Cling! Clang! Cling!
“Frosting!” I scolded. “That isn’t funny.”
Cling! Clunk!
“I didn’t do that!” he said, flying out of his sleeping bag.
“It’s the ghost!” Gobo squealed. He buried his head under his blanket.
“No,” I said. “There is no ghost at Candy Castle.”
“Then who made those creepy noises?” Taffy asked.
My friends looked very scared. This was going to ruin the sleepover. I had to prove to them that the castle was not haunted.
“Let’s go find out,” I said. “I am going to prove to you that there is no ghost.”
“Are you nuts?” Taffy exclaimed. “I am not going on a ghost hunt!”
I sighed. “There is no ghost,” I said.
Cling! Clang!
“Are you sure?” Gobo asked, looking around the dark room.
I switched on my mint glow stick and showed my friends that the room was empty.
“The noise is coming from over there,” Frosting said. He flew to the door.
“Come on,” I said to Taffy and Gobo. “Let’s stay together.”
“Well, now I am not staying here alone!” Taffy exclaimed.
Gobo moved closer to Taffy. “Me neither,” he said.
The hallway was dark. Frosting led the way with his mint lantern. I was close behind.
Taffy held my hand.
Gobo held her hand.
“What if we find a Marshmallow Ghost?” Gobo whispered.
No one answered.
“We should go back,” Taffy said.
“Come on,” I said.
“The sound is coming from the kitchen,” Frosting said.
“Do ghosts get hungry?” I asked.
“If I were a ghost,” Frosting said, “I would haunt Beanie’s kitchen for treats.”
Cling! Clang!
The four of us jumped.
“We have to go in there,” I said.
“We do?” Taffy asked.
I stood straight. My wings fluttered. “I know there is no ghost,” I said. “And I want to prove it to you.”
Very slowly, I opened the heavy door.
6
Squeak!
The old hinge on the kitchen door made a loud sound.
Taffy squeezed my hand tight.
When I pushed open the door, I saw a bright white light shining in the middle of the kitchen.
A large lantern was sitting on the table.
“Prince Scoop?!” exclaimed Taffy. “You are the Marshmallow Ghost?”
My dad laughed. “No, I am not a ghost,” he said. “But I am having a midnight snack.”
“We thought you were the ghost!” Gobo exclaimed. “All the noises!”
“I am sorry that I was making so much noise,” my dad said. “Beanie moved some things around here. I couldn’t find what I was looking for in the kitchen.”
“Really?” Frosting said. He flew over to my father. “What are you making?” he asked. Then he peered into the large pots.
“These are treats from when I was young,” my dad told him. “My mom used to make them for me.” He picked up a marshmallow pop from one of the trays.
I laughed. “They look like ghosts,” I said. I held up one of the marshmallow pops. “We should call these snacks Marshmallow Ghosts!”
“You were talking so much about marshmallows,” my dad said. “It got me thinking about these snacks.” He handed each of us a pop. “These are my favorite treats.”
“I guess there are Marshmallow Ghosts here at Candy Castle,” Taffy said, smiling.
“An excellent find!” Frosting exclaimed. He took a bite and smiled. “These are royally good!”
Gobo took a bite of his marshmallow pop. “Yum,” he said. “Thank you!”
I was so happy my friends were not scared anymore. And I was very happy to know my castle wasn’t haunted.
Taffy started to laugh.
“What is so funny?” I asked.
“We were so scared,” she said. “We thought those noises were because there was a ghost, and it was just pots and pans clanging.”
We all laughed.
“Did you see Frosting’s face?” Taffy asked.
“What about your face?” Frosting said, pointing to Taffy.
“I didn’t think my heart could beat that fast!” Taffy replied.
“We were all scared,” Gobo chimed in. “And now that it’s over, it was sort of fun!”
I looked over at Taffy. She was smiling.
“It was fun being scared together,” Taffy said. “And the best part was that the scare was just Prince Scoop, not a ghost!”
I exclaimed happily, “Sure as sugar!”
We sat around the kitchen table and ate the sweet treats.
“Beanie is not going to be happy with this mess,” I said. There were bags of sugar and a couple of pots out on the stove. “We should clean up.”
“Thank you,” my dad said. “I was thinking the same thing. I appreciate you all helping. Marshmallow Ghosts are tasty and messy.”
We helped my dad wash and put away the pots. When the kitchen was clean, I sighed. “Beanie will be happy now,” I said.
“And that means she will make us a yummy breakfast,” Frosting said, grinning. “Maybe she will make some pancakes and BOO-berries,” he added.
“That sounds scary good!” Gobo giggled.
We went back to the throne room and snuggled up in our sleeping bags.
“Good night, everyone,” I said.
“This was the best sleepover ever,” Taffy whispered.
I gave Lick a hug. “Yes,” I said. “Sleepovers are always fun with friends and marshmallows!”
“And no ghosts!” Gobo added.
I agreed.
I was very happy that there were no ghosts at Candy Castle!
Word List
admired (add·MY·urd): Looked at with great respect
delicious (dee·LI·shus): Having very good taste
expect (ek·SPEKT): To think that something will probably happen
floppy (FLAH·pee): Hanging in a loose way
haunted (HAWN·ted): Having ghosts in a place
hinge (HINJ): The part of a door that allows it to swing open and closed
history (HISS·tor·ee): The story of past events
invisible (in·VIS·a·bull): Impossible to see
lantern (LAN·turn): A lamp that can be carried
marble (MAR·bull): A kind of stone
schedule (SKEH·jool): A list of times for things to be done
scurried (SKUR·reed): Moved quickly and with short steps
stargaze (STAHR·gayz): To look at or study stars in the sky
tapestries (TAP·ess·trees): Heavy cloths that have pictures woven into them and are used for wall hangings
Questions
1. Why doesn’t Gobo want to go to the sleepover?
2. What is Taffy afraid of at the start of the sleepover?
3. Do you know a joke about a ghost?
4. Who did you think was making the noises?
5. Do you have a sleepy friend or stuffed animal?
About the Author
Helen Perelman, author of the Candy Fairies series, worked in a children’s bookstore, was a children’s book editor, and now writes full-time in New York, where she lives with her husband and two daughters. Visit her at helenperelman.com.
ALADDIN QUIX
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Read all the books in the Royal Sweets series!
Royal Sweets
By Helen Perelman
Book 1: A Royal Rescue
Book 2: Sugar Secrets
Book 3: Stolen Jewels
Book 4: The Marshmallow Ghost
T
his book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
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Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Division
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First Aladdin QUIX paperback edition September 2019
Text copyright © 2019 by Helen Perelman
Illustrations copyright © 2019 by Olivia Chin Mueller
Also available in an Aladdin QUIX hardcover edition.
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Series designed by Jessica Handelman
Cover designed by Tiara Iandiorio
Interior designed by Heather Palisi and Jessica Handelman
The illustrations for this book were rendered digitally.
Library of Congress Control Number 2019931560
ISBN 978-1-4814-9487-8 (hc)
ISBN 978-1-4814-9486-1 (pbk)
ISBN 978-1-4814-9488-5 (eBook)