Free BSC09 The Ghost At Dawn's House by Ann M. Martin Page B

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    "Okay!"
    Stacey returned to her chores.
    Fifteen minutes later, things were still quiet. Quiet wasn't unusual for Nicky those days, but it was for the girls. Three girls generally make some sort of noise, but Stacey hadn't heard so much as a giggle.
    She started up the stairs — and that was when the thing came flying down at her. It was little and shrieked and had a head of white foam. When it collided with Stacey, it left foam all over her Hawaiian shirt.
    "Yikes!" cried Stacey. She backed against the wall.
    The foam-thing was rubbing at its eyes. It stumbled forward and Stacey caught it before it fell down the stairs.
    "Claire!" Stacey exclaimed. "Is that you?"
    "Yes," wailed the foam-thing. "It's (gulp) meeeeeee!"
    Stacey glanced at the top of the stairs. Margo and Vanessa were standing there solemnly, looking down at their little sister. Stacey said later that that's when she first thought something was really wrong. If the older girls had
    pulled some sort of prank, they would have been laughing hysterically at the sight of the foam. But they were as somber and silent as rocks.
    "Margo? Vanessa?" Stacey said. She steadied Claire and began to lead her upstairs.
    "It's not our fault!" Margo cried. "Really."
    "Honest," added Vanessa, wide-eyed. "Don't blame us." She was so upset, she forgot to rhyme her words.
    Stacey made a huge effort to control her temper. "What happened?" she asked.
    Nobody said a word.
    "Claire?" Stacey peered into Claire's face, wiping away some foam.
    "Shampoo," Claire managed to reply.
    "Shampoo? Is that all?" said Stacey, suddenly feeling better. "You guys tried to give your sister a shampoo? Well, what's wrong with that? It was very thoughtful. I just wish you'd asked me first. Come on, Claire. All we have to do is wash it out."
    Still the girls remained quiet. Stacey noticed that the foam was unlike any she'd seen before. It was thick, almost as thick as shaving cream, and just slightly blue in color. But Stacey didn't pay any attention to that. She simply drew a bath for Claire, stripped off her clothes, and sat her in the tub. Then she began to rinse the
    soap off by pouring cupfuls of water over her head.
    "Ow! Ow! Owie!" cried Claire.
    "What's wrong?" asked Stacey.
    "It stings."
    "Keep your eyes shut, okay?"
    "Okay," replied Claire, "but it still stings."
    It wasn't until Stacey had poured twelve cups of water over Claire's head that she began to feel uneasy again. The shampoo wasn't rinsing out.
    Stacey dumped another cupful onto Claire. This time she rubbed Claire's hair vigorously. The foam puffed up as if it were alive. It was thicker than ever.
    "Margo? Vanessa?" said Stacey.
    "Yes?" they whispered. They were sitting squashed together on the toilet, their hands in their laps. They'd watched the rinsing process wordlessly.
    "What shampoo did you use on Claire? The baby shampoo?"
    Stacey had given Claire several shampoos when she and Mary Anne had gone to Sea City with the Pikes. She had always used Johnson's Baby Shampoo. Nothing like this had ever happened.
    "Um, no," replied Vanessa. "We used . . . we used something new."
    "What was it?" asked Stacey.
    "I don't remember the name."
    "Can you show it to me, please?"
    Margo and Vanessa looked at each other. Vanessa nodded at her sister. Margo reached behind her and pulled something out of the wastebasket. She handed it to Stacey.
    It was a small plastic bottle. And it was empty.
    "You guys/' said Stacey nervously. "I hope this wasn't your mom's. You didn't use up something of your mom's . . . did you?"
    They shook their heads.
    Stacey read the label on the front of the bottle. It said:
    Trial Size Only
    Not for sale
    CALLADEW'S PERFECTION SHAMPOO Concentrated
    On the back, the directions cautioned:
    Concentrated shampoo — use sparingly.
    Pour several drops onto palm of hand.
    Rub hands together vigorously to create foam.
    Rub foam into hair.
    Rinse twice. Process need not be repeated.
    Stacey looked up at the girls. "Where did