A Good Night for Ghosts

Annie ran across the street through the pounding rain.
    “Get over here, out of the street!” shouted Little Mack. “Before you get hit by lightning!”
    “Thanks, fellas!” said Dipper.
    Soaking wet, Jack, Annie, Dipper, Little Mack, Happy, and Big Nose Sidney all crowded together just inside the dark building, looking out at the storm.
    “Who lives here?” asked Dipper.
    “Nobody. It’s been empty for years,” said Happy.
    “Used to be a blacksmith shop,” said Little Mack.
    “Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop?” said Jack. He immediately stepped out of the shop and stood under the eaves.
    “Yeah, what’s wrong with that?” asked Little Mack.

    “We read this place is haunted!” said Annie.
    “Y’all believe in ghosts?” asked Little Mack.
    “No, not really,” said Jack.
    “But I thought you said they gave you the heebie—” started Dipper.
    “No, no, I was kidding,” Jack said quickly. He didn’t want Dipper’s friends to know he was afraid of ghosts.
    Lightning split the sky again. Another crash of thunder shattered the night. The wind blew so hard that shingles blew off the roof across the street and crashed to the sidewalk.
    “Whoa! Come inside, man, we gotta close the door,” Dipper said to Jack.
    “Hold on,” said Little Mack. “We have to go.”
    “We do?” asked Happy.
    Little Mack whispered something to Happy and Big Nose Sidney.
    “Oh, yeah, he’s right,” said Happy. “We have to leave. We’ll see y’all later.”
    “Y’all are scared to stay here, aren’t you?” said Dipper.
    “No, man. We forgot we have an important gig to play,” said Big Nose Sidney.
    “Oh. Suddenly y’all have got an important gig. I see…,” said Dipper.
    “Yeah, we’ll have to try to make it through the storm. See y’all! Come on, fellas!” said Little Mack.
    The three boys hurried out of the blacksmith shop and turned the corner.
    “They left ’cause they’re scaredy-cats,” said Dipper, chuckling.
    “Yeah,” said Jack, “scaredy-cats.”
    Thunder cracked the sky again, the loudest crack so far. It seemed to shake the whole block. Roof shingles flew through the air.
    “Come back inside!” said Dipper. “It’s dangerous out there.”
    Jack took a deep breath and stepped back into Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop.

D ipper closed the door.
    It was pitch-black inside the shop. As the wind howled outside, the broken shutters banged against the brick walls. A gust of damp air blew through the room.
    “It’s dark in here,” said Annie. “And cold.”
    “It’s creepy,” said Jack.
    “Yup,” said Dipper. “Let’s leave. I’ve changed my mind about staying here. We can find some other place to get out of the storm.”
    “Good idea,” said Annie.
    “Great
idea!” said Jack.
    Jack heard Dipper rattle the door handle. “Uh-oh,” said Dipper.
    “Uh-oh what?” said Jack.
    “Won’t open,” said Dipper. “It’s stuck.”
    Jack felt the hair rise on the back of his neck. The shutters banged in the wind.
    “Hold on a second, I’ve got some matches in my pocket,” said Dipper. “I just hope they didn’t get wet in the rain.”
    Jack heard Dipper trying to strike a match. He tried one, two, three times—then he held up a small flame.
    “Yay” breathed Annie.
    Jack looked around the room. In the dancing light, he could make out wooden buckets on the floor, a couple of broken chairs, a doorway leading to a back room, and—
    Squeak!
A bat flapped above their heads.
    “Ahhh!” Jack, Annie, and Dipper ducked.
    The match went out.
    Dipper quickly lit another match. He held it up high, trying to light the room. Jack didn’t see the bat, but he saw a bricked-over fireplace, some rusty lanterns, and
lots
of spiderwebs.

    “Yikes!” said Annie.
    The match went out.
    “Help,” said Annie in a small voice. “More light, please.”
    “Nobody panic,” said Dipper. “I got two matches left.”
    “Just two?” said Annie.
    “Hey, I thought I saw some lanterns,” said Jack. “Near the fireplace. Maybe we could light
them
.”
    “Good idea,” said Dipper. “Maybe there’s oil still in ’em. I just hope I can light the wicks. Or we’ll be left in the dark with the bats.”
    “And spiders,” said Annie.
    And ghosts
, Jack thought.
    Dipper struck his next-to-last match. He held it up to find the lanterns.
    “Over here,” said Jack, pointing.
    “I see,” said Dipper. But as he knelt on the floor, the match went out. “I got just one more,” he