The Velvet Room by Snyder Zilpha Keatley

Author:Snyder, Zilpha Keatley [Snyder, Zilpha Keatley]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Historical, Classic, Young Adult, Mystery, Children
ISBN: 9781417735037
Publisher: San Val
Published: 1964-12-31T23:00:00+00:00

There were some questions she just had to ask before she went back to Palmeras House. Almost without thinking, she hurried toward Bridget’s cottage, trying to compose herself enough to think of a diplomatic way to bring the subject up. But she didn’t need to say anything. Her face said all that was necessary. As Bridget opened the cottage door, she gasped. “My goodness, child! What happened? You’re as white as a sheet.”

Robin opened her mouth, but to her surprise nothing came out but a little squeak. “Ghost,” it said. “Ghost in Palmeras House.”

Taking Robin’s arm, Bridget led her to a chair. “Sit down,” she said. “Lean forward and put your head down. You look as if you’re going to faint. Now just sit still, and I’ll get you something.”

Robin did as she was told. She had never fainted in her life, and it seemed as if it might be an interesting thing to do; but as soon as she put her head down, she began to feel quite normal. In a moment Bridget was back with a cup of very sweet tea.

“Now sip that slowly,” she said, “and when you have your breath back, tell me all about it.”

After several swallows, Robin was ready to begin. “I heard the ghost,” she said. “La Fantasma de Las Palmeras. I was just leaving the house and I heard it. It was like moaning or crying all around me. It scared me about to death.”

Bridget looked distressed. “I should have thought to warn you about that,” she said. “But it doesn’t happen very often, and it didn’t occur to me that you might be there when it did. It’s really nothing dangerous at all. Some years ago the tile roof of the adobe section of the house had to be replaced, and since that time, whenever there is a strong wind from the ocean, it whistles across the openings in the tiles — like blowing across the neck of a bottle. But it has to be a strong wind and from just the right direction, so it happens very seldom, especially in the summer. But if you’ve known about La Fantasma all along, you were very brave to go in there all by yourself every day.”

“Well, I’d heard about it,” Robin said. “Gwen told me about the ghost once, and the kids in the Village talk about it a lot. I just never believed in it. I guess I just couldn’t believe anything bad about Palmeras House.”

“I wonder why Gwen didn’t tell you about the real cause of the sounds,” Bridget said. “I know she knows, because we used to talk about it. What did she tell you exactly?”

“I guess she just left that out to make it a more exciting story,” Robin said. “I mean, a ghost is more interesting than some noisy tiles. She just told me that people thought the house was haunted, and all about Bonita, the girl who disappeared a long time ago when Mr. McCurdy was a baby.

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