The Haunting Near Battlefield Ridge

by Rita Monette

"Dear Diary. I never believed in ghosts...then I met Oggie."

In Nikki Landry's fifth adventure, she learns of a legendary haunting at an old graveyard.  If it's true, then Nikki surely wants to investigate.  Of course, she doesn't believe in ghosts, but she is determined to learn the truth behind the legend.

But, when Oggie, a very confused ten-year-old ghost from the Civil War era turns up in her room, she has to face the truth. 

Nikki and her sleuthing friends need to find out what he wants, and why is he haunting the old grave site. 

An Excerpt:

I sat at the breakfast table barely eating my oatmeal.  My bratty brother sat next to me making his usual mess.

"Nikki, did you take my baw?" Jesse still struggled with saying his L sounds.

It's a ball, Jesse." I stuck my tongue out between my teeth." and no I didn't take it. I found one outside on the ground. I don't think it's yours, though. It's more like an ugly marble."

It is!" he said. "Give it to me."

Not until you tell me the truth about where you got it."

I told you, he whined. "Oggie gave it to me." he held out his chubby hand.

"Tell me some more about this Oggie person. Then I'll give it to you." 

"He's a boy," he said. "He's ten years old."

"How do you know how old his is?

"He told me."

I shook my head. "So where did you meet him?"

He looked down at the floor. "In your clubhouse."

"Aha. I knew that was you messing around up there."

He got off his chair and stood next to me with his hand out.

I reached in my pocket, but the ball wasn't there. I must have left in in my overalls. "I'll get it later."

Jesse started crying. I knew I was going to get in trouble for making my brother cry. "Okay then. I'll go find it."

I went into my room and dug around in my other pockets. I didn't find it. Maybe Mama took it out when she washed it. I turned to leave the room, when I spotted it sitting on my dresser next to my diary and the old knife.

I picked up the whitish round object and held it in my hand.

"Hi Nikki," a strange, hollow-sounding voice came from somewhere behind me.

I turned and saw a young boy dressed in a blue uniform standing at the foot of my bed. I dropped the ball and fell against my dresser, knocking over my kerosene lamp. 

"W-who are you?"

He fit the description of the ghost we were looking for. Only now, I wasn't too excited to see him. My knees were shaking.

"My name is Oggie."