Ghost House Revenge by Clare McNally Page A

have nightmares.”
    “I don’t know.” Melanie sighed. “It seems the woman was trying to give us a warning.
     She even said: ‘It’s happening again.’ ”
    “You’re the one who always insists it’s happening again,” Gary said. “You just put
     those words in another woman’s mouth. Your dreams simply state what’s on your mind.”
    “Okay,” Melanie said. “Then what does the kitchen symbolize?”
    Gary waved his hands. “I don’t know. Oh, God, Melanie! Don’t start talking about evil
     doings in this house. Your dreams are simply the result of too much emotional stress.
     They aren’t a warning of anything—except, maybe, that you need to get your mind off
     of all this.”
    “There’s nothing wrong with my mind,” Melanie said darkly.
    “Melanie, look,” Gary said, losing patience, “Sarah Kaufman died of a heart attack,
     that’s all! People die in houses all the time.”
    “They seem to die more often in this house, don’t they?” With that, Melanie turned
     abruptly and went to her studio.
    What was wrong with him? Melanie pondered as she daubed paint on her canvas. Why couldn’t
     he, just for once, give her the benefit of the doubt? Sarah
must
have seen something! It had started this way the last time, so subtly, the old lady
     next door dying on the hill between their houses.
    But this time
, Melanie vowed,
I’ll be ready for it
.
    As she worked on her painting and occasionally stopped to look out of the studio windows,
     the beautiful sunny day gradually overcame her fears and worries. When she saw the
     school bus pull up, she was no longer in a dour mood. She watched the children climb
     the hill, racing each other. Kyle was first to reach the steps, Alicen last. Just
     a few minutes later, Kyle burst into her room.
    “Hi, mom!”
    “Hi,” Melanie said, laughing. “How’d you get up here so fast?”
    “I ran all the way,” Kyle panted. His fair skin was flushed red. “I told Gina I could
     beat her upstairs.”
    Gina entered the room a moment later, panting, too. Alicen, who had obviously given
     up, came in after her, breathing normally.
    “You win, Kyle,” Gina said. She fished in her pocket and produced a quarter for her
     victorious brother.
    “My kid’s a gambler?” Melanie asked.
    “I didn’t think he could do it,” Gina admitted.
    Now Kyle climbed onto one of the stools in the room, his book bag on his lap. From
     it he produced a box made from ice cream sticks, painted bright yellow. He held it
     out to his mother.
    “Look what I made,” he said proudly. “My teacher said it was the best one in the class.”
    “Well, good for you, Kyle,” Melanie said. “It’s very nice.”
    “I’m going to give it to dad,” Kyle said. ‘To put in his office.”
    “You should give it to mom,” Gina said. “Mother’s Day is coming up soon.”
    She turned to Alicen and without thinking said, “What are you going to give your mother
     for—”
    She cut herself off, her eyes opening wide. Looking at her mother for help, she began
     to blush. Then she turned back to Alicen and said, “Gosh, I’m sorry! I wasn’t thinking,
     and—”
    “It’s okay,” Alicen said, though she felt a pain deep inside. “It’s okay.”
    Melanie, seeing how uncomfortable both girls were, quickly changed the subject. “Say,
     when is that class trip of yours?”
    “It’s tomorrow,” Gina said.
    “Already? Well, you’ll have a great time.”
    “I can’t wait to go,” Gina said. ‘I’ve never been to a planetarium.”
    “You know,” Melanie said, “I think there might be some books on the planets in our
     library. Why don’t you go see?”
    Gina pulled Alicen out of the room. “Let’s go look, okay?”
    Melanie laughed. With kids like that, how could she ever have sad thoughts?
    Alicen had tried to pay attention when Gina read off the statistics of Jupiter and
     Saturn. She had tried to listen to the conversation at dinner and to laugh at a joke
     Kyle told.