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.
I crawled forward and braced my head. All right, Ghost of Ontario, if you’re out there, I’m ready to die. I didn’t say this aloud. I just thought that to myself. When the leaves left me, they shifted over to unconscious Ihaan and circled him. I still waited for the Ghost of Ontario’s ghostly hands to grab me, but they didn’t. This was so mysterious! Detective Kylie Juniper discovered how magical nature really is at this point in my story.
Amazed, I jumped to my feet and watched the leaves circle Ihaan. So many wondrous things were happening all at once around me. The clouds also sprung to life. Do you guys know when you’re sometimes watching the clouds, they make shapes? Sure you do. Well, believe it or not, but the clouds hovering over Lake Temagami did this. They took on the forms of animals and danced all over Lake Temagami.
Spirits! I lowered Ihaan’s spear and watched them. This had to be a dream. Nature couldn’t be this awe-inspiring and mysterious. But it was, and it was at this point, I learned the true beauty of the Lady Evelyn-Smoothwater Provincial Park.
The cloud spirits continued to dance, and a few of them flew towards the beach. Some of the animals included bears, wolves, and moose. Maybe the spirits came here to see Ihaan? I noticed another cloud flying towards me, and I gasped. Quickly, I held Ihaan’s spear out to it, but I tripped on my own foot and fell again. The spear slipped from my grip and rolled towards his canoe. I assumed that the spirit coming towards me was the Ghost of Ontario, so therefore, I held my hands out to it and begged, “Please, Ghost of Ontario! I’m not ready to die yet! I just want to see my family again!”
The cloud first took on the form of a moose. When it approached me, it switched its form to an eagle. The eagle spirit hovered in front of me and flapped its massive wings. I had never seen a cloud this huge in front of me. The other cloud spirits continued to dance on the lake, and I saw a bear figure nod its head at me. My mouth hung open with astonishment.
The eagle spirit continued to flap its wings, and the only words that left my lips were, “Ro?”
The spirit covered its body with its wings and soared by mine. It approached Ihaan and threw itself on top of him. Basically, a cloud of fog covered the mysterious hermit. Right when it did, from across the lake, I heard a cry.
Leaping to my feet again, I ran into the cool water and peered across the mysterious, magical lake. Across it and from within the dancing clouds emerged a dark figure. Following it from behind were four more figures.
I brought my hands to my mouth. I couldn’t believe this. It was my family! “Ro!” I shouted, and I flung my arms. “Mom, Dad, Uncle Bart, Uncle Harrison, Uncle Clement, Uncle Mason, Aunt Lydia, Aunt Delia, Aunt Jessie!” Indeed, it was Ro and Camp Juniper.
Over the wind, I heard the voice of Aunt Lydia, “Kylie!” and their forms became clear.
Ro flapped her wings and soared down towards the beach. She blew by my head and landed next to Ihaan. Clouds danced around him and her, and within seconds, they went poof! The lake calmed down, and cool, afternoon sunshine blanketed the lake and caused it to glow. Just a second ago, it was stormy, and now all of a sudden, it was as beautiful as The Narrows! There still was a slight breeze, but it wasn’t as strong anymore. The spirits had gone to sleep. For now, at least. However, they will be back. Of course, they’ll be back.
Right after the spirits left, Camp Juniper pulled up to the beach, and Mom yelled, “Kylie!” She literally leaped out of her canoe to come give me a hug. I still didn’t want to hug her back.
The rest of Camp Juniper soon approached me.
“Thank goodness you’re all right, Kylie Wylie!” Dad cried. He took my face and looked me up and down. “We were so worried about you! We didn’t know where you were, but then that eagle came to us and… What is that eagle?”
I smiled. “Guys, Ihaan Kronin saved me!”
“Ihaan Kronin?” asked Uncle Macon. I noticed that he held a hand-held mirror, and he messed with his hair while looking into it.
I shook my head and shrugged. Immediately after I mentioned Ihaan’s name, Mom glared at me again. “Don’t glare at me like that, Mom!” I snapped. I pointed towards the beach. “I have proof Ihaan is real! He’s right there!”
Mom still glared. All our eyes landed on Ihaan, and I heard her growl. She did not like him at first.
“I knew it!” Uncle Bart shouted. He leaped ten feet in the air.
Ihaan had woken up, and Ro rubbed her head up against him. What if Ro was a spirit?
Ihaan was sitting, and his hand was on his head. He still looked a little woozy. He knew he couldn’t walk, so he just crawled towards his spear while we approached him.
Mom tried to pull us back, but we didn’t let her.
Ro soared by Ihaan’s head the entire time he crawled to his spear. Finally reaching it, he picked it up and held it in front of him. He left his bow behind. He was very scared.
“Stand back!” he shouted, and he threatened us with his spear.
Aunt Lydia jumped and fell into Uncle Harrison’s arms.
I held my arm out to my family and stopped them. Ihaan knew me best, so he’d probably feel more comfortable if only I approached him. I stopped in front of him and lowered his spear, saying, “Ihaan, lower your spear. Please. We’re only trying to help you.”
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