Itchy followedclose behind, Itchy’s front tire rubbing dangerously against Squeak’s rear tire.
“You’re going to make me crash,” Squeak hissed over his shoulder.
“Sorry,” Itchy apologized, applying the brakes.
As they reached the abandoned mill, Boney dismounted and guided his bike carefully through the opening in the stone foundation. Squeak did the same. Itchy stood at the entrance peering cautiously into the ruins.
“Come on,” Boney rasped.
Itchy followed reluctantly, yanking his mom’s bike across the rocks. The bike clattered over the stones, eliciting dirty looks from Boney and Squeak.
“Sorry,” Itchy apologized again.
The boys leaned their bikes against the stone wall. Itchy moved to engage his kickstand, but Boney stopped him.
“You might not want to do that.”
“Why not?”
“We might need to make a quick getaway.”
The boys peered nervously through the dark night air. Boney stepped forward, his sneakers grinding loudly over the gravel. Itchy and Squeak watched from the safety of the stone wall.
“Is there a reason why we have to test the Apparator in the dark?” Itchy asked. “Don’t ghosts come out during the day, too?”
“All reported sightings of the ghost have been at night,” Squeak informed him. “It only makes sense that we come in the dark if we hope to get an accurate reading.”
“That’s what I was afraid of,” Itchy grumbled, pulling a Big Turk bar from his back pocket and ripping open the wrapper.
“How can you eat at a time like this?” Squeak asked.
Boney grimaced. “How can you eat that at all? Big Turks don’t even qualify as chocolate.”
Itchy took a large bite from the bar. “It helps me relax.”
Boney walked across the ruins to the firepit. “Hey, guys, over here. This is where I was standing when I saw the ghost. The glasses should be here somewhere.” He searched the ground, kicking through the dirt with his sneakers. “They were here before, I swear.”
“Don’t touch anything,” Squeak advised as he pulled the ghost detector from his messenger bag. “We don’t want to disrupt the ectoplasmic energy.”
“Definitely not,” Itchy said, opening another chocolate bar and taking a bite. He looked warily around the ruins, chewing quickly.
Squeak held the detector in the air. “I feel we should say a few words before we run the test. You know, kind of like what the Queen does at a ship christening ceremony.”
“Fine,” Boney agreed.
Squeak cleared his throat. He assumed an official air, speaking in a lower voice, the kind an important scientist might have. “After many days of effort, we are finally standing here, three scientists, dedicated to unearthing the truth behind nature’s mysteries, dedicated to a study of the intricate fabric of this world’s subtle complexities, dedicated to—”
“Can we get on with it?” Itchy snapped through chocolate-covered teeth.
Squeak turned indignantly toward Itchy. “Some of us take this sort of thing rather seriously.”
“Well, I take my life seriously,” Itchy retorted.
Squeak rolled his eyes and turned to Boney. “Sir, if you’re ready…”
When Boney nodded, Squeak pressed the red switch on the handle of the Apparator with his thumb. There was a click, and a low hum began to emanate from the detector. The tube at the end of the black handle began to pulse green, the light reflecting in the thick lenses of Squeak’s goggles like two luminescent squid.
“How do we know when it’s detected a ghost?” Boney asked.
“The light changes according to the ectoplasmic energy field,” Squeak explained, mesmerized by the humming device. “It evolves from green, which means safe, to yellow, which means caution, to red, which means a ghost is in the area.”
“It’s turning yellow now!” Itchy said, pointing to the glowing tube.
“Cool,” Boney said, watching as the pulsing light grew in intensity.
“It’s turning red!” Itchy wailed. “Let’s get out of
“You’re going to make me crash,” Squeak hissed over his shoulder.
“Sorry,” Itchy apologized, applying the brakes.
As they reached the abandoned mill, Boney dismounted and guided his bike carefully through the opening in the stone foundation. Squeak did the same. Itchy stood at the entrance peering cautiously into the ruins.
“Come on,” Boney rasped.
Itchy followed reluctantly, yanking his mom’s bike across the rocks. The bike clattered over the stones, eliciting dirty looks from Boney and Squeak.
“Sorry,” Itchy apologized again.
The boys leaned their bikes against the stone wall. Itchy moved to engage his kickstand, but Boney stopped him.
“You might not want to do that.”
“Why not?”
“We might need to make a quick getaway.”
The boys peered nervously through the dark night air. Boney stepped forward, his sneakers grinding loudly over the gravel. Itchy and Squeak watched from the safety of the stone wall.
“Is there a reason why we have to test the Apparator in the dark?” Itchy asked. “Don’t ghosts come out during the day, too?”
“All reported sightings of the ghost have been at night,” Squeak informed him. “It only makes sense that we come in the dark if we hope to get an accurate reading.”
“That’s what I was afraid of,” Itchy grumbled, pulling a Big Turk bar from his back pocket and ripping open the wrapper.
“How can you eat at a time like this?” Squeak asked.
Boney grimaced. “How can you eat that at all? Big Turks don’t even qualify as chocolate.”
Itchy took a large bite from the bar. “It helps me relax.”
Boney walked across the ruins to the firepit. “Hey, guys, over here. This is where I was standing when I saw the ghost. The glasses should be here somewhere.” He searched the ground, kicking through the dirt with his sneakers. “They were here before, I swear.”
“Don’t touch anything,” Squeak advised as he pulled the ghost detector from his messenger bag. “We don’t want to disrupt the ectoplasmic energy.”
“Definitely not,” Itchy said, opening another chocolate bar and taking a bite. He looked warily around the ruins, chewing quickly.
Squeak held the detector in the air. “I feel we should say a few words before we run the test. You know, kind of like what the Queen does at a ship christening ceremony.”
“Fine,” Boney agreed.
Squeak cleared his throat. He assumed an official air, speaking in a lower voice, the kind an important scientist might have. “After many days of effort, we are finally standing here, three scientists, dedicated to unearthing the truth behind nature’s mysteries, dedicated to a study of the intricate fabric of this world’s subtle complexities, dedicated to—”
“Can we get on with it?” Itchy snapped through chocolate-covered teeth.
Squeak turned indignantly toward Itchy. “Some of us take this sort of thing rather seriously.”
“Well, I take my life seriously,” Itchy retorted.
Squeak rolled his eyes and turned to Boney. “Sir, if you’re ready…”
When Boney nodded, Squeak pressed the red switch on the handle of the Apparator with his thumb. There was a click, and a low hum began to emanate from the detector. The tube at the end of the black handle began to pulse green, the light reflecting in the thick lenses of Squeak’s goggles like two luminescent squid.
“How do we know when it’s detected a ghost?” Boney asked.
“The light changes according to the ectoplasmic energy field,” Squeak explained, mesmerized by the humming device. “It evolves from green, which means safe, to yellow, which means caution, to red, which means a ghost is in the area.”
“It’s turning yellow now!” Itchy said, pointing to the glowing tube.
“Cool,” Boney said, watching as the pulsing light grew in intensity.
“It’s turning red!” Itchy wailed. “Let’s get out of
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