How to get rid of a ghost [Henri Mallet] (fb2) читать онлайн

Henri Mallet How to get rid of a ghost

Sit back and listen carefully. I will tell you how to get rid of a ghost. It may not be the most suitable means, but it was the day it worked! Here’s what happened.

Lisa and John spent their last vacation at the house of their dear granny. She lived at an old family estate, in a huge mansion with a swimming pool and a park. It was built back in the old days when a ghost would always be found in any decent house. Don't believe me? Then you should visit an old castle! There you can hear with your own ears the mournful, piercing sighs and groans let out by the ghost. And if you're lucky, maybe you can see it, too! So, what was I talking about? Oh yes, I wanted to tell you how to get rid of a ghost.

Lisa just turned twelve years old. It is also important to add that she studied piano at the conservatory. And, of course, Lisa diligently continued to make music even during the holidays. At Granny's mansion, there was an old, but extravagant grand piano in the living room. Lisa enjoyed how its deep, beautiful sound touched her soul. One day, when her grandmother and brother went to the dentist, Lisa decided to study a new piece on the piano. She was in the middle of practice when she noticed a beautiful brooch with large emeralds laying on the piano keys just off to her side. Lisa was sure that there was nothing there just a second ago!

«Oh! What is this?» exclaimed the girl and picked up the brooch.

She immediately pricked her finger and dropped the brooch back on the keys. Then Lisa heard the gentle ringing of a bell, and a girl of about her age appeared in front of her, dressed in an emerald-colored silk dress embroidered with lace and rhinestones. The girl was sitting on the lid of the piano, smiling and swaying her legs, shod in elegant silk shoes. She exclaimed joyfully:

«It worked! I did it! Can you see me?»

«Who are you?» said Lisa, examining the uninvited guest and sucking her pricked finger.

«So, you see me!» the girl in the emerald dress continued to smile admiringly.

«Who are you? What are you doing here? How did you get here?» Lisa looked at the guest in complete bewilderment.

«My name is Paula. I lived in a neighboring house in the De Bellier estate, and everything was fine for hundreds of years, but recently new owners moved in. They are so evil, nasty, and disgusting. They kicked me out!» Paula looked slyly at Lisa and prepared to cry.

«Interesting…» Lisa muttered, looking in disbelief at her new acquaintance.

«And so I was able to move to your house. I like it here! And I decided that I will live in your room!» Paula added happily.

«What? What does all of this mean?» Lisa could not believe her ears!

«It means that everything worked out for me!» answered the guest with delight.

«What do you mean? And you didn’t answer me: who are you?» Lisa frowned more and more.

«Who am I? I already told you. I'm a ghost! My name is Paula!» the girl threw up her hands in excitement.

«What do you mean ghost?! There are no such things as ghosts!» Lisa was openly indignant at the insolence of her uninvited guest.

«Of course not, and yet I'm right in front of you!» the guest again threw up her hands.

«Well, if you are a ghost, then why do I see you?» Lisa crossed her arms over her chest.

«Because I can move things in your world. Have you noticed when your favorite earrings suddenly disappeared, and the next day suddenly appeared in your brother's room?» Paula looked down at the bewildered Lisa.

«Ah! So this was your work? And I always blamed my brother!»

«Well, yes, mine, so what? I have to entertain myself somehow! You know how funny it is to watch you. But what I always wanted was for people to see me! And then I found a spell in an old book. It was surprisingly simple! All I had to do was recite a magic spell over my brooch, and have a person prick her finger, and voila, he will be able to see me! Exactly the way it happened to you!» Paula smiled enthusiastically.

«And what are we going to do with you now?» Lisa shook her head and looked at the ghost in amazement.

«I don’t know what you are going to do, but I like your room, and now I will live there!» exclaimed Paula with a satisfied look.

«Oh! And where you do suppose am I going to live?» Lisa frowned again.

«Hmm… Well, since I’m so generous, I’ll let you sleep on that little sofa by the fireplace.» Paula smiled haughtily again.

«Are you serious?! Now I understand why you were kicked out of that other house!» Lisa shook her head.

«You don’t understand anything!», said Paula.

«And what don’t I understand?»

«In that house, I went a little too far with rearranging the furniture, screaming through the chimney, hiding all sorts of things…»

«I don't care what you did there! But I'm not going to share my room with you! Clear? This is my room!» Liza thought for a second. «Ah! I know! You can go to my brother's room. I think you’ll like it there.»

The ghost Paula nodded, there was a faint sound of a bell, and then she disappeared … Lisa exhaled with relief, adjusted the sheet music on the piano and continued to practice.

She was diligently hitting the keys when the faint sound of the bell rang out again. Paula appeared next to the piano!

«You again!» Lisa moaned.

«Yes, it's me again! I looked at your brother's room. It’s not going to work for me. I like your room better! I will settle in it. Except everything needs to be remodeled! I hate yellow! I prefer emerald. So, the curtains, the bedspread, the carpet, we throw it all away! Go get me some green paint! We will repaint everything my favorite color, draw flowers and, of course, rearrange the furniture! Let's get started!» Paula clapped her hands.

«Oh no, what am I going to do!» Lisa grabbed her head. «So, what have I read in the books? Silver bullet, aspen stake …» she began to count on her fingers.

«Aspen stake? I'm a ghost, not a vampire! You can't get rid of me!» ghost Paula looked condescendingly at the visibly saddened Lisa.

«Hmm, and yet the neighbors got rid of you somehow! What to do?»

«Don’t do anything! The neighbors are evil people! And you will never know why I left them.»

Lisa ran to the phone and dialed her Aunt Monique's number. It was rumored that she could communicate with spirits and even ghosts! Aunt Monique answered in a cheerful voice:

«Lisa, my angel, how are you?»

«Aunt Monique, do you know how to get a ghost to leave the house? Yes, there is a ghost right in front of me! It's true!»

«There is a ghost in front of you, and you see it?» the surprised voice of the aunt was heard.

«Yes, her name is Paula, and she says that she came from a neighbors’ house.»

«Lisa, if she is really a ghost, and even you see her, then this is a very serious problem. Even I can't help you!»

«That’s too bad, but thanks anyway. Bye, Aunt Monique.»

Lisa put down the phone and exclaimed:

«Well, what to do?!»

The ghost's answer was not long in coming:

«Do you now understand that you cannot get rid of me!» Paula smiled maliciously. «So let's go repaint your-my room!»

Lisa jumped to her feet and rushed to the second floor. And ghost Paula just threw up her hands:

«Everything turned out even easier than I thought! People are so strange and naive …»

«And what about Lisa?» you ask. Lisa ran into the grandma's bedroom and, covered herself with a blanket, and hid there. But it wasn’t long before she felt someone’s finger poking her through the blanket. Paula was standing over Lisa with a satisfied look:

«Hey! Have you decided to play hide-and-seek with me? I found you! Found you!»

Lisa jumped out of the bedroom and ducked into the dressing room. There she hid behind clothes on hangers and froze in the hope that the pesky ghost would not find her.

«What a naive girl!» you would say and you would be right. Paula soon appeared in the dressing room. She twirled in front of a large mirror, straightening the lace on her dress:

«Ahh, the beauty! How beautiful I am! And the color green suits me so well!»

And then Paula pushed aside the dresses on a hanger and, rather condescendingly, turned to Lisa:

«What are you doing here? Are you hiding from me? I found you again! Found you!»

Lisa left the dressing room in horror and ran to the attic of the old mansion. There she hid behind boxes. You probably already guessed that it didn't help either! Soon Paula appeared there and, pushing the boxes aside, turned to the tired Lisa:

«Why are you all running from me? I found you anyway! Let's go already remodel your room for me!»

Lisa shook her head, and with the saddest look went down to the first floor and again sat down at the piano. She straightened her hair and, deciding not to pay attention to the pesky ghost, began to play again. As soon as she did, she heard the quiet sound of a bell and, as you might have guessed, ghost Paula appeared on the piano lid! She sat with a content look, swaying her foot shod in a silk slipper.

«Well, you should be convinced by now: I can find you everywhere, and you cannot get rid of me! So, let's go remodel the room!»

Lisa angrily glanced at the ghost and angrily hit the keys several times!

«Ta-ta-ta-tamm,» the piano echoed.

«Hey! Stop doing that! That wasn’t beautiful what you played! I don't like that.» Paula snorted.

«Ah! So, you don't like that!» Lisa was delighted and began to randomly hit the keys, producing loud, brain-piercing sounds.

«No! Stop doing that!» ghost Paula covered her ears.

«Aha! Don’t you like it? I know how to get rid of you now!» Lisa exclaimed.

«Oh no, that won’t work! I'll stay here anyway!» immediately answered Paula.

«We'll see about that! You probably don't know, but my brother also studies at the conservatory, only he plays the saxophone.» Lisa left the living room and returned with a saxophone in her hands.

Paula crossed her arms over her chest and looked defiantly at Lisa:

«Oh, I’m so scared!» sarcastically exclaimed Paula.

«Boo-boo-boo-boo!» the saxophone screamed loudly when Lisa blew into it.

«Oh! What a horror this is! I can't stand it! I… I… I… You broke my magic spell!» ghost Paula vanished into thin air, and there was a faint sound of a receding bell.

«It's that simple!» Lisa smiled. «Now I know that the best cure for ghosts is the saxophone!»

So there’s the story. And now you know what to do if an annoying ghost has settled in your house: just play the saxophone! And if, one night, you hear one of your neighbors loudly playing the saxophone, don’t get upset! Maybe your neighbor is trying to get rid of a ghost from his house.

March 2021