“Yes! That’s it!” said Precious.
“Coco heard that same voice last night,” I said.
“And I thought it was just her tummy talking,” said Shadow.
“Well, we should be safe now,” said Precious. “I think I scared it away with all my howling. My ancestors were prized guard dogs, you know.”
“Maybe we should all stick together tonight,” I suggested.
“There is safety in numbers,” said Shadow.
Shadow and I jumped up onto the sofa and snuggled close to Precious.
Precious sighed happily. “This is like a slumber party,” she said. “Jane never lets me have slumber parties.”
Everything was again calm and quiet.
I reminded myself that ghosts were only in stories and games. I could finally get some sleep.
CHAPTER
12
Except I couldn’t sleep. I thought I heard something.
Skitter. Skitter.
Patter. Patter.
I looked over at Shadow, but she was snoring softly. She was probably exhausted from her ghostly encounter outside earlier in the day.
Precious was also sound asleep, and I didn’t want to wake her. She had a big show tomorrow.
This sound was probably nothing to worry about. Like Dad had said, this old house can make a lot of strange noises. It was just something going bump in the night.
Bump!
Skitter. Skitter.
Wait. There it was again. It was faint. I listened carefully.
Then I heard a tiny voice whisper, “I’m sure that door is here somewhere.”
“Shhh,” hushed another voice. “We don’t want to wake them.”
I blinked my eyes to adjust them to the darkness.
I could see two little figures along the baseboard. They dragged tiny overstuffed sacks behind them.
Was it Fuzzy and Furry? What were they doing up at this hour?
“Hey, guys,” I whispered. “Wait.”
But they had already disappeared down into the basement.
I quietly slipped off the sofa. Luckily, the basement door was still open a crack. I nudged it with my nose.
Halfway down the stairs a cobweb brushed against my whiskers. I froze in my tracks. The basement felt even scarier than the attic.
“This must be it,” whispered the first voice.
That didn’t sound like Fuzzy.
“Are you sure it’s safe to stay here?” asked the other voice.
And that was definitely not Furry.
“The gerbils said we could make ourselves at home in the Komodo dragon habitat.”
“Dragon?” said a third, even tinier voice.
“It’s just the name of a lizard. It hasn’t lived here in months,” said the first voice.
Now I could see. It wasn’t Fuzzy and Furry at all. It was a family of mice.
They dragged their sacks to the far corner, leaving a trail of dropped items across the floor. I spotted a Kitty Krisp, some bits of shredded paper, and a pink feather.
The littlest mouse clung tightly to a stuffed animal in the shape of . . . Mousey-Mouse?
Aha!
Our things hadn’t disappeared. They’d been taken by a family of field mice!
The littlest mouse hugged Mousey-Mouse even tighter. “I’m still scared,” she squeaked.
“It will be safer indoors,” said the father mouse.
“We’re out of the meadow,” said the mother mouse, “and away from that phantom in the sky.”
A phantom?
In the sky?
I raced back up the stairs.
It was time to wake Shadow and Precious.
CHAPTER
13
But the phantom beat me to it.
The moment I reached the Welcome Area, a dark shadow swooped past the window.
Then it let out its eerie cry: “Who cooks for you? Who cooks for you?”
Shadow and Precious sprang upright.
“That’s the voice I was telling you about!” said Precious. “Don’t worry. I’m on it.” She leaped off the sofa and hurried over to the window.
Ah-o-o-o — she started to howl.
“Wait, Precious,” I said quickly. “You’ll wake up Mom and Dad. And this time they’ll bring you back upstairs.”
“I wouldn’t want that,” said Precious. “I need to stay here and protect you.”
Creak! Creak!
I looked over to the stairs. Was it Mom and Dad already? No, it was only Dash and Leopold cautiously making their way down.
“What a relief. It’s only you guys,” said Dash.
“You gave us quite a fright,” added Leopold.
Creak! Creak!
This time it was a sleepy Coco.
“That voice woke me up again,” she moaned. “And now I’m hungry.” Coco sniffed around the floor a bit. “Oh, look,” she said, “a Doggie Donut! And here’s a piece of yarn.”
“That’s mine!” said Shadow.
“And here’s a pink feather,” said Dash. “Where did these things come from?”
“I think I can explain,” I said.
I told everyone about the family of field mice that had just moved into the basement.
“From the looks of it, they had their whole house on their backs,” I added.
“And a few things from our house too,” huffed Shadow.
“I’m sure they didn’t mean any harm,” said Coco.
“Well, I still want my treasures back,” said Shadow. “Where are those rodents now?”
Fuzzy and Furry popped out of the heating vent.
“You called?” they asked.
“Not you two!” said Shadow. “The other rodents. The mice who took our stuff.”
“You mean our clients?” said Fuzzy. “We’re helping them find a new home.”
“We’re expert house hunters,” added Furry.
“But the basement is so gloomy,” I said.
“Oh, the basement is only temporary,” said Fuzzy.
“Until we can find them more suitable accommodations,” added Furry.
“But why would they leave their old home?” asked Coco.
As if on cue, the ghostly shadow swooped past the window.
“Who cooks for you? Who cooks for you?”
CHAPTER
14
“It’s the ghost of Animal Inn!” I cried.
“Don’t get yourself too worked up,” said Precious. “It’s time we solved this mystery once and for all.”
“How?” I asked.
“By going outside,” she said.
“But I’m an indoor cat,” I said.
“I’m with you, Little Brother,” said Shadow. “Last time I went outside, I couldn’t wait to get back inside.”
“And I’m too hungry to go outside,” said Coco, plopping down onto the floor.
“We can’t go anyway,” said Dash. “The front door is shut for the night.”
“Oh, that’s not a problem,” said Precious.
She hurried over to the door. And just like before, she placed her front paws on the knob and nimbly turned it.
Click. The door sprang open.
“Wow,” said Dash.
“Precious is a dog of many talents,” said Leopold.
“C’mon, everybody!” said Precious. “This is so exciting!”
And without missing a beat, she marched right out into the night.
“Precious!” I called after her. I couldn’t let her go alone.
It took all my courage, but I jumped off the sofa and scampered after my new friend.
“Whiskers!” Shadow called. She ran to catch up with me.
I turned to see Dash and Coco rounding out our group, with Leopold perched on Dash’s back.
The night was eerily silent.
Step by careful step, we crept along the front walk. Precious led the way, bravely shielding her Animal Inn flock.
Then we heard it again.
“Who cooks for you?
Who cooks for you?”
The voice was even louder and scarier.
I looked up. A shadow swooped overhead.
“Can we go back inside now?” I whispered.
“Yeah,” said Shadow. “This is really creeping me out.”
“Probably a wise idea,” said Dash.
“Agreed,” said Leopold.
“And I’m still hungry,” said Coco.
“Fiddlesticks,” said Precious. “Jane never lets me play outside after dark.”
We quickly turned to head back inside. But before taking even one step, we stopped in our tracks.
A billowy figure loomed above us. A pair of big round eyes glowed brightly in the darkness.
“The ghost of Animal Inn!” I screeched.
But even the ghost seemed startled.
“A ghost?” it asked in alarm. “Where?” Its head spun in almost a complete circle.
“Here,” Shadow said. “You’re the ghost.”
“Me? A ghost?” it said. “I think there’s been a mistake. I’m not a ghost. I’m Bartholomew.”
Bartholomew inched over to a sliver of moonlight.
He was brown and white and covered in feathers. He had a small yellow beak. He stretched his wings wide and then settled them back at his sides.
“I knew that call sounded familiar,” said Leopold. “‘Who cooks for you?’ is the call of the barred owl.”
Bartholomew nodded. “And perhaps you could help me,” he said. “I was supposed to be at my brother’s two days ago, but I seem to be flying in circles. I’m just terrible with directions.”
“You mustn’t get yourself too worked up,” said Precious.
“We’d be happy to help,” said Dash.
“Welcome to Animal Inn,” I said.
“Thank you,” said Bartholomew. “You are all very kind. I’m trying to reach Pine Valley.”
“Oh, I know Pine Valley,” said Shadow. “I took the school bus there once. It’s due north of here. You make a left at the second pond. That’s the tricky part.”
“Oh, the second pond,” said Bartholomew. “That’s where I’ve gone wrong. Thank you. Well, I really must be going.”
“So soon?” said Precious. “Why don’t you stay a little longer? We’re having a slumber party.”
“I do love slumber parties,” said Bartholomew. “Especially since I’m nocturnal. It’s fun when everybody else stays up late too. But maybe next time.”
Then he spread his wings and flew off into the night.
“Who cooks for you? Who cooks for you?”
“Now that was exciting!” said Precious. “Jane never lets me meet barred owls in the middle of the night.”
“But we never gave Bartholomew the answer,” said Coco.
“What answer?” I asked.
“Mom and Dad, silly,” said Coco. “They’re the ones who cook for us.”
EPILOGUE
I learned a lot of important lessons from our ghostly adventure:
1. Animal Inn makes a surprising number of spooky sounds.
2. Despite what Coco’s tummy might tell you, “Who cooks for you?” is the call of the barred owl.
3. Ghosts are only in games and stories.
4. Making a new friend is . . . Precious.
The next morning sunlight filled the Welcome Area.
Everything was calm and quiet.
I opened my eyes and stretched.
Leopold was perched on the arm of the sofa, still dozing. Dash, Coco, Precious, and Shadow lay in a sleepy jumble all around me.
“Look how cute,” Cassie whispered from the stairs.
“They’re all cuddled up together,” said Ethan.
“It’s a real slumber party,” said Jake.
“How did they end up down here?” asked Mom.
“I was sure Precious was with me the whole night,” said Cousin Jane.
“Well, not the whole night,” said Dad.
“Oh, look!” said Cassie. She bent down and picked something up off the floor. “Here’s Shadow’s bell.”
“That’s been missing for ages,” said Jake.
Cassie gave the bell a little shake. “And it still works. Now we’ll always know where she is.”
Shadow opened one eye. “Drat,” she whispered.
“Precious,” Cousin Jane said quietly. “Time to wake up, sweetie. It’s show day. And look who I found.” She held out a toy. “Can you believe Squishy Squirrelly was in the bag the whole time?”
Precious snuggled close to me. “I’m going to miss you, my little cat friend,” she whispered.
“Oh, Precious,” I said with a smile. “Don’t get yourself too worked up.”
After Cousin Jane and Precious packed up and left. Mom and Dad headed into the office. The kids went to feed the guests on the third floor.
I settled back into my spot on the sofa.
Leopold flew to his perch.
Dash sat nearby.
Shadow scampered behind the sofa, ready to sneak outside.
And Coco plopped down smack in the middle of the floor.
Everything was back to normal. Well, not quite.
I heard Ethan holler from upstairs. “I didn’t do it!”
“Then who checked them in?” Jake shouted back.
“Wait. Is that Mousey-Mouse in the habitat?” asked Cassie.
“Mom! Dad!” Jake yelled. “Who checked a family of field mice into the Rodent Room?”
“It wasn’t me,” Mom called from the office.
“Me either,” said Dad.
I knew just who it was, and it wasn’t a ghost.
But it did start with the letter G.
About the Author
PAUL DUBOIS JACOBS & JENNIFER SWENDER are a husband-and-wife writing team and authors of many books for children, including Count on the Subway, My Subway Ride, My Taxi Ride, and Fire Drill. Paul has also cowritten four books with musician Pete Seeger, including Abiyoyo Returns and The Deaf Musicians, winner of the ALA’s Schneider Family Book Award. Paul and Jennifer have appeared at Lincoln Center, the Children’s Museum of Manhattan, the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, and the Virginia Festival of the Book, as well as countless schools, libraries, and museums. They live in Massachusetts. Visit Paul and Jennifer at jacobsandswender.com.
ALADDIN
Simon & Schuster, New York
Visit us at simonandschuster.com/kids
Authors.SimonandSchuster.com/Paul-DuBois
Authors.SimonandSchuster.com/Jennifer-Swender
Read more Animal Inn books!
BOOK 1 : A Furry Fiasco
BOOK 2: Treasure Hunt
BOOK 3: The Bow-wow Bus
BOOK 4: Bright Lights, Big Kitty!
This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
ALADDIN
An imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Division
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www.SimonandSchuster.com
First Aladdin paperback edition May 2018
Text copyright © 2018 by Simon & Schuster, Inc.
Illustrations copyright © 2018 by Stephanie Laberis
Also available in an Aladdin hardcover edition.
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ALADDIN and related logo are registered trademarks of Simon & Schuster, Inc.
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Series designed by Jessica Handelman
Interior designed by Greg Stadnyk
Cover illustrations copyright © 2018 by Stephanie Laberis
The illustrations for this book were rendered digitally.
Library of Congress Control Number 2018931974
ISBN 978-1-4814-9963-7 (hc)
ISBN 978-1-4814-9962-0 (pbk)
ISBN 978-1-4814-9964-4 (eBook)
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