The Ghost of Fossil Glen by Cynthia DeFelice Read Free Book Online

Allie thought, and she smiled to herself.
    Dub reached over and took a handful of potato chips from Allie’s bag. “The stream looks so small from up here,” he said.
    â€œIt sure does,” Mr. Henry agreed. “It’s hard to believe that little creek carved out this entire glen. These cliffs are over two hundred feet high.”
    â€œWait a second,” said Julie. “Do you mean the creek used to be up here, where we are?”
    â€œThat’s right,” said Mr. Henry. “Slowly, slowly, it cut its way down through the dirt and rock to form the glen.”
    â€œWow. It must have taken a long time.”
    â€œWhere did all the fossils come from?” asked Joey.
    â€œThey’re from the time when this whole area was under a warm, tropical ocean,” Mr. Henry told them.
    â€œAnd then, millions of years later, it was covered by glaciers, right?” said Dub.
    â€œRight,” said Mr. Henry.
    â€œI don’t believe it,” declared Karen.
    â€œIt’s true,” said Mr. Henry. “Where we’re sitting right now used to be the bottom of the sea.” Everyone was quiet for a minute, trying to picture it.
    â€œThat’s awesome,” said Joey.
    â€œWe could spend the rest of the year just studying the history and ecology of the glen,” said Mr. Henry. “After all, here it is, right in our own back yard. And, as you’re all noticing, it’s really a very interesting place.”
    â€œAnd pretty,” said Julie.
    To her surprise, Allie heard her own voice add, “But it’s haunted.”
    A shiver seized her, and she dropped her bag of chips. Fumbling to stuff the chips back in the bag, she heard the same faint whisper she had described to Dub. She felt his eyes on her and glanced up. He looked worried.
    â€œWhat do you mean, haunted?” asked Karen scornfully.
    â€œI—I don’t—” Allie shrugged and looked down at her lap, embarrassed. She didn’t know why she’d said that.
    â€œOh, I get it,” said Dub. “It’s haunted by the ghosts of the Indians who used to live here. The Senecas.”
    Allie knew Dub was trying to help her out. Opening her mouth to answer, she heard the whisper again, and the back of her neck felt prickly and cold. Again, to her surprise, she heard her own voice speak. “No,” it said. “Someone else.”
    Karen made a disgusted face. “Here we go,” she muttered, but softly, so Mr. Henry wouldn’t hear. “This ought to be good.”
    Dub glared angrily at Karen. Mr. Henry, unaware of the tension, laughed. “Allie must be thinking of the spirits of all those little critters who died and became fossilized in these cliffs.”
    Allie forced herself to smile and nod, unable to open her mouth again for fear of what might come out.
    â€œThose are two subjects we might pursue,” Mr. Henry continued. “The creatures and the native people who lived here before us. And, speaking of people who lived before us, I guess we’d better get back to the cemetery and go to work.”
    Everyone rose, picked up the picnic clutter, and started walking back to the cemetery. Allie could feel Dub eyeing her warily.
    â€œDon’t ask me what happened,” she said, “because I don’t know. I didn’t mean to say anything. It was as if someone else was talking, not me.”
    Dub was quiet.
    â€œSay something,” Allie pleaded. “You think I’m a nut case, don’t you?”
    â€œNo,” said Dub slowly. “But I think we’d better figure out what the heck is going on.”
    Allie was relieved to hear Dub say “we.”
    â€œWhat are you doing after school?” Dub asked.
    Allie thought for a minute. Then she remembered. “I’m supposed to go down to Mom’s shop to look at a desk.”
    â€œOh,” said Dub, “okay.”
    â€œWhy?”
    â€œI thought