in the middle of the night, I wasnât so sure.
What was that creak? Was the poltergeist sneaking up on us now? If it could make dress dummies and bedspreads come to life, what else could it do? Could it take over our parents? Control them? Make them wander through the house like robots?
I shuddered and burrowed farther into the covers. Something hard poked my arm. I felt around and found the object. I peered at it in the dark.
The magic glasses!
But Iâd left them in my room! I clearly remembered putting them down on my dresser. Right before I went to brush my teeth.
âFreddy?â I called softly.
No answer.
âFreddy, wake up.â I reached up and gave him a shove.
âWhat?â He sat up, rubbing his eyes. âWhat is it? What?â
âThe magic glasses,â I said urgently. âDid you bring them in here from my room?â
Freddy leaned down from his bunk and grabbed his own glasses from the nightstand. âNo.â
âWell, why are they in my bunk, then?â I felt panic rising again, grabbing me by the throat.
The glasses had moved on their own!
âMaybe the poltergeist put them there,â Freddy suggested.
Maybe. But why?
I slipped the glasses on and looked around the room. It was easy to see in the dark with them on. Another magic quality they had, I guess. No poltergeist in the room.
Then I heard another noise from downstairs. A new noise. The sound of something scraping, shuffling against the floor.
Something was down there. I was certain of it. Was it planning to get me and Freddy? Or Mom and Dad?
Stay calm, I told myself.
Yeah, right.
I pushed back the covers and climbed out of bed. âGet up,â I ordered Freddy.
We couldnât just lie there in the dark, waiting for whatever it was to come get us. We had to do something.
Even if it meant risking our lives!
13
W e needed weapons. The best we could come up with was Freddyâs baseball bat and my tennis racket. Oh, well, better than nothing. Holding them ready, we tiptoed down the hall.
I still had the magic glasses on. So I spotted him right away. The little hairy guy from the attic. Leaning calmly against the stair railing. He looked as if he was waiting for a bus.
I jumped forward and swatted at him.
He vanished! Just like that!
I spun around. âWhereâd he go?â I asked softly.
âPeeps,â I heard in my ear.
âAck!â I squawked. âFreddy! The poltergeist! Heâs on my shoulder!â
âHold still!â Freddy ordered, and swung the bat.
I barely ducked in time to save my head. âWatch it, lamebrain!â I whispered furiously. âYou almost decked me.â
âI didnât mean to,â he argued. âI canât see the stupid poltergeist, remember? I was just trying to help.â
I reached up and felt my shoulder. Nothing there.
âWell, heâs gone anyway,â I said. âThatâs what matters. Now, for peteâs sake, keep quiet. The last thing we need is for Mom and Dad to wake up and catch us out here. Theyâd ship us to the loony bin for sure.â
We crept down the stairs. The poltergeist kept popping in and out of sight. Each time, I took a swing at him with my racket. And missed.
He was playing with us! The little creep!
When we reached the downstairs hall, the poltergeist stood on a chair. Waiting for us. His little black eyes glittered at me. I pounced and thwacked the racket on the seat of the chair.
Nothing.
âDid you get him?â Freddy asked.
âNo,â I growled. I flipped on a light.
âHow come you keep missing?â Freddy wanted to know.
I gave him a look. âHe keeps vanishing. How do you expect me to hit something that can just blink on and off like that? I think he pops from one place to another.â
Then I heard âPeepsâ again. And felt something land on my head. Oh, yuck!
I slowly raised my hands, trying to catch the little guy by