A Good Night for Ghosts (6 page)

“We better not,” said Jack. “The waiters there don’t like us.”

“Don’t worry about them,” said Dipper. “You’re with me now.”

Jack and Annie followed Dipper outside into the rain. The wind was blowing harder now. “Uh-oh,” said Dipper. “Here comes the storm! Let’s hurry!”

Thunder cracked and rain began to pour down. The three of them got soaked as they hurried through the alley back to Bourbon Street.

The street was empty now. Partygoers and street musicians had fled from the storm. The
restaurants and cafés had taken their chairs and tables inside. Lightning lit the sky, and thunder shook the ground. The wind was blowing hard, picking up sticks and leaves and trash.

“We have to find cover!” said Dipper. “Run!” He and Jack and Annie bowed their heads against the downpour and ran up Bourbon Street.

“Dipper! Over here, man!” someone yelled. It was Little Mack.

Little Mack, Happy, and Big Nose Sidney were waving to Dipper from the doorway of a dark building on a corner. Dipper, Jack, and Annie ran across the street through the pounding rain.

“Get over here, out of the street!” shouted Little Mack. “Before you get hit by lightning!”

“Thanks, fellas!” said Dipper.

Soaking wet, Jack, Annie, Dipper, Little Mack, Happy, and Big Nose Sidney all crowded together just inside the dark building, looking out at the storm.

“Who lives here?” asked Dipper.

“Nobody. It’s been empty for years,” said Happy.

“Used to be a blacksmith shop,” said Little Mack.

“Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop?” said Jack. He immediately stepped out of the shop and stood under the eaves.

“Yeah, what’s wrong with that?” asked Little Mack.

“We read this place is haunted!” said Annie.

“Y’all believe in ghosts?” asked Little Mack.

“No, not really,” said Jack.

“But I thought you said they gave you the heebie—” started Dipper.

“No, no, I was kidding,” Jack said quickly. He didn’t want Dipper’s friends to know he was afraid of ghosts.

Lightning split the sky again. Another crash of thunder shattered the night. The wind blew so hard that shingles blew off the roof across the street and crashed to the sidewalk.

“Whoa! Come inside, man, we gotta close the door,” Dipper said to Jack.

“Hold on,” said Little Mack. “We have to go.”

“We do?” asked Happy.

Little Mack whispered something to Happy and Big Nose Sidney.

“Oh, yeah, he’s right,” said Happy. “We have to leave. We’ll see y’all later.”

“Y’all are scared to stay here, aren’t you?” said Dipper.

“No, man. We forgot we have an important gig to play,” said Big Nose Sidney.

“Oh. Suddenly y’all have got an important gig. I see…,” said Dipper.

“Yeah, we’ll have to try to make it through the storm. See y’all! Come on, fellas!” said Little Mack.

The three boys hurried out of the blacksmith shop and turned the corner.

“They left ’cause they’re scaredy-cats,” said Dipper, chuckling.

“Yeah,” said Jack, “scaredy-cats.”

Thunder cracked the sky again, the loudest crack so far. It seemed to shake the whole block. Roof shingles flew through the air.

“Come back inside!” said Dipper. “It’s dangerous out there.”

Jack took a deep breath and stepped back into Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop.

D
ipper closed the door.

It was pitch-black inside the shop. As the wind howled outside, the broken shutters banged against the brick walls. A gust of damp air blew through the room.

“It’s dark in here,” said Annie. “And cold.”

“It’s creepy,” said Jack.

“Yup,” said Dipper. “Let’s leave. I’ve changed my mind about staying here. We can find some other place to get out of the storm.”

“Good idea,” said Annie.

“Great
idea!” said Jack.

Jack heard Dipper rattle the door handle. “Uh-oh,” said Dipper.

“Uh-oh what?” said Jack.

“Won’t open,” said Dipper. “It’s stuck.”

Jack felt the hair rise on the back of his neck. The shutters banged in the wind.

“Hold on a second, I’ve got some matches in my pocket,” said Dipper. “I just hope they didn’t get wet in the rain.”

Jack heard Dipper trying to strike a match. He tried one, two, three times—then he held up a small flame.

“Yay” breathed Annie.

Jack looked around the room. In the dancing light, he could make out wooden buckets on the floor, a couple of broken chairs, a doorway leading to a back room, and—

Squeak!
A bat flapped above their heads.

“Ahhh!” Jack, Annie, and Dipper ducked.

The match went out.

Dipper quickly lit another match. He held it up high, trying to light the room. Jack didn’t see the bat, but he saw a bricked-over fireplace, some rusty lanterns, and
lots
of spiderwebs.

“Yikes!” said Annie.

The match went out.

“Help,” said Annie in a small voice. “More light, please.”

“Nobody panic,” said Dipper. “I got two matches left.”

“Just two?” said Annie.

“Hey, I thought I saw some lanterns,” said Jack. “Near the fireplace. Maybe we could light
them
.”

“Good idea,” said Dipper. “Maybe there’s oil still in ’em. I just hope I can light the wicks. Or we’ll be left in the dark with the bats.”

“And spiders,” said Annie.

And ghosts
, Jack thought.

Dipper struck his next-to-last match. He held it up to find the lanterns.

“Over here,” said Jack, pointing.

“I see,” said Dipper. But as he knelt on the floor, the match went out. “I got just one more,” he whispered. “So we better be
real
careful.”

Dipper lit his last match. Jack slowly lifted the glass on both the lanterns. Very carefully, Dipper
touched the match flame to the wick of the first lantern. The wick sputtered and flickered to life. A yellow glow filled the room.

“Ahh!” said Dipper. He lit the second lantern. “Beautiful. You can each carry one.”

Jack picked up one of the lanterns. Annie put down her trumpet and picked up the other one. The firelight cast eerie shadows on the walls.

Screeeee!

A sound from the back room startled them. It sounded like the creak of a door opening. Jack’s heart began to pound.

WHAM!
The sound of a door slamming shut!

Jack’s heart beat faster and faster.

“Hey!” called Dipper. “Who’s back there?”

No one answered.

Clump. Clump. Clump
. The sound of footsteps on stairs!

Jack held his breath.

“Who’s there?” yelled Dipper.

“WOOOOOOO!”

“Show yourself!” yelled Dipper.

The shutters outside banged harder against the walls.

“WOOOOOOO!”

“Mercy,” whispered Dipper.

Jack’s hand trembled, shaking the lantern and making the shadows in the room dance even more wildly.

The moaning came again: “WOOOOOOO!”

“Annie!” said Jack. “The trumpet! The time is right!”

“I know it! I feel it!” said Annie. She put down her lantern and grabbed the trumpet. “Sing, Jack!”

Annie lifted the magic trumpet to her lips and blew. A pure, smooth sound flowed from the trumpet and filled the room. As Annie played, Jack started singing:

What a stupid song
, Jack thought, but they were the only words that came to his mind. Then he remembered Dipper’s advice:
When you can’t think of words, just sing sounds. Make ’em up. Put your heart in it
.

So Jack started singing nonsense sounds. He sang with all his heart, pouring all his feelings into the sounds, telling the ghost to go:

Thumping noises came from the other room, as if heavy things were falling.

“Who’s there?” shouted Dipper.

Annie stopped playing.

Jack stepped back in fear, waiting for something awful to happen. Then he heard laughing and whispering.

“Hey!” shouted Dipper. He picked up Annie’s lantern and headed into the other room. Jack and Annie followed.

Little Mack, Happy, and Big Nose Sidney were crawling toward the back door.

“Stop!” yelled Dipper. “What are y’all doing here?”

The three boys all talked at once: “We fell out of the attic!” “Felt like something was pushing us out!” “Yeah! Then down the stairs and toward the door!”

“Jack’s
song
pushed you downstairs!” said Annie, laughing. “He ordered the ghost to leave us alone! His singing was magic.”

“Your playing was magic, too!” Dipper said to Annie. “You two really put your hearts in it.”

“Thanks,” said Jack.

Dipper looked down at Little Mack. “Now tell us what you three fools were up to!” he said.

“We decided to play a joke on y’all,” said Little Mack. “So we snuck through the back door and up to the attic.”

“We thought you left because you were scared of ghosts!” said Annie.

“Heck no, man,” said Little Mack.

“We’re not afraid of ghosts,” said Happy.

“Not even a little bit,” said Big Nose Sidney.

Suddenly a cold wind blasted through the room. The lanterns flickered out. An eerie green light lit the blacksmith shop.

“WHAT?”
a voice roared.
“NOT AFRAID OF GHOSTS?”

The voice seemed to come from everywhere—and nowhere.

“AHHHHHHH!” the kids all screamed together.

“HAH-HAH-HAH!” Mean-sounding laughter echoed through the shop. It grew louder and louder. “HAH-HAH-HAH!”

“AHHHHHHH!” the kids all screamed again.

Stomping noises thundered in the attic overhead.

Everyone shrieked and froze with terror.

Down from the attic came a pirate. His face
was hidden by the brim of a black hat. He wore a gray jacket with a double row of buttons, a red sash, and dark pants tucked inside black boots.

The pirate looked like a real person,
except you could see right through him
.