The Legend of the Irish Castle Read Online Free PDF

pretending to be
a banshee!”
    “Well, let’s wait and see,” Jessie said.
“Maybe no one will come out tonight.”
    The sky grew darker as Jessie and Violet
watched and waited. To keep from getting
bored, they counted how many stars were in
the sky, and tried to name the many types
of plants they had seen in the walled garden
with Grandfather. The time passed slowly.
    Around midnight, Jessie went inside to
wake the boys, and Violet stayed outside with
the binoculars. She was polishing the lenses
with the cuff of her sleeve when she heard
a noise in the meadow, a low wailing sound.
Violet put the binoculars up to her eyes,
her heart pounding. She panned across the
meadow, along the tree line, in the direction
of the noise. And then she saw it! It was the
same figure from the night before, wearing
the same gray hood.
    “Jessie,” Violet called in an urgent whisper.
“Hurry!”
    Jessie rushed back out onto the balcony and
took the binoculars. She looked through the
eyepiece and moved the dial on top to focus
in on the figure.
    Violet’s hand flew up to her mouth, and
she pointed to the window with the butterfly.
“Jessie, Erin’s light is still on in her room.
Oh, this is all so spooky!”
    “That figure I see is definitely not Erin,”
Jessie said. “And I don’t think it’s a ghost
either. But…”
    Just then the boys came out, rubbing their
eyes and trying to wake up.
    “But what?” Benny asked.
Jessie shook her head and lowered the
binoculars in surprise. “I can’t explain it, but
her face looks so familiar somehow!”
    “Familiar?” Henry asked, holding out a
hand. “Here, let me have a look.”
    But just as he raised the binoculars to his
eyes, the figure disappeared into the woods
once more.

CHAPTER 6
A Creature in the Forest
    T he Aldens didn’t fall asleep until almost
one in the morning, so the next day they
slept later than usual. Violet woke up first,
and roused Jessie and her brothers so they’d
have enough time to get dressed and into the
dining room before they missed breakfast.
    The promise of more eggs and bacon made
Benny get ready faster than anyone else.
While the others tied their shoes, he looked
out the window.
    “The meadow is gone,” Benny said.
    “Gone?” asked Henry.
    “And the woods too, and the garden,”
Benny said. “It’s all gone.”
    Jessie gave Violet a funny look, and they
joined Benny at the window. In a way, the
youngest Alden was right. From where they
stood, they could no longer see anything
that was more than a few feet away from the
window.
    “Benny, I can see why you’d think that, but
don’t worry. The meadow is still there. We
just can’t see it because of the fog.” Jessie said.
    “It’s the thickest fog I’ve ever seen!” Henry
said.
    Benny remembered their lunch on the
pier at Howth when they’d first arrived.
“Now I can see why those ships needed the
lighthouse,” he said. “You can’t see anything out there.”
    “We’d better go,” Jessie said after checking
her watch. “It’s nearly ten o’clock.” The
children hurried down the stairs and into the
main hall. Mrs. Davison stood at the front
desk, and Grandfather and Mr. Davison were
just coming back inside after loading the
Davisons’ luggage in their car. Mrs. Davison
was wearing a large yellow hat and sunglasses.
    “Oh, just look at these little darlings,” Mrs.
Davison said to her husband. “Could they be
any cuter?” Jessie tried not to let the comment
bother her. She knew that Mrs. Davison had
good intentions, but some people just didn’t
know how to talk to children.
    “Well, kids,” Mr. Davison said. “This is
good-bye.” He shook Grandfather’s hand
and gave the children high fives. “We’re off
to Galway this morning.”
    “In a convertible!” Mrs. Davison said.
    “I hope you enjoy the rest of your
honeymoon,” said Violet. “May I take your
picture for my scrapbook?”
    The couple posed together. “I hope you
find the banshee,” Mrs. Davison