It was nearly 4:00 in the morning when Alden's car drove up in front of
Shirley's shop. Surprisingly, she was at the door waiting for them.
"Okay, we found the third spell." Alden said, showing her the stone tablet that they had dug up from outside the old cemetary. "What do we do now?"
While Shirley was looking over the tablet, Courage noticed that Mr. Worth had walked away and was quietly whispering something. A few seconds later the children appeared and listened as Mr. Worth whispered something to them. Then the Children moved away to hide in the shadows.
Courage looked back at Shirley who was now telling Alden what he needed to do next. "Read the words from the first two tablets. That will bring the spirits here in front of you. Then read the words from the third tablet to take command of them."
Alden did as Shirley instructed, reading the first two spells. Seconds later, more than thirty angry white lights began to swarm around them.
"Now read the third tablet."
Alden slowly read the words and watched in amazement as the ghosts lined up in front of them.
"Now, you must read both of the first two spells backwards to make them all go back into the tablets."
"NO!!!" Mr. Worth's eyes glowed bright red as he moved quickly between Shirley and Alden. "I WILL NOT LET THEM BE ENSLAVED BY THOSE WICKED SPELLS EVER AGAIN!!" Mr. Worth's entire form had turned an angry red color and was glowing eerily. He turned to the shadows where the children were hiding. "NOW!" he commanded.
In an instant, the children had formed a circle around Shirley and were all holding hands. Before Shirley could react, they began to chant as they moved around her in a sort of dance. Courage recognized this chant all too well. I was the same chant that he had heard when he first saw the children - the same chant that had both Muriel and Eustace completely hypnotized. The chant was having the same effect on Shirley.
Mr. Worth turned to Alden. "Please, my friend, trust me."
Alden nodded. "What do you want me to do?"
Mr. Worth studied the stone tablets which Alden had now placed on the ground in front of him. He pointed to the first tablet. "Read this one backwards, then read the third spell backwards. Then tell the spirits that they are free to go."
"Are you sure this will work, David? What if they destroy this place once they're set free?"
Mr. Worth looked Alden in the eye. "It would be inhuman to imprison them in those stones again, Alden. They're not evil and they've done nothing wrong. Please, I beg you, set them free."
Alden nodded and did as Mr. Worth asked. When he had read the second spell backwards, the wind stopped blowing and the spirits began to take human form. The ghosts gathered around Alden and Mr. Worth as if waiting for something. One of them gestured to the three tablets.
Mr. Worth seemed to understand what they wanted. "Alden, break the tablets in two and give the pieces to them." he said gesturing to the spirits.
Alden broke the first tablet and held it out to the ghosts. In less than a second, several angry shapes whisked the pieces out of his hands and threw them against anything that would break them. Soon, the tablet was nothing more than dust. Alden broke the other two tablets and watched as they were also violently destroyed.
The spirites returned to stand in front of Alden and Mr. Worth.
"Tell them, once again, that they are free."
Alden looked at Mr. Worth and nodded before turning to the spirits. "You are all free to go now."
Courage looked up at the sky and noticed that the clouds were beginning to clear up. There was one bright star shining against the black sky. He looked back to see several of the spirits crowding around Alden as if to say thankyou. Mr. Worth was smiling as Alden reached out and touched several of them. Courage could see that there were tears in Mr. Worth's eyes.
"Look!" a voice from behind Courage said excitedly. One of the children was pointing to a bright figure that had appeared behind the others. Slowly the ghosts that Alden had released from the spell began to move toward the other figure until only four of them remained.
"Looks like we're stuck here for a while." One of the spirits said to Alden. "Do you mind if we stay in that house that belongs to your family? We won't do any harm, we just need somewhere to call home."
Alden smiled. "I don't mind at all. I've been thinking of buying that house from my family now that I've got friends here. It might be fun to live in a haunted house."
All of the now human looking spirits smiled and disappeared.
Alden turned to Mr. Worth. "Thank you David, for everything. I hope you and the children will be able to come visit me when I get moved into my mother's house."
Mr. Worth smiled warmly back at Alden. "All you have to do is invite us."
Courage tugged on Mr. Worth's sleeve and pointed to Shirley.
"Don't worry, she'll be fine once we've left. Speaking of which, we should probably be going now. Come on, children, it's time we were leaving. It's nearly daylight and you'll all be getting sleepy soon."
He turned back to Alden. "I do hope to see you again soon, my friend."
The children gathered around Mr. Worth. "Can we sleep at Courage's house today? Please? Just one more day?"
"You'll have to ask Courage about that."
Courage's happily wagging tail gave them their answer.
Alden smiled and waved good-bye to his friends until they disappeared. Somehow he had a feeling that they would all see each other again sooner than they thought.
"Okay, we found the third spell." Alden said, showing her the stone tablet that they had dug up from outside the old cemetary. "What do we do now?"
While Shirley was looking over the tablet, Courage noticed that Mr. Worth had walked away and was quietly whispering something. A few seconds later the children appeared and listened as Mr. Worth whispered something to them. Then the Children moved away to hide in the shadows.
Courage looked back at Shirley who was now telling Alden what he needed to do next. "Read the words from the first two tablets. That will bring the spirits here in front of you. Then read the words from the third tablet to take command of them."
Alden did as Shirley instructed, reading the first two spells. Seconds later, more than thirty angry white lights began to swarm around them.
"Now read the third tablet."
Alden slowly read the words and watched in amazement as the ghosts lined up in front of them.
"Now, you must read both of the first two spells backwards to make them all go back into the tablets."
"NO!!!" Mr. Worth's eyes glowed bright red as he moved quickly between Shirley and Alden. "I WILL NOT LET THEM BE ENSLAVED BY THOSE WICKED SPELLS EVER AGAIN!!" Mr. Worth's entire form had turned an angry red color and was glowing eerily. He turned to the shadows where the children were hiding. "NOW!" he commanded.
In an instant, the children had formed a circle around Shirley and were all holding hands. Before Shirley could react, they began to chant as they moved around her in a sort of dance. Courage recognized this chant all too well. I was the same chant that he had heard when he first saw the children - the same chant that had both Muriel and Eustace completely hypnotized. The chant was having the same effect on Shirley.
Mr. Worth turned to Alden. "Please, my friend, trust me."
Alden nodded. "What do you want me to do?"
Mr. Worth studied the stone tablets which Alden had now placed on the ground in front of him. He pointed to the first tablet. "Read this one backwards, then read the third spell backwards. Then tell the spirits that they are free to go."
"Are you sure this will work, David? What if they destroy this place once they're set free?"
Mr. Worth looked Alden in the eye. "It would be inhuman to imprison them in those stones again, Alden. They're not evil and they've done nothing wrong. Please, I beg you, set them free."
Alden nodded and did as Mr. Worth asked. When he had read the second spell backwards, the wind stopped blowing and the spirits began to take human form. The ghosts gathered around Alden and Mr. Worth as if waiting for something. One of them gestured to the three tablets.
Mr. Worth seemed to understand what they wanted. "Alden, break the tablets in two and give the pieces to them." he said gesturing to the spirits.
Alden broke the first tablet and held it out to the ghosts. In less than a second, several angry shapes whisked the pieces out of his hands and threw them against anything that would break them. Soon, the tablet was nothing more than dust. Alden broke the other two tablets and watched as they were also violently destroyed.
The spirites returned to stand in front of Alden and Mr. Worth.
"Tell them, once again, that they are free."
Alden looked at Mr. Worth and nodded before turning to the spirits. "You are all free to go now."
Courage looked up at the sky and noticed that the clouds were beginning to clear up. There was one bright star shining against the black sky. He looked back to see several of the spirits crowding around Alden as if to say thankyou. Mr. Worth was smiling as Alden reached out and touched several of them. Courage could see that there were tears in Mr. Worth's eyes.
"Look!" a voice from behind Courage said excitedly. One of the children was pointing to a bright figure that had appeared behind the others. Slowly the ghosts that Alden had released from the spell began to move toward the other figure until only four of them remained.
"Looks like we're stuck here for a while." One of the spirits said to Alden. "Do you mind if we stay in that house that belongs to your family? We won't do any harm, we just need somewhere to call home."
Alden smiled. "I don't mind at all. I've been thinking of buying that house from my family now that I've got friends here. It might be fun to live in a haunted house."
All of the now human looking spirits smiled and disappeared.
Alden turned to Mr. Worth. "Thank you David, for everything. I hope you and the children will be able to come visit me when I get moved into my mother's house."
Mr. Worth smiled warmly back at Alden. "All you have to do is invite us."
Courage tugged on Mr. Worth's sleeve and pointed to Shirley.
"Don't worry, she'll be fine once we've left. Speaking of which, we should probably be going now. Come on, children, it's time we were leaving. It's nearly daylight and you'll all be getting sleepy soon."
He turned back to Alden. "I do hope to see you again soon, my friend."
The children gathered around Mr. Worth. "Can we sleep at Courage's house today? Please? Just one more day?"
"You'll have to ask Courage about that."
Courage's happily wagging tail gave them their answer.
Alden smiled and waved good-bye to his friends until they disappeared. Somehow he had a feeling that they would all see each other again sooner than they thought.