The Gumdrop Ghost Read online

  “Bess! George!” Nancy cried. “The stage—it’s spinning!”

  6

  Dizzy for Lizzie

  Lizzie is probably making the stage spin!” Bess cried. “She wants us to go home.”

  Nancy’s heart was pounding. The stage wasn’t spinning fast, but it was enough to make her dizzy.

  The girls began to scream.

  “Aaaaah!”

  “Eeeeeek!”

  Nancy saw Toni come running out of the wings. She stopped and flicked a switch on the wall. After a few more seconds, the twirling stage came to a stop.

  “It stopped spinning!” Bess sighed.

  “But my head didn’t!” George said.

  Toni folded her arms as the girls stood up. “You should not be playing on this stage. It could be very dangerous.”

  “Oh, we weren’t playing,” Bess said. “We were looking for a ghost.”

  “Bess!” George hissed.

  Toni stared at the girls. Then she began to laugh. “A ghost?” she said. “You think this theater is haunted?”

  Bess nodded. “Why else would all these weird things happen? The spinning stage, the flickering lights—”

  Toni laughed. “A ghost didn’t do that—I did.”

  “You?” Nancy asked.

  “I was testing the equipment before the show,” Toni explained. “That’s my job.”

  Nancy smiled. So that explained the missing scenery and the turning stage!

  “It must be fun working in a theater,” Nancy said.

  “Sure,” Toni said, smiling. “When I’m not mopping ghost goo off the floor.”

  Nancy, Bess, and George giggled. Toni didn’t seem mean anymore. She was nice!

  Toni looked at her watch.

  “How would you girls like a tour of the theater?” she asked. “You won’t see any ghosts, but you will see how things work behind the scenes.”

  Nancy looked at Bess and George. They looked as excited as she was.

  “Thanks, Toni,” Nancy exclaimed. “That would be awesome!”

  The three girls followed Toni around the theater. She showed them a special machine that lifted scenery right off the stage. There was even a whole room for all of the light switches.

  If only Rebecca were here, Nancy thought. She would love this.

  After Toni showed them the sound system, she let Nancy flip the switch on the side of the stage. The stage turned again. But this time they weren’t on it.

  “It spins so we can move sets from the back to the front,” Toni explained. “It’s a lot easier than lifting them.”

  When the tour was over, Toni led the girls to the main door. “Any more questions?”

  “Just one,” Nancy said. “Did you know Elizabeth Benson?”

  “You mean the gumdrop girl?” Toni asked. “When she sang at this theater I wasn’t born yet. But I did see her movie on TV.”

  Nancy was surprised. “Elizabeth Benson was in a movie?” she asked.

  “It was called Take a Bow,” Toni said. “It’s probably in the video store.”

  A young man with blond hair ran over. “Toni!” he groaned. “Bad news. One of the seven dwarves is sick.”

  “Which one?” Toni asked.

  “Sneezy,” the man said.

  “It figures.” Toni sighed. She gave the girls a wave and ran off.

  “I want to check out Elizabeth’s video,” Nancy said to Bess and George when they were outside. “Then we can see her up close and personal.”

  “My mom rents videos right here on Main Street at Fabulous Flicks,” Bess said. “I’ll phone her to ask if she can bring her card.”

  Bess found some coins in her pocket. She used them to call her mother on a pay phone. In a few minutes, Mrs. Marvin drove up in her red minivan.

  “Why don’t you girls find your tape while I look around,” Mrs. Marvin said as they entered the video store. “I want to rent a funny movie for tonight.”

  “Okay, Mom,” Bess said. She turned to Nancy and George. “I hope Lizzie didn’t make scary movies. I hate scary movies!”

  Nancy saw a teenage boy standing behind a counter. He had brown spikey hair and freckles.

  “Excuse me,” Nancy said. “Do you have any Elizabeth Benson videos?”

  “Elizabeth Benson?” the boy said slowly. “Isn’t she the lady who does those exercise tapes? You know, Steely Stomachs and Brawny Bellies?”

  “No,” Nancy said. “She’s—”

  “I know!” the boy said. “She’s that black belt karate star. The one who jumped out of the plane in Chop-Chop Cop.”

  “No! No! No!” George said. “Elizabeth Benson sang ‘Gumdrop Garden.’”

  “While she was battling aliens.” The boy nodded. “In Move Over, Martians.”

  Mrs. Marvin walked over carrying a box. “Isn’t this the tape you wanted, girls? It’s called Take a Bow.”

  Nancy looked at the box. On it was a picture of Elizabeth in a garden.

  “That’s it,” Nancy said. “Thanks, Mrs. Marvin.”

  The teenager took the tape box. He looked at it and shook his head. “She sure looks different without her ray gun.”

  Mrs. Marvin dropped off the girls and their bicycles at Nancy’s house. The girls ran straight to the living room. After Nancy popped the video into the VCR, she pressed the Play button.

  In a few seconds, Elizabeth Benson appeared on the screen.

  “There she is!” Nancy cried.

  The girls wiggled closer to the screen. Elizabeth was wearing a frilly dress. She was in a garden filled with lollipop flowers and peppermint trees.

  “‘Gumdrops growing in the sun,’” Elizabeth sang as she danced. “‘Tasty, sweet, and lots of fun.’”

  “Yuck,” George said. “That’s the corniest song I ever heard.”

  “But it’s a great dress,” Bess said.

  A close-up of Elizabeth appeared on the screen. She had freckles just like Lizzie. And the same smile, too.

  Nancy noticed something else. Elizabeth was wearing a charm around her neck. It was round with a flat bottom.

  “Ohmygosh!” Nancy said, pressing the Pause button. “It’s the gumdrop charm. Just like the one Lizzie was wearing!”

  “Nancy,” Bess said slowly, “that’s another ghost clue. Does that mean . . . ?”

  Nancy leaned back on her elbows and nodded. “We’re going into the old house on Tide Street.”

  7

  Knock, Knock. Boo’s There!

  Lucky Katie,” George said as they rode their bikes to Tide Street. “She gets to go to a parrot birthday party.”

  “While we go into a haunted house,” Bess complained. “And it isn’t even Halloween!”

  “Bess, George!” Nancy called from her bike. “We don’t know if it’s haunted yet.”

  But Nancy’s heart was beating fast as they turned their bikes onto Tide Street.

  Was Rebecca right? Nancy thought. Am I really scared?

  The girls climbed off their bikes. Nancy stared at the house. It had peeling paint and broken shutters.

  “Let’s not park far,” George said. “Just in case we have to run for it.”

  “That does it,” Bess cried. “I don’t want to go inside!”

  “That’s okay, Bess,” Nancy said. “You can wait out here in the yard.”

  The yard was filled with weeds and tall grass. An old broken swing hung from an old tree. It creaked back and forth.

  “Um,” Bess said. “I think I’ll come inside. It’s getting a little chilly.”

  Nancy, Bess, and George parked their bikes next to a row of trees. They walked to the house. The porch steps creaked as they walked up to the door.

  Nancy held her breath. She grabbed the doorknob. The door made a creaky noise as she opened it.

  Nancy, Bess, and George stepped into the entry hallway.

  “Look!” George said. She pointed to the floor. “There’s a piece of paper.”

  “Is it a note from the ghosts?” Bess said. “
Are they telling us to scram?”

  Nancy picked up the paper. “It’s a menu from Angelo’s Pizza Parlor.”

  George wrinkled her nose. “Ghosts eat pizza?”

  The girls stepped farther into the house. A few cobwebs hung from the ceiling. The dusty windows made the house very dark.

  Nancy reached into her pocket for her mini-flashlight. She flicked it on. The beam of light shined on a long staircase.

  “Should we go upstairs?” George asked.

  “No,” Nancy said. “Let’s explore this floor first.”

  The girls entered a room next to the staircase. Nancy shined her flashlight around. The room had dark wooden walls and a high ceiling.

  “This is probably the living room,” Nancy said.

  George began to laugh.

  “What’s so funny?” Bess asked.

  “Why would ghosts have a living room?” George said.

  Nancy began to giggle, too—until she shined her flashlight against the wall.

  “Bess! George!” Nancy said. She pointed to a portrait hanging over a dusty fireplace. “It’s Elizabeth!”

  Nancy stared at the portrait. It showed Elizabeth sitting in a green chair with pink roses. Around her neck was the golden gumdrop charm.

  “It’s that charm again,” Nancy said.

  “Gumdrops must have been her favorite candy,” Bess said.

  Nancy’s sneakers squeaked as she moved closer to the portrait.

  Why is the floor so sticky? Nancy wondered. She beamed her flashlight down. Then she gasped. Scattered on the floor were gumdrops.

  “There’s a trail of gumdrops on the floor!” Nancy cried.

  “Ohmygosh!” George gasped. “Do you know what that means?”

  “That Lizzie is messy?” Bess asked.

  “No!” George cried. “Lizzie is here!”

  Nancy stared at the gumdrops. She wanted to write the clue in her notebook, but her hands were shaking.

  “L-l-let’s go!” Nancy stammered.

  The three friends turned and ran from the living room. But they didn’t get far. A white sheet fluttered down from above. It covered the girls as they began to scream.

  “Help!” Bess shouted.

  “We’re being attacked by a ghost!” George cried.

  Nancy tried pulling the sheet off. Then she heard a familiar voice:

  “Ghost Grabbers to the rescue!”

  The boys! Nancy thought angrily. She tore at the sheet until it was off. Then she shined her flashlight toward the second floor landing. Looking down at them were Jason, David, and Mike.

  “Aw, rats. We thought you were ghosts,” Jason said.

  Nancy stared at the boys. They were wearing their Ghost Grabber uniforms again. “What are you doing here?”

  “Rebecca Ramirez said there was a ghost in this house,” Jason explained. “She asked us to find it.”

  David pointed to his stuffed backpack. “She even paid us—with candy.”

  “Candy?” Nancy asked.

  David nodded. “All kinds. Chocolate, gummy worms, hot shots—”

  Nancy put her hands on her hips. “Gumdrops?” she asked.

  David reached into his backpack. He pulled out a jumbo box of colorful gumdrops. “How did you know?” he asked.

  Nancy rolled her eyes. There were no ghosts in this house. Only pests!

  “Come on, Bess, George.” Nancy sighed. “Let’s go.”

  “What’s the matter?” Jason sneered. “Are you scared?”

  George turned angrily to the boys. “We are not!” she said.

  “You are, too!” David said. “You should have heard yourselves scream.”

  “We’re not scared of any ghosts,” David declared. “No way!”

  Tap . . . tap . . . tap . . .

  “W-w-what was that?” David stammered.

  Tap . . . tap . . . tap . . .

  “I don’t know,” Nancy said. She followed the noise down the hall.

  “It sounds like it’s coming from that room,” Nancy said. She pointed to a room off the hall. The door was open.

  “Maybe it’s ghosts!” Mike whispered.

  “Let’s check it out,” George said.

  “You mean go in there?” Jason gasped.

  “Sure!” George said. She narrowed her eyes. “You’re not scared, are you?”

  The boys looked at one another.

  “Scared?” Jason scoffed.

  “No way!” Mike exclaimed.

  “Then come on,” Nancy whispered.

  The boys clutched their boo blasters and spirit suckers. The kids bumped into one another as they tried to peek through the door.

  Nancy looked in first. The room was empty except for an old piano. She could also see the back of a chair. It was green with pink roses.

  It looks like the chair in Elizabeth’s portrait, Nancy thought.

  Then she noticed something else.

  “The tapping is coming from behind that chair,” Nancy whispered.

  “Is not!” Jason said. “It’s coming from behind the piano!”

  Nancy shook her head. “It’s—”

  The chair whirled around. Nancy froze. Sitting in the chair was a girl with bright red hair.

  “Hi!” the girl said as she tapped her foot on the floor. “Welcome to my house!”

  8

  “Come Fly With Me!”

  It’s Lizzie!” Nancy gasped.

  “It’s a ghost!” Jason shouted. The boys stepped back.

  “Ahhhh!” they screamed. Then they turned around and ran out of the house.

  “Some Ghost Grabbers!” George scoffed.

  Lizzie stood up from the chair. She pointed at Nancy.

  “Didn’t you win second prize in the talent show?” Lizzie asked.

  Bess and George clutched at Nancy.

  “Sh-sh-she did!” Bess stammered. “But you deserved to win first prize.”

  “Thanks!” Lizzie said. She spread out her arms and ran around the room. “I can’t wait to fly through that shopping spree.”

  “Fly?” Bess squeaked.

  George gulped. “Like a g-g-g-”

  “Hey,” Lizzie said. She put her hands on her hips. “Why is everybody acting so loopy?”

  “Because you’re a ghost!” Bess blurted out.

  George clapped her hand over Bess’s mouth.

  Lizzie’s jaw dropped open. “A ghost?” she cried. “Who, me?”

  “I can explain, Lizzie,” Nancy said. She told Lizzie all about the poster, the gumdrop charm, and the Tide Street address.

  Lizzie giggled. “Now it’s my turn to explain,” she said. “Elizabeth Benson was my grandmother.”

  Nancy stared. “Your grandmother?”

  Lizzie twirled the gumdrop charm around her neck. “She gave me her favorite necklace when I was just five years old.”

  Nancy was still confused.

  “But what about the school you wrote down on the contest list?” George asked. “It was torn down years ago.”

  “I know,” Lizzie said. “I couldn’t remember the name of my new school so I wrote down the school my grandmother went to. She always talked about it.”

  Nancy was still confused. “But what about your address?”

  Bess looked around and made a face. “You don’t live here . . . do you?”

  “Not yet,” Lizzie said. She did a few quick cartwheels around the room. “But after my mom and dad clean it up, we’re moving in. I can’t wait!”

  Nancy heard footsteps in the hall. She turned and saw a man and woman carrying a mop, a broom, and a pail. They smiled at the girls and waved.

  “I can’t believe we thought you were a ghost, Lizzie,” Bess said.

  “And I can’t believe I played another trick without knowing it,” Lizzie said.

  “Another trick?” Nancy asked, puzzled. “What do you mean?”

  Lizzie’s eyes lit up. “I love practical jokes! Squirting flowers, whoopee cushions, disappearing ink—”

 
“Disappearing ink?” Bess repeated. “So that explains the missing autograph!”

  Lizzie nodded. “Wasn’t that great? I wish I could have seen your face when it disappeared off your stuffed dog.”

  Nancy remembered another practical joke. “Lizzie?” she asked. “Did you also put the yucky green soap in the washroom?”

  “Yeah!” Lizzie said, her eyes shining. “Was that cool or what?”

  Nancy shook her head. “That was wrong, Lizzie. You ruined Rebecca’s act. And you kept Jessie Shapiro from being in the talent show.”

  “Whoops,” Lizzie said. She lowered her eyes. “I didn’t mean to hurt anyone.”

  The girls were quiet for a few moments. Then Lizzie looked up and smiled.

  “I have an idea,” Lizzie said. She looked at Nancy. “How would you and Rebecca like to run with me in the shopping spree tomorrow?”

  Nancy couldn’t believe her ears.

  “I’d love to,” Nancy gasped. “And I’m sure Rebecca would, too—but why us?”

  “You did win second prize,” Lizzie said. “And I’m supposed to bring two friends. I don’t have any friends in River Heights yet.”

  “You do now!” Nancy said. “Thanks, Lizzie.”

  Bess began jumping up and down. “A Tremendous Toys shopping spree! Goody!”

  Lizzie twirled her gold necklace. “You mean . . . goody gumdrops!”

  • • •

  The next day at school Nancy could hardly think about math, social studies, or spelling. Her mind was on the Tremendous Toys shopping spree.

  As soon as school was over Hannah drove Nancy, Bess, George, and Rebecca to Tremendous Toys. Lizzie met them outside the store. She smiled and pointed to her red-and-white running shoes.

  “This time I left my tap shoes at home,” Lizzie said.

  Inside the store Lyle Puckman led Nancy, Rebecca, and Lizzie to the starting line. Each girl got her own empty shopping cart.

  Nancy glanced over her shoulder. A crowd of people stood behind her. Bess and George were holding Tremendous Toys balloons. Hannah was waving a sign that read You Go, Girls!

  While the girls waited for the starting whistle, Nancy turned to Lizzie.

  “I’m glad you’re not a ghost, Lizzie,” Nancy said.

  “Me, too!” Rebecca said. “Now you can teach me how to do cartwheels.”