How could they leave without us? Maddy started to cry.I hugged her, then stiffened. “Maddy,” I whispered. “Look. That man. He’s here!”The man from the gift shop stood in the shadows by the boardwalk. He was grinning, a look much uglier than his scowl. We stared at him.“Your parents won’t be back,” he announced. “Unless you give me that ring. Then I’ll bring them back.”I glanced down at the ring on Maddy’s finger. I couldn’t believe what he’d said. How could he make people go away, and then bring them back?Maddy yelled at him, “They’ll come back. They won’t leave us!”“They just did! They think you’re sitting in the back seats. I put two Shadows there. They look just like you, only they’re a lot quieter.”“Shadows?” My voice squeaked. “What are you talking about?”“Little pretend children. Very quiet. No trouble at all. And Shadows make people uneasy, so no one looks too closely. Your parents won’t notice a thing.”Maddy slipped her hand into mine.
