A Good Night for Ghosts

They all ate their fill of spicy chicken, ham, tomatoes, okra, onions, and rice. When the bowl was empty, they shared the tall glass of lemonade. Then they sat back on the steps and heaved big sighs. Jack felt stuffed and happy.
    “Mighty fine,” breathed Dipper.
    “Mighty fine,” echoed Jack.
    “
Mighty
fine,” said Annie.
    “Nothing tastes as good as gumbo after a hard day’s work,” said Dipper. He stood up. “Well, I have to leave y’all now. Thanks a million for your help today. And don’t forget to thank Teddy and Kathleen for sending y’all to find me.” Before Jack and Annie could stop him, Dipper climbed down the steps and vanished into the dark.
    “Dipper?” called Jack.
    There was no answer.
    “He’s gone again!” said Annie.
    “And we totally failed in our mission for Merlin,” said Jack. “We didn’t help Dipper get on the right path to give his gifts to the world.”
    “I know. We have to find him. Come on,” said Annie. She hopped up and headed after Dipper.
    “Wait, the trumpet!” said Jack. He grabbed the magic trumpet and his bag and followed her.
    When Jack left the steps, it was too dark forhim to see where Annie had gone. Thunder rumbled in the distance. The air felt heavy and thick as if the storm were about to break at any moment.
    “Annie!” Jack called.
    “Here!” Annie called back from the front of the restaurant. Jack joined her. Together they peeked through a window that looked into a large kitchen. Dipper was alone, washing a mountain of dishes.
    “Why’s he doing that?” whispered Jack.
    “Hey Dipper!” said Annie.
    Dipper turned and smiled. “You caught me,” he said. He looked embarrassed.
    “Why are you washing dishes?” asked Annie.
    Dipper shrugged. “Got to pay for our dinner somehow,” he said.
    “We’ll help you,” said Annie.
    “We love washing dishes!” said Jack.
    Dipper laughed. “Then come on in, potato heads,” he said. “I could use some help.”
    Jack and Annie slipped through a side door into the hot, steamy kitchen.
    Jack put down his bag and the trumpet. He and Annie picked up dirty plates from the counter. They began scraping leftovers into a garbage pail. They scraped fish heads, oyster shells, crab legs, shrimp tails, chicken bones, grease, and gravy off dozens of plates.
    The work was messy and smelly. But Jack and Annie worked hard to keep up with Dipper. Every time he took a plate from them, he smiled and said, “Thank you.” He never frowned or complained or even seemed tired.
    “Dipper,” said Annie while they worked, “your life seems really hard. How do you stay so cheerful?”
    “Why not? It’s more fun to be cheerful than sad,” he said.
    “Don’t you ever feel like getting mad or complaining about stuff?” said Jack.
    “Sure I do, I’m human,” said Dipper. “I feel all kinds of things. All day long I feel things. You could say I have a rich life. I might not get to
have
everything. But I get to
feel
everything!” He laughed.
    “I’m the same way,” said Annie.
    “I thought so,” said Dipper. “That’s why I sure would like to hear you play that trumpet sometime.”
    “Maybe you will,” said Annie.
    By the time they finished washing dishes, rain was falling outside.
    “Where to now?” said Jack.
    “One more treat for y’all,” said Dipper. “Let’s leave this greasy spoon and head back down to the river. To the River Café for dessert! Come on.”
    “We better not,” said Jack. “The waiters there don’t like us.”
    “Don’t worry about them,” said Dipper. “You’re with me now.”
    Jack and Annie followed Dipper outside into the rain. The wind was blowing harder now. “Uh-oh,” said Dipper. “Here comes the storm! Let’s hurry!”
    Thunder cracked and rain began to pour down. The three of them got soaked as they hurried through the alley back to Bourbon Street.
    The street was empty now. Partygoers and street musicians had fled from the storm. Therestaurants and cafés had taken their chairs and tables inside. Lightning lit the sky, and thunder shook the ground. The wind was blowing hard, picking up sticks and leaves and trash.
    “We have to find cover!” said Dipper. “Run!” He and Jack and Annie bowed their heads against the downpour and ran up Bourbon Street.
    “Dipper! Over here, man!” someone yelled. It was Little Mack.
    Little Mack, Happy, and Big Nose Sidney were waving to Dipper from the doorway of a dark building on a corner. Dipper, Jack, and