Violet ran across the amusement pier, but she did not see Benny. A few lights were on here and there, but all the rides and food stands were dark.
“Violet! Is something wrong?” Jessie asked. Jessie, Henry, and Mr. Hanson were locking the gate to the Ferris wheel.
“Have you seen Benny?” Violet asked. “No,” Jessie replied.
Violet explained how Benny had slid from his horse and run away.
Mr. Hanson looked concerned. “Let’s split up,” he said. “Henry and Jessie, you search the ocean side of the pier. Violet and I will look on the other side. We’ll meet up at the ticket booth.”
Violet climbed all the way up to the very top of the Big Slide. From the top, she could look down on the whole amusement pier. She could see Henry and Jessie running from ride to ride. She could see Mr. Hanson checking under benches and behind the game booths. But she did not see Benny. Clouds covered the moon, and the beach and the ocean were very dark. Violet worried. What if Benny had run down to the beach and could not find his way?
Out of the corner of her eye, Violet saw something move at the back of the pier. Someone, or something, had just run down the steps and into the blackness of the beach. It looked like the person was carrying something very big.
“Stop!” Violet called. But she was too far. She sat and quickly flew down the Big Slide to the very bottom. She called for Henry, Jessie, and Mr. Hanson. They came running.
Just as Violet was about to tell them what she had seen, loud screaming came from the haunted house! All the lights in the front of the haunted house went on. The cars began to run on the track and bump through the doors. But there were no riders! Everyone rushed toward the ride.
“Was that Benny who screamed?” asked
Jessie. “I hope he is all right.”
“Don’t worry,” Mr. Hanson said. “It was not Benny. The screams are part of the ride. Someone has turned it on.”
Mr. Hanson quickly found the off switch and shut down the ride. He pushed open the door and Henry, Jessie, and Violet followed him inside.
“Benny!” Jessie cried. “Are you all right?” Benny sat on the floor in the zombie room.
His head was in his hands.
“The zombie hit me,” he said. “Then it ran away.”
Everyone looked at the platform next to where Benny sat. The tallest zombie was missing from its stand!
* * *
Back at Mr. Hanson’s house, everyone sat out on the deck overlooking the ocean. Mr. Hanson scooped ice cream into bowls.
“Extra chocolate sauce and rainbow sprinkles for Benny,” Mr. Hanson said. “How do you feel?”
“I’m fine,” Benny said. He lifted an ice pack from his cheek. “It is just a small bump. It hardly hurts at all.”
“Can you tell us what happened?” Grandfather asked.
“I won a snake today when I threw darts at a balloon. But when we helped Mr. Hanson set up the ghosts in the haunted house, I left my snake there. I remembered it when I was sitting on the horse on the merry-go-round. I told Violet that I would be right back. I ran to the haunted house to get my snake.”
“Wasn’t it too dark to find the snake?” Jessie asked.
Benny nodded. “At first it was too dark. But I knew where the light switch was. I turned on the lights and ran to the ghost room. I found my snake. It was sitting right next to the smallest ghost. I picked it up, but just then all the lights went out. I couldn’t see anything.”
Violet drew in her breath. “You must have been so frightened!”
“I was a little scared,” Benny admitted. “But I felt along the walls. I walked into the zombie room. There was a light in there.”
“But I don’t have any lights just in the zombie room,” Mr. Hanson said. “The switch you used turns on all the lights in the haunted house.”
“It wasn’t that light, Mr. Hanson. It was a small light, like from a cell phone or a little flashlight. Then the giant zombie started to move. He came right off the machine that you built. His arms swung around. One of them hit me in the side of the face. I fell down.”
“Where did the zombie go?” asked Henry. “It can’t walk. It’s not real. And it was not there when we found you.”
“I don’t know,” Benny said. “It was too dark. The little light went off. And then all of a sudden the ride started up and you came and found me.”
Just then, everyone heard giggling coming from the beach. But it was too dark to see anyone.
As everyone was finishing their ice cream, Will and Wendy came in the front door. When their father called to them, they walked back toward the deck.
“Where were you tonight?” Mr. Hanson asked. “I sure could have used your help.”
Will looked down at his feet.
“We’re sorry, Dad,” Wendy said. “We went for a long walk after dinner and we lost track of the time.”
Wendy played with a string hanging from the bottom of her shirt. Her eyes quickly glanced toward Benny. “Are you okay, little guy?” she asked. “How about I get you some more ice cream?” Wendy asked.
Grandfather smiled. “Benny never says no to ice cream.”
Wendy carried Benny’s bowl into the kitchen. “Hello up there, Aldens!” A shout came from the boardwalk below.
Mr. Hanson leaned over the rail. “Come on up, Hunter,” he said. “We are just having some ice cream. I hope you can join us.”
“Sounds great!” Hunter ran up the stairs. “I’m glad I saw the candles flickering on your deck,” he said. “I wanted to stop by to see if anyone is up for hitting the beach tomorrow morning.”
Benny jumped out of his chair. “Are you going to teach me how to boogie board?”
Hunter laughed. “That’s the first thing I am going to do. But it won’t take long. You’ll figure it out quick.”
“You children have been an enormous help. You should go and enjoy the beach tomorrow,” Mr. Hanson said.
Benny clapped his hands. Wendy came back out onto the deck and handed Benny another heaping bowl of ice cream. “Wow!” Benny said. “This is the best night ever!”
Will and Wendy turned to leave the deck. Hunter called to them.
“Do you want to come tomorrow, too?” Hunter asked. “There will be lots of kids there. We always have a good time. Do you like to surf?”
Will hesitated. He folded his arms and leaned against the door frame.
“Thanks, but we don’t surf,” Wendy said. Then she sighed. “But we used to ski when we lived in Colorado.”
“That’s cool,” Hunter said. “I’ve never been skiing. If I teach you to surf this summer, maybe you can teach me how to ski in the winter. I’ve heard the Pocono Mountains in Pennsylvania have some great slopes. And they are not too far from here.”
Wendy smiled. She looked over at Will. Will shrugged his shoulders. “It’s a deal,” Wendy said. “We’ll see you in the morning!”
When Benny awoke, it was early morning. He rushed downstairs and out onto the deck. He wanted to see how big the waves were. He could not wait to swim in the ocean and try out the boogie board that Hunter promised to bring. But when Benny looked toward the beach, he saw something that made his heart beat fast. He stumbled back into the house.
“Henry! Jessie! Violet!” Benny called. “Come quick!”
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