Pumpkin Head Mystery by Gertrude Chandler Warner

Author:Gertrude Chandler Warner [Chandler Warner, Gertrude]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-1-4532-2913-2
Publisher: Albert Whitman & Company
Published: 2011-10-06T04:00:00+00:00

The goat did not want to be caught. It struggled, but Henry and Benny led it back home.

Darkness now covered the fields. Warm, yellow lights filled the windows of the farmhouse.

Mrs. Beckett stood in the kitchen. “You’re just in time!” she said when she saw the children. “I’ve just finished baking the cookies for tonight. You can try a few for me to see if they turned out okay.”

Benny lifted a warm cookie from the tray. He popped it into his mouth. “These are more than okay!” he said. “They are great!”

“I’m glad you like them,” Mrs. Beckett said. She filled a small bag with cookies. She handed it to Benny. “You might need a snack tonight while you are outside scaring our customers.”

Jessie and Violet helped to put the warm cookies into baskets. Henry lifted the big jugs of apple cider. Two long tables were set up outside the barn. Mrs. Beckett covered them with orange cloths and the children set down the cookies and juice. Benny brought the cups and napkins.

Mr. Beckett and Jason were lighting a bonfire in a clearing across from the barn. Sally and Bessie straightened up the farm stand and turned on the lights in the booth. Soon cars and buses began to fill up the gravel parking lot and the big grass field.

“Looks like a big crowd is coming!” Sally called.

Mrs. Beckett smiled at Violet. “I think your fliers worked. I’ve never seen so many cars!”

While Bessie was selling the tickets, the children hurried into the barn to change into their costumes. They heard Jason starting up the tractor.

Henry looked all around the barn. “I can’t find my black cape,” he said. “I was sure that I left it here right next to the sword.”

“You still look scary,” Benny said. “I don’t think you need the cape.”

“Thanks, Benny.” Henry handed each of them a flashlight. “Let’s stick together,” he said. “Ready?”

Violet had chosen a scarecrow costume. She stuck a few last pieces of straw in her hat. Henry, Jessie, Violet, and Benny hurried through the dark fields. They stopped at the little haunted house. The ghost on the rope creaked back and forth in the wind.

Henry shone his flashlight on a red switch. “This turns on the spotlight,” he said. “We’ll hide behind the fake house. When the hayride comes by, I’ll turn on the light.”

“And I will jump out,” Jessie said. “Do I look scary?”

Violet shivered. “Yes, you do! You look like a ghost bride.”

“What can I do?” asked Benny. “I want to scare people, too.”

Henry handed Benny an old tape recorder. “Mr. Beckett gave me this. There are screams and scary sounds on here. When Jessie jumps out, you push the play button.”

Soon, they heard the tractor rumbling up the path between the cornstalks. When the hayride came to the old house, Jason stopped the tractor. Henry hit the switch and suddenly the haunted house lit up. Benny pushed the play button on the recorder. The ghost hanging from the porch seemed to shriek as it swayed back and forth.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.