ahead of the West Coast. But why do you want to know what time it is in all these places?â
Watch lowered his head. âBecause my mother lives in New York. My sister lives inChicago, and my father lives in Denver.â Watch shrugged. âI like to know what time it is for each of them.â
There was sadness in Watchâs voice as he spoke of his family. Adam felt he shouldnât ask why everyone was so spread out. Sally must have felt the same way. She spoke up again.
âI was just telling Adam how dangerous this town is,â she said. âI donât think he believes me.â
âDid you really see Leslie Lotte get swallowed by a cloud?â Adam asked Watch.
Watch looked at Sally. âWhat did you tell him?â
Sally was defensive. âJust what you told me.â
Watch scratched his head. His blond hair was kind of thin. âI saw Leslie get lost in the fog. And then none of us could find her. But she might have run away from home.â
âThe fog, a cloudâwhatâs the difference?â Sally said. âThe sky ate her, itâs as simple as that. Hey, Watch, what are you doing today? Do you want to go to the arcade with us?â
Watch brightened. âIâm going to see Bum. Heâs going to show me the Secret Path.â
Sally shuddered. âYouâre not taking the Secret Path. Youâll die.â
âReally?â Watch said.
âWhatâs the Secret Path?â Adam asked.
âDonât tell him,â Sally said. âHe just got here. I like him, and I donât want him to die.â
âI donât think weâll die,â Watch said. âBut we might disappear.â
Adam was interested. Heâd never disappeared before. âHow?â he asked.
Watch turned to Sally. âTell him about it,â he said.
Sally shook her head. âItâs too dangerous, and Iâm responsible for him.â
âWho made you responsible?â Adam asked, getting annoyed. âIâm my own person. You canât tell me what to do.â He turned to Watch. âTell me about the path. And tell me who Bum is.â
âBum is the town bum,â Sally interrupted. âHe used to be the mayor until Ann Templeton, town witch, put a curse on him.â
âIs that true?â Adam asked Watch.
âBum was the mayor,â Watch agreed. âBut I donât know if he became a bum because he gotcursed. It may have been because he got lazy. He was always a lousy mayor.â
âWhat exactly is the Secret Path?â Adam asked again.
âWe donât know,â Sally said. âItâs a secret.â
âTell me what you do know,â Adam said, getting exasperated
âThereâs supposed to be a special path that winds through town that leads into other dimensions,â Watch said. âIâve searched for it for years, but never found it. But Bum is supposed to know it.â
âWho says?â Adam asked.
âBum says,â Watch said.
âWhy is he going to tell you the secret?â Sally asked. âWhy today?â
Watch was thoughtful. âI donât know. I gave him a sandwich last week. Maybe he just wants to thank me for it.â
âMaybe he wants to get you killed,â Sally grumbled.
âIt wasnât that bad a sandwich,â Watch said.
âWhen you say the path leads into other dimensions,â Adam said, âwhat do you mean?â
âThere is more than one Spooksville,â Sally said.
âHuh?â Adam said.
âThis town overlaps with other realities,â Watch explained. âSometimes those other realities blur into this one.â
âThatâs why this is such a weird place to live,â Sally added.
Adam shook his head. âDo you have any proof that this stuff exists?â
âNo direct proof,â Watch said. âBut a man on my block was supposed to have known about the Secret