The Barking Ghost

4

I didn't see anything.

Nothing at all. No dogs. Not one.

I squinted into the yard. Empty.

How could they have vanished so quickly?

I stood at the window for a few more seconds, but no dogs appeared.

I shivered. I'll never sleep again, I thought. Not as long as I have to live here.

I crept back to bed. I pulled the covers up to my chin. And counted the green and blue squigglies on the wallpaper by my head.

I guess I finally fell asleep. When I opened my eyes, light streamed in through my window.

Yawning, I glanced at the clock. Six-thirty. I'm usually an early bird. I like to start my day as soon as possible.

I leaped out of bed and checked the yard. It didn't seem half as scary in the morning light.

I smiled when I noticed the jungle gym in the far corner. The last owners of the house built it. It had a slide and really high monkey bars. Yesterday, Dad hung a rope and tire from one of its beams, so now it had a swing, too.

Behind the jungle gym, the woods stretched all around. Woods thick with all different kinds of trees and shrubs and weeds. The woods surrounded our house on three sides. It seemed to go on forever.

I changed quickly, pulling a clean Red Sox T-shirt over my jeans. Grabbing my baseball cap, I flew through the house and ran outside.

A great summer day! Sunny and warm. If I were back home in Boston, I would hop on my bike and ride over to Gary's or Todd's house. Then we would spend the day outdoors, playing softball at the playground. Or just messing around.

But I'm not in Boston anymore. Better get used to that, I told myself.

I hoped some cool kids lived in this neighborhood. When we drove up to our house yesterday, I didn't see any other houses around. I guessed I'd have to spend the next few days alone — until school started next week.

I wandered over to the jungle gym. I swung on the tire swing for a little while. Back and forth. Back and forth. Staring at my bedroom window from the outside. Back and forth. Back and forth. Remembering last night.

Remembering just how brave Super Cooper had been. Yuck!

Back and forth. Back and forth.

Remembering the dogs.

Hey. That's weird, I thought. Those dogs I heard should have left paw prints all over the yard. But I couldn't see a single one.

I hopped off the swing and searched the ground all around the house. No sign of any dogs.

That's funny. I knew there were dogs out here last night.

I glanced up at the edge of the woods. Maybe those dogs were lost, I thought. Maybe they came to the house last night searching for help.

Maybe I should go track them down.

I bit my lower lip. A kid could lose his way — forever — in those woods, I thought nervously.

Well, I'm going in, I decided. Today is the first day of the new me. Super Cooper — for real. I wanted to find those dogs. To prove to myself that I wasn't going crazy.

Who knows? If I find the dogs, maybe Dad will let me keep one, I decided. It might be fun to have a dog.

I'd always wanted a puppy. But Mom said the fur made her sneeze. Maybe she'd change her mind.

I took one long, deep breath. Then I stepped into the woods. I saw some amazing trees. I saw beautiful old birch trees with smooth, white trunks. And I saw sassafras and maple trees. Their trunks were gnarled and thick.

They could be over a hundred years old, I thought. Awesome.

Maybe Dad can build a tree house back here, I told myself excitedly. That would be so cool. Then when Gary and Todd came to visit, we could hang out in it.

I kept my eyes on the ground as I walked, searching for any sign of dogs.

Nothing. No prints. No broken branches.

How weird. I definitely heard dogs last night.

Or maybe I just thought I'd heard those dogs. It was kind of late, and I was pretty sleepy. Maybe it was my imagination.

Or maybe it was Mickey after all.

Maybe he tape-recorded another dog and barked along with it.

He would do something like that.

He's that sneaky.

I really had to pay him back. Something way creepy. Maybe I could do something out here in the woods.

I made my way through the thick trees and tall weeds, the whole time thinking of how to scare Mickey.

I suddenly realized I hadn't been paying attention to where I was going.

I spun around and peered through the thick trunks.

My house! I couldn't see it!

Okay, Cooper, keep cool. You can't be that far away, I told myself.

But my palms began to sweat.

I swallowed hard, then tried to remember which way I'd come.

Definitely the left.

No, wait. Maybe right.

I hung my head and moaned. It's no use, I thought.

I'm lost. Hopelessly lost.