8 DON’T SCARE MARGARET

CHAPTER 8 DON'T SCARE MARGARET Who is it? Who is that ghost?" Mom asked as they gathered around the window. A ghostly light bounced around the tree house. Just like the other night. "Maybe it's Finn," Little John said. Finn was the only ghost in their family they hadn't found yet. Pops tried glowing on and off in short and long bursts: short-short-short-short. Short. Short-longshort- short. Short-long-short-short. Long-long- long. "What are you saying?" Little John asked.

"He's saying hello," Mom said. "Does Finn know Morse code?" Kaz asked. "I don't know," Mom replied. She turned to Pops. "We should teach the boys Morse code." "We should," Pops agreed. "Then they could talk to us if we get separated again." The ghost in the tree house drifted back and forth in front of the window. He didn't stop at the window long enough for Kaz and his family to get a good look at him. And he didn't respond to the Morse code message. "We need to find a way to get back to the tree house," Pops said. "That's the only way we're going to find out who's in there." "We could wake Margaret up and tell her to call Claire," Little John suggested. "Claire would take us to the tree house." "We can't call Claire in the middle of the night," Kaz said, throwing his hands into the air. "Why not ask the solid girl to take us to the tree house herself?" Mom suggested.

"She doesn't see or hear ghosts like Claire does," Kaz said. "If we start glowing and wailing in the middle of the night, we might scare her." "Do you have to say no to every single idea we think of?" Little John asked. "I'm not really saying no," Kaz said. "I'm saying we have to be careful how we ask her. We don't want to scare her. It's nighttime. Solid kids are even more scared of things at night." "Kaz, maybe you or Little John should talk to her," Mom said. "You're kids like she is. She's less likely to be scared of another kid." "I'll do it," Little John cried out as he shot toward the ceiling. "No," Kaz said, grabbing his brother by the foot and pulling him back. "I'll do it. You're not exactly subtle, Little John." Little John clucked his tongue. "I can be subtle," he said. Mom put her arm around Little John. "Let's let Kaz do this, okay?"

"Fine," Little John said. "Can we at least go with him?" "Only if you're quiet. And you don't glow," Kaz said. Kaz swam up to the ceiling and passed through into Margaret's bedroom. Little John, Mom, and Pops passed through right behind him. Margaret was sound asleep, snoring in her bed. Kaz drifted over. "Ghost..," he wailed softly into her ear. "Ghost... in... the... tree... house.." Margaret slept on. Little John snorted. "There's such a thing as being too subtle, you know."

"Shh!" Mom said, squeezing Little John's shoulders. "Why? She can't hear us," Little John said. "Ghost...," Kaz wailed again. "Ghost... in... the... tree... house..." This time Margaret rolled over. "There's... a... ghost... in... the... tree... house...," Kaz wailed. "Go... there... "Go... to... your... tree... house... Go... to... your... tree... house... and... bring... a... water... bottle... with... you... Put... some... water... in... the... bottle... You... can... pour... the... water... on... the... ghost..." "Kaz!" Mom, Pops, and Little John said at the same time. "What are you saying?" Mom cried out in shock. "I'm trying to give her a reason to bring a water bottle with her," Kaz said. "So we can travel inside it."

Margaret tossed her blankets aside and walked sleepily over to her window. Kaz wondered if she was even awake as he and the rest of his family drifted around her. The tree house was dark. Margaret went back to bed. The tree house remained dark the rest of the night. When Margaret woke up the next morning, Kaz wailed to her again. A new message: "Get... Claire... Get... Claire..." Margaret's eyes grew wide. "Who said that? Is there a ghost in my room?"