Courage was awakened by one of the children. "Alden will be here any
minute." the boy whispered.
Courage got up and stretched. He looked over at the window to see Mr. Worth standing there. The wind had picked up considerably and lightening was streaking across the sky.
Mr. Worth turned around. "Do you have the map that you printed out earlier?"
Courage nodded, "Uh-huh." He pulled the map out of his pocket and handed it to Mr. Worth.
"I think Alden will be surprised to see that we have also figured out where that last spell is hidden." Mr. Worth took the map and put it in one of his pockets.
Courage looked surprised by this and Mr. Worth grinned at him. "I have pockets too, you know. Besides, what do you think is stranger, me putting something in my shirt pocket or you having a pocket hidden in your fur?"
Courage let out an embarassed, "He he he."
"He's here!" One of the children materialized in the room startling Courage out of his skin.
Mr. Worth and the children couldn't help but laugh as Courage climbed back into his skin. Courage looked back at them with a big toothy grin.
"Come on Courage." Mr. Worth held out his hand and Courage grabbed on tightly as they slowly faded out to reappear next to Alden's car.
"I doubt that I'll ever get used to that." Alden said as he opened the car door for them.
A few minutes later they drove up to a spot a little ways away from the old Nowhere Cemetary. There was nothing to really show that this was - - or rather used to be - - a cemetary. Most of the place was surrounded by buildings that had been built when the earthquake destroyed the cemetary. Just north of the buildings was open field and the broken remains of an old iron fence. Two large trees marked the spot where the main gate used to be. Just past these trees was the old dirt road that used to lead into the cemetary. Courage found himself shivering though he wasn't sure if it was the cold air or the fact that he was standing in the middle of what used to be a cemetary that was making him shiver.
Mr. Worth knelt down and whispered into Courage's ear. "There's where the children and I are burried", he said pointing to a spot just a few feet from where Courage was standing, "The tomb is now several feet underground and in two seperate pieces but our bones are still there."
Courage suddenly felt sad but Mr. Worth gave him a reassuring pat on the back before rising to his feet and going over to talk to Alden who was studying the map. The three followed the map until the came up to a place where the ground had been burned. The fire had only burned a small area which seemed odd considering the how the wind had been blowing that day.
"Looks like somebody wanted to make this easy on us." Alden said as he studied the ground as if looking for something.
"Well, there's no marker or anything that I can see on the ground." Mr. Worth commented.
Alden turned to Mr. Worth. "Is there anyway you could go underground and search?"
"You're forgetting that this is a cemetary. I would be invading other people's graves."
Alden was puzzled. "But we're outside where the cemetary used to be."
Mr. Worth shook his head. "Not after the earthquake. Several of the graves actually moved sideways under the ground. Not only that but there were a few people burried outside the cemetary fence."
Alden looked shocked. "But how could that be....?"
Mr. Worth looked him in the eye. "Trust me, you don't want to know."
Alden opened his mouth to say something else then decided against it. He looked down at Courage and suddenly an idea came to him. "Hey Courage, I know this is a long shot, but is there anyway you could sniff that stone table out for us?"
Courage shrugged and said, "I'll try."
"Hey, I actually understood that!" Mr Worth grinned as Courage began to sniff the ground.
But Courage's nose wasn't good at picking up stone tablets burried under the ground. If it were then he would have found several pieces of headstones in the first few minutes.
Courage sighed, feeling totally defeated.
It was Mr. Worth who came up with the next idea. "Do you have those other two tablets with you?"
Alden nodded and pulled the two tablets out of the backpack that he had been carrying.
"Good, take one out and let me look at it."
Alden offered the tablet to Mr. Worth who refused to take it. "Remember, I cannot hold it. You'll have to hold it for me."
Alden held the tablet for Mr. Worth to look at. After studying the writing for a few seconds, Mr. Worth instructed Alden to read one of the lines. "This will bring at least one of those spirits here."
Alden looked at Mr. Worth. "I'm surprised that they're not swarming around already."
Mr. Worth shrugged. "Ghost hunters probably scared them off."
Alden read the line that Mr. Worth had instructed him to read and, seconds later, several angry ghostly lights appeard in front of them.
Mr. Worth silently approached the ghostly shapes. Only one of the spirits stayed still while the others scattered. After a few seconds, the ghostly light moved over to a spot near the center of the burned ground and hovered there.
Mr. Worth turned to Courage and pointed to the spot that the spirit was hovering over. "You're the one who's the best at digging."
Courage's fur turned pale white and he hesitated.
Mr. Worth reassured him. "It's okay. He wants us to find this just as badly as we want to find it."
Courage meekly made his way to where the spirit was floating. The spirit floated up higher in the air to give Courage some room and Courage began to dig. He had been digging for about five minutes when his paws hit something hard. Carefully, he began to remove the dirt from around the object until he uncovered a stone tablet.
As Courage backed away from the hole, Alden reached in and pulled out the final spell.
Courage got up and stretched. He looked over at the window to see Mr. Worth standing there. The wind had picked up considerably and lightening was streaking across the sky.
Mr. Worth turned around. "Do you have the map that you printed out earlier?"
Courage nodded, "Uh-huh." He pulled the map out of his pocket and handed it to Mr. Worth.
"I think Alden will be surprised to see that we have also figured out where that last spell is hidden." Mr. Worth took the map and put it in one of his pockets.
Courage looked surprised by this and Mr. Worth grinned at him. "I have pockets too, you know. Besides, what do you think is stranger, me putting something in my shirt pocket or you having a pocket hidden in your fur?"
Courage let out an embarassed, "He he he."
"He's here!" One of the children materialized in the room startling Courage out of his skin.
Mr. Worth and the children couldn't help but laugh as Courage climbed back into his skin. Courage looked back at them with a big toothy grin.
"Come on Courage." Mr. Worth held out his hand and Courage grabbed on tightly as they slowly faded out to reappear next to Alden's car.
"I doubt that I'll ever get used to that." Alden said as he opened the car door for them.
A few minutes later they drove up to a spot a little ways away from the old Nowhere Cemetary. There was nothing to really show that this was - - or rather used to be - - a cemetary. Most of the place was surrounded by buildings that had been built when the earthquake destroyed the cemetary. Just north of the buildings was open field and the broken remains of an old iron fence. Two large trees marked the spot where the main gate used to be. Just past these trees was the old dirt road that used to lead into the cemetary. Courage found himself shivering though he wasn't sure if it was the cold air or the fact that he was standing in the middle of what used to be a cemetary that was making him shiver.
Mr. Worth knelt down and whispered into Courage's ear. "There's where the children and I are burried", he said pointing to a spot just a few feet from where Courage was standing, "The tomb is now several feet underground and in two seperate pieces but our bones are still there."
Courage suddenly felt sad but Mr. Worth gave him a reassuring pat on the back before rising to his feet and going over to talk to Alden who was studying the map. The three followed the map until the came up to a place where the ground had been burned. The fire had only burned a small area which seemed odd considering the how the wind had been blowing that day.
"Looks like somebody wanted to make this easy on us." Alden said as he studied the ground as if looking for something.
"Well, there's no marker or anything that I can see on the ground." Mr. Worth commented.
Alden turned to Mr. Worth. "Is there anyway you could go underground and search?"
"You're forgetting that this is a cemetary. I would be invading other people's graves."
Alden was puzzled. "But we're outside where the cemetary used to be."
Mr. Worth shook his head. "Not after the earthquake. Several of the graves actually moved sideways under the ground. Not only that but there were a few people burried outside the cemetary fence."
Alden looked shocked. "But how could that be....?"
Mr. Worth looked him in the eye. "Trust me, you don't want to know."
Alden opened his mouth to say something else then decided against it. He looked down at Courage and suddenly an idea came to him. "Hey Courage, I know this is a long shot, but is there anyway you could sniff that stone table out for us?"
Courage shrugged and said, "I'll try."
"Hey, I actually understood that!" Mr Worth grinned as Courage began to sniff the ground.
But Courage's nose wasn't good at picking up stone tablets burried under the ground. If it were then he would have found several pieces of headstones in the first few minutes.
Courage sighed, feeling totally defeated.
It was Mr. Worth who came up with the next idea. "Do you have those other two tablets with you?"
Alden nodded and pulled the two tablets out of the backpack that he had been carrying.
"Good, take one out and let me look at it."
Alden offered the tablet to Mr. Worth who refused to take it. "Remember, I cannot hold it. You'll have to hold it for me."
Alden held the tablet for Mr. Worth to look at. After studying the writing for a few seconds, Mr. Worth instructed Alden to read one of the lines. "This will bring at least one of those spirits here."
Alden looked at Mr. Worth. "I'm surprised that they're not swarming around already."
Mr. Worth shrugged. "Ghost hunters probably scared them off."
Alden read the line that Mr. Worth had instructed him to read and, seconds later, several angry ghostly lights appeard in front of them.
Mr. Worth silently approached the ghostly shapes. Only one of the spirits stayed still while the others scattered. After a few seconds, the ghostly light moved over to a spot near the center of the burned ground and hovered there.
Mr. Worth turned to Courage and pointed to the spot that the spirit was hovering over. "You're the one who's the best at digging."
Courage's fur turned pale white and he hesitated.
Mr. Worth reassured him. "It's okay. He wants us to find this just as badly as we want to find it."
Courage meekly made his way to where the spirit was floating. The spirit floated up higher in the air to give Courage some room and Courage began to dig. He had been digging for about five minutes when his paws hit something hard. Carefully, he began to remove the dirt from around the object until he uncovered a stone tablet.
As Courage backed away from the hole, Alden reached in and pulled out the final spell.