was quiet. No ghosts. We stopped in front of Polly’s house.
“You’re not coming in with me,” I said. “It’s too dangerous. I can’t predict what the Door Jumper will do.”
“But—” Polly began.
“ NO !” I said. “I told you this morning. We’re not risking it.”
“But I want to be there if you find the key. I want to see what’s in the box,” she pleaded. “Come on, Rose!”
“Polly—”
She clutched my arm. “Promise you won’t open it without me, Rose. Promise!”
I tried to shake her off but she held firm.
“Oh, all right,” I said finally. “Let’s meet up in the attic after supper and I’ll let you know if I’ve found the key. Then we can figure out where and when we can open it.”
“Okay, but no peeking!” She flashed me a huge grin and ran into her house.
THE HIDDEN DOOR
Polly
After supper I slipped quietly up to my room. It was the twins’ turn to help with the dishes, so all they could do was give me dirty looks as they cleared the table. I shut my bedroom door carefully, climbed up the ladder to the luggage loft and hoisted myself through the trapdoor into the attic.
I called out for Rose but there was no answer, so I curled up under the blanket and waited. You’d think if she’d found the blasted key she’d have come up right away so we could open the box. But maybe one of her parents had come home, or she had to practice the piano or something.
It was pretty boring sitting there. I flicked the flashlight around but the beam was so weak that I couldn’t see much. Then I got up and started tapping the wall between the two attics. Don’t know why. Except people always tapped walls in books and that’s how they found secret passages.
I didn’t discover anything except that a few spiders had lived there in years gone by. Sticky bits of spiderweb clung to my hand. I took a step back, turning the light up to the very top of the wall near the roof.
That’s when I fell. I think I tripped on something, maybe
The Ghastly Ghost at My Gate
, which I’d forgotten about ever since that first time I heard Rose. I went sprawling and the light swung wildly across the room. I hit the floor with a thump, then I kind of bounced a couple of times. I hurt my head. And my back. And my leg, which twisted underneath me.
The cone of light from the flashlight came to rest, casting a sickly yellow glow into the far corner of the attic. I sat up with a groan, and as I bent to pick up the flashlight, I glanced along the path of light to the corner. The wall was different there. Strips of crisscrossed wood formed an X, framed by a square.
I took the light over to examine it more closely. I ran my fingers over the wood, then pulled.
The square of wall swung towards me. Beyond was darkness.
Rose
Kendrick stood just inside the front hall, glaring at me.
“You’re late, and your supper is ready,” she said with a disapproving sniff, then turned on her heel and disappeared into the kitchen.
My supper was laid out in the dining room, as usual. I picked at the chicken, had a few bites of mashed potatoes and left the peas. I tried a spoonful of chocolate pudding. It was surprisingly good, so I had another spoonful. And another. I was nearly at the bottom of the bowl when I realized what washappening—I was enjoying it! Was Polly’s love affair with food rubbing off on me? I’d never finished a dessert before.
I headed into Father’s study, thinking about the key. The room had a faint odor of damp wool, leather and books that reminded me of him. I sat down on his desk chair and spun slowly around. The books, the dark paintings, the old armchair by the fire all rotated past me. I spun a little faster, making them blur.
Winnifred had been in this very room, with her father. Perhaps she had spun in this chair. Perhaps she had breathed in that very booky smell and missed him too when he was away. I stopped myself by grabbing the desk and the room spun on for a moment or two and
“You’re not coming in with me,” I said. “It’s too dangerous. I can’t predict what the Door Jumper will do.”
“But—” Polly began.
“ NO !” I said. “I told you this morning. We’re not risking it.”
“But I want to be there if you find the key. I want to see what’s in the box,” she pleaded. “Come on, Rose!”
“Polly—”
She clutched my arm. “Promise you won’t open it without me, Rose. Promise!”
I tried to shake her off but she held firm.
“Oh, all right,” I said finally. “Let’s meet up in the attic after supper and I’ll let you know if I’ve found the key. Then we can figure out where and when we can open it.”
“Okay, but no peeking!” She flashed me a huge grin and ran into her house.
THE HIDDEN DOOR
Polly
After supper I slipped quietly up to my room. It was the twins’ turn to help with the dishes, so all they could do was give me dirty looks as they cleared the table. I shut my bedroom door carefully, climbed up the ladder to the luggage loft and hoisted myself through the trapdoor into the attic.
I called out for Rose but there was no answer, so I curled up under the blanket and waited. You’d think if she’d found the blasted key she’d have come up right away so we could open the box. But maybe one of her parents had come home, or she had to practice the piano or something.
It was pretty boring sitting there. I flicked the flashlight around but the beam was so weak that I couldn’t see much. Then I got up and started tapping the wall between the two attics. Don’t know why. Except people always tapped walls in books and that’s how they found secret passages.
I didn’t discover anything except that a few spiders had lived there in years gone by. Sticky bits of spiderweb clung to my hand. I took a step back, turning the light up to the very top of the wall near the roof.
That’s when I fell. I think I tripped on something, maybe
The Ghastly Ghost at My Gate
, which I’d forgotten about ever since that first time I heard Rose. I went sprawling and the light swung wildly across the room. I hit the floor with a thump, then I kind of bounced a couple of times. I hurt my head. And my back. And my leg, which twisted underneath me.
The cone of light from the flashlight came to rest, casting a sickly yellow glow into the far corner of the attic. I sat up with a groan, and as I bent to pick up the flashlight, I glanced along the path of light to the corner. The wall was different there. Strips of crisscrossed wood formed an X, framed by a square.
I took the light over to examine it more closely. I ran my fingers over the wood, then pulled.
The square of wall swung towards me. Beyond was darkness.
Rose
Kendrick stood just inside the front hall, glaring at me.
“You’re late, and your supper is ready,” she said with a disapproving sniff, then turned on her heel and disappeared into the kitchen.
My supper was laid out in the dining room, as usual. I picked at the chicken, had a few bites of mashed potatoes and left the peas. I tried a spoonful of chocolate pudding. It was surprisingly good, so I had another spoonful. And another. I was nearly at the bottom of the bowl when I realized what washappening—I was enjoying it! Was Polly’s love affair with food rubbing off on me? I’d never finished a dessert before.
I headed into Father’s study, thinking about the key. The room had a faint odor of damp wool, leather and books that reminded me of him. I sat down on his desk chair and spun slowly around. The books, the dark paintings, the old armchair by the fire all rotated past me. I spun a little faster, making them blur.
Winnifred had been in this very room, with her father. Perhaps she had spun in this chair. Perhaps she had breathed in that very booky smell and missed him too when he was away. I stopped myself by grabbing the desk and the room spun on for a moment or two and
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