Ghost Town (8 page)

Lissie turned around to face Maeve. “The Olduvai Gorge, a deep ravine located in the eastern Serengeti Plains of northern Tanzania,” she explained.

Huh
, Charlotte thought.
I guess Lissie must be a geography guru.

“The Great Wall of China is the only man-made structure that you can see from space,” Avery threw out.

“Actually, that's just a myth,” Charlotte informed her.

“The Great Barrier Reef is the only
living
thing that can be seen from space,” Lissie added.

Charlotte's eyes met her father's again in the rearview mirror. This was getting kind of bizarre.

“The water in and around the Great Barrier Reef covers an area just slightly smaller than the state of Minnesota,” Charlotte reported.

Lissie whipped around to look at Charlotte. “I can't believe it! You must have read
Serengeti Summer
and
Life on a Coral Reef
.”

“Hasn't everybody?” Charlotte joked, and everyone but Lissie laughed.

Lissie turned around in her seat to face the BSG. “You girls read those books?” she asked. “They're quite advanced for seventh graders.”

They all nodded, grins widening on their faces.

“I
love
those books. They're
amazing
,” Lissie gushed.

Charlotte looked at her father's face in the mirror. His cheeks were turning bright, fire-engine red.

“Reading travel books is a hobby of mine,” Lissie continued. “But so many of them today are just the same old facts over and over again. But those books—those books make you feel like you're actually there.”

The interior of the Mountain Rover was momentarily quiet. All that could be heard was the squeak of the seat springs as the old vehicle bounced down the road.

“Do you know what I mean?” Lissie asked.

“Yes, I do,” Mr. Ramsey said, smiling a little and looking back at Charlotte through the rearview mirror.

“It's actually one of the reasons I'm here right now,” Lissie went on. “Because of the author of those books. Weird, huh, that I would quit my job and start my life over because of some random author?”

“You can say that again,” Maeve snickered.

“You quit your job and moved to Montana because of a book on Tanzania?” Avery asked.

“It wasn't because of Tanzania or Australia; it was the spirit of adventure that Richard Ramsey wrote about so eloquently,” Lissie explained. “He's really a terrific writer.”

“Richard Ramsey, as in my dad, as in the man sitting next to you,” Charlotte informed her. Lissie's mouth fell open and she looked like every last breath of air had been sucked from her lungs.

“You're
the
Richard Ramsey?” Lissie looked astounded. “I can't believe it! I never
imagined
I was talking to THE Richard Ramsey!”

Mr. Ramsey nodded and blushed, obviously flattered by the attention.

“I LOVE your books,” Lissie gushed.

Charlotte cringed. She couldn't stand the way Lissie made it seem like she was the only one in the universe who loved her dad's books. Charlotte not only loved those books, but she had
lived
them. They weren't just descriptions of places the Ramseys had visited; they were like huge pieces of Charlotte's life.

Mr. Ramsey didn't say anything. By now even the tops of his ears were bright red.

“What inspired you to start writing?” Lissie asked.

That question prompted a long and deep conversation between Lissie and Mr. Ramsey. The two chatted on and on as the car bumped along the road.

“We could have fallen out of the car miles ago and those two wouldn't have noticed,” Maeve observed, causing Avery to crack up.

Charlotte didn't think it was so funny. After all, her father had picked this highway for its incredible scenery and views, but he was missing all of its glory because he was too wrapped up in talking to Lissie McMillan.

“Those skies are pretty cloudy,” Avery noticed, pointing across the mountain tops.

In just a few minutes the clouds had knitted together and formed a huge, dark cluster.

“Looks like a storm is brewing,” Charlotte commented. “Hey, Dad, check out those clouds.”

The dark blue-black mass hung so low over the mountain range that some of the white peaks had vanished.

The Mountain Rover hit an extra big bump and
everyone was launched airborne for a second, only held back by their seat belts.

“Cool! This is kind of like a ride at an amusement park,” Avery said. “Do that again, Mr. R!”

“I'm going to be black and blue by the time we get to the ranch,” Maeve said, rubbing her elbow, which she'd banged against the seat-belt clip.

“Dad, those clouds look pretty ominous to me,” Charlotte observed, staring out the window.

“You're right, Charlotte. There's definitely a storm brewing. Looks like snow to me. My grandmother used to talk about the sudden storms that whipped up here in the mountains,” Lissie responded.

“Hey, what's that ahead?” Avery asked. Everyone followed her gaze through the front windshield.

The Mountain Rover had reached the crest of the hill where the road dipped into a canyonlike valley. As the car rounded the bend, a quaint western town came into view.

“I bet it's an old mining town!” Charlotte declared.

“This is so cool! A real live ghost town!” Avery exclaimed, staring out the window.

“Like in the movies?” Maeve wondered. “I didn't know ghost towns really existed. I thought they were made up.”

“No, they're very real, and you can still find a few in Montana. People flocked here when gold and silver were discovered. Towns sprang up near the mines, but once the gold was gone the people left too. Nothing is left here but the buildings,” Lissie explained.

She's obviously been reading up on the West
, Charlotte
thought. She had to admit that Lissie sounded like a real adventure guru—and a history buff too.

“And the ghosts . . . what happened to them?” Avery asked with interest.

“Ghosts? Do these places have real ghosts in them?” Maeve wondered.

Avery let out a low, wicked, ghostly laugh.

“Stop it, Avery. You're creeping me out!” Maeve exclaimed, hiding her face in her hands.

“Lissie's right,” Mr. Ramsey said. “Once the mines proved unprofitable, all the people moved away. Some mining towns have been turned into tourist destinations.”

“I read about one Montana ghost town that's now a state park,” Charlotte jumped in.

“Yes, I remember my grandmother talking about Bannack. It's north of here,” Lissie said.

“Can we stop, Mr. Ramsey? Aren't you curious to find out what's behind those doors?” Maeve pleaded.

“Sorry, girls, it's getting late, and those clouds look like bad weather closing in quickly. I don't think we can afford to stop.” Mr. Ramsey stepped on the gas and the road rose steadily as they rattled out of town.

“What are those yellow poles?” Avery asked.

“Those are to mark the edge of the road so the snow-plows won't drive off it,” Mr. Ramsey informed her.

“But they're like twelve feet tall!” Avery exclaimed. “Does the snow really get that high?”

“Sure it does!” Lissie said. “My grandmother told me about snowfalls of six feet with drifts up to twenty feet high in some places.”

“But that's taller than a house!” Maeve cried.

Lissie nodded. “Yeah. The weather gets pretty intense around here sometimes.”

“You don't think it's going to snow that much tonight, do you?” Charlotte asked her dad.

“I hope not!” Lissie responded, as she looked out the window toward the darkening sky.

I wasn't asking YOU
, Charlotte thought to herself. Lissie was really getting on her nerves. She seemed to be making herself right at home, and she had only met the BSG a few hours ago!

Mr. Ramsey turned the radio on to find a weather report, but the only station that came in was playing honky-tonk country songs. They were all laughing over the crazy lyrics of one song when the announcer broke in and warned of the oncoming snowstorm.

“A winter weather advisory is in effect for this afternoon. Heavy snow will begin around three p.m. and last through the night. Precipitation to reach between eight and twelve inches in the Bozeman area, and up to eighteen inches in the mountains.”

“Ah, well,” Mr. Ramsey said. “Nothing we haven't seen before in New England, right, kids? We'll just keep moving and be snug in Big Sky before we know it.”

Ole Nelly climbed out of the valley, chugging and straining on the hills as heavy snowflakes began to coat the ground. Suddenly, and without warning, the car started sputtering and stalled out.

Mr. Ramsey carefully steered the car to the side of the road, slowly crunching over gravel before the car rolled to
a stop. The inside of the Mountain Rover was completely silent for a moment.

“So how are you at fixing cars, Richard? Tell me you're one of those handy guys,” Lissie said.

“Actually, I'm not that bad at diagnosing sick engines. I usually can figure out what's wrong. But being able to
fix
the car is a whole other story,” he sighed.

Mr. Ramsey got out of the Mountain Rover and opened the hood. “It's a broken serpentine belt,” he shouted.

Lissie pulled her cell phone out of her purse and flipped it open. “Can't call the rental company,” she announced. “No signal. I've got no bars at all. Why don't you all check your phones?”

Mr. Ramsey lowered the hood as soft snowflakes began to fall. “Charlotte, bring me the map I put above the visor. The weather's getting worse, and we'll have to figure out where the nearest active town is so we can get some help.”

Charlotte jumped out of the car and handed the map to her dad. He unfolded it on top of the hood and studied it carefully. “That's what I was afraid of. There's no town within a thirty-mile radius.”

“Except,” Charlotte pointed out, “that ghost town we just passed through. That must be only a mile or so away.”

Mr. Ramsey paused for a moment, considering their options. As the snow began falling harder, he made a decision. “Girls, Charlotte's right,” he agreed. “It's getting dark fast. We'd better get a move on, so grab what you need. The ghost town it is!”

Charlotte wanted to believe that this was all part of the adventure, something she could write about when she got the chance. But it was getting much colder, much windier, and a little too creepy for her taste.

Look, there it is!” Isabel exclaimed as the limo pulled off the main road through a large, impressive gate of scrolling iron and heavy stone.

In the distance the huge log structure loomed imposingly. The porch posts were real tree trunks and the doors were made of shining brass. A big brass sign read:
WELCOME TO MY BIG SKY RESORT

Katani leaped out of the limo as soon as it rolled to a stop and held out her hand to feel the gentle snowflakes that were beginning to fall. She and Isabel unloaded their suitcases and walked through the entrance with the entire Nik and Sam entourage surrounding them. The foyer was striking, with gleaming flagstone floors and a vaulted ceiling of exposed beams and rafters. There was a huge stone fireplace with a roaring fire, in front of which stood large, overstuffed leather couches and chairs in a soft butternut-colored leather. Native American rugs dotted the floor. Everything was comfortable and rustic, but also luxurious and super cool.

“Welcome to Big Sky Resort,” said the woman behind the counter.

Katani explained that she and Isabel were with the Richard Ramsey party, which would be arriving shortly. The girls were perfectly willing to wait in the comfy foyer, but they were thrilled when they heard that their suite was ready.

“A suite? We're staying in a suite?!” Isabel exclaimed as she grabbed Katani's hand.

Katani and Isabel waved good-bye to Nik and Sam, who were hanging out on the leather couches while their parents spoke to the concierge.

“Bye, girls!” Sam called. “Come find us later, okay?”

“You bet!” Katani said with a grin. “And thank you again for the great limo ride!”

As soon as they opened the door, Katani and Isabel stood in shock, staring at their spacious suite. Like the foyer, the walls of the suite were rough-hewn log, but the floor was made of highly polished wood planks. One entire wall was a giant window that spanned two floors and was dressed with heavy velvet drapes. A burgundy leather couch that could fit all the BSG, plus Marty and maybe even Nik and Sam, wrapped around two corners of the room and faced a big screen television. Katani couldn't take her eyes off the entertainment unit, which was built into what looked like a covered wagon sticking out of the wall.

“Look! We have our own wood-burning fireplace!” Isabel pointed out.

“And there are little chocolates on the pillows!” Katani marveled happily.

“Would you girls like a fire to take the chill off?” the bellboy asked.

“Sure!” Katani told him as she exchanged a giddy look with Isabel. “Why not?”

While the bellboy lit the fire, Katani and Isabel wandered around the rest of the suite. They peeked in the master bedroom to see a king-size, four-poster bed with beautiful western landscape artwork decorating the walls.

“There's also a loft,” the bellboy informed them.

From the main room of the suite, the girls took the circular staircase upstairs and found a wide room with three sets of plush bunk beds, another leather couch, a leather beanbag chair, and a second huge TV.

Isabel flopped onto one of the bunk beds and kicked up her feet.

“Would you like me to open the drapes?” the bellboy called from the bottom of the stairs.