A Bad Case of Ghosts Read Online Free PDF Page A

business temporarily.”
    “Well,” said Giles, “then we have no choice. We have to try my idea.”
    “All right,” said Tina.
    “I think I must be crazy, but I’m willing to try anything,” muttered Mrs Barnes, glaring at the parrot on her shoulder. “Let’s get started.”

Chapter 10
The Big Feed
    “We’d like sixty-three pounds of your finest bird seed,” said Giles.
    “Sixty-three pounds,” said the pet shop owner, looking at Giles as if this were all some huge practical joke. “That’s an unusual amount of bird seed. Usually we sell these somewhat smaller boxes.”
    “No, that’s not enough,” said Tina Quark very seriously. “I’ve calculated our requirements exactly, and we need sixty-three pounds of bird seed.”
    “I see,” said the pet shop owner, taken aback.
    “And some of those birdie treats,” said Kevin enthusiastically. “Yeah, they’ll love those.”
    “Kevin—” Tina began.
    “That’s a good idea,” said Giles, interrupting her. “We would also like twenty packets of birdie treats please.”
    “You must have a lot of very hungry birds,” said the pet shop owner nervously.
    “Or one very large one,” said Giles with a smile.
    “Right,” said the pet shop owner, hurrying off to fill the order.
    Giles’s parents were waiting for them outside in the car.
    “I hope nobody saw us,” muttered Mrs Barnes as they drove off. “They’ll think we’re all certifiable. Sixty-three pounds of bird seed…”
    Back home, Giles organized the preparations for the big feed. With Tina and Kevin’s help, he brought down all the bird cages from the attic and began dusting and cleaning them. They polished the metal bars until they shone. They made sure the perches and roosts were firmly attached. They even put fresh newspaper at the bottom of each cage.
    “They’re just ghosts,” muttered Mrs Barnes. “Isn’t this getting a little out of hand?”
    “We have to do our best to show them we’re sorry about what happened,” Giles explained.
    “I can’t believe I’m doing this,” said Tina. “It’s so unscientific.”
    “Cheer up, Tina,” said Kevin, “who knows, maybe it’ll work.”
    When all the cages were cleaned, they started filling the plastic feeding trays with seed from the huge sacks. They filled all the water bottles from the kitchen tap. And, for good measure, they hung birdie treats from the bars of every cage. Giles had prepared a bird feast the likes of which had never been seen in the animal kingdom.
    “Now,” said Giles, “let’s set them all up in my room. That’s where Melanie Jones kept them.”
    It took them a good half hour to carry all the cages upstairs and arrange them. By the time they were done, Giles’s bedroom was absolutely crammed, filled wall to wall with bird cages. There were cages on every shelf, cages across the desk, on the window sills, tall cages on pedestals standing side by side, cages on the bed and floor.
    “If this works,” said Mrs Barnes, “I hope I never see another bird again as long as I live.”
    Suddenly a ghost bird appeared inside one of the cages. It sat on the perch, looking out at Giles, then noticed the tray of bird seed. It hopped over to the feeder and started eating.
    “Here we go!” Giles exclaimed.
    Then they came fast and furious. The ghost birds materialized so quickly that Giles couldn’t keep track. They were filling up all the cages in his room, sometimes two or even three birds to a cage. And they were ravenous, gobbling seed, slurping water, gnawing at birdie treats.
    “They’re eating everything!” Giles shouted.
    Except eating wasn’t exactly the right word. The birds ate and ate, but the piles of food weren’t getting any smaller. Still, it didn’t seem to bother the birds. Giles lost track of time as the feast went on. But then, one by one, the ghost birds started disappearing.
    First a budgie flickered out of sight.
    Then a cockatiel vanished into thin air.
    Then three finches