. Maybe I’d be talking with my cousin Ian really soon.

At school, I told Vanessa all about it.

She stared at me for a long time. “You’re serious? You didn’t dream it or something?”

I groaned. “That’s the same thing Nick said. But it happened, Vanessa. It really happened. The Howler works.”

Her eyes went wide. “Wow. Do you think I could hear a ghost too?”

“Meet me after school,” I said. “We can go to my house and try it. It’s amazing!”

I met Vanessa behind the middle school parking lot after school. Ed and Justin, two guys from our
class, were waiting with her.

Ed and Justin look as if they are brothers, but they’re not. They’re both tall and lanky. They both have straight brown hair cut pretty short, brown eyes, and long, serious faces.

They both wear baggy cargo pants with millions of pockets and zippers. They’re both on the basketball team, and they both in-line skate to and from school every day. They even have the same laugh—a high-pitched horse whinny.

Everyone calls them the Twins, even though they’re not related at all.

“Vanessa told us about your radio thing,” Justin said. “Can we hear it too?”

“We won’t make jokes or anything,” Ed added. “Vanessa said you’re really serious about this.”

“Well…it’s kind of scary,” I replied. “You shouldn’t come over if you’re afraid of hearing dead people.”

“They’re doing a science project about haunted houses,” Vanessa said. “They really want to hear a ghost.”

I nodded. “Okay. Let’s give it a try.”

A few minutes later, I led them upstairs to my room. Nick was home. I heard the TV on in his bedroom down the hall. But his door was closed.

I ushered everyone inside and closed my door after them. They tossed their coats and backpacks on the bed. Then I sat down in front of the Howler, and
they huddled around me.

I turned the knob and clicked it on. The yellow dial lit up.

“Cool,” Justin said. “Can you get the rap station on this? Q-102?”

Ed gave him a shove. “Come on. We said no jokes.”

“It’s not a radio,” I said. “It picks up sound waves. From the other side.”

“The other side of what? The street?” Justin joked.

Ed laughed. Vanessa glared at them. “Shape up, guys. You promised.”

“It isn’t funny,” I murmured, turning to concentrate on the Howler. “The ghosts are in a lot of pain. That’s why they howl.”

Ed tossed back his head and let out a long, loud howl. Justin joined in.

“Shhhh. Give it a rest,” Vanessa said, leaning over my shoulder. “I think I just heard something.”

Ed and Justin turned to the machine. All four of us stared at the glowing yellow dial and listened.

Silence.

From down the hall, I could hear Nick’s TV. I prayed for him to stay in his room. I knew he’d love to burst in here and ruin everything.

“What’s taking the ghosts so long?” Ed asked, bouncing up and down impatiently. “I’ve got a piano lesson at four.”

“Shhhh. Give it a chance,” I insisted.

“But it isn’t making any noise at all,” Vanessa said.

“I told you. Last night a ghost called to me. It was the scariest thing that ever happened to me,” I said.

Ed let out a long sigh. He crossed to the window and sat down on the ledge. Justin backed away and dropped down on top of the coats on my bed.

Vanessa and I stared at the Howler.

Silence.

Silence.

And then…

Oooooooooowoooo
.

An eerie howl. So soft. So faint.

But a howl. A frightening, shrill howl.

Ed and Justin were back on their feet.

“Oh, wow,” Ed murmured, hurrying back to the table.

“What was that?” Justin asked in a whisper. “Did you hear it too?”

All four of us leaned close to the little gray box.

We heard another long, sad howl.

And then…then…

A raspy croak.

A ghostly voice, so frail, so chilling.

And the words, the terrifying words…

“
I see you. I can see all four of you….
”

“No!” Vanessa uttered a cry and grabbed the back of my chair.

Ed and Justin huddled close, their mouths open, their eyes bulging.

My chest ached. I realized I’d been holding my breath the whole time. I let out a long whoosh of air.

“Is it a real ghost?” Justin asked in a whisper.

“Is it in this room with us?”

“I’ll try to ask it,” I said. I reached for the red button.

But before I could push it, we heard the soft, croaking voice again: “
I see you…You must help…Help me
.”

Justin squeezed my shoulder. “Spencer, this is too freaky,” he said. “I—I don’t even believe in ghosts.”

“I think I believe now!” Vanessa whispered.

“
Owoooooooooooooo
.” The howl sounded closer this time. Angrier.

I felt a chill on the back of my neck, as if the ghost were breathing on me.

I whipped around, expecting to see a ghostly figure. But no. Only my friends leaning over me, staring at the Howler.

I took a deep breath. Then I reached out and pressed the red button. “We…we can hear you,” I stammered. “Are you here? Are you here in this room?”

Silence.

And then another low howl. “
Help me…. Please help me….
”

“How?” I shouted into the speaker. “How can we help you? Where are you?”

“
I’ve been…buried…buried…so long
.”

I turned and saw Justin backing out of the room. “This is way creepy,” he said. “I—I think I have to go now.”

“Shhh. Don’t go,” Vanessa whispered. “Let’s see what the ghost wants.”

“Wh-what if he wants to make us ghosts too?” Justin cried. He had backed all the way to the door.

“Is he here?” Ed asked breathlessly. “Is he really here?” He seemed to be in shock or something. His eyes kept darting back and forth. He had grown very pale.

I turned back to the Howler and pressed the red button. “Where are you?” I demanded, speaking into the box.

“
Help me…. Help me….
” the voice rasped. “
I’m buried…buried in your closet
.”

“No!” I gasped.

Vanessa squeezed my shoulder so hard, it hurt. Ed and Justin stood frozen like statues.

“
In your closet…
” the ghost repeated. “
Help me—please! I’ve been buried…so long…. Let me out! Let me out!
”

I jumped to my feet.

“Wh-what are you doing?” Vanessa demanded, her face tight with fear.

I pointed to the closet beside the little table. “I’m going to open it. We have to see—”

“No!” Justin and Ed screamed together. “Spencer, don’t do it!”

Vanessa raised her hands to the sides of her face. She stared at the closet and didn’t say anything.

“It’s—it’s in there,” Ed said in a trembling voice. “Don’t go there, Spencer. Don’t open the door.”

“I have to,” I said. I reached for the doorknob.

Ed and Justin had both backed to the attic door. Vanessa stood in the middle of the room, hands still pressed to her face. “Go ahead,” she whispered. “You know you’re going to do it. So go ahead. Open the door.”

I squeezed the knob. Turned it.

And jerked open the closet door.

“AAAAAAGGGH!”

Shrieking at the top of his lungs, the ghost came bursting out of the closet.

Only it wasn’t a ghost. It was my brother, Nick.

I let out a scream. We all screamed. Ed fell back against the wall.

And Nick started laughing. He grabbed me and spun me around. He danced gleefully around the room. He shoved away the coats and jumped up and down on the bed.

“You bozos!” he cried. “You bozos! Couldn’t you tell it was me? Couldn’t you tell the voice was coming from the closet?”

Vanessa sank onto the desk chair. She shook her head, her eyes lowered to the floor.

“You bozos!” Nick cried. He pumped his fists over his head as if celebrating a great victory. “You bozos!”

“I knew it wasn’t real,” Justin muttered. “I knew it wasn’t a ghost.”

“Liar,” Ed said, giving him a shove. “You were shaking even more than me.”

I wanted to scream, but I was speechless. I had never been so disappointed in my life.

“
I’m buried…buried in your closet
,” Nick rasped. Then he laughed his head off some more. “I heard you guys coming up the stairs. I knew why you were here. I knew Spencer wanted to show off his new toy. So I ran to the closet. I knew you would fall for my little joke.”

“That was mean,” Vanessa murmured, her head still down.

“Mean—and funny!” Nick exclaimed.

I turned to Nick. I wanted to tackle him. Bring him down to the floor. And punch him and punch him and punch him.

“Was that you I heard last night?” I asked. “Was that you playing the same trick on me?”

A grin spread over Nick’s face. He nodded. “Three guesses.” He crossed the room and smacked the top of the Howler. “Your machine is a fake, Spencer. Take it back to the store. Admit you were a jerk.”

I stared at the Howler and sighed. Another worthless piece of junk.

Nick trotted to his room, still chuckling merrily to himself. I slammed the door behind him and turned to my friends.

They had sprawled on the floor. The closet door stood open. The dial on the Howler glowed brightly.
The speaker crackled with static.

Vanessa had a strange smile on her face. “What’s so funny?” I muttered.

“I just had an idea,” she replied. Her grin grew wider. “An awesome idea.”

I slumped onto the edge of the bed and let out another unhappy sigh. “What is it?”

“Your brother’s trick was mean,” Vanessa said. “But it’s a really good trick. What if we play it on Scott?”

“Yesss!” Justin and Ed cried out together. They slapped each other a high-five.

I wasn’t in the mood for playing tricks. “Why should we?” I asked.

“He played that mean trick on you with the clothing dummy,” Vanessa replied. “And then he told everyone in school how he fooled you and made you scream.”

“And he’s been lying for months about how his house is haunted,” Ed chimed in.

“So what if we play this trick and make Scott think his house really
is
haunted?” Vanessa continued. “He’ll freak. He’ll totally freak!”

“Whoa! And once we tell everyone, he’ll never be able to brag again!” Ed exclaimed.

They turned to me, waiting for my reaction.

“I didn’t buy the Howler just to play tricks with it,” I said sadly.

Vanessa put a hand on my shoulder. “But wouldn’t
it cheer you up to fool Scott and scare him out of his mind?”

I couldn’t hold back a smile. “Well…maybe a little,” I said. “Let’s do it!”

On Monday, Vanessa, Ed, and Justin met at my house after school. I had the Howler ready to go. I just wanted to talk over the plan to scare Scott.

“Vanessa, Ed, and I will go in through Scott’s back door. We’ll make sure the door isn’t locked, so Justin can sneak in later. Then we’ll keep Scott busy in the living room or in his room, so he doesn’t see Justin come in.”

“And where do I go?” Justin asked. “Up to the attic?”

I nodded. “Yes, you sneak up to the attic. It’s a big L-shaped room. You’ll see a closet just before the room turns. You hide in that closet.”

“Then we bring Scott up to the attic and set up the Howler next to the closet where Justin is hiding,” Vanessa said.

“Cool,” Ed said, grinning. “This is totally cool.”

I chuckled. “I’m so sick of Scott bragging about how his house is haunted. I can’t wait to see what he
does when he thinks he’s hearing a
real
ghost!”

“He’ll die!” Vanessa exclaimed, grinning. “He’ll just die!”

“What’s up, guys?” Scott greeted us at his kitchen door. He had a half-eaten brownie in his hand and chocolate smeared on his chin.

“Do you have any more of those?” Ed asked, pointing at the brownie. “I’m starving.”

Scott shoved the rest of the brownie into his mouth. “That’s the last one,” he said, chewing hard.

The three of us stepped into the kitchen. “How come you weren’t in school today?” Vanessa asked him.

“I had a bad stomachache this morning,” he said.

Probably from eating too many brownies, I thought.

“I brought something you might be interested in,” I told Scott. I held up the Howler.

Scott wiped his chocolaty fingers off on the legs of his jeans. He took the Howler from me and examined it. “What does it do? Didn’t you have another one of these in your room last week?”

“This one is different,” I said. “This one works.”

“We saw it work,” Ed said. “It’s no joke.”

“But what does it do?” Scott asked, turning the box over in his hands.

“It’s called the Howler,” I said. “Can we sit down somewhere? I’ll explain it to you.”

Scott led the way to the small den on the other side of the living room. I hung back in the kitchen for just a second. I pulled the back door open just a crack so that Justin could slip in.

Then I hurried to catch up to the others. As I made my way across the kitchen, I saw a plate on the counter stacked high with brownies.

What a liar, I thought. He wanted to save them all for himself.

We tossed off our coats and threw them on the den floor. Then we sat around on the green leather furniture, and I explained the Howler to Scott.

At first, he laughed. “You’ve been watching too many cartoons.”

“But we heard ghosts howling,” Vanessa insisted. “It was really creepy, Scott. We heard a ghost, howling and begging us for help.”

“I heard it too,” Ed said. “It—it gave me nightmares last night.”

Scott’s grin faded.

Behind me, I heard the front stairs creak. I knew Justin was making his way up to the attic. We had to keep Scott talking a little while longer and give Justin time to get settled in the closet.

Scott studied the little gray box. “It picks up howls? And you can hear the ghosts talk?”

“You can talk to them too,” I said. “You just push this red button and speak into that circle.”

“Your house is haunted, right?” Vanessa said. “That’s what you’ve been telling everyone. You’ve seen the ghosts walking around. So the Howler should work right away.”

Scott hesitated. His mouth started to twitch nervously. “Well…I don’t know. My ghosts don’t come out in the daytime. Only at night.”

He’s looking for an excuse, I thought. He doesn’t want us to use the Howler here. Because he doesn’t want us to prove that there are no ghosts in this house.

“Maybe you can’t see them in the daytime,” I said. “But with the Howler, we can hear them.”

“No. I don’t think so,” Scott insisted. “I don’t want to bother them with that thing. You know. Why get them stirred up?”

“It won’t bother them,” I replied. “It—”

“Besides, I have too much homework,” Scott said. “You guys should go. I really have to get started on it.”

“But you weren’t in school today,” Vanessa said. “You don’t have the homework assignments.”

Scott started to look desperate. His mouth was twitching, and his face was bright red. He really didn’t want us to prove what a fake he was.

I jumped to my feet and started to carry the Howler to the stairs. “Come on. Let’s take it up to the attic and listen to these ghosts of yours.”

Scott hurried to block my way. “Uh…that thing—it’s not really real—right? It’s a toy, like the other junk you bought?”

“I told you, this one works,” I said. “You’ll be surprised. I think you’ll
really
be surprised.”