Free Why I'm Not Afraid of Ghosts by R.L. Stine

brooding.
    Full night darkened the sky.
    It took the ghosts a while to work their energy up to any strength at all.
    â€œThis will be an all-out scare,” Robbie declared. “Everything we’re good at, all at the same time! My best howls, yowls, and chains.”
    â€œMy best shrieks and groans!” Dora agreed. “And I’ll use these sheets.” She wandered over to a pile of old bedding. “We could start out wearing the sheets, looking like stupid ghosts in the comics, and then wrap him up in them!”
    â€œYeah!” Robbie exclaimed. “Let’s wrap him up soonly his head sticks out! Then, when he can’t move, you could do your skeleton dance!”
    â€œI will. I’ll do the skeleton dance. And what’s more, I’ll make that big Doberman fly!” Dora cried.
    â€œThe Doberman. That’s right!” Robbie felt so excited, he banged into the ceiling. “Let’s use the pets. We’ll make the animals attack him! What could be scarier than having your own pets turn on you?”
    â€œI’ll handle the dog and the cat,” Dora decided. “You do the spider.”
    â€œI hate spiders,” Robbie objected.
    â€œYou don’t have to touch it,” Dora said, sneering. “You just have to make it fly.”
    â€œThat’s the same as touching it.”
    â€œToo bad! I called dibs on the dog and the cat first!”
    They stuck their tongues out—way out—at each other. Dora looked like a frog about to snap up a juicy fly.
    Dora rubbed her hands together. “Let’s do it up here,” she suggested. “He keeps bringing more stuff up here. And this is our best place. I’ll go get the pets.”
    â€œDo you think we’ll be ready to do it tonight?” Robbie worried.
    â€œI feel pretty strong,” said Dora. “Don’t you?”
    Robbie closed his eyes.
    Yes. He could feel strength flowing into him.
    This time it would work.
    * * *
    Robbie jumped up the moment he heard the footsteps on the attic stairs.
    Finally!
    It felt as if he and Dora had been waiting all night for Oliver to show up.
    Spooky was pretty restless. Thunder had curled up to sleep on the dresser, but the dog kept getting up and lunging toward the stairs.
    Robbie always managed to scare him back into the room, but it was tiring.
    Besides, what if the dog were hungry or thirsty? Robbie didn’t like to be mean to animals.
    But now, at last, Oliver was coming up the stairs.
    Spooky woofed a greeting.
    â€œShhh,” Dora whispered to Robbie. They both melted into the walls.
    Oliver arrived at the top of the stairs carrying the terrarium with the tarantula in it.
    Perfect!
    Shawn followed him into the attic.
    Not so good!
    Shawn, that traitor ghost who sided with a dumb lifer.
    Robbie wasn’t sure what powers Shawn might have. So far he hadn’t done anything serious—except pretend to be human.
    What if he interfered with the Big Haunt?
    Oh, well. Why worry? It was too late to turn back now!
    Robbie joined his energy with Dora’s.
    He concentrated really hard. Up, he ordered silently.
    Their force was barely visible at first. Spooky’s ears poked up. Thunder’s tail twitched, then rose straight up.
    â€œCome on. Come on,” Robbie murmured. He didn’t dare glance at Dora—he couldn’t risk breaking their combined force.
    With a surge of energy, the cat and dog rose into the air.
    We did it! Robbie thought.
    The animals looked startled. The cat squirmed and screeched. The dog flailed its front paws, moaning in terror.
    The lid popped off the terrarium. The tarantula floated up into the air, all eight legs twitching.
    â€œOkay, now!” Robbie commanded. It tired him, but the struggling animals began to circle in the air.
    â€œAre you nuts?” Shawn yelled over the racket the dog and cat were making. “You crazy ghosts! Oliver, let’s get out of here!”
    The