The next morning, Courage woke up bright and early to find that Alden and
Mr. Worth had already left. One of the girls explained that they had went
to search the house before the fire investigators arrived and that Mr.
Worth should be back soon.
Courage looked out the window to see that the wind was still blowing and the sky was still filled with clouds. But there was no thunder and lightning.
Muriel and Eustace were already awake so Courage decided to go downstairs and see if breakfast was ready yet. "I wonder if ghosts eat breakfast?" he said aloud to himself. He looked back to see if any of the children might want something to eat but they had all disappeared.
"Good mornin' Courage." Muriel was standing in front of the stove cooking something that smelled deliciously like sausage. "Breakfast will be ready in a jiffy."
Courage smiled and wagged his tail.
"Stupid dog, get out of me way!" Eustace stormed into the room behind him. "I didn't sleep a wink with you making all that racket!"
"Now Eustace, Courage only woke us up once."
"Oh yeah?! Well who do you suppose was doing all that screaming?!" Eustace pulled out a chair and sat down at the table.
"Now that couldn't have been Courage. Those noises didn't sound anything like him." Muriel made her way to the table with two large plates filled with pancakes and sausages.
Courage snuck over to his place at the table. Eustace glared at him and was about to say something about him eating at the table when Muriel returned with syrup, a cup of coffee for Eustace, and a glass of milk for Courage.
They had just finished eathing breakfast when there was a knock at the door. "Maybe it's me paper on time for once." Eustace got up and answered the door. A minute later Eustace called for Courage. "Hey, stupid dog! There's somebody here to see you!"
Courage walked into the livingroom and was surprised to see Alden standing at the door.
"Is this the stupid dog yer looking for?" Eustace asked Alden.
"Yes, he's the one." Alden smiled at Courage who smiled back and wagged his tail.
"What do ye want with Courage?" Muriel had walked into the room behind Courage.
"I wondering if he could help me find something that I've lost." Alden smiled reassuringly at Muriel.
"Well, if ye think Courage could be of any help then your welcome to borrow him for a while." Muriel patted Courage. "Go with the nice gentleman and see if ye can help him, okay Courage?"
Courage nodded and wagged his tail before stepping out the front door with Alden and into the violent windstorm.
"My car is over here." Alden lead Courage over to his car and opened the door so Courage could jump in. "David is still at the house. He's the only one that can move around in the house without being seen. So far we've found one of the tablets that was accidently given to the museum. It was in the garbage with the stuff that was damaged in the fire." Alden motioned to something wrapped up in a towel. "David wants us to take the tablet to that friend of yours to see if she can help us."
Courage nodded.
They began to drive with Courage directing Alden by pointing out the direction he should go. It was only 10:30 when they got there and Shirley was still inside.
Courage quickly explained everything to Shirley who asked to see the stone tablet. Alden unwrapped the towel from around the tablet and handed the tablet to Shirley.
"So, you read these words out loud?"
Alden just nodded.
"This isn't good."
"Tell us something we don't know." Courage said impatiently.
Alden looked down at Courage, unable to understand a single word the dog had just said but somehow getting the basic idea.
"How is the teacher going to get the other tablet back to us?"
Alden realized that Shirley was talking about Mr. Worth although nobody had told him that Mr. Worth was a teacher. Suddenly he remembered the stories his grandfather used to tell about a teacher and his class getting lost in the mountains. Now he knew who they were ...
His thoughts were cut off by Shirley's impatient voice. "Well?!"
Alden quicky recovered his thoughts. "He said he would come to us when he found the tablet and take one of us back with him to retrieve it."
Shirley nodded. "I need to see the other tablet before I can come up with any answers for you."
Courage and Alden waited in Shirley's shop while the wind howled outside. Courage shivered as the shop creaked and groaned with the heavier gusts of wind. Finally, there was a knock at the door. It was Mr. Worth.
Alden opened the door knowing that Mr. Worth would have to be invited in. "Hello David, why don't you come in out of the storm?"
"Thank you, Alden." Mr. Worth answered politely. "I found the tablet. But there are too many people in that house right now."
Shirley spoke up. "Why can't you just go in and get the tablet if that's your mother's house?" she asked Alden.
"They told us yesterday that we couldn't take anything else out of the house until the fire investigation was over with. They said it might take several days."
Shirley sighed. "This town might not be standing by the time they're through with that investigation. If only there was some way we could distract them."
A mischievious smile lit up Mr. Worth's face. "You're forgetting one thing. Most people are afraid of ghosts."
Shirley looked unimpressed. "It will take more than just you to scare them all off."
Mr. Worth just kept smiling. "I have thirteen other ghosts with me and we don't really need to scare the people off. All we really need to do is distract them long enough for Alden and I to go in, get the tablet and sneak out."
"That might work, but will the children be safe? You have no idea what those other spirits may be capable of."
Mr. Worth looked Shirley right in the eyes. "If we don't get those tablets, nobody will be safe. It's a chance we will have to take. Besides, what could the other spirits do to us?"
Shirley looked back at him. "They could easily drag those children into another dimension. Then they would never find their way home."
Mr. Worth looked away. "It's a chance we'll have to take. Besides, I don't think the other spirits really want to harm anybody. They just want to be set free."
Shirley looked down at the tablet on the counter in front of her. "Do what you have to do to get the tablet back to me."
Mr. Worth nodded and motioned Courage to go outside with him. "I'm getting tired. I need you to summon the children. Use the spell that we gave you to call us."
Courage gave Mr. Worth a worried look.
Mr. Worth smiled reassuringly at Courage. "Don't worry, I'll be okay. I'll have some time to rest after we get that other tablet."
Courage nodded and took a piece of metal out of his pocket. Slowly, carefully he began to read the words that were written on it. A few seconds later two of the children appeared in front of him. Mr. Worth spoke with the children who nodded in agreement then disappeared. A few seconds later seven of the children joined them in front of Shirley's shop.
Courage looked out the window to see that the wind was still blowing and the sky was still filled with clouds. But there was no thunder and lightning.
Muriel and Eustace were already awake so Courage decided to go downstairs and see if breakfast was ready yet. "I wonder if ghosts eat breakfast?" he said aloud to himself. He looked back to see if any of the children might want something to eat but they had all disappeared.
"Good mornin' Courage." Muriel was standing in front of the stove cooking something that smelled deliciously like sausage. "Breakfast will be ready in a jiffy."
Courage smiled and wagged his tail.
"Stupid dog, get out of me way!" Eustace stormed into the room behind him. "I didn't sleep a wink with you making all that racket!"
"Now Eustace, Courage only woke us up once."
"Oh yeah?! Well who do you suppose was doing all that screaming?!" Eustace pulled out a chair and sat down at the table.
"Now that couldn't have been Courage. Those noises didn't sound anything like him." Muriel made her way to the table with two large plates filled with pancakes and sausages.
Courage snuck over to his place at the table. Eustace glared at him and was about to say something about him eating at the table when Muriel returned with syrup, a cup of coffee for Eustace, and a glass of milk for Courage.
They had just finished eathing breakfast when there was a knock at the door. "Maybe it's me paper on time for once." Eustace got up and answered the door. A minute later Eustace called for Courage. "Hey, stupid dog! There's somebody here to see you!"
Courage walked into the livingroom and was surprised to see Alden standing at the door.
"Is this the stupid dog yer looking for?" Eustace asked Alden.
"Yes, he's the one." Alden smiled at Courage who smiled back and wagged his tail.
"What do ye want with Courage?" Muriel had walked into the room behind Courage.
"I wondering if he could help me find something that I've lost." Alden smiled reassuringly at Muriel.
"Well, if ye think Courage could be of any help then your welcome to borrow him for a while." Muriel patted Courage. "Go with the nice gentleman and see if ye can help him, okay Courage?"
Courage nodded and wagged his tail before stepping out the front door with Alden and into the violent windstorm.
"My car is over here." Alden lead Courage over to his car and opened the door so Courage could jump in. "David is still at the house. He's the only one that can move around in the house without being seen. So far we've found one of the tablets that was accidently given to the museum. It was in the garbage with the stuff that was damaged in the fire." Alden motioned to something wrapped up in a towel. "David wants us to take the tablet to that friend of yours to see if she can help us."
Courage nodded.
They began to drive with Courage directing Alden by pointing out the direction he should go. It was only 10:30 when they got there and Shirley was still inside.
Courage quickly explained everything to Shirley who asked to see the stone tablet. Alden unwrapped the towel from around the tablet and handed the tablet to Shirley.
"So, you read these words out loud?"
Alden just nodded.
"This isn't good."
"Tell us something we don't know." Courage said impatiently.
Alden looked down at Courage, unable to understand a single word the dog had just said but somehow getting the basic idea.
"How is the teacher going to get the other tablet back to us?"
Alden realized that Shirley was talking about Mr. Worth although nobody had told him that Mr. Worth was a teacher. Suddenly he remembered the stories his grandfather used to tell about a teacher and his class getting lost in the mountains. Now he knew who they were ...
His thoughts were cut off by Shirley's impatient voice. "Well?!"
Alden quicky recovered his thoughts. "He said he would come to us when he found the tablet and take one of us back with him to retrieve it."
Shirley nodded. "I need to see the other tablet before I can come up with any answers for you."
Courage and Alden waited in Shirley's shop while the wind howled outside. Courage shivered as the shop creaked and groaned with the heavier gusts of wind. Finally, there was a knock at the door. It was Mr. Worth.
Alden opened the door knowing that Mr. Worth would have to be invited in. "Hello David, why don't you come in out of the storm?"
"Thank you, Alden." Mr. Worth answered politely. "I found the tablet. But there are too many people in that house right now."
Shirley spoke up. "Why can't you just go in and get the tablet if that's your mother's house?" she asked Alden.
"They told us yesterday that we couldn't take anything else out of the house until the fire investigation was over with. They said it might take several days."
Shirley sighed. "This town might not be standing by the time they're through with that investigation. If only there was some way we could distract them."
A mischievious smile lit up Mr. Worth's face. "You're forgetting one thing. Most people are afraid of ghosts."
Shirley looked unimpressed. "It will take more than just you to scare them all off."
Mr. Worth just kept smiling. "I have thirteen other ghosts with me and we don't really need to scare the people off. All we really need to do is distract them long enough for Alden and I to go in, get the tablet and sneak out."
"That might work, but will the children be safe? You have no idea what those other spirits may be capable of."
Mr. Worth looked Shirley right in the eyes. "If we don't get those tablets, nobody will be safe. It's a chance we will have to take. Besides, what could the other spirits do to us?"
Shirley looked back at him. "They could easily drag those children into another dimension. Then they would never find their way home."
Mr. Worth looked away. "It's a chance we'll have to take. Besides, I don't think the other spirits really want to harm anybody. They just want to be set free."
Shirley looked down at the tablet on the counter in front of her. "Do what you have to do to get the tablet back to me."
Mr. Worth nodded and motioned Courage to go outside with him. "I'm getting tired. I need you to summon the children. Use the spell that we gave you to call us."
Courage gave Mr. Worth a worried look.
Mr. Worth smiled reassuringly at Courage. "Don't worry, I'll be okay. I'll have some time to rest after we get that other tablet."
Courage nodded and took a piece of metal out of his pocket. Slowly, carefully he began to read the words that were written on it. A few seconds later two of the children appeared in front of him. Mr. Worth spoke with the children who nodded in agreement then disappeared. A few seconds later seven of the children joined them in front of Shirley's shop.