A Ghost in the Attic Read online

  Ms. Rodda walked into the room and asked us why we had stopped our warm ups. My stomach was in knots. I’m a dead man is all I kept thinking. I’m a dead man. Like I said, my mouth has a way of getting me in trouble, but this time it had really gotten me in some hot water.

  For the rest of the class, time played tricks with my mind. One moment time continued at its normal speed and other times it seemed as if the morning was speeding by. I was completely distracted during chorus. I kept one watchful eye on where Moose was at all times. As the class ran through a song, his lips didn’t part once except to yawn as boredom settled into him

  Chapter Five

  Freddy Sullivan

  Later that day, I was right in the middle of a math problem when Mrs. Westphal’s voice broke my concentration. “Alright everyone, can I have your eyes up here? It’s that time again. Lunch time!” It was the first time the entire morning I actually hadn’t been thinking about the impending doom that awaited me at lunch. Now was that time, I’d have to face whatever Moose wanted to discuss further. I followed the class down to the cafeteria, peering at the never-ending rows of cold, gray, steel lockers that lined the hallway. I wondered which one Moose would stuff me into. My mother joked that I always had a “flair for the dramatic.” I chuckled to myself because this was one of those times. In all seriousness, this was about the worst first day of school for any kid, anywhere, period.

  The cafeteria was a busy place. As I looked around trying to figure where to sit, I also searched for Moose. He was nowhere to be found. A few of the guys from class waved me over. “Hey, O’Keebler. Come over here.”

  “It’s O’Keefe.” I corrected without really correcting anyone at all. I guess I’d have to live with that for a while. I walked over to the group. There’s safety in numbers, right? I thought to myself.

  I sat down next to a few kids who were bartering over lunches and poking jabs at each other. This was the only time of the day that actually felt like my old school. However, right in the middle of my first bite of what was left of the sandwich I shared with Spike earlier, the table grew awkwardly silent. I looked around at their faces. Judging me? It didn’t appear that way. Finally, Billy, a skater-type kid with shoulder length hair, spoke what was on everyone’s mind. “O’Keebler, what’s going on between you and Moose?”

  I reminded them of my name, but at that moment, they still weren’t interested in getting it right.

  “Yeah, I’ve never, and I mean NEVER, seen him that angry before. We’ve all heard the stories, but never actually saw it,” a kid named Nick said. I panned their faces and they nodded in agreement. I swallowed the bite from my sandwich without chewing it.

  “Well, as you saw. He’s pretty upset with me. What’s his problem?” I asked trying poorly to hide my concern for my own wellbeing.

  “As you figured out already, he’s the biggest kid in school,” Billy said. “He came to our school a couple of years ago. The fourth grade?” He looked around at the other kids for confirmation. “Anyway, as soon as he came here, trouble started in for him. I mean, he caused most of it anyway. So, back to my question, what happened between you and Moose?”

  I thought about what to say before blurting anything out that I didn’t want to. “Well, I just... You see, he came up to me at the bus stop. Actually, he nearly knocked me over. He asked me a question and I-“

  Billy grabbed my shoulder. “You mean to tell us that Moose Oleadertag spoke to you first? Holy cow!”

  “Yeah, he doesn’t speak to anyone really,” another kid added. “You’ve seen him in class. He just kinda sits there and does nothing!”

  “Well, he doesn’t exactly do nothing,” a kid named Christian added. “Remember Freddy Sullivan?” They all shook their heads as if they all remembered at the same time.

  “What happened to Freddy Sullivan?” I asked, staring at them with real concern.

  Nick took point in telling the story. “One day, last year, Freddy was walking down the hallway and Moose walked right up to him. Shoved him into the locker with a BLAM—"

  “—and then shoved him into the locker,” Christian said moving his arms as if he were pushing someone.

  “And, trust me, Freddy wasn’t a skinny kid. I heard it took some bacon grease to help him slip out,” Billy interrupted.

  “Bacon grease? Really?” Nick rolled his eyes and took over telling the story again, “After he slammed the door, he muttered, ‘Next time, you’ll do what I tell you to do.’”

  I couldn’t believe what I was hearing, not only because I may have been a little afraid this would happen to me, but it just didn’t seem real. This Moose kid sounded crazier than he already appeared. “Well, what happened to Freddy Sullivan?” I asked.

  These guys started looking around at each other like they weren’t going to be the one that was going to tell me. I thought Oh my gosh, Moose killed him. So, finally I said, “C’mon guys. It couldn’t be that bad.” By the looks on their faces it was obvious that it was. It really was that bad.

  Finally, Nick cleared his throat and spoke, “That’s the weird part. You see, Principal Miller freed Freddy from his steel cell –“

  “With bacon grease,” Billy interrupted.

  Nick rolled his eyes again and continued, “Dude, you’re killing me with the bacon grease. Anyway, after Principal Miller freed Freddy, she asked him who had done that to him. For good reason, Freddy didn’t want to tell. It may only make matters worse, right?” He looked around and the others nodded their heads in agreement.

  “Somehow,” Nick continued, “Miller convinced Freddy it would be okay if he told her who did it. Of course, Freddy said it was Moose. Freddy told us that Miller said Moose would not get away with that type of behavior and there would be major consequences for his actions. She also promised that he would be safe.”

  Tell you the truth, I’m not sure I would have told anyone if that happened to me if I was that kid. Moose didn’t behave like your typical bully. “So, what happened next?”

  Nick spoke, “The next day, Miller calls Moose into her office and slaps him with three days of in-school suspension.”

  I took a bite of my sandwich trying to digest the story these guys were telling me. Half of me wondered if it were even true, or perhaps, some kind of fairytale, myth, or urban legend. Billy took lead, “Everyone thought Freddy was crazy for telling on Moose. But Freddy kept on saying that Moose was getting exactly what he deserved and that he can’t just walk around and get whatever he wants by force.

  “So, for three days Freddy was safe. Even on the day Moose returned, it looked like everything was going to be okay,” he paused, “That was until the dismissal bell rang.”

  “The hallways were what they always were at the end of the day – a traffic jam,” Nick continued. “Freddy was in the middle of the hall in a circle of friends when suddenly his books were knocked out of his hands. He bent over to pick up his stuff in that chaotic mess of kids moving back and forth through the hallways. What he didn’t see, but every single kid in the hallway witnessed, was Moose, who’s easily a whole foot taller than the tallest kid. He parts the entire hallway simply by walking. Kids moved to the left and right of the hall like he had some kind of special powers.

  “All that craziness at the end of the day completely comes to a standstill. The only one talking is Freddy who is frantically trying to collect his books. ‘Really? No one is going to help me?’ He stood up annoyed and ready to badger his friends for not helping and instead found himself staring right into the chest of Moose,” Nick said, putting his hand straight up to his nose as if it were Moose’s chest. Then, he took a sip of his milk before continuing. “Some of the kids who had witnessed this close up, swear they saw that dark space up under Moose’s cap shine green!”

  Billy continued, “Yeah, but that part can’t be true.” He slapped Nick’s arm.

  “Oh, but bacon grease could be? You clearly have an unhealthy obsession with bacon grease!”

  “How else woul
d they get Freddy out?” Billy threw up his arms.

  “Say what you want, but lots of people saw it.”

  “Oh please! Cary Jensen? That kid lies and cheats all the time. Haven’t you seen him on the playground?”

  “C’mon man, really? You’re just saying that because he doesn’t like—“

  “Guys!” I interjected. “Can you debate this later? What the heck happened next?”

  “Anyway,” Billy continued looking at me, his eyes wide, “Freddy’s body starts to shake. Moose bends over and whispers something into his ear. No one knows what he said, but Freddy instantly peed himself. Seriously, like a full puddle.”

  “Moose pushed past him and walked away.”

  “Well, what happened?” I asked in a combination of astonishment and disbelief.

  “That’s just it,” Nick finished. “That was the last day we ever saw Freddy Sullivan.”

  “What the heck does that mean? The last day you saw him was that day?”

  “Yeah, man. It was like he completely disappeared,” Billy finished his sandwich while all the other kids sat back, exhausted from the story.

  I sat there for a moment. Thinking. Wondering. A lot didn’t add up. “So, what did Moose do, kill him? I mean what about his family? There are too many loose ends. This story cannot possibly be true.”

  “Dude, I was there,” Billy insisted.

  “Okay, maybe that part in the hallway actually happened, but the rest can’t be true.”

  “Hey, believe what you want, but you need to be careful with this guy. You don’t want to end up another Freddy Sullivan.”

  Nick put his hand on my shoulder and asked, “So, you said that Moose said something to you. What was it?”

  Now all eyes were fixed on me. I waited a few seconds, deliberately, kind of enjoying the control. “He asked me something about the old Henderson home.”

  Each kid stopped what they were doing. The silence was awkward for a second and then, all at once, everyone asked me what I knew about the house. Billy stopped them, “Samson. What do you know about the old Henderson house?”

  I swallowed hard, “I don’t know anything about it except…”

  “Except what?” They all asked at once.

  “Except that apparently—I live there.”

  “Shut your mouth right now!” Nick blurted in quiet excitement and disbelief. “Are you sure?”

  “Well, that’s just it. I’m not sure. I’m not sure about anything right now. All I know is that Moose came up to me at the bus stop and asked me about it. I wish I knew what the fuss was about.”

  “You mean you don’t know?”

  “The only other thing Moose said was something about three families in four years. So, NO, I don’t know.”

  My audience grew quiet for a moment. Billy finally said, “Strange things happen there.”

  I felt my cheeks redden with frustration as if they were on fire. I slammed my hands on the table and with an agitated tone I exclaimed, “Yeah, this is the third time I’ve heard that strange things happen there. But, no one is willing to give a single piece of useful information about these so-called strange things! This school shouldn’t be called Shadow Rock. It should be called Let’s Be Vague To The New Kid About His New Creepy Little House Elementary School.”

  The table along with the rest of the entire cafeteria silenced. The boys just sat there, mouths agape. I stared back at them making sure I met all of their eyes. I didn’t care. I was fired up. Just then, Billy cuts the tension and says, “Dude, don’tcha think that name is a little long for an elementary school?”

  We all busted out laughing. I said my apologies while still cracking up at my outburst. Finally, I said, “Seriously guys, I need to find out more information about my house. It’s only fair. I’m the one that’s gotta live there, right?”

  As we stood up to head outside to recess, Billy and Nick put their hands on my shoulders. Nick spoke, “Listen man, I’m with ya. I’d want to know too, but from what I hear, the person you want to talk to is, well—"

  “Moose, I know,” I rolled my eyes.

  “And, from what I heard in chorus class today, he wants to talk to you, too. I hope you didn’t forget. No one would blame you for faking an illness or something.”

  It’s true. I didn’t forget about Moose wanting to discuss the matter further. It was time for recess and I hadn’t seen him yet. He probably was going to talk with me outside.

  “Oh, by the way,” Billy added as we walked through the door that lead to the playground area. “Remember the story about Freddy Sullivan? Well, he used to live in the old Henderson house, too.” He slapped me on the back and took off to meet the others.

  I stopped dead in my tracks, dumbfounded, while the others ran outside to find their places at the wallball courts or to pick teams for kickball. I used to love recess. I used to love playing kickball. Today? I couldn’t play. Not now. My brain raced to the point that it was starting to hurt. Questions whirled through my mind: What were these strange things that were going on in my house? Was it some strange coincidence that Freddy Sullivan lived in the same house that I live in now? Had Moose wanted to discuss the matter further with Freddy the same way he wants with me? Was there a cold locker with my name written all over it, or perhaps worse? Why had Moose singled me out? Everyone was afraid of Moose, but why was I the only one he’s communicated with?

  I looked around for Moose. We had an appointment, and he didn’t strike me as the type to reschedule. I walked along the side of the building and looked out toward the field where a bunch of kids were engaged in a game of kickball. I still couldn’t take my mind off the day. It weighed heavily on me. So much had happened since this morning, and I couldn’t piece it together to make any sense whatsoever. What happened next just added to the inexplicable events of the day.

  As I started to walk out towards the kickball game, something shoved me from behind knocking any air in my lungs out and me onto the ground in a heap. It had to be Moose, but I looked up, hoping it wasn’t. With the sun behind him, Moose’s massive frame cast an ominous shadow and swallowed any hint of light around me. It wasn’t long before nearly the entire playground had found its way over to where Moose and I were. I watched as Billy and Nick and the others looked on helplessly, not joining into the quiet chant of “Fight! Fight!”

  I made my way to my feet. I shuffled to my left and put my hands up the way Scott had taught me if I would ever need to defend myself. If Moose wanted a fight, I wasn’t going to go down without the appearance of one. He didn’t even put his hands into a fighting position. He just stared through those dark shadows. Once I put my hands up, he even smirked exposing a chipped tooth and chapped lips. He was going to enjoy this.

  I wish I could say that I gave him a good fight. I continued to shuffle to the left as the “fight” chants grew louder. I clenched my fists and prepared to counter anything he would throw at me. That didn’t work. With both hands, he shoved me again, hard, causing my back to slam against the wall knocking the air out of me for the second time. Then, he grabbed a fist full of my shirt again and dragged me to the end of the building and took me behind the corner. I tried to find my footing and pull away, but it was no good. I was going around the building with him whether I wanted to or not. But, before he did, he directed his attention toward the crowd of kids that had gathered around. “Stay!” he growled and put his huge, free hand up directing the kids to not even think about coming to watch.

  Here’s the inexplicable part I was telling you about. You see, he dragged me several more feet. I tried to fight him off, but it was no use. He was too big and angry to be reckoned with. He then stood me upright and just stared at me for a moment. The snarl on his lips disappeared and sort of a smile broke out on his face. At least, I thought it was an attempt at a smile. Boy, he was really going to enjoy this. Then, he let go of my shirt and put both massive hands on my shoulders. I cocked my head to the side, like a confused dog, trying to make sense of all this.
His face, that looked so hard and calloused, looked like, well, a kid. A really big kid.

  With his hands firmly clapped onto my shoulders he spoke, “You know, you are the first kid who ever spoke to me without looking afraid. I gotta say that after homeroom, I looked around for a nice cozy locker for you. But, the more I thought about it, I thought if this kid has the guts to stand up to me and say what was on his mind, then he just might be okay. You made an effort to talk to me, and believe me, that doesn’t happen too often. So, I figured I’d give you a chance.”

  He loosened his grip on my shoulders which was a good thing because they were starting to go numb. I can’t say I fully understood what the heck was going on. I straightened my shirt which was beyond looking neat at this point, and managed some words through my dry throat, “So, what does this mean?”

  “It means I don’t kick your butt. Isn’t that enough?” Moose snarled out of a half-smile.

  I shook my head earnestly, “Works for me.”

  Moose chuckled and pulled his cap closer over his eyes, “Relax. So, tell me something. What’s it like living in the old Henderson place?”

  I nodded my head not really knowing how to answer the question. “I don’t understand what you mean. I don’t understand what anyone means when they talk about my house. I guess it feels like any other home. I’ve only lived there a couple of days. Not much has happened.”

  “Not now anyway,” Moose broke his concentration for a moment to look away as if he was thinking or picturing something. “That place ain’t right.”

  “How do you mean?” I asked.

  Moose grew more serious, “Are you sure you wanna know?” The truth was I was nervous about knowing, but I knew that I had to.

  Those who waited around the corner of the building were completely shocked when Moose and I came around the corner side by side. I’m sure some expected to see Moose walk out by himself, and my body left in a heap. Together, we walked through the group of kids as they parted ways. I caught a glimpse of Billy. His face said it all. I looked at him and the others as I passed, threw my shoulders and hands up as if to say, I have no idea what is going on either.