8 The Spooky House

8 The Spooky House "You snuck off without me!" Violet relaxed. It wasn't Bogey Bill. It was Leon. "You were asleep," Violet said. "We tried to wake you up." Leon yawned. "I was up all night playing a video game. But I'm here now."

"Good, because we have a plan," Violet said. She told him about Robert B. Gnome. She showed Leon the stuffed spider. "I'm still not sure what to do with this," she said. "I'll hold on to it," Leon said. "It's cool." He jammed it into a pocket of his shorts. "Let's go to that creepy old house by the park," Violet said. "The one that's been empty for years. I think we'll find Bogey Bill there." Then Violet stopped. "Hey! My hiccups are gone!" "That's right!" Sprite said.

"It's because I scared you," Leon explained. "You should thank me." "Thank you!" she said. "Now I know how to trick Buttercup. Let's get moving!" Sprite reached for his bag of magical pixie dust. The dust would take them anywhere they wanted to go. In a flash. Sprite threw the pixie dust on them. Violet held her nose so she wouldn't sneeze. Her body tingled as the garden disappeared.

They appeared in front of a tall house. It looked old and gray, and had boarded-up windows. Violet and Leon walked up the worn, creaky steps. Sprite flew alongside. Leon stopped. "Um, are you sure we should go in here?" "We can't be afraid," Violet said. "We have pixies to trick."

They opened the door and walked into a dark room. The room was filled with dusty furniture. An old piano sat against one wall. A chandelier hung from the ceiling. "This is the perfect place for Bogey Bill," Violet whispered.

Then a cold wind blew through the room. The tattered curtains fluttered. The piano played a tune all by itself. The chandelier swung back and forth. Bam! There was a loud crash behind them!