Free Danger at the Fair by Peg Kehret Page B

effects ended when the boat quit moving. Corey trembled in the bottom of the boat, waiting to see what would happen next.
    Silence.
    Blackness.
    For a few moments, he thought this was just part of the ride and that, after a moment of stillness, something loud and ferocious and terrible would jump out at him. He gritted his teeth and braced himself but when the minutes stretched on and nothing happened, Corey realized that the ride had stopped.
    Had the man stopped it on purpose or was it broken again? Whatever the reason, it was no longer running.
    Corey was stuck in the middle of the Tunnel of Terror.

    “ NO ,” the woman in the fair office said, as she looked at the picture of Corey that Mrs. Streater had in her wallet. “He has not come to the office for help. I’ve been here since noon. Are you sure he didn’t go home with a friend?”
    “Positive,” Mr. Streater said.
    “Did you have a meeting place selected, in case you became separated?”
    “We didn’t bring him,” Mrs. Streater said. “He came with someone else.”
    “The merry-go-round,” Ellen said. “Last year, when we came to the fair, we agreed to meet at the merry-go-round, if we got separated. Maybe Corey is waiting for us there.”
    “I suggest you look there,” the woman said. “Meanwhile, I’ll alert the security guards to watch for him. What is he wearing?”
    Mrs. Streater started to describe Corey’s clothing. Ellen added, “He has a big Batman bandage on his cheek.”
    “I’ll have the guards look for him,” the woman said.
    Mr. and Mrs. Streater and Ellen hurried to the merry-go-round. Corey was not there.
    “Let’s check all of the most likely places, before we panic,” Mr. Streater said. “You know how Corey is. If he’s having fun, he probably hasn’t even realized what time it is. No doubt he is wandering around, making up some fantastic tale about carousel horses that fly or pretending he’s won first place in every competition and will have his picture in the newspaper.Ellen, you look in the sheep barn. Maybe Corey is hanging around there, watching Caitlin’s cousin.”
    “I’ll check out the rows of food stands,” Mrs. Streater said. “He always wants to eat everything they sell.”
    “I’ll do the midway rides,” Mr. Streater said. “Meet back here as soon as you can.”
    Corey was not in the sheep barn. Ellen’s panic increased. If I ever needed help from a guardian angel, Ellen thought, now is the time. And any spirits who cared to guide her to Corey would be welcome, too.
    Ellen rushed out of the sheep barn and ran toward The Great Sybil’s trailer. The small ticket booth was empty. A sign on The Great Sybil’s door said, CLOSED FOR DINNER, BACK IN 10 MINUTES .
    Ellen knocked on the door. When there was no response, she pounded as hard as she could. “Sybil!” she called. “It’s Ellen Streater. I need your help.”
    The door opened an inch. The Great Sybil peeked out.
    “My brother didn’t come home,” Ellen said. “We think he’s lost at the fair, or else something has happened to him.”
    The Great Sybil opened the door and motioned for Ellen to enter. She sat on one of the chairs and Ellen sat on the other.
    “I tried the automatic writing at home, by myself,” Ellen said. “I got another message. It said: URGENT .”
    “Oh, my,” said The Great Sybil. “The smaller one needs your help right now.”
    “The trouble is, I don’t know how to help him. I don’t know where he is or what has happened.”
    “Let us begin,” said The Great Sybil, as she dimmed the lights.
    “I don’t have anything to write with.”
    The Great Sybil opened a drawer on her side of the table and removed a yellow legal tablet and a pencil.
    Ellen held them in front of her and forced herself to breathe deeply, trying to calm her jangling nerves.
    “We beg for your help, loving spirits,” said The Great Sybil, without any preliminaries. “Ellen needs guidance. Please enlighten her. Let her know where