My name is Denis Henderson, but everybody calls me
Denny, guess that's my nickname. I'm ten, and live
in a big old house near the corner of Magnolia Street.
Some people say our house is haunted, but I didn't believe
it until I saw the ghost myself!
Our town is in Louisiana, a little bitty place called Magnolia
Springs. I was born here, in the hospital at the center of
town. Mom and dad like it here, they say it's real quiet,
hardly any crime, no drugs. I have lots of friends, guys I
go to school with, but mostly I have to hang around with
my family lots. They're okay, I guess, even if Margie,
my kid sister, is only seven. But I try to watch out for her,
protect her sometimes too.
Anyhow, about the ghost...my mom and dad always said
the stories people told around town were not true. I know
people like to tell ghost stories, even if no one believes them.
My mom was always saying that the ghost was just a
fiction story, but maybe she said that to me and Margie
so we wouldn't get scared. I mean, if you got a real ghost
in your house, it could scare the daylights out of you!
My dad didn't talk about it much, he just told us that
we shouldn't be afraid of the dark, or of anything...
that he was there to take care of us. I always felt real
good about him being around. My dad is neat, and he
can really slam-hit a baseball, you should see it! He
taught me how, and I can beat the guys, even won
our game at the school with my home-run hit one time.
Anyways, the story around town was that out house had
a tragedy in it, some old woman fell down the stairs,
hit her head and died. Mom said it was just an accident,
but the others said somebody killed her...pushed her down
those stairs! Creepy!
It was kinda spooky, when I looked down those steep
stairs that led into the basement. I could just imagine
that old lady tripping, and going down, hitting her head.
Besides, old people are always falling, so I thought it
was an accident too.
One time I was in the library, and I heard the lady
librarian talking to a girl. She said, "And they say
that somebody wanted to rob Lula May. If you ask
me, I think she was pushed down those stairs."
I knew they were talking about our house, and I
listened. The librarian looked around, but I was
hidden behind the stacks of books, and she
continued in a whisper, "Lula May was careful,
she never would have fallen by accident."
The girl said, "Is it true that her money was never
found?"
"That's right! They never did find all the money she
had hidden in the house. I think she was robbed, if
you want to know what I think." The librarian was
still looking around, as if she suspected someone
might be listening.
I stayed hidden, moved away before she saw me
eavesdropping. Got me a couple books, checked
them out. I had found some ghost stories, and later
at home in my own room, I read them. It was scary,
but I wanted to know more about ghosts.
When Margie saw me reading, she wanted to hear one
of the stories, so I read her one about a little girl
who haunts a cemetery. She shivered, exclaimed,
"Yuck, that's awful! I don't want to hear anymore !"
Girls, I thought, were not much fun!
I read this book that sort of told you how to contact
ghosts, but I figured my mom wouldn't let me do this
stuff. It said you had to watch for them, and try to
communicate with the ghost by closing your eyes and
waiting, asking it to materialize, whatever that meant.
Boy, there were some really great ghost stories in
that book, about old mansions in Louisiana, spooky
tales. I finally went downstairs to eat supper with
my family, then watched TV a couple hours.
By the time I went to bed, I'd forgotten all about
the stories, because I was thinking about how much
fun I'd have tomorrow at the park. Summer vacation
was always my favorite time, being out of school and
having fun.
Something woke me up in the middle of the night,
and I sat up in bed, rubbing my eyes. I could hear
thunder, and see lightning flashing, knew it was
storming outside.
But I was starving for some milk and cookies, and
thought maybe dad was in the kitchen. Me and him
raided the fridge if we couldn't get to sleep sometimes,
so I got up, put on my shoes and headed out of the
bedroom. I walked down the hall, but it was really
dark, not much light from the small light by the stairs.
The thunder boomed real loud, and I jumped; it didn't
scare me though, and I went on downstairs, made my
way to the kitchen. But dad wasn't there. I opened the
fridge, took out a carton of milk but suddenly felt real
strange, a prickly feeling on the back of my neck, the
hairs on my arms standing up.
Then I heard this really weird cackle, like laughing,
and saw something by the basement door. I put the
milk back, and started to leave the kitchen -- but
then realized I was being a coward, so I just stood
there, watching.
I saw something that looked like fog, a white cloud
that floated to the basement door and then seemed
to go right through it. I followed, stopping at the door,
afraid to open it.
But I did. It was pitch-dark down there, but I looked
down anyway, seeing nothing. I flipped on the light
switch, and still didn't see anything either. The steep
stairway was just empty, nothing there at all.
I hurried back to my room, and had a little trouble
going to sleep. Did I really see that fog, or just
imagine it?
The next morning, I started to tell mom about it,
but she was busy with breakfast, getting ready to
take Margie to the doctor for a checkup. I decided
not to mention it. Besides, I wasn't for sure I'd
seen anything.
Mom dropped me off at the park, and Johnny was
waiting by the baseball field, so we got right down
to pitching a few balls, practicing. Johnny lived down
the block, and he knew about the ghost stories in
my house...when we took a break, I told him about
what happened last night.
Johnny's eyes got real big, and he said, "Hey, did
you really see a ghost?"
"I don't know it if was a ghost or what. It just looked
like fog, kinda like a drifting cloud but it moved right
through the door!" I watched him gulp his coke, and
look at me.
"Did you hear any voices?" Johnny asked, cramming
his fist into his baseball glove, over and over like he was
nervous or something.
"I don't know, I think I heard laughter, but it was sure strange."
I grabbed the baseball, said, "Come on, I bet you can't hit my
fast ball!"
We played ball the next hour or so, and then mom
came by to pick me up and I told Johnny I'd see him
later. Mom said Margie had a stomach virus, and she
needed some medicine.
I was not feeling so good myself, but it wasn't a
stomach virus -- it was that funny fog I saw that
made me sort of sick. I started to tell mom about it,
but then I thought she might just laugh about it.
Grownups don't believe in ghosts, and I knew she'd
give me a lecture...
I tried to forget it, and spent the afternoon watching
an old cowboy movie on TV, then played some video
games in my room. After we ate dinner, mom and dad
told me they wanted me to look for Tiger, our cat. He'd
been gone for two days, and I knew Margie would have
a fit if he didn't come home soon.
I went out just before dark, and searched all around the
neighborhood but couldn't find Tiger. I called and called
that darn cat, but he was probably off having a good time
somewhere and didn't even hear me.
By bedtime, I was really sleepy and didn't' think about
anything as I fell into bed. But again, I woke up in the
middle of the night and looked around the room. The moon
was bright, sending a strange light through my window
and I could see something in the corner, right by my
baseball stuff.
I looked closer, and saw it was that funny white cloud,
hovering like fog over my baseball bat! I also felt cold,
real cold and pulled the covers up to my chin, shaking.
I wanted to call out for dad, but couldn't, I was just too
scared to make a sound.
Then I heard this whispery croak, "Come with me, sonny
boy."
I shook my head, but it said again, "Come with me,
and I'll show you the money."
I figured this was the ghost, the ghost of Lula May
and she had come back to show me something. I was
shaking all over, so very cold, but I got out of bed,
and watched the cloud go through my bedroom door.
I followed, and it went drifting along the hallway,
turned the corner as I trailed along. Then it floated
down the stairs, heading for the kitchen. Once in
there, the cloud sort of hung around the basement
door, then that whispery croak saying, "In here, come
on sonny boy."
It was like I was a zombie, because I just couldn't quit
following the foggy cloud. I pulled open the basement
door, and started to flick on the light, but the voice said,
"No light. Come along now..."
But it was so dark I couldn't see the steep stairs, and
just stood there, afraid. Finally, the cloud seemed to
settle over me, and made a dim light down the stairway
so I could see enough to get down the steps, careful not
to fall.
Our basement is piled up with old stuff we don't use
anymore, and I had to walk around the junk, all the
time wondering what the ghost wanted to show me. Just
as I got to the back wall, I heard that sharp voice, "See
that brick right there?"
I looked at the cement wall, but didn't see any brick.
"No, it's just cement."
The cloud moved away from me, and swept over the
wall, then became a beam highlighting a small brick
set near the floor. I bent down, and the voice declared,
"Go on! Pull it out sonny boy!"
I did, and then looked into a small hole, saw an old
cigar box and pulled it out. The voice said, "It's there,
sonny boy, all my money. I fell down the blasted steps,
trying to get the money."
"Are you, uh....Lula May?" I asked, staring.
There was a piercing cackle of laughter, then the
cloud seemed to shape itself into a bent, bony old
woman with straggly white hair and the voice said,
"That's me, sonny. Now, you take that money and do
something good for cats with it, hear? And don't you
never tell nobody about me being here, or I'll come
back and haunt you!"
"I won't," I promised, shivering as the cloud-shaped
woman seemed to just melt and slowly fade, disappear
before my eyes.
I carefully put the money back, and ran to my room.
The next morning, I asked dad if I could clean up the
basement and he said sure, that it needed it.
While I was working, I pretended to find the money
hidden behind that brick, and ran to tell my parents.
They were shocked, and after asking a bunch of
questions, told me the money belonged to Lula
May's relatives. I was confused, because she'd
given it to me to help cats, but I kept quiet.
It turned out okay anyhow, because after mom and
dad checked about her relatives, they were all dead.
So the money was ours -- my parents insisted it was
mine though, because I found it.
Mom asked me what I wanted to do with it. Tiger
had come home, and he was curled up in Margie's
lap, sort of looking at me strange. I had this weird
feeling that he knew what Lula told me. So I said,
"I want to give the money to the animal shelter,
help all those stray and lost cats."
Tiger kept looking at me, started purring and I knew,
I just knew that Lula May was pleased, wherever she
was now.
And that's how I came to see a ghost. But you better
not tell anyone I told you this story, or Lula May might
come around and haunt YOU!
