Free Caught in the Web by Laura Dower

“Let’s go into the bathroom.”
    “What?” Madison laughed. “The bathroom? Aimee, you’re crazy.”
    “I’m serious,” Aimee said. “I told you ghosts are serious. Let’s go into the hall bathroom. Is that okay, Fiona?”
    She nodded reluctantly, and the three of them squeezed in and shut the door. Madison turned the lights down real low.
    “Maddie, you have to turn out the lights completely or it doesn’t work,” Aimee said.
    The small bathroom went black except for the hall light glowing under the bottom of the bathroom door.
    “This is so freaky,” Madison said. “Now I’m scared.”
    “Do we have to do this in the dark?” Fiona’s voice was barely audible.
    “Here’s what we have to do. Face the mirror together. Then we’ll see it,” Aimee said. As their eyes slowly adjusted to the dark, murky reflections appeared before them.
    “See what?” Madison asked.
    “The ghost. Look, I did this with my brother Billy once. Just wait and watch,” Aimee tried to assure them.
    A minute went by.
    And then another minute after that. It was getting warm.
    Brrrrrrrrrreeeeeeeeeep!
    Fiona’s digital watch beeped. The noise almost sent the trio crashing into the shower.
    “Whoa!” Aimee screamed.
    “What?” Fiona and Madison said at the same time.
    “Look! Did you see that?” Aimee asked, pointing at the mirror. “Look! That.”
    “What?” Madison said, looking closer. “Is it Mrs. Martin?”
    “I have such a bad feeling about this,” Fiona said.
    There was a knock at the door and all three girls screamed at once.
    “What are you doing in there?” a voice said from the hallway. “Is everyone all right?”
    Aimee clicked on the bathroom light and the room glowed white.
    Fiona turned the knob and opened the door. It wasn’t Mrs. Martin. It was Mrs. Waters.
    “Mom!” Fiona cried. She grabbed her mother’s arm.
    “Fiona?” Mrs. Waters said. “Why were you three in the bathroom together in the dark? Is something wrong?”
    Aimee and Madison started giggling. They couldn’t help themselves.
    “Why on earth would you girls lock yourselves in a bathroom?” Mrs. Waters asked again. “You could have gotten hurt with all of you stuck inside here like this.”
    “Mrs. Waters, do you believe in ghosts?” Aimee asked the question no one else had the nerve to ask.
    Mrs. Waters thought for a moment. “Well, I don’t know, Aimee. Depends on my mood. If I were in a deserted old castle, maybe. Right now, no.”
    “Mom, have you ever been up to our attic?” Fiona asked.
    Mrs. Waters shook her head. “Only once or twice. It’s mostly empty. Why do you ask? Do we have ghosts living up there?”
    “Well …” Fiona started to say.
    “Madison and I think there is a high probability and likelihood that ghosts are here at your house,” Aimee said. She sounded like one of those TV investigators.
    “Mrs. Waters, did you said the attic is mostly empty?” Madison asked. “What do you mean by ‘mostly’?”
    “Mostly empty except for a few boxes and pipes … and there’s an old chest. …”
    “Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!” all three girls screamed at once— again.
    “Girls!” Mrs. Waters covered her ears. “Stop that screaming.”
    “We have to go check it out for ourselves!” Aimee shrieked. She asked Mrs. Waters nicely. “Can we go up into the attic? Can we? Can we?”
    “Aimee, I really don’t think you girls should be going up there exploring. I don’t know how safe it is. And besides …”
    “Please, Mom.” Fiona spoke up. She wasn’t sure she really wanted to come face-to-face with a ghost, but she also didn’t want to spend the rest of the night imagining what might be up there.
    Mrs. Waters still wasn’t sure. “I just don’t know, dear.”
    Aimee started pleading again. “We—but—Mrs. Waters—please—”
    She could be very convincing when she wrinkled up her face and opened her eyes as wide as quarters. Madison thought the whole thing was pretty