The black thing raised its other arm to grasp the candlestick with two hands.
It glided toward Katie, who was lying face down on the floor. It reared back with the candlestick, poised to bash in her skull.
I tried to shout a warning but it was too late. Much too late.
26
The scream tore out of my throat.
Katie’s head jerked.
The candlestick flashed in the dim light.
And the bronze baby shoe suddenly flew off the shelf beside me.
The heavy bronze baby shoe struck the shrouded creature with a solid THUNK!
The creature squealed in pain. The candlestick dropped to the floor and the creature vanished into the shadows.
Instantly everything was still.
“Katie? Are you all right?” I asked, running down to her.
“I’ve never been so terrified,” she said, hoarse from screaming. “I thought I was going to be killed.”
“We better get upstairs,” I said, helping her up. “It might come back.”
“What might come back?” she said.
“The thing in the shadows.”
Katie didn’t say anthing more until we got back to her bedroom door. Then she folded her arms and stared down at me, looking very stern—her baby-sitter look. “What thing in the shadows, Jason? What are you talking about?”
“The old witch ghost,” I explained. “That’s what Bobby was throwing all the stuff at. He was trying to protect you from the old witch.”
Katie shook her head. “Whaaat? I’ve swallowed a lot, Jason, but that’s going too far.”
“Look,” I said. “I know you don’t want to believe me, but there are two ghosts haunting this house. They’re fighting over something—I don’t know what.”
Katie gave me a long look. “Maybe it was you who was throwing all those things.”
“You know it wasn’t me,” I said. “You heard the clock chime and the ghosts running through the hall. That’s what woke you up, right?”
“I guess so,” she said.
“That’s what happened to you up in the attic. The two ghosts were fighting and you got in the way.”
Katie rubbed her head. “Maybe. I don’t really believe in ghosts, Jason, but just for the sake of argument, let’s say you’re right. What do you suggest?”
I thought about it. “I suggest you go back to bed, lock your door, and don’t come out, no matter what.”
27
“I won’t sleep now,” said Katie. “I’ll just grab a blanket and sit up in Sally’s room.”
That was my plan, too. But no way I could tell Katie I didn’t trust her to watch out for Sally. So I went back to bed, pulled the covers over my head, and tried to sleep.
But it was no use. Questions bombarded me from every side.
Why had the haunting become focused on Katie?
Was Bobby an evil spirit trying to take over my little sister Sally and keep her with him forever? Or was he the spirit of a confused and unhappy little boy who had scary temper tantrums? Both, probably.
Why did the old witch want to attack Katie? Why did Bobby, who violently disliked Katie, save her? Was it Bobby who saved her?
These questions bounced around in my mind like crazy rubber balls.
The room began to get light. I’d had no sleep and night was over, the sun was coming up. Maybe it was just as well.
But the light was funny. Too blue to be sunlight.
The mirror!
I pulled the covers off my head and, sure enough, my closet mirror was glowing.
The mist formed and out of it came an image: the attic stairs, shrouded in fog.
I felt a tug. The bedclothes began to slip off me.
Yikes! I grabbed the blanket with both hands.
I absolutely positively wasn’t going into the attic by myself in the middle of the night. No way, no how.
In the mirror the attic door opened wider. Sparkles danced in the inky blackness. The sparkles grew thicker and gleamier, like a curtain of fairy dust. The curtain parted. A small boy appeared in the doorway, sparkles swirling around him like stars. He was pale and sad, with huge, beseeching eyes.
Then it happened. Something seemed to take control of my body. Like a sleepwalker I got out of bed.
Something made me walk to the door, open it, and go down the dark hallway, toward the attic stairs.
Part of me deep inside was screaming NO! STOP THIS RIGHT NOW! GO BACK TO BED!
But I couldn’t resist. My feet kept right on moving.
The door to the attic stairway swung open soundlessly.
I knew that whatever waited on the other side was dark and terrible. But warm light spilled from the stairway out into the hall, beckoning me.
I started up the stairway into the attic. Soft light seemed to shine down from the attic.
Fear was like a small stone lodged in my throat.
My heart was quaking, but some irresistible force made me keep going, climbing to the top.
I stepped into the attic and found myself in a room I had seen once before. A little boy’s bedroom decorated from the old days. Bobby’s room.
It was bathed in soft yellow light, like sunlight.
A child’s rocking chair rocked gently in the corner. There was a small toy chest against the wall.
Bobby wanted me to open it.
I was kneeling in front of the chest, hands reaching for the lid, when the spell broke.
I snapped back to myself, every sense alert.
Something was wrong.
Then I heard it. Stealthy footsteps coming up the attic stairs.
The black-draped witch had followed me!
A floorboard groaned.
The heavy footsteps stopped.
I pressed my ear to the door. The footsteps resumed, creeping quietly closer.
There was only one thing to do. Wait until it got to the top, then whip open the door and shove it down the stairs.
Nails scraped along the door.
The moment had come.
I took a deep breath and yanked open the door.
A shape loomed, rising over me.
Bracing myself, I reached for the thing and pushed.
It grabbed me instead!
Claws sunk into my arm, clutching me in a death grip!
28
It screamed. It?
“Jason! What are you doing?”
Katie?
She was starting to fall. What had I done?
I gripped her wrist and pulled. Katie fell forward into the
