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

Chapter 37: Spirit Animals

Song: "Transformation" - Phil Collins

        I kept telling myself, "Ihaan is not what the spirits say he is," during the journey back to the beach. "He's a very sweet boy."

By the time we made it back, Ihaan had fallen asleep again. Oh, he needed help! Where was Dad? He had the First-Aid kit. Ihaan's nose was still bleeding, and I think it was making him a little woozy. I hoped I didn't accidentally break it. I carefully sat Ihaan on the sand and lied him down, cracking a small smile. With him out of sorts, he wouldn't be able to escape back into the woods, so when Camp Juniper came, they'd see him once and for all. What do you know? There was a little luck on my side.

Ihaan's blanket still rested on the sand, so I picked it up and covered him with it. While I tucked him in, I smiled and said, "Just take it easy, Ihaan. When you wake up, perhaps you'll have a few more friends on your side?" I slipped his bow off my shoulder, but I  jumped when he spoke in his sleep.

"Ro?" He turned onto his side. "Ro, I want my bow back."

"Ro?" I asked, and I set Ihaan's bow on my lap. "No, I'm Kylie. You know, Kylie Juniper? A.K.A., Little Red?"

"Ro." Ihaan repeated. "Ro, we need to return to Lady Evelyn Lake."

"Huh?" was my next question. I removed the rag from Ihaan's nose so I could check it. Why did he have to go to Lady Evelyn Lake? Was he really following me, or was he just trying to reach a destination, and the fastest way to get there was to take the route Camp Juniper took? You know, that's the greatest thing about people who talk in their sleep. You learn almost anything about them.

        I knew it was going to be difficult to get an answer out of him, but I tried to ask Ihaan why he had to go to Lady Evelyn Lake. "Why do you have to go to Lady Evelyn Lake, Ihaan?"

I think he actually heard me. Ihaan answered. Maybe he was only semiconscious? "Home," he explained, and he turned his body towards the sky. "I have a home on Lady Evelyn Lake. I have already been away too long."

"Home?" I asked. "But I thought you said you didn't have any parents." I returned Ihaan's bow and set it down next to him.

He didn't say anymore. I think he was just glad he had his bow back.

My eyes landed on his canoe again, and I decided to continue my investigation of it. First, I took Ihaan's arrow out of his hand, because it was a little close to his skin, and I returned it to its rightful location...his quiver. The quiver was located in the hull of his canoe. That was where I dropped it. The wind blew the entire I searched Ihaan's canoe, and there was another rumble of thunder.

        My hand stopped right before I reached Ihaan's quiver, because I saw something else in his canoe that I thought was quite interesting. I saw a spear. Why didn't I see it there before? My curiosity flew in every direction. Like with the bow and arrow, I was desperate to try Ihaan's spear. Prepare yourself, audience, because what happened next was actually one of the coolest things ever! It was about as cool as the time when I discovered who Ihaan really was. It told me that yes, the Lady Evelyn-Smoothwater Provincial Park was jumping with spirits. And it all happened the second I touched Ihaan's spear. This was how Ro and my family entered the story again.

I set Ihaan's arrow down on the sand, away from harming anything, and reached for the spear. I took a deep breath. I then grabbed it and picked it up. Immediately after I did, nature exploded with life! It was so beautiful, it almost seemed magical. During this little event, I was both nervous and excited. There was another clap of thunder, and a blanket of clouds shifted down closer to Lake Temagami. I gasped and fell backwards onto the sand, with the spear clutched tightly in my hand. "What's going on?" I asked, and I peered behind me. Leaves escaped from the forest and swirled by my hair. Uncle Bart's whistle and the flowers behind my ear also blew.