names?â
If only I could see their faces. But their features were a blur, hidden behind a hazy glow of light.
âWhat are your names? Can you hear me?â
Nothing. They continued rolling the dice, moving their game pieces.
Still calling to them, I walked across the room. I reached out. Tried to grab a boyâs shoulder.
My hand went right through it.
He didnât react.
I tried to pull a girlâs hair.
Nothing. I couldnât grasp her hair, couldnât even feel it.
I tore off the mask in disgust. âI canât reach them,â I told my friends.
âHere. Try this,â Julie said. She shoved a piece of paper into my hand. âI wrote a note to them. I told them to get out of the basement right away.â
I handed Julie the mask. âYou try to give the note to them.â
She hesitated, then pulled on the mask. Valerie, Bill, and I watched Julie cross the room. We watched her try again and again to deliver the note. But the paper remained in her hand.
Finally she pulled off the mask and tossed it to me. âNo way,â she said. âThey canât see it.â
âTheyâre all going to die!â Valerie wailed. âThis is horrible!â
âThere has to be a way to communicate,â I insisted. âSome secret way. This basement holds the secret. I know it.Some secret way to get to these kids andâ¦â
I think all four of us looked at the padlocked closet at the same time.
A secretâ¦the secret closetâ¦the only closet in the basement that was locked.
âWe have to open it,â Valerie said. âIâll bet weâll find what weâre looking for in there.â
âWait,â I said. âI have a bad feeling about this. Maybe we shouldnât open that closet door. Maybe itâs locked for a good reason.â
But it was too late. They were already in front of the closet, tugging on the rusted padlock.
âPlease, guys!â I begged. âThis is too scary. I donât think we should openâ¦â
Using his strength, Bill pulled the old padlock open. He lifted it off the latch and tossed it onto the floor.
Valerie frowned at me. âWe might as well see whatâs inside, Robb,â she said softly.
She turned the handle. The heavy old door creaked as she pushed it open.
The closet light flashed on.
All four of us squeezed inside.
And gasped in shock.
Â
âOld clothes!â Julie declared, holding up a faded, lace-collared blouse. âPiles of them.â
Bill sneezed. âCheck out these shoes.â He held up a pair of black high-topped shoes. They had buttons instead of shoelaces. He blew the dust off them and sneezed again.
Julie held a long, black corduroy jumper up in front ofher. âWow. Pretty awesome, huh? This is like the clothes those kids from the past were wearing.â
I shuddered. âI really donât think we should touch this stuff.â
But Julie was already buttoning the lace blouse over her T-shirt. And Bill was admiring a black suit jacket with wide lapels.
âStop!â I pleaded. âI think this stuff belonged to the dead kids.â
âYes! Thatâs right!â Julie said, running her hand down the heavy fabric. âThis is what they were wearing!â
âSo we have to dress up in it,â Valerie insisted. âDonât you see, Robb? Maybe this is the secret weâve been looking for. Maybe if we put their clothes on, we can communicate with them.â
âYeah, right!â Bill agreed. âMaybe theyâll be able to hear us and talk to us if weâre dressed in their clothes.â
I wasnât sure it would work, but I joined the others. I pulled on an itchy shirt with a stiff, white collar and a pair of baggy tweed pants that stopped just below my knees.
We all admired each other for a few minutes. Valerie and Julie looked a little weird with their hair combed up in buns. We complained about how
Rebecca Hamilton, Conner Kressley