Chapter Three

 

 

 

 

 

Aunt Katie reached for Uncle George and held onto his hand. They followed the small purple lights past spiderwebs and creaking furniture. A chair walked past them. The walls seemed to be falling in.

Cam, Eric, Aunt Katie, and Uncle George walked faster. A door opened. They were outside the Haunted House.

“Oh, my,” Aunt Katie said. “That was scary, but I liked it.”

“That wasn’t so scary,” Eric said, “but I liked it, too.”

“Did you see that?” a woman behind them asked. “Something jumped right out at me.” She opened her handbag and took out a candy. “Would you like one?”

“No, thank you,” Cam said.

“I need something, but not candy,” Aunt Katie said. “I need a cup of hot tea.”

Cam closed her eyes and said, “Click.”

“There’s a refreshment stand just past the log ride,” Cam said. She opened her eyes. “Follow me.”

“Will you look at that!” Aunt Katie said when they reached the refreshment stand. “We even have to wait in line to buy a drink.”

Aunt Katie and Uncle George stood at the end of the line. Cam and Eric went to the log ride. They watched people sitting in cutout logs slide into a large pool of water.

“That looks like fun,” Eric said. “Maybe we can do that next.”

Cam and Eric walked back to the refreshment stand. Aunt Katie and Uncle George were still near the end of the line.

“Tell me what you want to eat,” Aunt Katie said. “This is the only chance we’ll have for refreshments. I won’t wait in this line again.”

Cam and Eric looked at the list of items being sold. “I’d like to have some orange juice and pretzels,” Cam said.

“Please, could I have a vanilla ice cream pop?” Eric asked.

“Hmm,” Aunt Katie said. “Vanilla tea for me, an orange pop for George, coffee and pretzels for Cam. And what did you want, Eric?”

“I want a vanilla pop.”

“I’m all mixed up,” Aunt Katie said. “Why don’t you wait until it’s our turn. Then you can all tell me what you want.”

The line moved slowly. When they reached the counter, the man there asked, “What would you like?”

“I want tea with lemon. I know that,” Aunt Katie said. “And George wants a regular coffee.”

Cam and Eric told the man what they wanted. He put it all on a cardboard tray and brought it to the counter. He told Aunt Katie what everything cost.

Aunt Katie opened her handbag and reached in. Then she looked inside her handbag. She took out something wrapped in aluminum foil, a small note pad, and some pencils and gave them to Cam to hold.

“Please,” the man behind the counter said. “There are other people waiting.”

“I can’t find my wallet,” Aunt Katie told him.

Uncle George paid for the refreshments. He carried them from the counter to a table. Cam, Eric, and Aunt Katie followed him. As Aunt Katie walked to the table, she was still looking in her handbag.

Aunt Katie took the pencils, note pad, and the small package wrapped in foil back from Cam. She put the pencils and note pad in her handbag.

“Maybe my wallet is in here,” she said. She unwrapped the foil. Inside was a jelly sandwich.

“Oh, my,” Aunt Katie said. “My wallet is gone. I know I had it when we came into the park. I paid for the entrance tickets.”

Aunt Katie took a bite of the jelly sandwich and then wrapped it in the foil again. “Or did you pay for the tickets?” she asked Uncle George. “Maybe I left my wallet at home.”

“No,” Uncle George said. “You paid for the tickets.” He took Aunt Katie’s hand and said, “Let’s go. We have to find that wallet.”