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Authors: D. R. Martin
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stooped to pick up her severed arm and flew straight up through the ceiling.
For a few seconds, no one said a word. Finally, Uncle Louie, standing in his bedroom door, whispered, “Is it gone?”
Both a little shell-shocked, Johnny and Mel nodded in unison.
At the far end of the hallway a door creaked open and out tottered Nina, in her purple bathrobe. She rubbed her eyes and frowned crankily at her guardian and two friends.
“Do you people have any conceivable idea of how late it is?” she scolded. “You woke me up!”
* * *
The whole household gave up on the notion of getting any more sleep that night. Johnny, Mel, Uncle Louie, and Nina were sitting around the kitchen table, sipping hot chocolate, coffee, and tea. A plate of powdermilk biscuits was at the center of the table, next to a pot of strawberry jam. Several of the house’s ghost occupants listened in, as well, intently following Mel’s account of her near brush with doom.
“I was just lying there in the dark,” Mel said. “Couldn’t sleep. Thinking about the trip and the murders and everything else.”
And pondering a couple of months with Danny Kailolu, I bet, thought Johnny. He couldn’t help noticing on the Night Goose that she seemed to like the guy.
“Finally, I rolled over and was just drifting off, when my piano plinked in the darkness. I could tell there was someone else in the room. I knew it couldn’t be the colonel or Mrs. Lundgren or any of the boys.”
“No ghosts allowed in the commander’s room without leave,” said the colonel, standing next to the icebox. “And properly so.”
“I lay there scared to death,” Mel continued. “Thought my heart was going to burst. But thank heaven I remembered my army saber, hanging right over the bed. I jumped up and unsheathed it, then flipped on the light. That’s when I saw Checheg. She had an arrow aimed at my chest.”
“She was by herself?” asked Nina.
Mel nodded, then laughed.
“What’s so funny?” asked Uncle Louie. “Doesn’t sound humorous to me.”
“She asked me a question that gave me a little more time to think, to plan what to do.”
“What question?” said Johnny, eager to know.
“She said, ‘Where is your mustache?’”
“So the old mustache trick paid off again,” Uncle Louie said, grinning. “Just like the old flashbulb trick.”
“It did indeed.” Mel playfully slugged her brother on the shoulder. “Thanks again, Mr. Graphic.”
Johnny laughed along with everyone else, but he sure wished he could think of something that would put this horror show to an end. The next time Mel found herself in peril, she might not make it. And he had lost quite enough of his family.
“So what happened then?” Nina asked.
“I insulted her,” answered Mel. “I impugned her courage, said that it was just cowardly to shoot me with an arrow from such a close distance. I challenged her to a sword fight.”
“And she agreed,” said the colonel, smiling and beaming with pride. “She couldn’t have realized that you’re a fair sword fighter.”
Mel smiled up at the ghost officer. “You ought to know, Colonel. You trained me. All those summer afternoons out on the lawn. I never in a million years thought they’d turn out so useful.”
Chapter 15
Sunday, October 13, 1935
Paloa Atoll in the Greater Ocean
Bao never forgot the day she became a ghost.
The raiders had come to her village, and one of them chased her into the jungle. He caught her, grabbed her around her neck, and strangled her. His hands were terribly strong and hard. Everything went black.
When she woke up, Bao clambered to her feet, feeling weirdly light and nimble. There was a girl who lay by the base of a tree. Arms and legs askew. Head tilted to one side at an unnatural angle.
The girl on the ground wore a shabby blue shift. Just like Bao’s.
She had on a black headdress. Just like Bao’s.
She had a crescent-shaped scar across the bottom of her left foot. Just as Bao
For a few seconds, no one said a word. Finally, Uncle Louie, standing in his bedroom door, whispered, “Is it gone?”
Both a little shell-shocked, Johnny and Mel nodded in unison.
At the far end of the hallway a door creaked open and out tottered Nina, in her purple bathrobe. She rubbed her eyes and frowned crankily at her guardian and two friends.
“Do you people have any conceivable idea of how late it is?” she scolded. “You woke me up!”
* * *
The whole household gave up on the notion of getting any more sleep that night. Johnny, Mel, Uncle Louie, and Nina were sitting around the kitchen table, sipping hot chocolate, coffee, and tea. A plate of powdermilk biscuits was at the center of the table, next to a pot of strawberry jam. Several of the house’s ghost occupants listened in, as well, intently following Mel’s account of her near brush with doom.
“I was just lying there in the dark,” Mel said. “Couldn’t sleep. Thinking about the trip and the murders and everything else.”
And pondering a couple of months with Danny Kailolu, I bet, thought Johnny. He couldn’t help noticing on the Night Goose that she seemed to like the guy.
“Finally, I rolled over and was just drifting off, when my piano plinked in the darkness. I could tell there was someone else in the room. I knew it couldn’t be the colonel or Mrs. Lundgren or any of the boys.”
“No ghosts allowed in the commander’s room without leave,” said the colonel, standing next to the icebox. “And properly so.”
“I lay there scared to death,” Mel continued. “Thought my heart was going to burst. But thank heaven I remembered my army saber, hanging right over the bed. I jumped up and unsheathed it, then flipped on the light. That’s when I saw Checheg. She had an arrow aimed at my chest.”
“She was by herself?” asked Nina.
Mel nodded, then laughed.
“What’s so funny?” asked Uncle Louie. “Doesn’t sound humorous to me.”
“She asked me a question that gave me a little more time to think, to plan what to do.”
“What question?” said Johnny, eager to know.
“She said, ‘Where is your mustache?’”
“So the old mustache trick paid off again,” Uncle Louie said, grinning. “Just like the old flashbulb trick.”
“It did indeed.” Mel playfully slugged her brother on the shoulder. “Thanks again, Mr. Graphic.”
Johnny laughed along with everyone else, but he sure wished he could think of something that would put this horror show to an end. The next time Mel found herself in peril, she might not make it. And he had lost quite enough of his family.
“So what happened then?” Nina asked.
“I insulted her,” answered Mel. “I impugned her courage, said that it was just cowardly to shoot me with an arrow from such a close distance. I challenged her to a sword fight.”
“And she agreed,” said the colonel, smiling and beaming with pride. “She couldn’t have realized that you’re a fair sword fighter.”
Mel smiled up at the ghost officer. “You ought to know, Colonel. You trained me. All those summer afternoons out on the lawn. I never in a million years thought they’d turn out so useful.”
Chapter 15
Sunday, October 13, 1935
Paloa Atoll in the Greater Ocean
Bao never forgot the day she became a ghost.
The raiders had come to her village, and one of them chased her into the jungle. He caught her, grabbed her around her neck, and strangled her. His hands were terribly strong and hard. Everything went black.
When she woke up, Bao clambered to her feet, feeling weirdly light and nimble. There was a girl who lay by the base of a tree. Arms and legs askew. Head tilted to one side at an unnatural angle.
The girl on the ground wore a shabby blue shift. Just like Bao’s.
She had on a black headdress. Just like Bao’s.
She had a crescent-shaped scar across the bottom of her left foot. Just as Bao
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