The Pumpkin Ghost by Chloe Ryder

Author:Chloe Ryder
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781547601677
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Published: 2019-10-07T16:00:00+00:00

“Are they here now?” asked Stardust.

“They left this afternoon,” said Farmer Squash. “They wanted to go home to celebrate Halloween and the Harvest Fair next week with their families.”

Princess Stardust sighed heavily. “We’re too late.”

But Pippa was not going to give up so easily. She’d promised Queen Moonshine that she’d investigate the pumpkin ghost, and she wouldn’t stop until she had exhausted every lead.

“Where did Hairy and Lanky sleep when they were working here?” Pippa asked.

“In the stables behind the barn,” said Marrow. “Would you like to see them?”

It was dark behind the barn. Pippa picked up a jack-o’-lantern to shine some light on the stables as they went inside. “There’s nothing here,” said Stardust, pawing the straw on the ground.

“Keep looking.” Pippa slowly made her way around the room. She wrinkled her nose. It smelled of sour apples and damp hay.

“What’s that?” Pippa sprang at the nearly empty hay net dangling from the wall. Sticking out of the string mesh was a piece of paper. She put her hand inside the net and pulled it out.

“A newspaper.” Stardust was disappointed.

“Chevalia Now,” read Pippa. “It’s an old copy.” She opened it up. “Ooh, look, Stardust. There’s a piece on the royal family.”

“There always is,” said Stardust, rolling her eyes.

Pippa scanned the column. “It’s about the castle jewels, and there’s a great picture. Hairy and Lanky obviously enjoyed reading this. They’ve marked the article with a horseshoe print . . .” Pippa’s voice trailed away. “Stardust,” she asked, “where are the royal jewels now?”

“Where they always are—on display in the jewel room at Stableside Castle,” Stardust replied.

“But no one’s there, unless you left some guards behind.”

“Of course we didn’t. Everyone was too scared to stay. You saw how terrible the pumpkin ghost was.” Stardust stared at Pippa in dismay as she realized what Pippa was thinking. “Oh no! Hairy and Lanky are planning to steal them, aren’t they?”

“Yes!” said Pippa. “But don’t worry. I’ve got a plan. Farmer Squash, could we have three pumpkins big enough for Stardust, Mucker, and me to wear on our heads?”

Farmer Squash looked at Pippa as if she were crazy. “They may not be prizewinners, but of course,” he said. “Though I’ve no idea why you’d want to do that.”

“To scare some ghosts!” said Pippa, with a grin.

While Pippa carved three pumpkins into jack-o’-lanterns, Stardust explained how Stableside Castle had suddenly become haunted.

“So it was all a ruse. You think that Hairy and Lanky are going to steal the castle jewels?” asked Marrow.

“Exactly!” Pippa put down her carving tool and placed a pumpkin on Stardust’s head. “Oooh, that’s really scary.” She giggled as Stardust let out a low moan.

Mucker looked just as frightening with his pumpkin head, and everyone assured Pippa that she was terrifying too. Marrow rushed into the farmhouse and came out with three large white sheets.

“To complete the outfit,” she said, draping them over the three friends.

With lots of howls and moans, Pippa, Stardust, and Mucker said goodbye to Farmer Squash and Marrow. It was a long, dark ride back to Mane Street, lit only by the stars.

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