Read Online Jessi's Secret Language by Ann M. Martin - Free Book Online Page A

out of the room calling, “Here comes the pâté!”
    When she returned, Claudia decided that it might be a good idea to get Karen’s mind off the ghost party. First she tried to interest her in the boys’ space station. When that didn’t work, she said in a hushed, excited-sounding voice, “How would you guys like to learn a secret language?”
    â€œHuh?” replied Andrew and David Michael. They didn’t look up from their work.
    But Karen said, “A secret language? What do you mean?”
    â€œI,” Claudia began, “can show you how to talk without making any sounds at all. Without even opening your mouth.”
    Now she had captured even the boys’ attention. “That’s impossible,” said David Michael.
    â€œNo, it isn’t.” Claudia made the sign for dance , which I had shown the members of the Baby-sitters Club. “That means dance ,” she informed them.
    She showed them three other signs. “Some deaf people,” she told the kids, “know thousands of signs. They can have whole conversations with their hands.”
    â€œIs there a sign for ghost ?” asked Karen.
    â€œProbably,” Claudia replied. “But I don’t know what it is.”
    â€œOh.” Karen looked disappointed.
    â€œI know how we can find out, though,” Claudia said, brightening. “We’ll call Jessi Ramsey. She has a dictionary with all the signs in it. She can look up ghost .”
    The four of them trooped into the hallway, and Claudia dialed my number. Becca answered the phone and called me into our kitchen. When Claudia had explained what was going on, I said, “Just a sec. I’ll go get the book.”
    I ran to my room, grabbed the dictionary off my desk, and tried to look up ghost as I was running back to the kitchen. “Here it is!” I exclaimed. (I was pleased to be able to help Claudia. Sometimes Mal and I feel like the babies of the Baby-sitters Club, since we’re younger and have been members for such a short time.) “There is a sign for ghost . Only it’s going to be kind of hard to describe.”
    I did my best.
    Then Karen wanted the sign for witch . That one was almost impossible to explain over the phone. After witch , she wanted cat , storm , night , and black .
    I thought that was the end of things, but no sooner had I put the dictionary away than the phone rang again. This time it was Karen herself.
    â€œI forgot the sign for night ,” she said.
    I tried to explain it again.
    â€œAnd is there a sign for afraid ?”
    â€œWhat are you going to do?” I asked Karen. “Sign a ghost story?”
    â€œYes,” she replied seriously.
    I smiled. “Okay.” (The sign for afraid is covering your heart in fear with both hands. I love it, I just love it.)
    Meanwhile, back at Kristy’s house, Karen was trying to sign her ghost story. She didn’t know nearly enough words, though, and soon gave up.
    â€œLet’s make ourselves a snack and then you guys will have to start getting ready for bed,” Claudia told the kids.
    â€œWhat kind of snack?” asked Karen.
    â€œWhatever you want,” Claudia replied. “But if you have the right ingredients, I’ll fix you ghost pâté.”
    Luckily, Claudia found what she needed — crackers and liverwurst. She spread a saltine with liverwurst and handed it to Karen. “There you go,” she said. “Ghost pâté.”
    â€œYick,” said Andrew.
    But Karen ate her snack eagerly. “ Thank you, Claudia,” she said several times, glad that someone was taking her game seriously.
    When the snacks were eaten and the kitchen was clean, Claudia gave Andrew his medicine, and then took the kids back upstairs. “Time to get ready for bed now,” she said. “Andrew, you first.”
    While she was giving Andrew a hand, she thought she heard Karen on the phone in the hall,