The Black Heart Crypt

Fast asleep in his bedroom, Zack sure hoped he was dreaming.

If not, all sorts of dead people were dropping by to wish him a happy Halloween.

First to arrive was Rodman Willoughby, the dead chauffeur for the Spratlings, the family that used to be the richest one in all of North Chester because they owned the famous Spratling Clockworks Factory.

Seeing Mr. Willoughby sitting on the edge of the bed in his black suit and driver’s cap wasn’t too big of a shock because Zack had already seen Mr. Willoughby’s ghost at school, a couple of days after the old guy had died.

“On Halloween,” Mr. Willoughby whispered mysteriously, “I must hurry home to take care of the Cadillac. It needs its oil changed.”

That was why Zack figured this had to be a dream. In his experience, dead people never had to whisper, because nobody could hear them except the people they wanted to hear them, anyway. Whispering was a total waste of time for ghosts.

Before Zack could say, “Thanks for popping by,” Mr. Willoughby turned into Davy Wilcox—a ten-year-old farm boy in denim overalls with a slingshot sticking out of his back pocket. Weird junk like old men turning into ten-year-old boys happened only in dreams. Or movies.

“Howdy, pardner,” said dream Davy.

Zack tried to say, “Hey,” back, but since he was asleep, he couldn’t make his mouth move.

“Best be prepared come Halloween,” said Davy. “Whole mess of ghosts will come a’swarmin’ up out of the ground. It’s the dadgum spooks’ and spirits’ big night out on the town.”

Davy disappeared and became the ghost of Kathleen Williams, a dead nightclub singer and star of Broadway musicals back in the 1950s. Dressed in a black-and-orange sequined gown, she sat with her legs crossed on the edge of the bed and held a microphone in her hand. The black widow spider ring on her finger looked like it was alive!

“Hiya, Zack!” She turned to an unseen accompanist: “Hit it, Joe!”

Now Zack heard heavy pipe organ music as Kathleen Williams started belting out a little-known verse from “The Hearse Song”:

“Your stomach turns a slimy green

And pus pours out like whipping cream.

You spread it on a slice of bread

And that’s what you eat when you are dead.”

Zack was about to laugh at the gross lyrics, but in a flash, his dream became a nightmare.