32 - The Barking Ghost Read Online Free

glimpse of light through the trees. Sunlight glistening
off the jungle gym slide!
    Yes!
    Almost home.
    The two black Labs ran at my heels. I could feel their hot breath on the
backs of my legs. I felt a pair of sharp teeth scrape my ankle.
    With one last gasp of speed, I burst through the trees and out of the woods. “Dad!” I yelled, racing toward my father.
    “Help me!” I shrieked. “The dogs! The dogs!” I threw my arms around his waist
and held on.
    “Cooper, calm down! What’s gotten into you?” my father asked, grabbing me by
the shoulders.
    “The dogs!” I wailed, refusing to let go of him.
    “Cooper, what dogs?” Dad demanded.
    I blinked at him in confusion. Didn’t he hear them? Couldn’t he see them?
    I let go of him and pointed toward the woods.
    “Wild dogs. Big, black Labs, I think. They chased me, and—”
    I scanned the yard frantically. Dad and I were alone.
    No barking.
    No snarling.
    The sunlight glistened off the slide.
    The tire swung lazily from its rope.
    The dogs had vanished.

 
 
9
     
     
    “Cooper, this is a joke—right?” Dad asked, shaking his head.
    “Huh? No way!” I cried. “They were right behind me. One
almost bit me, and—”
    “And then they disappeared into thin air!” Dad declared.
    “Come into the woods with me,” I pleaded. “They’ve got to be there.” I ran to
the edge of the woods, desperately searching for some sign of the dogs. Dad
followed right behind.
    But there was nothing to see.
    I turned and slunk back to the house.
    Dad didn’t say anything until we were back in the yard. He sat down on the
jungle gym slide. His eyes studied me.
    “Cooper, tell me what’s wrong,” Dad said in a low voice. I could tell he
thought I had made all this up.
    “I told you, Dad. Two dogs chased me through the woods. They were
inches from me! One tried to tear my leg off!”
    Dad continued to stare up at me, his expression thoughtful.
    “Dad, listen,” I pleaded. “We have to move. We can’t live here!”
    He climbed to his feet. “What are you talking about, Cooper?”
    “We have to move back to Boston,” I insisted. “We can’t stay here!”
    “Why not?” Dad asked.
    “It’s this house!” I shouted, my voice cracking. “It’s haunted!”
    “Now, Cooper—”
    “Dad! Listen to me,” I begged. “The woods… this house… they’re all
haunted. Everybody around here knows it already! We never should have moved
here!”
    “Cooper, you’re not making any sense,” Dad replied, keeping his voice low and
calm. “You know, walking in the woods by yourself can be scary. Why don’t you
come inside and calm down? Mom made a big breakfast. Have some French toast.
You’ll feel better.” He put his arm around my shoulders.
    Now I really felt upset. My own father didn’t believe me.
    “But, Dad, it’s true!” I insisted. “The woods are haunted, and this weird
girl I met warned me to move out! She—”
    “Cooper, I know you’re unhappy about the move,” Dad said. “But these wild
stories aren’t going to change anything. This is where we live now.”
    “But—”
    “When school starts, you’ll make some new friends and everything will be
fine. So come on in and have breakfast. You’ll feel better. You’ll see.”
    He led me back to the house.
    As Dad held the door open for me, I glanced back and took one last look at
the woods.
    Two big black dogs stared at me from the trees.

 
 
10
     
     
    When I blinked, the dogs vanished.
    Shaking my head, I made my way into the kitchen.
    Mickey had already finished half his breakfast when Dad and I entered the
room. He leaned over his cereal bowl, snickering about something. I ignored him.
    “Cooper, have some French toast,” Mom said. “It’s on your plate, waiting for
you.”
    I sat across from Mickey, trying hard not to look at his dumb face. I was
still really steamed at him.
    “Mom, do you know who our neighbors are?” I asked, pouring maple syrup over
the toast.
    “Why,