A Good Night for Ghosts

Annie grabbed her trumpet. Jack grabbed his bag, and they ran after Dipper.
    Running like crazy, Dipper led Jack and Annie far from the loading area—and the rat. When hefinally stopped, Jack bumped into Dipper, and Annie bumped into Jack. They all started laughing. Dipper laughed the hardest. He collapsed on the curb of Decatur Street and laughed so hard his whole body shook. Jack and Annie sat down next to him, laughing until they cried. Finally they all managed to calm down.
    “I know… I know I said I wasn’t afraid of anything,” Dipper said breathlessly. “But I lied. I’m afraid of one thing: rats. Rats give me the heebie-jeebies.”

    “Yeah, yeah,” Annie said, catching her breath. “I know how you feel. Spiders give
me
the heebie-jeebies.”
    “Yeah,” Jack said, panting. “Yeah, actually, ghosts give ’em to me.”
    “That’s cool, that’s cool, man,” said Dipper. “Between the three of us, we got all the scaredy stuff covered.”
    That made them all start laughing again. As the twilight deepened, they sat on the curb, catching their breath. They laughed now and then, out of relief and friendship.
    Then Dipper stood up. “Before we part ways, I better get our pay from the boss. Hold on.”
    Jack and Annie kept sitting on the curb as Dipper ran back down to the dock.
“Part ways?
We can’t part ways yet,” said Jack.
    “I know!” said Annie. “We haven’t even begun to accomplish our mission.”
    “Umbrella! Buy an umbrella!” a man shouted as he walked by. He carried a load of umbrellas onhis back. “Storm a-comin’! Big storm comin’ for the eve of All Saints’!”
    “Oh, no, now a storm’s coming,” said Jack. He was confused about what they should do next.
    A moment later, Dipper returned. “Thirty cents!” he said. “We each get ten.”
    “No, no, Dipper,” said Annie. “Please use it to take care of your family.”
    “Yeah, do that,” said Jack.
    “We insist,” said Annie.
    Dipper smiled. “Oh, you do, do you? Why? What’s this game y’all are playing?”
    “It’s no game,” said Jack.
    “We’re just a couple of potato heads,” said Annie. “Get used to it.”
    “Well, then, you two potato heads, let me give you something else,” said Dipper. “Come along with me.”
    “Great!” said Jack. They weren’t “parting ways” yet! He and Annie jumped up from the curb and bounded off with Dipper.

S treetlamps were coming on as Jack, Annie, and Dipper walked away from Jackson Square. When they came to Bourbon Street, vendors walked the sidewalks, calling out, “Ice cream!” “Lemon pie!” “Ham biscuits!”
    “Hmm. Sounds good,” said Annie. “There seems to be lots of good food in New Orleans.”
    “Best in the world!” said Dipper.
    People were sitting outside dance halls and restaurants, laughing and talking, eating and drinking. Outside and inside, musicians were blaring away on their instruments.
    “Hey, there’s Dipper! Sing something for us, Dipper!” the ice cream lady yelled.
    Dipper waved and kept going.
    “Hey, girl, can you play that trumpet?” a man called to Annie.
    “Not till the time’s right!” Annie shouted.
    “When’s that?” the man said.
    “She’ll know it when she feels it!” Dipper shouted.
    At the end of the block, under a streetlamp, a trio was singing in harmony. It was Little Mac, Happy, and Big Nose Sidney.
    “Look, Dipper, it’s your friends again,” said Annie.
    “I see ’em,” said Dipper. But he ignored the three boys and crossed the street.
    Dipper led Jack and Annie down a narrow alley to the back of a shabby, run-down building. Good cooking smells came from inside. “Y’all wait for me outside this greasy spoon,” he said, and he slipped through the back door.
    “What’s a
greasy spoon
?
”
asked Annie.
    “Smells like it must be a restaurant,” said Jack.
    Annie put down the trumpet. Jack put down his bag. They sat on the back steps of the greasy spoon. While they waited in the muggy twilight for Dipper, Jack wiped his forehead. He was starving and ached all over.
    Soon Dipper pushed open the back door with his foot. He was carrying a big bowl and a tall glass. “I got us some gumbo stew and some lemonade to share!” he said. “Talk about good!”
    “Oh, man, thanks,” breathed Jack.
    Dipper sat between Jack and Annie on the steps. He pulled spoons out of his pocket for each of them. “Dig in, y’all!” he said.
    Together the three of them tackled the gumbo stew.