13-THUMP... FLOP!

THUMP... FLOP! That night, I was so tired, I fell right to sleep. At midnight, I woke up with a start. Something had woken me... but what? That's when I heard a very peculiar sound. Thump... flop! Thump... flop! Thump... flop! It sounded like someone walking. But these were no ordinary pawsteps. A picture from the pirate guidebook flashed before my eyes—the GHOST OF SILVERPAW. He had one good paw and one paw made of metal.

I gulped. Was the ghost of SILVERPAW really haunting Thump Flop Island? Benjamin was awake, too. He grabbed my paw. "Uncle, maybe it's the GHOST!" he whispered. I tried to look brave. "Don't worry, my dear little nephew," I said in my most confident voice. "I'll take care of it." Now if only someone could take care of me. I felt faint with fear. Cautiously, I trotted toward the beach. Just as I'd thought. A long row of very strange pawprints dotted the sand. Who could have left them?