Phantom of the Auditorium Read Online Free

was it?
    The sound repeated softly, steadily.
    Like breathing.
    My heart pounded in my chest. Yes! Breathing. The raspy breathing of a strange creature. So close to me.
    Right next to me.
    Zeke!
    “Zeke — why are you breathing like that?” I demanded, feeling my heartbeat slow to normal.
    “Breathing like what?” he whispered.
    “Oh. Never mind,” I muttered. He was breathing that way because he was scared. We were both scared. But there was no way we would ever admit it to each other.
    We both raised our eyes to the auditorium ceiling. It was a small square glow in the far distance. It seemed to be miles and miles above us.
    Zeke turned to me. “Where do you think we are?”
    “We’re about a mile beneath the stage,” I replied, feeling a chill.
    “No kidding, Sherlock,” Zeke replied nastily.
    “If you’re so smart, you tell me!” I challenged him.
    “I don’t think it’s the basement,” he said thoughtfully. “I think we’re way below the basement.”
    “It feels like it’s a big tunnel or something,” I said, trying to keep my voice from shaking. “Want to explore?”
    He didn’t answer for a long moment. “Too dark to explore,” he replied finally.
    I didn’t really want to explore. I was just pretending to be brave. Usually, I liked having the creeps. But being way down here was
too
creepy, even for me.
    “We’ll come back with flashlights,” Zeke said softly.
    “Yeah. Flashlights,” I repeated. I didn’t plan to
ever
come back!
    I played nervously with the denim scrunchie on my wrist and stared out into the darkness. Something bothered me. Something didn’t make sense.
    “Zeke,” I said thoughtfully, “why would the stage trapdoor come all the way down here?”
    “I don’t know. Maybe so the Phantom can get home quicker after he haunts the auditorium!” Zeke joked.
    I punched him in the arm. “No jokes about the Phantom — okay?”
    If there really is a phantom,
I told myself,
this is where he would live.
    “Let’s get out of here!” Zeke said, staring up at the square of light so far above our heads. “I’m going to be late for dinner.”
    “Yeah, sure,” I replied, folding my arms across my chest. “Just one question, Mr. Know-It-All.”
    “What question?” Zeke asked uncertainly.
    “How do we get back up?”
    We both thought about that one for a while.
    After a minute or so, I saw Zeke drop to his knees and begin running his hand along the platform floor. “There’s got to be a peg to push down here,” he said.
    “No. The peg is up there,” I replied, pointing way up to the stage floor.
    “Then there’s got to be a switch or a lever or a button to push!” Zeke cried. His voice grew high and shrill.
    “Where? Where could it be?” My voice sounded just as shrill, just as frightened.
    We both started feeling around in the darkness, feeling for something we could push, or pull, or turn. Something to make the little square platform rise up again and carry us back up to the auditorium.
    But after a few minutes of desperate searching, I gave up.
    “We’re trapped down here, Zeke,” I murmured. “We’re trapped.”

7
    “This is all your fault,” I muttered.
    I don’t know why I said that. I guess I was so frightened, I didn’t know
what
I was saying.
    Zeke forced a laugh. “Hey, I
like
it down here!” he boasted. “I may just stay down here for a while. You know. Do some exploring.” He was trying to sound brave. But his voice came out tiny and trembling.
    He wasn’t fooling me. No way.
    “How could you bring us down here?” I cried. “You wanted to come, too!” he shot back.
    “I did not!” I screamed. “Ms. Walker
told
us this thing isn’t safe! And now we’ll be down here all night! Maybe forever!”
    “Unless we’re eaten by rats!” Zeke joked.
    “I’m
sick
of your stupid jokes!” I shouted. I totally lost it. I gave him a hard shove with both hands. He went sprawling off the platform.
    It was so dark, I couldn’t see him