Tick paused, trying to hold in a laugh since he’d already embarrassed himself enough in front of the library crowd. But this Italian girl . . . was she for real? He continued reading.

I got a letter from a person named M.G. in November. You too? At first I laughed and thought it was my friend Tony, but the letter came from Alaska, so I don’t know. Then more came, and I met a really tall lady called Mothball. Did you meet her? She’s like a walking tree with clothes, but I like her.

So what do you think? Is this for real? What will happen on the day? Did you figure everything out? Find anyone else? Write me back.

Your new friend,

Sofia

P.S. You have a weird name, btw.

Tick hated when the e-mail ended, wishing she’d written him pages and pages of what she thought and felt and if she’d figured out the magic words or anything else. He clicked the REPLY TO SENDER button.

Dear Sofia,

He paused, wondering what in the world he should write to her. The chilling thought hit him that maybe he shouldn’t trust her. Maybe she was on the side of whoever or whatever had sent the Tingle Wraith and Gnat Rat. Maybe she was a spy, ready to feed him information leading him away from the solution, not toward it.

That’s just a chance I’ll have to take, he thought. Shrugging the worry away, he began typing his message.

I know I have a weird name. Everyone calls me Tick, so you can, too.

Sounds like we’re in the same boat. I’ve received three clues now, one of them on a tape. How about you? I met Mothball, too. She gave me the second clue. Maybe we can help each other?

He almost started telling her the things he’d figured out and which ones had him stumped, but decided to wait to see if she would write him back. One more e-mail from her ought to help him know for sure if she was okay. After thinking for a minute, he finished his letter.

I wonder how many others like us are out there. I hope someone else writes me. Let me know if anyone writes to you, OK?

Have you seen anything like a ghost made out of smoke that turns into a grandpa face? What about a Gnat Rat? That thing put me in the hospital, but I’m OK now. How old are you? I’m thirteen, and I live in Washington, though you already know that because I guess you saw my Pen Pal account.

You’re from Italy? That’s way awesome. I wish we could meet and talk face to face about this stuff. I’m keeping all my notes in a book called Tick Higginbottom’s Journal of Curious Letters. Pretty cool, huh?

Talk to you later,

Tick