By Mary Downing Hahn PowerPoint adapted from a creation by Kieran W.

Author: Mary Downing Hahn Genre: Horror Type of story: Ghost Story Setting: 45 miles away from Baltimore in fictitious Holwell, MD

In chapter 1, Molly, 12, and Michael, 10, find out that their parents have bought a church about 45 miles away from Baltimore (where they live currently). They are not happy and are telling their mom this when their step-sister, Heather appears. She tells her dad (their step-father) they were arguing about it – which was not true. Michael and Molly later agree they don’t like the move or their step-sister Heather, who seems to be trying to break up the new family.

The family moves to the church. Molly and Heather are told to look around the area and they find a graveyard, which freaks Molly out. Heather on the other hand, enjoys teasing Molly about her reaction to the graveyard. Heather lies to Mom and Dave by saying Molly ran off and left her alone in the graveyard.

The family goes to the graveyard after dinner. They investigate the tombstones while Heather is running and dancing around. Mom tries to give Molly and Michael advice about how to deal with Heather and instead gets upset about the situation.

After Dave puts Heather to bed they all sit talking about the graveyard; then they all go to bed. In the morning Molly finds out that there is a graveyard caretaker called Mr. Simmons. He and Michael tell Molly about the various families in the graveyard. Heather finds an old grave hidden in the weeds beneath a tree.

Molly finds Heather in the graveyard. She hears Heather talking to someone. When Heather sees her, Molly asks who she was talking to and Heather will not tell her. Molly tries to tell both Michael and Mom about Heather and how she talks to somebody, but no one believes her.

Heather has nightmare about the fire her mom died in and Dave tells Molly not to talk to Heather about ghosts or the graveyard. The next day, Molly looks for Michael and sees Heather at the ruins of an creepy old house. She is talking to Helen and has a locket around her neck that wasn’t there before. She tries to tell Heather to stay away from the house.

Molly tells Mom about the ruins and Mom agrees they are dangerous. Molly takes Michael to the ruins she found. They look around and realize the house burnt down. They see Heather near the pond so they run to get her. They see the locket around her neck with the initials HEH on it. Heather says it stands for “Helen Elizabeth Harper” and tells them “you’ll be sorry. You’ll be so sorry” when Helen comes.

Michael still doesn’t believe Molly about the ghost. Michael and Molly ride into town to visit the library. They find out more about the ruins in the woods – the “Harper House” and discover it burned down with the Helen’s parents (mother/stepfather) inside – Helen had escaped the fire but drowned in the pond. They learn some locals think the ghost of Helen is responsible for drownings in the pond. They talked Mr. Simmons about it, but he hadn’t told Heather the story of the house.

Mom and Dave get into fight because Molly and Michael went to the library, while Heather told them Molly and Michael had taken her to the ruins and left her there. Dave believes Heather. Later, Molly tries to convince Michael about Helen’s ghost again and Mom and Dave got in another fight. Heather fakes a nightmare and Dave blames Molly. Heather sneaks out and Molly sees Heather and Helen talking about getting Michael and Molly and staying together forever.

Molly wakes Michael early and she tries to convince Michael of what she saw by showing him, and Michael and Molly get in trouble for being outside. Mom and Dave take Heather with them as they go shopping. Michael and Molly go into the woods and talk. Molly realizes Heather might be in danger from Helen, but Michael doesn’t believe her.

Molly and Michael head back to the house, and Molly realizes something is wrong. There is a crash (Molly sees Helen leaving the house) and they run away. Mom, Dave and Heather return and they find the only damage is to Molly, Michael, and Mom’s stuff. On the wall Molly sees “I have come H.E.H.” but it fades away. Heather tells Michael and Molly that Helen did it. Michael tells the police officer that Molly saw a ghost and the officer said some people had seen one at the grave yard, but he didn’t believe in ghosts.

Molly tries to warn Heather about Helen, but Heather says she will make Helen come again. The next day, Molly shares with Mr. Simmons everything that has happened with Helen. Mr. Simmons says his sister had told him the same story about her cousin Rose, who she said was led to her death in Harper pond. He tells Molly to keep Heather away from Harper House and the pond.

Mom and Dave left a note that they were going to Baltimore for art supplies, so Molly looks for Heather. She finds her at Harper House, talking to Helen. Heather is saying “I thought Daddy would be with us too” and Helen replies “We don’t need your father”. Helen is trying to lead Heather into the pond, telling her that her father wouldn’t love her if he knew what Helen knows.

Heather walks into the pond and Molly jumps in to save her. Helen cries “Don’t take her from me” and Molly and Helen fight for Heather. Finally Molly rips the locket from around Heathers neck and throws it at Helen. Helen leaves, and Heather wakes up and looks for Helen. They enter the ruin of the Harper House and as Heather runs across the old floor, she falls through it.

Heather thinks they fell through the floor because Helen is mad at Heather. She is upset at Molly. Molly figures out that Heather was similar to Helen because both of them lost their mother due to a fire. Molly figures out Heather was the one who started the fire that killed Heather’s mother. Molly and Heather find the bodies of Helen’s parents. Helen enters and finds her parent’s bones and ghost of Helen’s mother appears and hugs Helen and then they disappear together.

After some time Mom, Dave, and Michael find Heather and Molly. They see the bones and Heather explains whose they are. The family was fully united for the first time. Dave tells the police about Helen’s parents and they are all buried together in the graveyard. Heather tells Dave she started the fire that killed her mother.. Heather finds the locket on Helen’s grave. Michael sees the locket back around Heather’s neck and says he thought he’d heard the last of Helen. Molly replies that she thinks they have.

Mary Downing Hahn (born December 9, 1937, in Washington D.C.) is an award winning American author of young adult novels. Mary Downing Hahn's first published book, The Sara Summer, was released in 1979, when she was forty-one years old. Since then she has written over twenty novels. Many of those novels take place in Maryland, a state in which she grew up and still lives in.