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hard at the spot where I’d seen something move. I stayed perfectly still, staring at the spot for what seemed like half an hour, but was probably only a full minute. Just as I began to relax, thinking it was just my over-active imagination, I saw a movement again!
    What I saw wasn’t a ghost. At least, it wasn’t any ghost I had ever heard of. I’d always heard that ghosts were white, like mist, or they wore white sheets or something. But what I saw was dressed from head to foot in black, which made it difficult to see hiding among the many pools of darkness on campus.
    The figure was half way across the quad, hugging the shadows, and making its way slowly and carefully right towards . . . me! I had a suddenly panic attack! What if whoever, or whatever, this thing was knew I was here? What if it was after me?
    If this thing was a ghost, or if it was a man, I doubted that I could out run it; I’m not that fast of a runner. I tried to swallow, but my mouth was so dry my throat was hurting. I had to think! I had to think! But my mind was starting to race in useless circles! I had to calm down. I had to figure out what to do!
    The figure in black was now no more than thirty feet away from me. It moved with almost cat-like grace, staying to the shadows. Suddenly, as it approached one of the small pools of light near the edge of the quad, the figure stepped forward, into the light.
    At first it looked back over its shoulder, its head and face turned away from me. Then slowly, ever so slowly, almost as if this were a scene from a scary movie, the man’s head began to turn as if he were surveying every square inch of the quad area, until finally his face was looking directly at me!
    For an instant the light was coming from the wrong angle and there was a shadow across half his face. But then he changed his position, as if he was looking directly into my eyes and suddenly his face became clear.
    I was never more scared or more surprised by anything in my entire life! The face staring at me was the face of Mr. Greenwald, my science teacher!
    Mr. Greenwald was the Ghost of Gruesome High!
    And he was walking straight toward me!

 
    Chapter 8
     
    Run!
    I had never been so scared in all my life! I had no idea what to do. Mr. Greenwald seemed to be staring right at me, and getting closer with each slow, cautious step he took. Should I say something to him? What would I say? ‘Hey, Mr. Greenwald, so how long have you been a ghost?’ When I get scared, my mind works in weird ways. I had to calm myself down. I had to . . . .
    Mr. Greenwald kept looking right at me, but I could tell by the puzzled frown on his face that he wasn’t sure what it was he saw. I think he was just the tinniest bit afraid of me! Of course, I don’t think he knew it was me. I don’t think he knew what was hiding in the bushes.
    He took one slow, careful step in my direction. My mouth was as dry as the Sahara. My throat felt like it was stuck together with sand and paste. My heart started beating a million miles an hour and I was beginning to feel light-headed, as if I wasn’t even here any more, as if someone else was hiding in the bushes and I was floating above them, looking down and watching in a detached sort of way.
    No! I pulled my mind back into my body! Mr. Greenwald was coming toward me, step by step, and I had to do something and I had to do it fast. He was only about fifteen or twenty feet away now, still moving toward me slowly and carefully, obviously not sure what he was seeing. Suddenly he stopped and looked right at me. I didn’t think he could see my face, hidden behind the branches in the dark and all, but he knew someone was hiding behind the bush. “O.K., come on out,” he said. “I know you’re there.”
    My mind went completely blank for a moment. I stopped breathing. My heart stopped beating altogether. I suddenly saw red spots floating in front of my eyes and I felt dizzy, like I was going to pass out or something.
    “I said