Ollie Oxley and the Ghost: The Search for Lost Gold
Heads-up Buttercup DeeDee pushed by him and bounded up the staircase with Hank hot on her heels Moments later she leaned over the banister and yelled I call dibs on both rooms up here What Ollie threw his hands up in the air Why should DeeDee get two rooms Mom dropped the box of books she was carrying with a loud thud Puffs of dirt swirled about her feet like mini tornados Sweetie DeeDee could use the extra space for her costumes There’s a lovely room for you right here she added opening a door off the living room Ollie peered inside the cramped quarters You’d think the fact that I’m twelve and she’s only ten might count for something but I guess not He sighed and lugged his suitcase into the tiny space A pair of dust bunnies rolled across the floor like tumbleweeds The room or lack of room looked barely big enough by his calculations to fit his bed his green dresser and his red beanbag chair A round window that reminded him of a ship’s porthole looked out across the street at a yellow cottage with a white picket fence He crossed the room and pressed his face up against the glass There was a sign painted on the weathered boards of the fence Miss Sally World-Famous Medium he read aloud Why does a world-famous medium live in a crummy little house on Peach Street Before he could give it much thought Gus padded into the room His massive paws clicked on the hardwood floor Butting his head up against Ollie’s backside he barked in loud sharp bursts nudging him toward the door
All right buddy Ollie chuckled Let’s go check out your new digs Gus made a mad dash out of the room and down the hall skidding to a halt when he reached the back door Ollie rattled the glass doorknob back and forth After a few stout tugs and a swift kick the door jerked open and Gus barreled by to find the closest tree Scrambling to get out of the way Ollie banged into the doorjamb and nearly lost his balance Thanks a lot Gus he grumbled scoping out the scenery Wow This place is about as cheery as a graveyard The backyard hummed with summer insects that swarmed over a carpet of dandelions Overgrown bushes and weeds had staged a hostile takeover of the garden A series of old stepping-stones led to a small outhouse smothered in ivy The sprawling yard reminded him of an old cemetery he’d once visited while on a historical tour in New Orleans I hope that’s not a mausoleum he thought eyeing the outhouse The above-ground burial chambers he’d seen on the trip had given him the willies He half-expected a door to swing open and a zombie to creep out A white cat appeared from around the corner of the house and slinked through the tall grass Gus sprang into action and chased the feline up a towering oak tree The cat stared down from its perch with an amber gaze while Gus circled below growling and scratching at the tree Ollie watched the commotion with amusement until something unusual caught his eye A bent piece of metal was poking out from the trunk near the foot of the tree The metal seemed to have grown with the tree twisting and molding itself around the
gnarled roots What the heck He tramped through the weeds and knelt down to examine the object Dead leaves and caked-on dirt encrusted the steel band Using his fingernail he chipped away at the muck until he uncovered letters etched into the metal He ran his fingers over the engraving A shiver ran down his spine Weird Straining to get a better look in the fading sunlight Ollie used the hem of his T-shirt to polish the metal W-A-L was all he could make out Reddish-brown rust obscured the last of the inscription Movers are here DeeDee called from the house Ollie spat on his shirt and rubbed the metal one more time Coming he mumbled but stayed focused on the rust that would not budge Further investigation would have to wait With one last curious glance over his shoulder he went inside with Gus on his heels Two burly men from the Sedona Sands Moving Company were hauling their belongings into the house It didn’t take long When Ollie’s dad bolted he took half of everything All he’d left behind was one family a faded plaid couch matching overstuffed chair an antique armoire a beat-up coffee table three sets of bedroom furniture a chipped kitchen table with three chairs Mom kicked the fourth to the curb a couple dozen boxes and a ginormous bookshelf that Mom absolutely refused to part with When the movers were done Mom signed a form and they hustled out the door anxious to get back on the road Hey Mom Ollie said as he dug through a cardboard box marked Kitchen in search of silverware and plates How old do you think this house is he asked thinking about the metal in the oak tree
Mom dumped a box of mac and cheese into a pot of boiling water She slowly stirred the pasta as she pondered the question It’s been here a long time she said with a distant look in her eyes I visited here often when I was a kid Your grammie was best friends with Dot that’s the lady who used to live here And if I remember correctly Grammie grew up coming here too so that would mean It’s old DeeDee plopped down at the kitchen counter Like really old Mom shook her head and chuckled Yes Prehistoric I’m pretty sure dinosaurs roamed the neighborhood Ollie set out three mismatched plates and plastic forks I didn’t think it was that old I betcha it’s haunted he speculated with a sideways glance at his sister Mom DeeDee whined Do you think it’s haunted Her eyes grew big and round I did hear strange noises upstairs That was just your dog farting Ollie snickered Stinky Maybe Scary No There’s no such thing as ghosts Mom gave Ollie the side-eye and scooped a blob of yellow mac and cheese onto each of their plates Now eat Ollie ate his dinner in silence still thinking about the mysterious piece of metal in the oak tree What did the letters mean What words start with the letters W-A-L Wallace Walnut Walrus Definitely not walrus Mom snapped her fingers in the air pulling him out of his thoughts It’s time for a toast Oh brother he groaned Do we really have to Yes Mom said We really have to
