Read Stacey And The Mystery Of Stoneybrook for Free Online

soon we were all hysterical. Charlotte was a natural!
    Chapter 6.
    And if she ever catches Boo-Boo again, she's going to put a spell on him. He'll still look like Boo-Boo, and he'll still come when we call him, but something about him will be different. He won't purr anymore, and his tongue will be as cold as ice, not warm like it is now." Karen was really on a roll.
    Andrew was sitting on Kristy's lap, and David Michael was huddled on the floor near her feet. Emily Michelle was rooting through the toy basket, looking for her "baby." She was the only one in the room who wasn't spellbound by Karen's tale.
    Kristy usually has no patience for Karen's silly ghost stories, but after hearing what Charlotte and I had been through that afternoon, she was all set to be totally spooked.
    It wasn't that late yet, but the sky was completely dark. Thunder rumbled in the distance, and lightning flickered. The storm was on its way.
    Andrew looked up at Kristy. "She won't really do that, will she? I like Boo-Boo the way he is."
    Kristy shook herself. Andrew really looked scared. She had to break the mood before things got out of hand. "Of course not, An-
    drew. Karen's just telling stories again. Listen, you guys. How about if I make a big bowl of popcorn and we play a game or two of Chutes and Ladders?"
    "Popcorn! Yea!" said David Michael. "Can we play the Name Game while you make it?"
    Kristy sighed. The Name Game gets tiresome fast, but the kids love it. "Okay. Who's first?"
    "Me!"
    "I am!"
    "No, me!"
    They all yelled at once. Kristy should have known better. She stalled for time, opening and closing cupboards and setting up the popper. "Okay, let's do Emily first. Then she can decide who's next. Ready? Here goes." And Kristy started to sing:
    "Emily Emily bo bemily Bananafana fo femily Me mi mo memily Emily!"
    Karen joined in, and so did David Michael. Andrew got some of the words right, but he got stuck on the "bananafana" part and just kept doing it over and over.
    "Who's next, Emily?" Kristy asked. Emily pointed to Karen, who's a favorite of hers. They all sang, Karen loudest of all.
    "Karen Karen bo baren Banana/ana fo faren Me mi mo maren Karen!"
    The Name Game continued as Kristy made the popcorn. Running out of names didn't stop them: They just went around the kitchen, singing about everything they saw:
    "Toaster toaster bo boaster Bananafana fo foaster Me mi mo moaster Toaster!"
    Things got pretty silly for awhile. When the popcorn was done they trooped into the living room to play Chutes and Ladders. The game wasn't half over when Karen started up again.
    "I heard Ben Brewer walking around last night. His footsteps went up and down, up and down. He was pacing. He was restless. Finally he stopped and sat down. I heard the bed creak. Then he took off his boots. The first
    one dropped. Boom. Then the second."
    And just as she said ,”second,” there was a huge clap of thunder. Everybody jumped, and Karen shrieked and leapt into Kristy's lap. She'd even scared herself that time. Her Ben Brewer stories are about the ghost who supposedly lives on the third floor. (Proof? Boo-Boo won't go above the second floor. Animals are sensitive to ghostly presences, according to Karen.) Karen's stories are mostly old hat by now. But the storm's timing had sure contributed to the drama of this one.
    Thunder was really booming then, and the yard outside was lit up by lightning. It was pouring. Kristy had all four kids piled into her lap, and they just sat and hugged each other and watched the storm. Finally the thunder and lightning moved on, though the wind and rain didn't seem to let up much.
    "Okay, time for bed, you guys," Kristy said. "David Michael, Andrew, and Karen, brush your teeth and get your pajamas on. I'll put Emily Michelle down and then come and read to all of you."
    Kristy knew that the kids were a little spooked, but it had gotten late while .they waited for the storm to pass, so she figured they'd be sleepy.
    No such luck. She