you?” Colonel Hanson said. “I know you girls worked hard all week getting ready. Besides, if you’re going to watch all these movies I rented for you, you’ll need popcorn, right? I’ll make a big batch as soon as I finish the dishes.” He hurried out of the room before the girls could reply.
Stevie picked up the rented videos. “
The Blob
,
The Creature from the Black Lagoon
, and
Poltergeist
,” she read aloud. “Your dad is really in the Halloween spirit.” She stifled a yawn. “I just hope they’re good and scary. Otherwise I might not make it through all of them.”
“There’s one thing I don’t understand, though,” Carole said. “Usually at this time of year Dad insists that the old horror movies are the scariest ones. He refuses to watch anything made past 1959. So why would he rent
Poltergeist
? That’s much more recent than the others.”
“Did you ask him?” Lisa asked.
Carole nodded. “He just said it looked like something we would like,” she said. “I guess it’s because I’ve been telling him about the Pine Hollow poltergeist.”
“Well, then, let’s watch that one first,” Stevie suggested. She got up and rummaged through her backpack as Carole put the videotape into the machine. Finally Stevie found what she was looking for. “That reminds me,” she said, holding up a book. “I found that book I was telling you about, Lisa. It was in my locker today.”
Dinah furrowed her brow. “In your locker?” she repeated.“How did it get in there? I thought you left it on the bench.”
“I did,” Stevie said. “I thought you might have moved it.”
Dinah shook her head. “I didn’t even see it again after we found it yesterday.”
“Well, maybe Max put it there,” Stevie said uncertainly.
“Do you think Max was the one who knocked down all those hats today, too?” Lisa asked. Carole and Lisa had arrived at Pine Hollow after school, and the four girls had decided to go on a quick trail ride before finishing their party planning. When they returned, they found that the poltergeist had struck yet again. The hard hats, which were kept on hooks on the wall of the student locker room, had all been knocked to the ground.
“I guess not,” Stevie admitted. “That’s definitely not Max’s style.”
“And it couldn’t have been Phil this time, either,” Lisa pointed out. “He wasn’t even there today. And the hats were fine when we left on our ride.”
Stevie sighed. “All right, all right, I’m finally convinced that Phil couldn’t be behind all these pranks,” she said. She flipped through the pages of the poltergeist book. “I just wish I could figure out who is.” She stopped to read something in the book. Her eyes widened. “Hey, listen to this, you guys. ‘In most recorded cases, there has been at least one young person—usually a girl or young woman—living in the building haunted by the poltergeist.’ ”
“Weird,” Carole said, “That sure seems to fit Pine Hollow. There are lots of young women and girls there, and according to Max, most of us
do
practically live there.” She yawned. “But I still don’t believe there’s a poltergeist haunting the stable.”
Stevie shrugged. “I don’t either,” she said. But her friends thought she sounded a little less certain than she had before. This close to Halloween, almost anything seemed possible.
“Come on, let’s start the movie,” Dinah suggested. She poked Stevie, who was still engrossed in the book. “Put that away. We should turn off the lights so the movie will be scarier.”
Stevie tossed the book in the general direction of her bag, and the girls settled back to watch the movie. After a while Carole got up. “Give a yell if something scary happens,” she said. “I’m just going to give Dad a hand with the popcorn.”
When she returned a few minutes later, a warm bowl of salty popcorn in her hands, the first sight she saw on the television screen was a terrifying ghostly
Stevie picked up the rented videos. “
The Blob
,
The Creature from the Black Lagoon
, and
Poltergeist
,” she read aloud. “Your dad is really in the Halloween spirit.” She stifled a yawn. “I just hope they’re good and scary. Otherwise I might not make it through all of them.”
“There’s one thing I don’t understand, though,” Carole said. “Usually at this time of year Dad insists that the old horror movies are the scariest ones. He refuses to watch anything made past 1959. So why would he rent
Poltergeist
? That’s much more recent than the others.”
“Did you ask him?” Lisa asked.
Carole nodded. “He just said it looked like something we would like,” she said. “I guess it’s because I’ve been telling him about the Pine Hollow poltergeist.”
“Well, then, let’s watch that one first,” Stevie suggested. She got up and rummaged through her backpack as Carole put the videotape into the machine. Finally Stevie found what she was looking for. “That reminds me,” she said, holding up a book. “I found that book I was telling you about, Lisa. It was in my locker today.”
Dinah furrowed her brow. “In your locker?” she repeated.“How did it get in there? I thought you left it on the bench.”
“I did,” Stevie said. “I thought you might have moved it.”
Dinah shook her head. “I didn’t even see it again after we found it yesterday.”
“Well, maybe Max put it there,” Stevie said uncertainly.
“Do you think Max was the one who knocked down all those hats today, too?” Lisa asked. Carole and Lisa had arrived at Pine Hollow after school, and the four girls had decided to go on a quick trail ride before finishing their party planning. When they returned, they found that the poltergeist had struck yet again. The hard hats, which were kept on hooks on the wall of the student locker room, had all been knocked to the ground.
“I guess not,” Stevie admitted. “That’s definitely not Max’s style.”
“And it couldn’t have been Phil this time, either,” Lisa pointed out. “He wasn’t even there today. And the hats were fine when we left on our ride.”
Stevie sighed. “All right, all right, I’m finally convinced that Phil couldn’t be behind all these pranks,” she said. She flipped through the pages of the poltergeist book. “I just wish I could figure out who is.” She stopped to read something in the book. Her eyes widened. “Hey, listen to this, you guys. ‘In most recorded cases, there has been at least one young person—usually a girl or young woman—living in the building haunted by the poltergeist.’ ”
“Weird,” Carole said, “That sure seems to fit Pine Hollow. There are lots of young women and girls there, and according to Max, most of us
do
practically live there.” She yawned. “But I still don’t believe there’s a poltergeist haunting the stable.”
Stevie shrugged. “I don’t either,” she said. But her friends thought she sounded a little less certain than she had before. This close to Halloween, almost anything seemed possible.
“Come on, let’s start the movie,” Dinah suggested. She poked Stevie, who was still engrossed in the book. “Put that away. We should turn off the lights so the movie will be scarier.”
Stevie tossed the book in the general direction of her bag, and the girls settled back to watch the movie. After a while Carole got up. “Give a yell if something scary happens,” she said. “I’m just going to give Dad a hand with the popcorn.”
When she returned a few minutes later, a warm bowl of salty popcorn in her hands, the first sight she saw on the television screen was a terrifying ghostly
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