The Ghost of Fossil Glen Read Online Free PDF

school if you can. I’d like you to see that desk.”
    â€œOkay,” said Allie. But she didn’t move. She calculated that if she stalled for just a minute, Karen and Pam would be inside the building before she got out of the car. Since both girls were in her class, she’d have to face them soon. But it would be better in the classroom, with all the other kids and Mr. Henry around.
    â€œOh, look,” said Mrs. Nichols, “I see Karen and Pam.” She raised her arm to wave.
    â€œNo, Mom. Don’t.” Allie sank down low in the seat.
    Mrs. Nichols turned to Allie, a puzzled look on her face. “What’s the matter? They’re your friends.”
    â€œYeah,” said Allie unhappily. She watched as Karen and Pam disappeared into the building, laughing together.
    â€œIs something wrong?” Mrs. Nichols asked.
    â€œNo.”
    â€œAre you sure?”
    â€œYeah. Everything’s fine.”
    Mrs. Nichols looked at Allie questioningly, and Allie could see that her mother was waiting for a better answer than that. She tried to make her voice breezy and carefree. “Karen told me yesterday that she and Pam were talking about me. She said that, as my friend, she thought she should let me know…”
    â€œKnow what, sweetie?”
    â€œThat they think I’m a liar,” Allie said quickly, the words coming all at once in a rush.
    â€œWhy would they think that?” said Mrs. Nichols indignantly.
    Allie shrugged.
    â€œNo reason?” asked Mrs. Nichols.
    Allie sighed. Finally, in a low voice, she said, “They think I make stuff up. But I don’t!”
    Mrs. Nichols lifted her eyebrows. “Because sometimes you let your imagination run away with you?” she suggested gently.
    Miserably, Allie said, “Well, that’s what you and Dad call it, anyway.”
    Her mother sighed. “Allie, honey, we’ve been through this before, haven’t we? I know you don’t mean any harm when you make up your stories. You get carried away. Like last night, with that business about your journal—” She stopped when she saw Allie’s face.
    â€œYou think I’m a liar, too, then!” shouted Allie.
    Her mother reached over to touch her cheek. “No, sweetie, I just think that—”
    A loud bell rang, signaling that students were to be in their homerooms.
    â€œI’ve got to go,” Allie said.
    â€œI hate to have you go into school so upset, Al. Are you going to be all right?”
    Allie nodded.
    â€œWe’ll talk more tonight,” Mrs. Nichols said. “Okay?”
    â€œSure, Mom. Bye.” Allie took the tools from the back seat and walked up the path to school, aware that her mother was still sitting in the car, watching her.

Seven
    Mr. Henry’s classroom was humming with excitement and activity when Allie walked in. Rakes, shovels, edging tools, clippers, and trash bags were piled near the door. All the kids were dressed, as Allie was, for working outside. Mr. Henry was wearing jeans, a denim shirt, and worn leather boots.
    Allie saw Karen and Pam standing over by the cage that held Butterscotch, the class guinea pig. She took a deep breath and started toward them, but Dub caught her sleeve as she passed his desk. “Did you remember the trilobite?” he asked.
    â€œYeah!” said Allie, and she reached eagerly into the pocket of her jeans. “Look!”
    Dub took the fossil from her hand and whistled softly with admiration. Some other kids came over to see what Dub was looking at and began asking questions.
    â€œWhat is it?”
    â€œWhere’d you get it?”
    â€œCan I see?”
    Dub was passing the trilobite around and Allie was explaining what it was, when Karen and Pam joined the group. Karen took a look and wrinkled up her nose. “Oh, it’s another one of your little rocks,” she said, sounding bored. “I thought it was something