Ch8-Heebie Jeebies

CHAPTER EIGHT Heebie Jeebies. Tunder shook the night. The wind howled. The pirate ghost floated down the stairs. "The ghost of Jean Lafitte!" whispered Annie. The ghost pointed a bony finger at Happy. "NOT AFRAID OF GHOSTS?" his voice boomed again. He pointed at Big Nose Sidney. "NOT EVEN A LITTLE BIT? HAH-HAH-HAH!"

"AHHHHHHH!" everyone shrieked again. They all scrambled out of the back room to the front room. They pushed on the front door together. But the door still wouldn't open. "SCURVY DOGS! YOU CANNOT ESCAPE ME!" the ghost of Jean Lafitte shouted. The pirate ghost floated to the center of the room and stopped. He rested his hands on his hips, threw back his head, and laughed again. "YOU'RE TRAPPED NOW!" Jean Lafitte roared. "TRAPPED HERE FOREVER!" To Jack's horror, more ghost pirates began gliding through the walls into the room. One at a time they came: a pirate with a gold earring, another with a pistol, one with a head scarf,

another with an eye patch, one with a saber, another with a bushy beard, one with a thin mustache, another with a sack, one with a striped shirt, another with a peg leg. Finally ten ghost pirates circled the room! From the center of the circle, Jean Lafitte let out another peal of mean laughter. "HAH-HAHHAH!" The pirate crew snorted, snarled, and growled, "YARRR! ARGHH! ARRL!" Suddenly Jack started singing: Skiddle-diddle dog! Hey, hey, hey!

Ghost, go away, Go away, go away! "Jack!" said Annie. "What are you doing?" "Play Annie! Play!" squeaked Jack. "I can't!" said Annie. "We used up the magic! It's just an ordinary trumpet now!" "Here, give it to me!" said Dipper. Annie handed Dipper the trumpet. Dipper put the trumpet to his lips. He closed his eyes. He took a deep breath, and then he blew. The air vibrated with a single warm note. Then Dipper's fingers danced over the trumpet's valves. A lively, swinging tune filled the blacksmith shop.

Jean Lafitte stopped laughing his mean laugh. He held up his hands for his crew to be silent. As Dipper played, crooked smiles crossed the pirates' faces. Dipper's joyful music drowned out the noise of the storm outside. Annie snatched two rungs from a broken chair. She used them as drumsticks, tapping them against a wooden bucket. Jack grabbed two more rungs and did the same. Dipper paused long enough to yell to his trio, "Hey, boys! Sing the Heebie-Jeebie song!" "We don't know it!" said Little Mack. "Make somethin' up!" called Dipper. As Dipper played the trumpet, Little Mack sang:

I got the heebies! You got the jeebies! Then Happy sang: The heebies make you hop! And the jeebies make you quake! Then Big Nose Sidney sang: Do a little dance, Mama! Stomp and shake! As the trio sang, the ghost of Jean Lafitte started to dance. He shook his head and clapped his hands. He waved his arms through the air. He turned in a circle. "Go, Mama, go!" he shouted.