The Ghost of Ontario (Part 1) (10 Grade Draft)

Chapter 3: Uncle Bart's Gift

        It was chilly out here, but I was used to it. There were two docks to the left of me, and ducks with their chicks were swimming around them, seeking out breakfast.

        At the thought of breakfast, my stomach rumbled, and I reached for it. Ugh, I was so hungry, but at the same time, I didn't want to inhale the scent of coffee. I wanted to be outside where there was fresh air.

        I turned my head and peered back the road. Sitting near it, parked on the grass, was Dad's black Excursion. It was a huge car, and he bought it specifically for the trip. It ran on Diesel fuel, unlike Uncle Clement's car. His car was an Explorer, but it hadn't appeared in the driveway because duh, they weren't here yet. Don't worry, they will be, and they'll be here very soon. Another reason why Dad decided to pick up the Excursion for the trip was because it was long and wide, so people could easily fit a lot of stuff and other people in it. It was also good for carrying things. Tied to the top of the Excursion were two canoes. One was red and one was olive green. Both of them were known as Old Towns. I just called the olive green one Old Town #1 and the red one Old Town #2. Old Town #1 could hold two people and Old Town #2 could hold three people. Uncle Clement had the rest of the canoes. He would be bringing them with him when he pulled into the driveway.

        For the time being, until he got there, because I knew the second he did, the adventure would begin, I sat on the dock and watched the sunrise. Since it was early, the sun was very low in the sky, and it was slowly rising. If I didn't mention already, we took two cars to Ontario. One was of course my dad's Excursion, and the second one was Uncle Clement's Explorer. I'll elucidate more about it in just a little bit when it's necessary. For now, I need to share with all you wonderful people out there what happened on the dock. No, I didn't fall off, so you can stop readying your laughs. Yeah, I'm talking to you, dude in the back!

        Anyway (Gee, I say anyway a lot in this story), while I sat on the edge of the dock, I examined the lily pads floating in the clear water and thought about the trip. There was a lot going on in my head that morning. Finlayson Point Provincial Park would be Camp Juniper's first destination in the big canoeing trip in Ontario, and I would have to enjoy it while I can. Finlayson Point Provincial Park would be the last place where I could take a shower and use a flushable toilet before getting on Lake Anima Nipissing, the first lake we canoed on in the Lady Evelyn-Smoothwater Provincial Park. Yeah, I know these names are long, but you'll get used to them. If you thought Lady Evelyn-Smoothwater Provincial was hard to say, try saying Kejimkujik. It took me a long time to learn how to say that, but once you do know how to say it, it's a lot of fun. Kejimkujik is the name of a national park in Nova Scotia, Canada that Camp Juniper went to another year before, but that's a different story. Come on, say it with me. Kejimkujik. Kejimkujik. Kejimkujik. Oh I love saying that. Now try saying Lady Evelyn-Smoothwater Provincial Park. You guys can mess around with the pronunciations while I continue the story.

        So yeah, I sat on the dock and thought about Finlayson Point Provincial Park (another name you can mess around with). I pulled my knees up close and ran my fingertips through the water. My fingernails at the time were painted green with flower designs on them. I pulled hair behind my ear and waved hello to the fishes and ducks. After a bit, I heard a screech in the sky. It was an eagle! An eagle! Yeah, I know what you're thinking. An eagle in North Tonawanda, New York? Like the mysterious figure in my dream, the first time this happened, it was interesting.

        I peered into the sky, and my eyes landed on the eagle. It flew in circles about seventy feet up, and it seemed to peer down on me.

"An eagle." I whispered to myself, "It's an eagle. Holy smokes." There's a reason why this story is called The Ghost of Ontario, folks, so don't forget this eagle. It will be back. I watched it for a little bit longer. Finally, it left, and I didn't see any more eagles until a bit later. I consider myself a very lucky girl. I saw an eagle before we even got in the car and drove to the Lady Evelyn-Smoothwater Provincial Park! Boo-yeah! My mind stayed on the eagle for just a bit longer, but then, my thoughts were interrupted suddenly by the voice of my Uncle Bart.