Read Online Gossamer Ghost by Laura Childs - Free Book Online Page B

dry.
    â€œLook at this,” said one of the ladies. “My ghost is almost dry and now I can kind of manipulate him. Make it look like his skirts are flying out to either side.”
    â€œYou ghost is a he?” asked one of her friends.
    â€œI think so,” she said.
    â€œWait a minute,” said Tandy. “What about faces?”
    â€œI was getting to that,” said Carmela. “If you want to give your ghost a little more personality, you simply take a black marker and draw on a pair of eyes and maybe a mouth.”
    Baby picked up a marker and drew two round ovals for eyes, then she filled them in. “Hmm,” she said, studying him. “I’m pretty sure he’s trying to moan or howl.” She added a flat oval for a mouth.
    â€œTeeth?” asked Tandy.
    â€œNo,” said Baby. “I don’t think so.”
    â€œNow it’s like a mask,” Tandy said in a low voice. “Kind of like that Napoleon death mask that was stolen.”
    â€œWell, not quite,” said Carmela.
    Tandy’s brows knit together as she fingered her ghost. “How do they make those death masks, anyway?”
    Carmela glanced at Gabby, who looked suddenly concerned.
    â€œBasically, they take a mold of someone’s face,” said Carmela.
    â€œHow on earth would you do that?” asked one of the women.
    â€œIt’s a fairly simple process,” said Carmela. “Today, instead of messing with wax, you’d probably mold plaster bandages dipped in water.”
    â€œWe should do that,” said Tandy. “Have a class on making death masks.”
    â€œThat sounds a little macabre,” said Baby.
    â€œOkay, so we’ll call them life masks,” said Tandy.
    â€œIt sure would be timely,” said one of the women. “Because of Halloween, I mean.”
    â€œI suppose you’re right,” said Baby, slowly warming up to the idea. “If we made a few masks, I could use those as decorations for my party. I could even have my guests try to guess who it is. Kind of like pin the tail on the donkey, only creepier.”
    â€œThen it’s settled,” said Tandy. “We need to schedule an impromptu Death Mask class!”
    â€œCan we, Carmela?” asked one of the women. “Will you show us how to make them?”
    Carmela looked at her watch. “We don’t have any time left today. But maybe next Tuesday?” She glanced at Gabby, who seemed to be busy sorting out packets of charms.
    â€œNext Tuesday it is,” said Baby.
    Four of the women gathered up their ghosts and tea bags and bath bombs then, and toddled out the front door. They seemed delighted with their crafts and thinking ahead to next Tuesday.
    Finally, only Carmela, Gabby, Baby, and Tandy were left in the shop.
    â€œI think,” said Tandy, “I’m gonna make one more of those bath bombs. A big super bomb.”
    â€œSure,” said Carmela. “And if you want, I can . . .”
    The front door suddenly swung open and Mavis Sweet rushed in. Dressed head to toe in black, her outfit was vaguely reminiscent of some of the steampunk attire that Joubert had sold at Oddities—a Victorian corset laced in front and a long black skirt with netting over it.
    As Mavis rushed headlong through the shop, sending papers flying, and slid to an ungraceful stop at the back table, the entire room went silent as a tomb.

M AVIS ’ S darting eyes searched the table for Carmela. When she finally found her, Mavis’s lower lip began to tremble and her eyes filled with tears.
    Carmela dropped the bath bomb she was holding and rushed to comfort Mavis. She swept the girl into her arms and said, “What, honey? What’s the matter now? What are you even doing in this neighborhood today?” She figured the police were still at Oddities, searching for clues.
    Mavis’s eyes were getting redder by the second and her eyeliner had begun to