The Howling Ghost Read Online Free Page A

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!
    â€œSwim!” 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.
    â€œI don’t see any shark!” he heard Cindy yell.
    â€œYou 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.”
    â€œYeah, but you’re almost blind,” Adam said.
    â€œI don’t see one either,” Cindy said.
    â€œThis 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.”
    â€œOh 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.
    â€œCan you feel your legs?” Sally called across the distance.
    â€œYes,” Adam called back. “They’re still attached to my body, thank you.”
    â€œTry 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.
    â€œHello,” he called.
    The word echoed back to him.
    Hello. Hello. Hello.
    Each repetition was heavier than the one before, more spooky.
    Hollo.