Free Horror at the Haunted House by Peg Kehret

was a statement, not a question.
    “Ooohhh . . . end.” The ghost had a greenish glow to her, especially her huge eyes.
    Frantically, Ellen tried to remember everything she had read about ghosts, wondering what she should say or do.
    “Why have you come here?” Ellen said. She thought of turning on the light but her mother might notice and Ellen wanted answers, not more questions.
    The ghost held up her hands and beckoned to Ellen.
    “You want me to follow you?” Ellen said.
    The ghost beckoned again.
    Ellen shook her head, no. She felt safe in her bed, though she wasn’t sure why, the way the bed had been lurching just then.
    The ghost held out one hand to Ellen, as if urging her to take it and follow.
    “No,” Ellen said, but even as she spoke, she swung her legs over the side of the bed and sat up. Her feet found her slippers and slid into them.
    Moving as if she were in a trance, Ellen took her bathrobe from the blanket chest at the foot of her bed and slipped her arms into it. She turned and faced the ghost.
    She had to look up because the ghost was taller than Ellen. She saw the back of the ghost’s head as it moved toward Ellen’s bedroom door. When it reached the door, it disappeared.
    I should get back in bed, Ellen thought. I should turn on the light. If Mom comes, I can say I wanted a drink of water. But her mind seemed to belong to one person and her body to another. Even as she told herself what to do, she did exactly the opposite.
    Feeling as if she had been hypnotized, Ellen quietly turned the knob and eased the door open. She peered out. The ghost stood in the hallway, waiting for her.
    It floated down the stairs. Ellen followed.
    It flowed through the living room. Ellen followed, though she went around the furniture instead of moving through it as the ghost did.
    The ghost went to the front door and disappeared. As Ellen approached the door, she heard the click-click of Prince’s toenails coming toward her across the floor. She stopped.
    Prince nudged Ellen with his muzzle, wanting to be scratched. The feel of his fur, the everyday gesture of rubbing his head, brought Ellen out of the dreamlike state she had been in. She stood there, quietly stroking Prince’s fur.
    Prince growled. The ghost reappeared on the inside of the door.
    “Shush, Prince,” Ellen whispered. “No bark.”
    Prince growled again.
    The ghost did not appear to notice. She lifted her arms again and beckoned for Ellen to follow her.
    Ellen shook her head. “I can’t,” she said. “I’m not allowed to leave the house at night, without telling my parents.” It was true and, for once, Ellen was glad to abide by her parents’ strict rules.
    The ghost came closer. Prince bared his teeth and moved between Ellen and the door.
    “What do you want?” Ellen whispered. “You can’t expect me to follow you around in the middle of the night when I don’t know what you want or where you’re going.”
    The ghost’s mouth opened and a low, strangled sound came out. Ellen sensed it was a supreme effort to speak, but the effort failed. The luminous green eyes looked so sad that Ellen expected to see tears flowing down the ghost’s cheeks.
    The whole room was filled with frigid air. The ghost lifted her arms and beckoned again, imploring Ellen to follow.
    Prince growled.
    Ellen’s fingers closed around Prince’s collar.
    “Come, Prince,” she said. She turned and fled across the living room, up the stairs, and back to her own room, with Prince beside her. She closed her bedroom door. “You can sleep in here tonight,” she told Prince. She wondered if Prince had actually seen the ghost or if he had only sensed something was there.
    She got back in bed and sat propped against two pillows, staring at the closed door.
    I will probably never sleep again, she thought. I’ll be too nervous about being awakened by a ghost. I’ll die of lack of sleep, if I don’t die of fright first. Or else I’ll tell someone what’s going