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Authors: Esri Allbritten
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Suki.
“Guys, this is Jay,” Cheri said. “Jay, these are the people from the magazine.”
“You missed all the excitement,” Angus said.
“Did you see something?” Cheri asked eagerly.
“We heard something,” Angus said. “If we’re lucky, either Michael or Suki will have caught it on tape.”
“Digital, actually,” Michael said.
The sound of a sliding-glass door preceded Bob Hume’s voice. “Are you having a party? I have some dip.” Light silhouetted his rounded figure as he stood on the upstairs deck of the neighboring house.
Jay muttered something too quiet to hear.
“I’ll come over,” Bob called.
Angus raised his hands to his mouth. “It’s not neces—” He broke off as the sliding door thumped shut.
“You gotta be quick,” Jay said quietly.
In moments, Bob was pattering up the sidewalk, holding a bowl in both hands.
Angus reluctantly held open the door to the Baskerville house. “We’re not having a party.”
“That’s all right. Dip is good anytime. This one has celery and Tabasco added to regular onion dip.”
“I’ll see if Charlotte is up to joining us.” Angus said, his hand on the banister. “Why don’t the rest of you go into the kitchen?”
“I have to get my laptop.” Suki went up the stairs past him, carrying her camera on its tripod.
Bob followed Michael, Cheri, and Jay toward the kitchen, chattering as he went. “The only thing is, I don’t have chips. I was going to buy chips tomorrow. Maybe we could eat this on toast. Is Charlotte all right?”
“She’s fine.” Michael sat at the kitchen table and fiddled with his recorder.
Cheri opened a cupboard and took out a bag of corn chips, which she put on the table. “So you heard the ghost. What did it sound like?”
“Like a dog that was trying to talk,” Michael said.
“Whoa.” Jay took off his black coat and folded it carefully over the back of his chair before sitting.
Angus and Charlotte came in. Suki followed, carrying her laptop, her video camera, and a handful of other equipment.
They settled around the table, Charlotte at the head, her hands clasped tightly. “I’ve never heard anything so frightening.” Her voice was barely audible over the crackling of the chip bag as Bob opened it.
“Michael, did your machine get anything?” Angus asked.
Michael turned the volume all the way up on his recorder and held it to his ear. “You can tell there’s a sound, but that’s about it.”
“We might be able to jack into my car stereo,” Jay said.
Suki plugged a set of small cube speakers into her laptop. “Let’s see what we get with this.”
On the laptop screen, the video frame showed a foggy square of charcoal. They heard the gentle crunch of a leaf under someone’s foot, remarkably clear. And then the sound of Petey’s distinctive bark.
Charlotte wrapped her arms around herself.
“I think it’s the next one where he talks,” Suki said.
They sat, tense and listening. Soft white noise came through, and then a slight breathy sound.
“Oh, you have got to be kidding me,” Michael said. “Is that it?”
Suki raised a hand. “That’s you, whispering.”
“Oh.”
Rowf … OohooOOoo … Woourtuhvohsss … Tuhvortahmahhhhhzzz … Duhvohhhhzzzz … Tihbohrahnowwww …
“Oh, my God, ” Cheri whispered.
“That is seriously weird.” Jay shook his head solemnly, then put a loaded chip in his mouth.
Bob bounced in his chair. “It sounds like words, doesn’t it? Can we hear it again?”
“Just a sec.” Suki pulled the laptop toward her. “I have a video-editing program on this. I’ll cut the talking part out and put it on loop. It’ll be quicker in the long run.”
After a few minutes, she clicked on the touchpad and sat back. The weirdly modulated words played through once, then started over. “Hold on. Let me see if I can screen out the fuzz.” She made an adjustment. “That’s better.”
Charlotte leaned forward on the table. “That almost
“Guys, this is Jay,” Cheri said. “Jay, these are the people from the magazine.”
“You missed all the excitement,” Angus said.
“Did you see something?” Cheri asked eagerly.
“We heard something,” Angus said. “If we’re lucky, either Michael or Suki will have caught it on tape.”
“Digital, actually,” Michael said.
The sound of a sliding-glass door preceded Bob Hume’s voice. “Are you having a party? I have some dip.” Light silhouetted his rounded figure as he stood on the upstairs deck of the neighboring house.
Jay muttered something too quiet to hear.
“I’ll come over,” Bob called.
Angus raised his hands to his mouth. “It’s not neces—” He broke off as the sliding door thumped shut.
“You gotta be quick,” Jay said quietly.
In moments, Bob was pattering up the sidewalk, holding a bowl in both hands.
Angus reluctantly held open the door to the Baskerville house. “We’re not having a party.”
“That’s all right. Dip is good anytime. This one has celery and Tabasco added to regular onion dip.”
“I’ll see if Charlotte is up to joining us.” Angus said, his hand on the banister. “Why don’t the rest of you go into the kitchen?”
“I have to get my laptop.” Suki went up the stairs past him, carrying her camera on its tripod.
Bob followed Michael, Cheri, and Jay toward the kitchen, chattering as he went. “The only thing is, I don’t have chips. I was going to buy chips tomorrow. Maybe we could eat this on toast. Is Charlotte all right?”
“She’s fine.” Michael sat at the kitchen table and fiddled with his recorder.
Cheri opened a cupboard and took out a bag of corn chips, which she put on the table. “So you heard the ghost. What did it sound like?”
“Like a dog that was trying to talk,” Michael said.
“Whoa.” Jay took off his black coat and folded it carefully over the back of his chair before sitting.
Angus and Charlotte came in. Suki followed, carrying her laptop, her video camera, and a handful of other equipment.
They settled around the table, Charlotte at the head, her hands clasped tightly. “I’ve never heard anything so frightening.” Her voice was barely audible over the crackling of the chip bag as Bob opened it.
“Michael, did your machine get anything?” Angus asked.
Michael turned the volume all the way up on his recorder and held it to his ear. “You can tell there’s a sound, but that’s about it.”
“We might be able to jack into my car stereo,” Jay said.
Suki plugged a set of small cube speakers into her laptop. “Let’s see what we get with this.”
On the laptop screen, the video frame showed a foggy square of charcoal. They heard the gentle crunch of a leaf under someone’s foot, remarkably clear. And then the sound of Petey’s distinctive bark.
Charlotte wrapped her arms around herself.
“I think it’s the next one where he talks,” Suki said.
They sat, tense and listening. Soft white noise came through, and then a slight breathy sound.
“Oh, you have got to be kidding me,” Michael said. “Is that it?”
Suki raised a hand. “That’s you, whispering.”
“Oh.”
Rowf … OohooOOoo … Woourtuhvohsss … Tuhvortahmahhhhhzzz … Duhvohhhhzzzz … Tihbohrahnowwww …
“Oh, my God, ” Cheri whispered.
“That is seriously weird.” Jay shook his head solemnly, then put a loaded chip in his mouth.
Bob bounced in his chair. “It sounds like words, doesn’t it? Can we hear it again?”
“Just a sec.” Suki pulled the laptop toward her. “I have a video-editing program on this. I’ll cut the talking part out and put it on loop. It’ll be quicker in the long run.”
After a few minutes, she clicked on the touchpad and sat back. The weirdly modulated words played through once, then started over. “Hold on. Let me see if I can screen out the fuzz.” She made an adjustment. “That’s better.”
Charlotte leaned forward on the table. “That almost
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