Ghost Town at Sundown (6 page)

The piano was playing “Red River Valley.” Sitting on the piano stool was the dim but shimmering shape of a cowboy.

Just then the ghost of Lonesome Luke looked at Jack and Annie. He waved a shimmering hand.

Jack and Annie waved back.

Then the ghost of Lonesome Luke faded away. Cold air wafted past Jack and Annie. They both shivered.

“Oh, man, let's go,” breathed Jack.

They leaped and dashed up the dusty road. They ran across the cracked ground and past the graveyard. They ran until they reached the tree with the Magic Tree House in it.

Annie grabbed the rope ladder.

She hurried up and Jack followed. They were out of breath when they got inside the tree house.

Annie grabbed the ancient scroll. She unrolled it.

“Yay!” she said.

The scroll had one glowing word on it:

“We got it right!” said Annie.

Jack grabbed the Pennsylvania book. He pointed to a picture of the Frog Creek woods.

“I wish we could go there!” he said.

The wind started to blow.

The tree house started to spin.

It spun faster and faster.

Then everything was still.

Absolutely still.

Jack and Annie looked outside.

The sun had slipped behind the trees of the Frog Creek woods.

Annie still held the ancient scroll. She put it in the corner, next to the scroll from their ocean trip.

“Just two more to go,” she whispered.

“Yup,” said Jack. He unzipped his pack. He pulled out
Days of the Wild West
. He put it on top of a stack of books.

“Ready?” he said.

Annie was staring at the books. Her mouth dropped open.

“What's wrong?” asked Jack.

Annie just kept staring.

“Have you gone nuts?” said Jack.

Annie pointed at the Wild West book.

“Read the cover,” she said.

Jack picked the book up. He read the title aloud: “
Days of the Wild West
.” He looked at Annie. “So?”

“Keep reading,” said Annie.

The author's name was below the title. It was in smaller letters. Jack read: “Slim Cooley.”

Jack gasped.
His
mouth dropped open. He and Annie stared at the words for a long moment.

“Oh, man,” whispered Jack. “We were using Slim's book. The book he wrote after he left us!”

Jack and Annie shook their heads with wonder.

Jack opened Slim's book. He looked at the title page. At the bottom of the page, he read:
Texas Press, Dallas, 1895
.

Jack turned the page. He read the dedication:

Jack looked at Annie. “Slim dedicated his book to us,” he said.

“Yup,” said Annie. She smiled.

Jack placed Slim's book back on the stack of books.

Then he and Annie left the tree house and climbed down the ladder.

As they started through the woods, the trees were alive with bird sounds. The air felt soft and moist.

“Frog Creek seems so peaceful,” said Jack. “No rattlers, no rustlers, no ghosts.”

“Yeah, but no Slim Cooley, either,” said Annie sadly.

“I know,” said Jack. “But when we read his book, it's like he's still talking to us.”

“Oh, right,” said Annie. “You mean it's like an echo from the past?”

“Yeah,” said Jack softly. “Wow.”

Just then, out of the blue, a voice called, “Jack! Annie!”

“It's Dad!” said Annie.

“Coming!” she and Jack shouted.

Then they ran all the way home, through the long shadows of the setting sun.

Jack and Annie were walking home from the grocery store. Jack's pack was heavy. It held a big jar of peanut butter and a loaf of bread.

“Are you going to have a peanut butter and jelly sandwich?” said Annie. “Or a peanut butter and honey sandwich?”

Jack started to answer, but stopped.

“Oh, man,” he whispered.

“What is it?” said Annie.

“Look at
that!
” said Jack.

He pointed to the edge of the Frog Creek woods. In the shadows stood a small, delicate animal. It looked like a tiny deer.

“It's a sign,” whispered Annie. “Remember when we saw the rabbit? He was a sign of the Wild West.”

The deerlike creature leaped into the woods.

Jack and Annie didn't stop to think. They followed as fast as they could. Jack's heavy pack thumped against his back as he ran.

Finally, they stopped and looked around.

“Where did she go?” he said.

“I don't see her,” said Annie.

“Oh, wow,” said Annie. She pointed up.

There was the magic tree house. It was shining in the noon sun, at the top of the tallest tree in the woods. Its rope ladder swayed in the shadows below.

“Where's Morgan?” said Annie.

Morgan le Fay wasn't waving at them from the window. She wasn't even at the window.

“I don't know. Let's go up,” said Jack.

They climbed the ladder and went into the tree house.

Sunlight streamed through the window. It lit a stack of books and two scrolls in the corner. The ancient scrolls held the answers to riddles Jack and Annie had solved earlier.

Jack took off his heavy pack.

“Did Morgan leave us a third riddle?” said Annie.

“Looking for someone?” said a soft voice.

Jack and Annie whirled around.

“Morgan!” said Annie.

Morgan le Fay had appeared out of nowhere. She looked ancient and lovely in the bright light.

“Do you still want to become Master Librarians?” she asked Jack and Annie. “So you can help me in my work?”

“Yes!” they said together.

“Wonderful,” Morgan said. Then she reached into her robe and pulled out a scroll.

“You've solved two riddles so far,” she said. “Here is your third.” She handed the scroll to Annie. “And for your research—”

She pulled a book out from her robe and handed it to Jack. The book's cover said T
HE
P
LAINS OF
A
FRICA
.

“
Africa?
” said Jack. “Oh, man, I've always wanted to go there.”

He opened the book. He and Annie stared at a picture.

It showed hordes of zebras, tall giraffes, big animals with horns, and tiny, deerlike creatures.

“Hey, that's the animal that led us here!” said Annie.

“A Thomson's gazelle, I believe,” Morgan said.