Free Jessie's Ghosts by Penny Garnsworthy Page A

faded.
    Jessie
realised her mouth was open, and very, very dry. And then she looked at her
painting … and slowly her message, the one she had painted only a few hours
ago, faded, one word at a time, until all that was left were two green people.
    Relief swept
over her like a huge wave. ‘It worked,’ she said out loud, ‘it really worked!’
    She didn’t
know how long she stood there, tears slowly creeping down her cheeks. She
wanted to yell out, to tell everyone what she had done; that she had solved an
ancient family mystery. All by herself.
    But she knew
she couldn’t. Ever. No-one would believe her, except Harmony. But then Harmony
would probably forget all about it once she got back to her dad’s. After all
she hadn’t really been that interested. No, it would be her very own secret.
Forever.
    And now she’d
be able to leave the painting for Nanna, just like she’d wanted to - with no
luminescent message to worry about.
    Slowly she
made her way up the hall to her room as a huge smile spread across her face.
She was felt too excited to sleep, but finally she fell into a pleasant and
dreamless sleep and didn’t wake again until the smell of bacon and eggs came wafting
into her room.
    ‘Thought I’d
make them for you this morning,’ Nanna said as Jessie wandered into the
kitchen, ‘After all, you’re going home today.’
    Jessie’s
stomach wrenched as she realised the truth. How she had dreaded coming to
Nanna’s, and what awful things she had said to Sarah about Nanna. Things were
so different now.
    She couldn’t
believe how much fun she’d had. First meeting Fleur, and then Harmony, well at
least using the computer, sending emails, finding information, and the haunted
portrait! Wow. It was one of the best holidays she had ever had.
    A horn tooted.
    ‘I wonder who
that is,’ Nanna said, ‘Sarah’s not due for ages yet.’
    Jessie started
on her bacon and eggs as Nanna went out to the front door.
    ‘Well, look
who I found,’ she said, leading Fleur in.
    ‘I just wanted
to come and say goodbye to Jessie - I was going to come over later but I’ve
been called up to the gallery for an early meeting. And I wanted to ask you a
favour.’
    Jessie stopped
eating and looked up. ‘Me?’
    ‘Yes, I
wondered if you would mind, terribly, if I took Nanna’s painting to the gallery
and showed it with the others?’
    ‘The one we
painted?’
    ‘Yes Jessie.
I’ve been thinking about your interest in the luminescent paints, and it may just
be a way to entice some younger people to the gallery. Maybe I could even run
some classes in the school holidays. Would you mind terribly Jessie? It will
still be Nanna’s - it will just be on loan to the gallery.’
    ‘That’d be
great,’ Jessie said,
    Fleur smiled.
‘And I’ll make sure both our names are on the back of the painting. Then next
time you come to visit Nanna, we’ll have some real painting classes.’
    Jessie went
over to Fleur and hugged her. This holiday just kept getting better and better,
Jessie thought as Fleur left with the painting and Nanna made a fuss about
Jessie becoming famous.
    Sarah’s car
came bounding down the drive an hour or so later. Jessie and Nanna were waiting
for her on the verandah.
    ‘Well, how was
the holiday?’ she asked.
    ‘Excellent,’
Jessie replied enthusiastically.
    Sarah looked
surprised. ‘Really?’
    ‘Sarah,’ Nanna
said seriously, ‘you have a very talented, and famous sister.’
    ‘Really?’ she
said again.
    ‘Yes, that’s
right. There’s a painting in the gallery in town, with her name on it.’
    ‘I don’t
believe it,’ Sarah said, laughing, ‘you’ve never painted before. What’s the
story?’
    As they all
wandered inside Jessie related the story of her meeting with Fleur and Harmony,
how she had taught Harmony how to use the computer and how Fleur had helped her
paint her very first painting.
    She told Sarah
about the luminescent paint and the two green figures that only show up in