Chapter Eleven
A Sleep Over
I stood in the middle of Moose’s yard for minutes calling for him. Finally, a distant voice echoed through the yard. “I’m here.”
“Where?”
“Back here. In the treehouse.”
I darted through the yard this time ducking and dodging over roots and under branches until I finally reached the base of the tree. “I think I know a way to get to the golden vial!” Without thinking, I started climbing the ladder and reached the top. I was too excited to think about my fear of heights. When I righted myself inside the tree house, Moose was sitting in the corner under the window that faced my house, his cap by his side, looking dejected. I tried to change the mood, “Moose, I have great news!”
Moose looked up with tears in his eyes, “Samson, I’m so sorry about your mother. I never wanted that to happen, especially to you.”
“Didn’t you hear me? I think I found a way to defeat Nanuk.”
“Samson, I’ve tried everything. Nothing worked. Nanuk is too agile and too big for either of us.”
I softened my voice, “You’re right. He is too big and agile for either of us. But, he’s not as smart as the both of us.”
“How is that?”
“This afternoon Nathaniel came over—”
Moose interrupted, “Oh, I bet you’re going to tell me that Nathaniel Fargo, the thick-lensed wonder solved the mystery I’ve been trying to solve for the last four years.”
“EXACTLY!” I tried my best impersonation of Nathaniel adjusting my pretend glasses and mimicking a nasally voice, “I’m pretty mature for a third grader.”
Moose chuckled, “Well, what’s this great idea?”
I proceeded to tell him the entire story of Luke Lucky and King Pig. I explained how ghosts often long for something from their past lives.
“Your plan sounds great, but where are we going to get an ectoplasmic ray?”
“We aren’t. They don’t exist,” I laughed, thinking how I must have sounded to Nathaniel earlier. “The key is finding something that Nanuk craves.”
Moose was quiet for a second. “That just might work. We need to come up with a plan though.”
“I know we do. We can work on it all night if we have to.” I stood at the window overlooking my house as the wind began to howl. “Nathaniel is going to bring the comic tomorrow. We can talk about it at school and then put it into action.”
Moose nodded his head slowly, thinking it over. “This may be our last chance. Do you think it will work?
I shrugged. “What other choice do we have? I know one thing for sure. I’m not sleeping in my house another night by myself.”
“I don’t blame you. Wanna sleep up here tonight? We’ve got plenty of sleeping bags and a lantern. Some snacks, too.”
Later that evening, we settled into our sleeping bags. Piles of notebook paper, some crumpled into balls and others tacked onto the side of the tree house, rested in the corner. Moose dimmed the lantern. We laid in silence for several moments listening to the wind through the trees and distant howling of Nanuk in the attic.
“Moose?”
“Yeah.”
“Why’d you do it?”
“Do what?”
“You know, poison Nanuk?”
Silence settled into the air as if the wind too wanted to hear the story. “I’ve asked myself that question so many times over the past four years. I really don’t know why I did it. I knew it was wrong all along. Maybe it was because I’ve had trouble getting along with people. I’d have outbursts when I didn’t get my way. After my kindergarten year, my parents decided to take me out. I was homeschooled. But, animals? They always liked me. So, when I reached out to Nanuk that day, and he reacted the way he did, I felt completely betrayed. Being homeschooled, I didn’t have many friends, and now the only thing I could make friends with was now turning on me. I felt confused about all of this. So, I did what I did.”
I took a moment, thinking about what Moose was saying. He really did have some problems. Problems that no one could possibly understand. “So, what was it like to live all these years on your own? Didn’t anyone check on you?”
“We really don’t have any close relatives. There are a few that live back east, but we aren’t really in touch with them. Being a homeschooled kid, there aren’t a whole lot of checkups. So, I flew under the radar.”
“How did you survive all this time on your own? I’d be scared.”
“Well, my parents have quite a bit of money in the bank. I’m not sure how they got it, but I remember them mentioning something about a settlement. Because I didn’t go to school like normal kids, my parents were always trying to teach me about how life works and stuff. They showed me how they use the internet to pay bills and things like that, so I figured they would want me to do all that stuff while they were, ya know, swept away.”
“How’d you get all their passwords?”
“Everything is saved on their computers.”
“Smart,” I thought. I didn’t think I’d ever be able to pull that off. Moose was certainly smarter than people give him credit for. “So, how’d you get yourself back into school?”
“Well,” he chuckled, “I do know that you can’t just show up and pick a class. I learned that the hard way and nearly blew it for myself. If I’d been caught, they would have checked up here for sure. I figured that if I really wanted to break the spell, I would need some help. The only way to do that was to get myself enrolled into school. So, I had to enroll myself.”
“How’d you do that without your parents?”
“Again. The internet. Everything is done online. I just answered some questions, turned in the correct paperwork like birth certificate and the electric bill, and made some excuses about why my parents couldn’t come in and stuff. It was easier than I thought it would be. After a while, they stopped asking questions. This is my third year now in school. I didn’t do enough work the first year, so I had to repeat a year. That worked out great because our paths crossed.” He paused a minute. “I’m not stupid, you know. I know the stuff they’re teaching me. I’m just so concerned with how I’m going to break this spell that school seems so…so silly and meaningless. But, everyone around me, the other kids and teachers, treat me like – well – an outcast.”
I thought about what I wanted to say before I said it. “Moose, you know you make it hard for people to know you. You put on this tough guy act that, and I’m being honest here, scares the life out of people.”
“It’s easier that way. No one would understand me, and nobody tries to understand me.”
“Well, for another thing, I don’t think you’re stupid. You are probably one of the smartest and bravest people I’ve ever met.” We sat in silence for a while. There was another thing that I was curious about, “Moose, how did you get food and learn how to cook and all that?
He chuckled, “I think it was all part of the spell. Since I never really aged, everything else stayed the same. There was always food, you know, like the basic necessities; milk, bread, and sandwich meat. Stuff like that. Each time I would eat it, it would magically be replaced. Even though my parents have money in the bank, I didn’t have any money-money. I mean they had some around the house, but that didn’t last long. So, anything extra I wanted I’d have to steal it. I made sure not to make a habit of it.”
“Steal it? Like a life of crime or something? You’re like America’s Most Wanted.” We both started laughing.
“My parents loved the outdoors, so I learned little cooking tricks along the way. I never made anything gourmet, but it was enough to keep me going all these years.”
Again, silence found its way into the treehouse. I tried to make sense of everything and wondered if I would have what it takes to be on my own for so long. “You know what Moose? I like the person you are right now. You’re just being you. I consider you my friend. My friend no matter what happens.”
No words needed to be said. The wind out
side started to blow through the treehouse again. From the attic next door, Nanuk’s ghost continued his howling song into the night as if he sensed we were planning on retrieving the vial.
Chapter Twelve
Three Unlikely Friends and a Plan
At the bus stop the next morning, the three of us gathered together to look over Nathaniel’s comic book. As we talked about some ideas, I looked up at Moose and Nathaniel. I couldn’t help to think that just three days ago we were complete strangers. Jan and Pam must have thought the same thing because they stood together, mouths agape, and pointed fingers. I really didn’t care what they had to say.
The bus ride, which was oddly quiet, offered more time for us to work on the plan. As I looked around, all the kids must have thought it odd that three completely different people seemed to be three unlikely friends.
At lunch, Moose and I would finalize our plan without Nathaniel since his lunch time was different than ours. He was really the mastermind behind everything, and we would talk with him after school to see if he thought our plans would work. Moose certainly realized that Nathaniel was much smarter than your average third grader. Heck, he was smarter than your average middle-schooler. I had seen a different side of Moose too. He was smarter than he let on and a lot kinder than his rugged exterior.
I sketched up a map of the attic complete with where the trunk sat. I colored a gold color where the vial of milk was in bright rays like sunshine. We talked over different scenarios and tried to come up with solutions to each one. “So, Moose, since you know Nanuk so well, what is it you think will be the one thing he craves?”
“I’ve been thinking about this all day. The only thing I can think of is the one thing that I killed him with.”
“Meat?”
“Yes, I used to watch Mr. Henderson give him ground beef rolled up into little balls. That’s where I got the idea to try to make him sick.”
“Then meat it is!”
“You think it will work?” I questioned.
“It has to,” Moose nodded and shrugged his shoulders.
After the last bell sounded, all the student body gathered in the hallway, racing to head home. In the middle of the throng, Moose and I walked side by side. Butterflies danced in my stomach. Nervous? Yes, yes indeed. If we failed, I may never walk these hallways again. We may never see our families again. If we failed? I let that question go for now. I could not let doubt get to me.
As for Moose? Something was different about him today. He didn’t lumber through the hallway like he usually did. He had a pep in his step. I even had a hard time keeping up with him. He was his usual silent self, but there was something different. Confidence? Perhaps. Maybe for once, he didn’t feel as if he was on this journey alone. Maybe he felt as if he finally was able to master his feline instincts, and he felt sharp. Maybe this time, he felt that they had a chance to break the spell. Whatever it was, it was clear that Moose was different.
On the bus, Moose and I filled Nathaniel in on what we talked about at lunch. He listened approvingly. We sat whispering about the final details. I would prepare the meat when I got home. Once that was set, so were we. Finally, the bus pulled up to the stop. The trip home felt much faster than usual, as if the bus knew that we had a showdown planned with Nanuk.
Nathaniel’s mother waited in her gray station wagon. He looked up at us, “Good luck, fellas. I wish I could be there with you.”
We both nodded. We wished he could be there too, but we also knew it was no place for him to be. Earlier that day, we had come up with a friendship handshake that involved a few various movements and finished with a high-five. We did it with Nathaniel. He smiled through his thick glasses and was off.
Moose called out, “Hey Nathaniel?”
“Yeah?”
“It’s Gotcha Time!” Nathaniel beamed and threw a fist into the air before he got into his car. It felt good to laugh. It helped to push aside the anxious feeling that made my stomach flutter. I think Moose felt the same way.
We walked together. With each step closer to the house, that nervous feeling grew again. I felt my hands getting sweaty. Moose? He looked as calm as ever which helped me a little. Standing in front of the house, the skies began to open up and rain started to fall. We ran to the porch. I ran around to the side gate to get Spike. Grabbing his collar, I rushed him inside. As he passed Moose, he growled. Moose didn’t run this time. No, this time he crouched, ready for what Spike may do.
I directed Spike into the kitchen, and he listened. After Moose helped me move some unpacked boxes in front of the kitchen doorway so Spike couldn’t get out, he waited in the living room, so I could prepare the bait. I moved quickly to the refrigerator and pulled out the meat. Mom planned on making my favorite this week: sloppy joes. I rolled up several balls of the cold, raw meat. Spike, at my side, begged for a sampling. I didn’t disappoint him. I tossed him a piece and he gobbled it up licking my fingers to make sure nothing was left on them. I hoped Nanuk would want the meat as much as Spike did.
I met Moose in the living room as he pushed the boxes back into place. Spike growled and barked at the mere presence of Moose even though he couldn’t see him. We stood at the bottom of the steps looking up at the attic door. Without hesitation, the plan was a go. Moose reached up and grabbed the latch and unfolded the attic ladder.
Chapter Thirteen
Nanuk, Moose, and the Golden Vial
The dim, hanging light bulb was left on from the last time we encountered Nanuk. Moose led the way with me closely behind him. Our heads peeked into the attic, panning left and right. It appeared as if all was safe. This seemed too easy. Was the only thing we had to do was race on over, grab the golden vial, and get out of the attic?
Rain pelted away at the roof above which intensified the eerie atmosphere. The dust had settled from the day before. On the floor, the faint footprints of my mother and Nanuk still lay visible.
To the left, the black trunk rested. A few feet from the trunk, water leaked from the roof. “Remind me to tell my mother that the roof needs to be fixed.” Moose ignored me. His nose twitched smelling the air. His senses were on high alert. “Is he here?”
Moose paused. “I don’t sense him.” We moved into the attic and towards the trunk. Behind it, we could see a glow. “There it is.”
“Okay, so now what?”
“I’ll move the trunk. You reach behind it and grab the vial.”
I nodded. It was as good a plan as any given that Nanuk wasn’t there. Moose bent over and pushed the trunk. At first, it didn’t budge. Moose shouldered it again, and it finally moved. I looked behind it. There it was. The golden vial of milk! It glowed so brightly that it caused me to squint. I reached my arm behind the trunk as far as I could, but it was still just out of my reach. “I need a little more space, Moose.” He shouldered it again.
Out of nowhere, I felt warm air on my face. I froze. A bark echoed through the attic. My hair was pushed back with each one. Nanuk’s mouth started to take shape and I could see lips curled back to reveal his teeth. Before I could react, his mouth opened and engulfed the top half of my body. I struggled with my feet to keep from being swept away. Inside his enormous mouth, I tried to focus. The darkness gave way to a foggy light. The moisture of his mouth soaked my body and filled my nose, ears, and mouth. I could see images of the ghostly legs of people and felt their hands grasping my shoulders and pushing me out of Nanuk’s mouth. Even though I was being pushed, it was as if there was no hope as my legs had lost their footing. It was inevitable, I was going to join the others in being swept away.
Suddenly, I felt two strong hands yank my ankles, and with help from those inside Nanuk, I was released from his jaws. I landed in a sloppy heap. This must have been the ectoplasm that Nathaniel referred to. I heard Moose hiss loudly like a big cat. His large hands dragged me behind him. Dust kicked up all around us. Moose crouched and continued to hiss and growl. Removing his cap, he revealed his glowing eyes, which shone bright through the dus
t in the direction of Nanuk’s barking. By the sounds of it, they were both ready for a fight.
As the rain pelted down on the roof, I could hear Spike barking from downstairs. Nanuk’s ghost started to materialize. Moose, bent at the knees, was about to head into the direction of Nanuk. I felt fear settle into me. I started to doubt whether we would be successful. I tried to pull Moose back. He grabbed my hand and looked at me, his eyes causing me to squint, “Samson, let go of me,” his growl so deep, I knew he meant business. “I’ve got this!” I let go of his arm.
Nanuk released a howl, that echoed into our ears, and he lunged at Moose. Moose dodged and took a swipe at him, making contact with his nose. The giant dog lunged, and Moose scaled the wall and landed on his feet. Nanuk’s body crashed into the trunk. Between the hissing and the barking, the noise was deafening. Nanuk lunged again. Moose hissed and darted out of the way making sure I was behind him. Moose was countering Nanuk’s movements, but Nanuk’s persistence began to tire Moose. Realizing this, Moose and I darted towards the stairs. We couldn’t retreat now, could we? I suddenly remembered The Ghost Avengers plan. “Moose, it’s time for the plan!”
Moose scanned the attic. It was suddenly quiet. “Where’s the bait?” he whispered.
“Right here,” I pulled the sandwich bag from my pocket and took out the meat.
The rain intensified outside. Wind filled the cracks of the attic, and the sound pierced through me. Spike continued barking. “Okay, on the count of three, throw it towards the opposite corner.”
I pulled out one ball of meat, held it in my hand, and readied it. Side by side, we walked toward the trunk again. We stopped, waiting for the right time. In the hollowness of the attic, we heard Nanuk’s ghost begin his low growl. His enormous paw prints formed in the dust on the floor. Each one moved slowly, closer to us. This was it: the final showdown. Drops of Nanuk’s saliva fell next to the enormous paw prints. His growling turned into raging barking. Before our eyes, Nanuk’s ghost appeared again. His curled lips revealed his saliva-drenched teeth.
A Ghost in the Attic Page 8