Ollie Oxley and the Ghost: The Search for Lost Gold
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
DeeDee dramatically raised her paper cup filled to the brim with instant lemonade To our new house To our new house Mom echoed Ollie glanced down at his cup It was half-empty To our new house His voice sounded soft even to himself Mom turned to Ollie her blue eyes filled with concern You just need a good night’s sleep She gently ruffled his hair and gave him a kiss on the top of his head In the morning everything will feel like new It always does he said in a near whisper A short time later Ollie lay in bed with Gus curled up by his side Maybe this time things would be different Maybe this time they would stay put long enough for him to make a friend Yawning he pushed Gus to the foot of the bed and drifted off into a troubled sleep Ollie awoke with a start just past midnight Moonlight streamed in through the window casting eerie shadows on the wall A sudden gust of wind shook the house and rattled his nerves His heart skipped a beat He pushed himself up onto one elbow just enough to see out the window The street lamp flickered off and back on illuminating Miss Sally’s house On her porch swing there sat a boy With his arm draped casually across the back of the swing the boy kicked his legs back and forth like he didn’t have a care in the world Even though it was a hot August night he was wearing a long-sleeved white shirt and black pants with suspenders He looked to be around twelve or thirteen with shaggy blond hair and pale white skin
What struck Ollie as strange other than it being the dead of night was that this boy looked vaguely familiar Had they met before Ollie sat up and leaned forward craning his neck for a better view Suddenly the boy stopped swinging and turned staring intently at Ollie’s window Can he see me Ollie fell back and yanked the covers up over his head The hairs on the back of his neck prickled A split second later he lowered the blanket and peered out the window The boy was gone
