Christina's Ghost by Betty Ren Wright Page B

and the car. “I have it all figured out, Ralph,” she said. “I have only one bedroom, but it has twin beds. Jennifer can stay with me, and you’ll take Christina. We can’t reach Jean and Philip today, but I’ll call their hotel in Anchorage and leave a message about what’s happened.”
    â€œI’ll
take Christina?” Uncle Ralph looked at Aunt Grace as if he couldn’t believe what he’d heard. “Me? Christina can sleep on your couch.”
    â€œIt’s a loveseat. Too short.”
    â€œShe has a sleeping bag with her. She can sleep on the floor.”
    â€œNo!” Two bright red spots flamed on Aunt Grace’s cheeks. Her glasses flashed in the sun. “I can’t cope with
two
children,” she said. “I can’t and I won’t. You have to do your part in this emergency, Ralph. Don’t you dare turn your back on your family in its hour of need.”
    Jenny started to cry, even though she was the onewho was wanted.
    â€œNobody has to take me,” Chris said. “I’ll stay here with Maggie until Grandma comes home.”
    Aunt Grace looked disgusted. “Don’t be silly. You and Uncle Ralph will have a good time together. You can get to know each other real well.”
    â€œHe doesn’t want to get to know me,” Chris said. “And I don’t want to get to know him.” To her horror, she began to cry, too.
    â€œChrissy’s crying,” Jenny marveled through her own tears. “I never saw her cry before. Not ever.”
    The grownups stared. “Tears won’t help,” Aunt Grace said finally. “No need to get upset, Christina.” She glared at Uncle Ralph. “You’ve made the poor girl feel unwanted,” she said. “Poor child.”
    Uncle Ralph looked as if he had a mouthful of vinegar. He opened the car trunk and tossed out Jenny’s brown duffel bag.
    â€œAnything else of yours here?” he asked fiercely.
    Jenny shook her head.
    â€œThen get in the car, Christina.”
    â€œNo!”
    â€œGet in, I said. Now! We have three hours of driving ahead of us.”
    Chris looked at Jenny, the chosen child. She looked at Grandma’s empty house, and at Maggie, who seemed puzzled. Chris felt as if only Maggie understood her.They were both in the way.
    â€œGet
in
, Christina.”
    Chris got in the car. There was nothing else to do.
    She wondered how many times she’d be sick in the next three hours.

2.
The Strange House in the Woods
    â€œUgh!”
    Chris’s eyes flew open. She sat up straight. Beside her, Uncle Ralph clutched the steering wheel and groaned with every bump.
    â€œIt’s okay, baby,” he muttered. Chris realized he was talking to his car. “Hang in there, sport.”
    They were on a narrow, winding road. Trees brushed the car windows, and the headlight beams bounced against a curtain of green.
    â€œAre we nearly there?” Chris asked.
    â€œWe’d better be,” Uncle Ralph snapped. His longish gray hair straggled across his forehead. Even his dark mustache looked flustered.
    The Chevy made another jouncing turn and stopped. They were on a wide stretch of overgrown lawn.
    â€œWell, well,” Uncle Ralph said. “How about that?”
    Chris stared. There was light here, beyond the tree-lined road. Before them was one of the strangest houses she’d ever seen. It had towers and gables, and carved trimmings over every window. The whole house was painted a sickly gray-green. It looked like a moldy wedding cake.
    â€œI thought we were going to a
cottage,”
Chris said, when she could speak. “Maybe a log cabin. On a lake.”
    â€œWell, there’s certainly a lake,” Uncle Ralph said. “Use your eyes, Christina.”
    Sure enough, metal-colored water glinted beyond the house.
    â€œI never said it was a cottage,” Uncle Ralph went on. “My friend inherited this place from