Free Zombie Project by Gertrude Chandler Warner Page A

it.
    “Breakfast!” said Benny. He ran down the path and opened the door.
    “Come right in,” said a woman with curly silver hair. It was Maude Hansen, the owner of the Winding River Lodge. She was a longtime friend of Grandfather.
    “Are you ready for breakfast?” said Maude. She rubbed her hands on her apron.
    “Oh, yes,” said Benny. “Do you have any pancakes left?”
    “I saved some pancake batter just for you,” said Maude. “Have a seat.” She pointed at the dining room filled with tables.
    Maude smiled as she stirred a bowl of batter with a spoon. Then she poured large circles of pancake batter on the griddle.
    “Your breakfast will be ready in a few minutes,” said Maude.
    “Mrs. Hansen reminds me of Mrs. McGregor,” said Jessie as she sat down at the table. Mrs. McGregor was Grandfather Alden’s housekeeper. She had been taking care of the Alden children ever since they had come to live with their grandfather.
    When their parents died, the Alden children ran away to live on their own. They feared they would be found and sent to live with their grandfather. They had never met him, and they worried he might be mean to them. So the children stayed in an old boxcar in the woods. The old railroad car quickly became their home, and they lived there until their grandfather found them. When the children saw how nice he was and how much he loved them, they went to live with him in Greenfield. Later, as a surprise, Grandfather had the boxcar moved into the backyard so they could play in it any time they liked.
    The door to the main lodge opened, and a young woman with short brown hair walked in. She carried the newspaper under her arm. “Morning, Maude,” she said.
    “Good morning to you, Madison,” said Maude.
    “And good morning to all of you,” said Madison. She walked up to the Aldens’ table and sat down.
    “Good morning,” said the Aldens.
    Madison took the newspaper out from under her arm and held it in front of her. Then she shook her head. “The nerve of that man!” she said to herself.
    “What man?” asked Benny.
    Madison turned the paper around to show the Aldens. “Can you believe it?” she said. She pointed to a photo of man holding a golf club. “Donovan Golf Tournament to Go On,” the headline said.
    “Matthew Donovan is a wealthy business-man who stole millions of dollars from the company he works for,” said Madison. “Then he disappeared into thin air. But his charity golf tournament is still going on. Unbelievable!”
    Maude used a spatula to flip the pancakes over. “Now, Madison,” she said. “I thought you were on vacation from the newspaper.”
    “I am, I am,” said Madison. She put down the paper with a sigh.
    “How can you be on vacation from a paper?” asked Benny.
    “I’m a reporter,” said Madison. “I write for this newspaper.” She pointed to the words in large bold print at the top of the page: Greenfield Gazette .
    “I’m the business reporter. And that Matthew Donovan is making me crazy. Where did he disappear to? What did he do with all of that money?”
    “A bad penny always turns up,” said Maude. “In the meantime, you should enjoy your vacation.”
    Maude used the spatula to move the pancakes from the griddle to the plates. Then she put the plates on the counter. “Your pancakes are ready. Come and get them while they’re hot.”
    Madison and the Alden children stood up and walked over to pick up their plates.
    “You’re right, Maude. I should enjoy my vacation,” said Madison. “Donovan is work and this is my time off. I need something new for my Hauntings blog. I’ll look for your zombie while I’m here.”
    “Zombie?” said Benny. His eyes opened wide. “What is a zombie?” asked Benny.
    “A creature from a scary movie,” says Jessie.
    Maude shook her head as she carried the maple syrup jug to the table. “Madison, you know that old zombie legend isn’t real. It’s just an old campfire story. My great grandfather