by Ray O'Ryan
That’s when Zack remembered the scary vivi-vid he’d watched with his family.
“Maybe the ghost has to tell me something,” said Zack. “In a vivi-vid I just saw, a ghost wanted some bad guys to leave the house he loved. After they left, the ghost stopped haunting the place.”
“Makes sense to me,” said Bert.
“Thanks, Bert!” said Zack. “I think we’ve figured it out: The best way to get rid of a ghost is to give it what it wants. Now all I have to do is figure out what that is!”
Chapter 7
Drake's Answer
The next day at school, Zack was distracted. He kept trying to figure out what the ghost wanted from him. He came up with nothing.
“Zack?” asked a voice that sounded very far away.
Oh no! Zack thought. Could the ghost be calling my name?
“Zack?” the voice said again.
Zack quickly realized that the voice belonged to his teacher, Ms. Rudolph. She was trying to ask him a question.
“Yes, Ms. Rudolph?” Zack said, embarrassed that he hadn’t been paying attention.
“Can you please tell the class which of Nebulon’s three moons was explored first?” Ms. Rudolph asked.
“Tratell,” replied Zack.
“Correct,” Ms. Rudolph said, “and I’d like it if you would pay more attention in class.”
“Yes, Ms. Rudolph,” said Zack. His face was bright red.
After school, Zack hopped on his bike and headed for home. He was glad he had decided to ride to school that day. It gave him time to think. As he pedaled, he thought about what he’d be doing if he were celebrating Halloween back on Earth.
I’d be dressing up in a cool costume. I’d go trick-or-treating with Bert and get tons of candy. And the only ghosts I’d have to worry about would be Bert’s sisters in their costumes!
Zack stopped his bike.
That does it! he thought. I have to talk to Drake about this ghost stuff. I can’t think of anything else, and it’s starting to mess me up at school!
He quickly turned around and headed for Drake’s. A short time later, he hopped off his bike and stepped up to Drake’s front door.
“Good afternoon, Master Zack,” said the Ira at Drake’s house. “I’ll let Master Drake know you’re here.”
“Thanks, Ira,” said Zack.
A few seconds later, Drake opened the front door.
“Hi, Zack,” he said. “I did not expect you.”
“I know,” said Zack. “Listen, I’m sorry I said that ghosts aren’t real. I didn’t mean to make fun of you for believing in them. In fact, now I think you are right. Not only do I believe in ghosts, but I think I’m actually being haunted by one.”
“Really?” said Drake. “Tell me what happened.”
Drake stepped outside. The two friends sat down on a force-bench on Drake’s porch. The glowing blue bench was created by an energy field. When Zack sat on the bench, he felt as if he were floating on a cloud.
“First, I lost every game I played at the Starcade,” Zack explained, “but not because I wasn’t playing well. The ghost stepped on the wrong pedal in Zoom-ber! Then the ghost messed up my aim in Asteroid Blast.”
Drake just nodded and listened.
“Then, at school, my locker door slammed shut by itself. When I was playing pulse-ball, the ghost knocked away a perfect pass from Seth. And my hyperphone floated out of my backpack.”
“Hmm . . . ,” Drake said.
“So here’s what I think: The ghost wants something from me. If I can just figure out what it wants and make it happy, then it will leave me alone.”
Drake smiled and laughed softly.
“You are right, Zack,” he said. “The ghost does want something from you. And I know exactly what it is.”
Chapter 8
A Ghostly Explanation
Zack was stunned.
“How on Nebulon do you know what the ghost wants?” Zack asked. “And what does it want? Halloween candy? My hyperphone? To win a few games?”
“No, Zack,” said Drake. “I think the ghost just wants you to believe him when he tells you something.”
Zack shook his head. “What do you mean?” he asked.
Drake reached into his back pocket. He pulled out what looked like a small black stick.
“Zack, I am the one that has been haunting you!” said Drake.
Drake pressed a button on the black stick. He pointed it at a large rock. When Drake moved the stick up, the rock rose into the air. When he moved the stick to the right, the rock moved to the right.
“This is an auto-matter mover,” Drake explained. “If I push this button and aim it at something, I can move any object.”
“That’s why I couldn’t win at the Starcade!” said Zack.
“Yes,” said Drake. “I was hiding at the Starcade and at school. I used the auto-matter mover to move the game controls. I also made the locker slam and the ball move and your hyperphone float too.”
“That is amazing!” said Zack.
“I hope you are not mad at me for fooling you like that, Zack,” said Drake. “I was upset that you did not believe me when I said that ghosts are real.”
“I’m not mad,” said Zack. “I just can’t believe that you were able to fool me like that!”
Drake smiled and turned off his auto-matter mover.
“So, wait a minute,” Zack said suddenly. “You were pretending to be the ghost. And you were using that device to trick me. That means ghosts aren’t real, and I was right all along!”
“Well, no, not exactly,” said Drake. “When you described ghosts to me the other night, I told you that I knew someone who could do all those things, remember?”
“Yeah, I guess I remember,” said Zack. “But—”
“Well, I am trying to get my parents to take us to visit this ‘ghost’ next Saturday,” said Drake. “He is actually my friend Hector who lives on the planet Spektor.”
“Oh, so he’s an alien—an alien who looks like a ghost! Why didn’t you say so? And Saturday is Halloween,” said Zack. “It’s perfect! I’ll check with my parents to see if I can go.”
Chapter 9
Permission Granted!
As soon as Zack got home, he asked his parents if he could go to Spektor with Drake.
“Are Drake’s parents going?” asked Mom.
“Yup,” replied Zack. “In fact, Drake’s parents and Hector’s parents are old friends. They’re looking forward to the visit as much as we are.”
“I’ve never been to Spektor,” said Dad, pulling out a galactic map. “But I hear it’s a strange-looking planet. Could be perfect for Halloween.”
“Okay,” said Mom. “But I’d still like you to have your hyperphone on the whole time, okay?”
“Sure! Thanks, Mom!”
Zack had to tell Bert. He hurried to his room and punched Bert’s galactic code into his hyperphone. This time, Bert’s familiar face appeared on Zack’s screen.
“More ghosts?” asked Bert, smiling.
“Nah,” said Zack. “I know they’re not real.”
“Then who messed up your Starcade games and the pulse-ball pass?” Bert asked.
“It was Drake!” Zack explained. “He was using an auto-matter mover. He was just upset that I didn’t believe him when he said he knew a ghost. Turns out that what he thought was a ghost is really his friend Hector, an alien from the planet Spektor.”
“So, Hector looks like a ghost?” asked Bert.
“Exactly!” said Zack. “And, best of all, Drake and I are going to visit Hector on Halloween!”
“Be sure to z-mail me vids of you guys with Hector!” said Bert.
“And you have to send me vids of you trick-or-treating as a Nebulite!” Zack said.
When the hyperphone call ended, Zack started packing for his trip. A few seconds later, his hyperphone buzzed. Drake was calling.
“Did your parents say you can go?” Drake asked.
“Permission grant
ed!” said Zack.
“Yippee wah-wah! And I just spoke with Hector. He cannot wait to meet you.”
This is turning out to be a great Halloween! thought Zack.
Chapter 10
Hector, from Spektor
Halloween finally arrived. Zack, Drake, and Drake’s parents boarded the shuttle from Nebulon to Spektor.
“I cannot wait for you to meet Hector and see his planet,” said Drake.
“Me too!” said Zack.
“You know, I used to work with Hector’s mom, Zack,” said Mrs. Taylor, Drake’s mother. “I cannot tell you how many times she scared me when she popped out of nowhere.”
“They can really do that?” asked Zack in awe.
After a short trip, the shuttle dropped out of ultra-speed. Zack looked out the window and saw a planet below. Gray clouds swirled above the planet’s surface.
“Looks kinda gloomy,” said Zack.
“Perfect for Halloween, right?” said Drake.
The shuttle landed at the spaceport. Zack and Drake walked into the terminal. Zack’s eyes opened wide at what he saw.
The people on Spektor really did look like ghosts! They shimmered with a light-blue glow. They floated just above the ground as they moved around the terminal. And Zack could see right through them!
“There are Hector and his parents!” shouted Drake.
Zack, Drake, and Mr. and Mrs. Taylor walked over to three glowing figures.
“How lovely to see you again, Adora!” said Hector’s mother. She hugged Drake’s mom. Zack could see Mrs. Taylor’s body right through her transparent arms.
“Well, you must be Drake’s new friend Zack,” said the glowing figure floating next to Hector’s mom. “I’m Ramek, Hector’s dad.”
“Nice to meet you, sir,” said Zack. He glanced down and tried to spot Ramek’s feet. He had none. He hovered above the ground.
“And this,“ Drake said, pointing toward the smallest of the three glowing figures, “is my friend. The one and ghostly, Hector!”
Zack lifted his hand in front of his face and started to move it in a small circle. This was the way Nebulites said hello. But when Zack looked over, Hector was gone. He had simply vanished into thin air.
Suddenly, Zack felt someone tap him on the back. He jumped in surprise, then turned around. There was no one standing behind him.
Zack turned back around. There was Hector, standing next to his parents.
“Boo!” shouted Hector.
“Now, Hector, you know it’s impolite to tease people,” said Hector’s mom.
“How did you do that?” Zack asked. Thanks to Mrs. Taylor’s warning, he wasn’t scared. Though he was impressed.
“You mean this?” asked Hector.
Hector disappeared right in front of Zack’s eyes. Once again, Zack felt a tap on his back. He turned around and saw nothing. Then Hector slowly appeared.
“Hector!” scolded his father. “What did your mother just say?”
“Sorry. Drake told me about Halloween ghosts, so I watched some old scary movies from Earth,” Hector explained. “I think I’d make a great ghost!”
Zack laughed, and Hector’s dad rolled his glowing green eyes. “Now who wants a tour of Spektor?” he asked.
“Me!” said Zack.
The whole group set out for a tour of Spektor. As they walked from the spaceport, Zack saw that the entire planet looked gray. Fog swirled through the air. Everywhere Zack looked, shimmering figures floated along the sidewalks.
“I couldn’t think of a better place to spend Halloween,” Zack said, smiling.
Drake smiled too.
“And I’m sorry again that I didn’t believe you, Drake,” Zack said.
“Do not worry,” said Drake. “It is time to have the best Halloween ever!”
CHECK OUT THE NEXT
ADVENTURE!
HERE'S A SNEAK PEEK!
It was family game night at the Nelson house. Zack and Drake were one team. Charlotte and Cathy were another. And their parents were the third team.
Zack pinned his arms at his sides. He began to jump up and down.
“Jump!” guessed Drake.
Zack shook his head.
“Bounce!” Drake shouted.
Zack stopped jumping and cupped his hand behind his ear.
“Sounds like bounce?”
Next, Zack held his hands together over his head.
“Circle?” guessed Drake. “Zero? . . . The letter O?”
Zack touched his nose, the sign that Drake was correct.
“Bounce-O-what?”
Zack pretended he had a shovel in his hands and was digging in the ground. Then he pretended to throw something into the imaginary hole.
“Bury!” shouted Drake.
Again, Zack touched his nose.
“Bounce-O-Bury,” Drake said. He thought for moment. “Boingoberry!”
“That’s it!” yelled Zack. He gave Drake a high five.
Boingoberries grew all over Venus. They were used to make Zack’s favorite shake and syrup.
Drake looked at the timer hologram. “One minute and thirty seconds,” he announced. “Pretty good.”
“Okay, girls. Your turn,” Zack said.
The girls stood up. They both had flaming red hair. Charlotte kept hers in a ponytail. She also wore a scarf around her neck. Cathy wore her hair in two braided pigtails. This was the only way most people could tell them apart.
“Ready, set, go!” Zack shouted.
Charlotte stuck her left hand out. She then pretended to strum a guitar with her right hand.
“TBD!” Cathy shouted.
“That’s it!” Charlotte said. She glanced up at the timer. “Five seconds! A new record!”
Zack jumped up. “TBD? That’s not even a word!”
“Shows what you know. TBD is . . .”
“. . . our favorite band. It stands for . . .”
“. . . Twin Boys Dancing!”
“I have heard of TBD,” said Drake. “In fact, I read that they are playing a concert on their home planet, Mirer.
The girls ran over to their parents.
“Can we . . .”
“. . . go . . .”
“. . . please?”
“Well,” said Mrs. Nelson, “I guess that would be okay.”
“Yay!” the girls screeched.
Mr. Nelson scratched his head. “But what about our turn?”
RAY O’RYAN has loved space stories ever since he watched the very first episode of Star Trek. He loves to imagine what traveling across the galaxy might be like, and is a bit jealous of Galaxy Zack in this regard. Ray lives in the beautiful Catskill Mountains of upstate New York with his wife and two lovable, zany cats named Stitch and The Way.
JASON KRAFT grew up with a passion for drawing. He has developed that passion into a humble career that has allowed him to work in all facets of the entertainment field all over the globe—from toy design to feature animation. He has now settled in Ottawa, Ontario, with his wife, Christina.
GalaxyZackBooks.com
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authors.simonandschuster.com/Jason-Kraft
Little Simon
Simon & Schuster
New York
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.
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First Little Simon hardcover edition July 2015
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Copyright © 2015 by Simon & Schuster, Inc.
Also available in a Little Simon paperback edition.
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Designed by Nick Sciacca
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
O’Ryan, Ray.
A haunted Halloween / by Ray O’Ryan ; illustrated by Jason Kraft. — First edition.
pages cm. — (Galaxy Zack ; #11)
Summary: Although Halloween is not celebrated on the planet Nebulon, Zack, a boy from Earth, discovers that ghosts may be real.
ISBN 978-1-4814-3490-4 (pbk : alk. paper) — ISBN 978-1-4814-3491-1 (hc : alk. paper) — ISBN 978-1-4814-3492-8 (eBook) [1. Science fiction. 2. Halloween—Fiction. 3. Ghosts—Fiction. 4. Human-alien encounters—Fiction.] I. Kraft, Jason, illustrator. II. Title.
PZ7.O7843Hau 2015
[Fic]—dc23
2014026721