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The nextwas my birthday! Usually I wake up early onti I woke up really late, as I wasn’t a bit excited Wanda was still asleep so I opened Uncle Drac’s present It was a knitted bat At least I think that’s what it was It had a long piece of string on it so I hung it up above Wanda and waited for her to wake up

Well, actually I didn’t wait I prodded her and hissed, "Wandaaaaaa!" in her ear She sat up suddenly--like she always does when she wakes up--and the knitted bat dangled right in front of her eyes She screaave me a birthday card and a present The card was fun--it had a lot of ghosts trying to blow out birthday candles and it said ghostly greet ings The present was lovely It was a ghost ame and I have alanted one of those I couldn’t wait to play it and I put it in our Thursday bedroo that I had been keeping as a birthday present and I put it on It fit reen stone sparkled and looked lovely

It was strange not having Aunt Tabby or Uncle Drac there on et some breakfast and I noticed how e the boiler or singing her favorite song, Aunt Tabby is scut tling about finding things for people to do, and Barry is thu it felt really quiet and en of Mathilda either, and her bedroo feet to feet on the long bench on the landing It is hard to tell with ghosts, but they looked like they were asleep As we tiptoed by nothing got thrown at us so they must have been We stepped over a sh the shafts of dusty sunlight that shone between the gaps in the moth-eaten curtains, which were still drawn because Aunt Tabby was not there to open therandfather clock in the hall it struck thirteen and Wanda jumped in surprise The clock always strikes thirteen, so it didn’t h it nearly was Both hands were point ing at twelve--which, as even Wanda knows, is ot up What would Aunt Tabby have said? We tiptoed past Uncle Drac’s cupboard-- I don’t knoe were tiptoeing except that that is what you do when a house is very quiet--and I could not resist a peek inside, just in case Uncle Drac had come back for my birthday Of course he hadn’t His old black cloak was hanging up like it always does, his green string scarf was slung over another hook, and his crutches fros were propped up in the corner They reminded me so much of Uncle Drac that I felt really sad And there was no sign of Sir Horace either--just the newspaper left on the chair While Wanda was thu breakfast, I went to check on the boiler The boiler does not like being left alone for long and I was afraid it ot the fire going again with little pieces of wood and coal Soon it was blazing away,like they always do There was a funny sht breakfast was probably ready, but as I was about to go, a spooky green glow appeared in the corner of the boiler room by the ash can

It was Edhost I discovered in Spookie House and when I first saw him I was really excited--and even a little bit scared-- but nowadays when I see hi with Aunt Tabby and she stops to talk to one of her friends and they both go on and on about all kinds of stuff Yawn "Hello, Araminta, " said Edmund in his weedy voice "Oh, hello, Edmund Must rush Stuff to do Bye " I was nearly out of the boiler roohostly voice shout, "Miss Spookie!" and Sir Horace lurched out of the cupboard where Brenda keeps all the boiler stuff

He was followed by Fang, who stared atwhite teeth I do like Fang, but he can be a little scary close up "Sir Horace! What are you doing in the cupboard?" Sir Horace did not sound happy "Unfortunately, Miss Spookie, I have been forced to spend the night here after an incident involving a flowerpot " "Oh dear, " I said "The only reason I did not leave iood-bye " I was shocked "Good-bye?" "Indeed, Miss Spookie, I ae

Please give htful Miss Wizzard Co forward, the rest of hi out of the boiler rooo, Sir Horace Please " What a horrible birthday this was turning out to be

"Breakfast!" yelled Wanda fro one, it is true, but a small one with potential "Come and have a farewell breakfast with us, Sir Horace, " I said For ato say no But he bowed and said, "A fine tradition, -134 Miss Spookie At Hernia Hall we used to have many splendid farewell breakfasts " When Sir Horace sahat Wanda had cooked for breakfast he host and didn’t have to eat any thing As we ca out frolue on it, although I could not be sure "What’s that?" I asked "Gu rather proud "Oh " "It’s all we’ve got, " said Wanda grumpily Sir Horace politely left his sword at the door and sat next to me Edmund wafted around until Wanda noticed him and said, "Ooh, hello, Edmund Co, who still does not realize that ghosts do not eat anything, sat beside oing to tell Wanda that Sir Horace was leaving and we had to do soummy bears on toast first It actually tasted quite nice, but when I went to open my mouth to speak I couldn’t My teeth were stuck fast "Wharrrarr, " I said, trying to prythe sa " "Wheerr?" "Srrr Hrrrss sleeving!" "Whaaarrrr?"

Sir Horace came to the rescue "Miss Wizzard, I believe that Miss Spookie is trying to tell you that I shall be leaving shortly and going to live in a quiet alcove in Catheter Cottage " Wanda was frantically trying to pry her teeth apart with the end of her spoon "Curthtr Crrrtge!" she spluttered "Nerrrr!" Any other ti--but not now Suddenly Wanda’s spoon worked "Catheter Cottage! No! Please don’t go, Sir Horace, I will miss Edmund so much, " she said "And I will miss you too, Sir Horace, " she added rather quickly Suddenly I had a Plan

It was only another small one and I wasn’t even sure what poten tial it had, but what can you expect when you have used up all your energy unsticking grilled gummy bears from your teeth? "Sir Horace, " I said "It’s my birthday " "Indeed? Many happy returns, Miss Spookie, " he boomed "And it’s an old Spookie House tradition that you hter of the house on her birthday " "What’s a daughter of the house?" asked Wanda "Not what--who, " I told her "It’s ht be, " said Wanda "So ish has Miss Wizzard granted you, Miss Spookie?" Sir Horace asked with a smile in his voice "She promised not to ask any silly ques tions on my birthday Didn’t you, Wanda?" "Did I?" "Wandaaaa "

"So ish can I grant for your birthday, Miss Spookie?" Aha Sir Horace had walked right intoor two from Mathilda "Sir Horace, o to that horrible old alcove--which I bet is where Nurse Watkins keeps her nurse’s bag And that is full of all kinds of yucky stuff--take my word for it " I saw Wanda’s jaw drop She looked i for a few moments Then he said, "I will stay in Spookie House but--" "Yaay!" We cheered and then we stopped as we realized there was a "but " "On one condition " "Oh, " I said I reckoned I knehat thatelse at me I shall leave at once " "Don’t worry, Sir Horace, " I said "They won’t throw anything else at you "

But they did As we helped Sir Horace up the basement stairs, one of Aunt Tabby’s very best vases, coreen water, landed on Sir Horace’s head The green gooey water dripped through his visor--which is the little bit that he looks out of--and ran into his armor "Rust!" booetting in his armor He clanked up the rest of the stairs at top speed and headed across the hall with Wanda,on his own "Good-bye, Sir Rust Bucket, " laughed Ned and Jed, ere sitting on the hosts, " I said "We are going too " Then Wanda, Sir Horace, and I stomped and rattled out of Spookie House