such a deep,powerful voice. He curled his pointer finger, drawing me back, pulling me back to him.
“Spencer—don’t!” Vanessa warned.
But I had to know. “What is it?” I asked.
He didn’t answer. He moved to the dark display case and pulled something off a bottom shelf. Then he brought it into the light and held it up to me between his hands.
It was a square gray box with a yellow dial, a round speaker, and a red button on the front. It looked a lot like an ordinary radio.
“It’s called the Howler,” the man said.
I stepped up close and ran my hand over the dial. “What does it do?”
“It doesn’t do anything,” Vanessa chimed in from the front door. “Let’s go. Don’t waste any more of your money. You promised you wouldn’t—remember?”
I gazed at the yellow dial. The round black speaker. I ran my hand over the top of the smooth gray case. “The Howler?” I repeated. “Why is it called that? What does it mean?”
“It’s a kind of detector,” the man replied, peering at me over his glasses. “It breaks down electrical sound waves. It detects the howls of ghosts.”
“Whoa.” I jerked my hand away from it.
“Spennn-cer!” Vanessa called.
“Does it summon ghosts?” I asked. “Does it—can it call to them?”
The man shook his head. “No. It doesn’t summon ghosts. It only picks up their howls if they are already nearby.”
He tilted the box up to me. “Then—see this red button? If you hear a ghost howling, you press this red button. And you speak into this black circle here. And you can talk to the ghost.”
“The ghost will hear you?” I asked. “And he will answer back?”
“Only if he wants to answer,” the man said. He lowered his face to mine and spoke in a whisper, “Sometimes the ghost is in such pain, he can only howl. He cannot speak.”
“Can you see the ghost?” I asked.
The man shook his head. “The machine picks up only sound waves. Sound waves from the other side.”
I swallowed. My heart was racing. I turned to Vanessa. “This is what I’ve been looking for,” I said. “Do you believe it?”
She rolled her eyes. “No, I don’t.”
I ignored her. I knew I had to have the Howler. “How much is it?” I asked.
The man glanced down at the box in his hands, then back up to me. “How much would you like to pay?”
“Well…I have thirty dollars left over from Christmas presents,” I told him.
He shut his eyes for a moment. “Okay,” he said.“Thirty dollars. I’ll let you have this one cheap, since it’s a floor model.”
I pulled my wallet from my pants pocket. “Okay! I’ll buy it,” I said.
“Spencer…” Vanessa was still trying to stop me. “Remember the specter detector?”
The man snickered. “Do you have one of those? You didn’t expect it to work, did you? That’s just a toy. It’s a kiddie thing.”
I handed him my thirty dollars. He gently placed the Howler into my hands.
“Will this one work?” I asked.
The man’s grin grew very wide. Once again, his face crinkled with a thousand tiny lines, and his eyeglasses appeared to light up.
“Oh, yes,” he said. “It will work. It will work very well. But take one warning from someone who knows…. Ghosts are no longer entirely human. You may wish it didn’t work.”
13
I crept up the stairs to my room, keeping the Howler half hidden under the front of my coat. I could hear music coming from Nick’s room. I didn’t want him to see the Howler and start making fun of me before I even had a chance to try it out.
I set the little box down on my bed. Then I closed my bedroom door.
I moved my CD player and all my CDs off the little table next to my closet. Then I carefully set the Howler down and plugged it in.
Vanessa refused to come home with me to test it out. She kept warning me that this one wouldn’t work either. “You just threw away your last thirty dollars,” she said.
“Maybe you’re right,” I sighed. “But I want to believe. I
“Spencer—don’t!” Vanessa warned.
But I had to know. “What is it?” I asked.
He didn’t answer. He moved to the dark display case and pulled something off a bottom shelf. Then he brought it into the light and held it up to me between his hands.
It was a square gray box with a yellow dial, a round speaker, and a red button on the front. It looked a lot like an ordinary radio.
“It’s called the Howler,” the man said.
I stepped up close and ran my hand over the dial. “What does it do?”
“It doesn’t do anything,” Vanessa chimed in from the front door. “Let’s go. Don’t waste any more of your money. You promised you wouldn’t—remember?”
I gazed at the yellow dial. The round black speaker. I ran my hand over the top of the smooth gray case. “The Howler?” I repeated. “Why is it called that? What does it mean?”
“It’s a kind of detector,” the man replied, peering at me over his glasses. “It breaks down electrical sound waves. It detects the howls of ghosts.”
“Whoa.” I jerked my hand away from it.
“Spennn-cer!” Vanessa called.
“Does it summon ghosts?” I asked. “Does it—can it call to them?”
The man shook his head. “No. It doesn’t summon ghosts. It only picks up their howls if they are already nearby.”
He tilted the box up to me. “Then—see this red button? If you hear a ghost howling, you press this red button. And you speak into this black circle here. And you can talk to the ghost.”
“The ghost will hear you?” I asked. “And he will answer back?”
“Only if he wants to answer,” the man said. He lowered his face to mine and spoke in a whisper, “Sometimes the ghost is in such pain, he can only howl. He cannot speak.”
“Can you see the ghost?” I asked.
The man shook his head. “The machine picks up only sound waves. Sound waves from the other side.”
I swallowed. My heart was racing. I turned to Vanessa. “This is what I’ve been looking for,” I said. “Do you believe it?”
She rolled her eyes. “No, I don’t.”
I ignored her. I knew I had to have the Howler. “How much is it?” I asked.
The man glanced down at the box in his hands, then back up to me. “How much would you like to pay?”
“Well…I have thirty dollars left over from Christmas presents,” I told him.
He shut his eyes for a moment. “Okay,” he said.“Thirty dollars. I’ll let you have this one cheap, since it’s a floor model.”
I pulled my wallet from my pants pocket. “Okay! I’ll buy it,” I said.
“Spencer…” Vanessa was still trying to stop me. “Remember the specter detector?”
The man snickered. “Do you have one of those? You didn’t expect it to work, did you? That’s just a toy. It’s a kiddie thing.”
I handed him my thirty dollars. He gently placed the Howler into my hands.
“Will this one work?” I asked.
The man’s grin grew very wide. Once again, his face crinkled with a thousand tiny lines, and his eyeglasses appeared to light up.
“Oh, yes,” he said. “It will work. It will work very well. But take one warning from someone who knows…. Ghosts are no longer entirely human. You may wish it didn’t work.”
13
I crept up the stairs to my room, keeping the Howler half hidden under the front of my coat. I could hear music coming from Nick’s room. I didn’t want him to see the Howler and start making fun of me before I even had a chance to try it out.
I set the little box down on my bed. Then I closed my bedroom door.
I moved my CD player and all my CDs off the little table next to my closet. Then I carefully set the Howler down and plugged it in.
Vanessa refused to come home with me to test it out. She kept warning me that this one wouldn’t work either. “You just threw away your last thirty dollars,” she said.
“Maybe you’re right,” I sighed. “But I want to believe. I
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