Sweat poured down Ihaan’s face, and he took deep breaths. Blood still dripped from his nose, but the bleeding was starting to slow down. I’ve seen him scared before, yeah, but he looked absolutely traumatized the first time he saw my family up close.
I attempted to take the spear out of his hand. I grabbed it, but Ihaan ripped it away and struggled to his feet with his teeth clenched together,
“Stand back, Kylie!” He grabbed my arm and pulled me close to him with his spear still pointed at Camp Juniper. “These people are animals!” A few drops of blood fell from his nose and hit the sand. He continued. “Look at them! They have invaded this beach! Close your eyes, Little Red, because they are going to feel the rage of my spear!”
“Stop it, Ihaan!” I shouted, and I slapped his spear down. “Please! They’re my family!”
“Huh?” was Ihaan’s only question.
“Remarkable!” Aunt Jessie cried out. “Yehaw!” She knocked Ihaan’s spear down and grabbed him by both ears. “Ears, nose, and beautiful teeth!” She pulled Ihaan’s lips aside so she could see his teeth. “No doubt about it, he is definitely a person! My goodness! You sure are a handsome, young man!”
Ihaan was too frightened to speak.
Uncle Clement was the next one to converse. He yelled in Ihaan’s face, “How old are you, son?!” He didn’t let Ihaan answer, not that he wanted to, because everybody except Mom pushed by me and crowded around the mysterious hermit.
Ro and I tried to pull them away from him, but Camp Juniper literally kicked us out of the circle, and we landed next to each other on the ground.
“Kylie wasn’t joking!” I heard Aunt Delia say. “Oh, you poor dear! What did she do to your nose?”
Uncle Clement’s eyes landed on Ro, and he reached for her, but she snapped at him.
Mom simply plopped down on the sand and crossed her arms, huffing.
Uncle Macon grabbed Ihaan’s arms and squeezed them. “Wow! You’re a strong munchkin! You must work out at the Y too!”
“Huh?” Ihaan asked again. He struggled to release himself. “Let me go! I want my bird back!” Immediately at his request, Uncle Macon dropped him, and Ihaan ended up doing a front flip on the sand. He banged his injured, disfigured ankle. Now, how do I know this? Well, he yelled, “OW!” when he hit the ground and grabbed hold of his bandaged foot. Both his boots were off his feet now, and of course, Ihaan didn’t wear socks.
Ro and I decided to come to his rescue.
“Stop!” I yelled and I leaped to my feet. “Leave him alone! You’re scaring him!”
Ro screeched and backed my family away from Ihaan the Hermit.
I hurried to him and grabbed his ear so he couldn’t run off. “See, guys?” I asked. “I told you he was real!” I felt Ihaan trying to run, but I merely tightened my grip. He looked like a flailing fish, and he constantly yelped. Even Ro tried to push him back towards us! Her! Ro! Why? “This is Ihaan the Hermit!” I continued, and I gestured at Ro with my free hand. “And that’s his trustworthy companion, Ro the Eagle! I tried telling you, but no, no, no, you didn’t listen! Say you’re sorry, Camp Juniper!”
For a second, Camp Juniper didn’t say anything, but I forced them to. “All of you!”
Ihaan still struggled to release himself from my grasp. He almost got away, but I caught him at the last second.
After a bit, Camp Juniper finally apologized, “Okay! Okay! We’re sorry!” except Mom.
I glanced at her and snapped, “You too, Mom!”
Mom didn’t say a word. She just huffed again. You see, she doesn’t like being wrong.
I could tell Ihaan was starting to grow tired. He wasn’t squirming as much anymore. I think he was finally starting to accept that he was stuck with us now, because he was. Ro even tried encouraging him to meet the rest of my family. To Ihaan, I said, “Just calm down, Ihaan,” and I helped him back on the ground. “We’re not trying to hurt you.” I glanced at Dad. “Daddy, you have the First-Aid kit, right?”
Dad nodded. “I do, Kylie. Why? Do you need it?”
I shook my head no and explained, “I don’t need it, Dad, but Ihaan does. His ankle is injured. He’s been in excruciating pain all afternoon. I think it may be broken.”
“Broken?!” asked Dad. He suddenly looked horrified.
I corrected myself. “Well, I think it may have been broken pretty severely once.”
Dad nodded. “Very well. Let’s have a look then.”
Ihaan made one last attempt to free himself. He actually succeeded! Young Ihaan released himself from my grasp and limped towards the forest, yelling, “Please! Leave me alone! You’re all insane! I can’t take it! Ro!”
Ro flapped her wings and soared after him.
Ihaan didn’t even make it to the woods because I grabbed him again and asked, “Are you going somewhere important, beautiful?”
“The woods.” Ihaan explained, and he flung his arms, speaking in short sentences, “I’m a little shy. Remember?”
“You’ve got to overcome over your shyness, beautiful.” I explained. “You’re acting like a child.”
“Um,” Ihaan mumbled under his breath, “I am a child. I am ten years old.”
“No, you’re not! Don’t give me that! You look to be around fifteen or sixteen!”
Ihaan kept on trying to tell me he was ten. I swear, he had it bad. I’ve seen amnesia before but never as bad as his.
After a bit, he mentioned something that changed my perspective a little bit about him running away. He said, “You see, Little Red, Ro and I have to return to Lady Evelyn Lake. We not only have a home there, but there is also a sick animal. Please let me go.”
“A sick animal?”
“Yes!” Ihaan frightfully stated. “I have some medicine for it. Please let me go, Kylie. The animal needs me.” Sweat poured down his face, and few more drips of blood dripped from his nose and hit the sand. He did not look good. He needed to rest. It didn’t feel right to send him out to help an animal when he could barely walk.
This was all my fault. I was the one who tackled Ihaan at Camp Wanapitei and almost broke his ankle again. I concluded he’d be better in the morning, though.
Wait a minute, what if we invited him to join Camp Juniper? If he did, then we’d be able to help him get back to Lady Evelyn Lake, and also, I would finally have another kid my age to hang out with! “You’re not going anywhere tonight!” I told hurting Ihaan. “You need to rest and let us help you!”
“No! Please!” Ihaan cried, and he closed his eyes, sinking to the ground. “The animal! The animal needs my help! AHHH!!” He grabbed his head again, “My head!” and his foot shook some more.
“Let it hurt.” I told Ihaan, and I lightly shook his shoulder. “It means you’re trying to remember something, Ihaan.”
Ihaan’s skin was warm. It felt good on my touch.
I peered over my own shoulder to Dad and ordered, “Dad, get the First-Aid kit. That’s an order!”
“Please!” Ihaan begged. He ripped his shoulder free. “Don’t touch me, Billy Joe!”
“Billy Joe?” I asked. “Why are you calling me ‘Billy Joe,’ Ihaan?”
“Um, the same reason you’re calling me ‘Ihaan!’”
“But that’s your name.”
“Does he have amnesia?” Uncle Bart asked, and he kneeled to me.
I nodded. “He does, Uncle Bart, and I think conversing with other humans is helping him remember his past. He’s been stuck here for ten winters.” I glanced at Dad again who was still standing in his place. “Dad, what are you doing? You’re supposed to be getting the First-Aid kit!”
Dad snapped out of his doze and said, “Oh, right.” He apologized and turned on his heel, hurrying towards our canoes.
I wanted everybody to pitch in and help (mostly to get them away from Ihaan), so I glanced at Uncle Bart and asked, “Uncle Bart, can you get Ihaan’s blanket? It’s over by his canoe. I’ll get his spear. Uncle Macon...”
Right when Uncle Bart left me, I searched the area for Uncle Macon. There he was.
He admired himself in his hand-held mirror and fluffed his hair.
I stared, and then I shrugged and smiled hesitantly. Standing up, I approached Uncle Macon and asked, “Um, Uncle Macon?”
“Hm?” he said. He dropped his mirrors and turned to me. “Well hello there, Kylie Wylie. What can I do for you?”
I remained polite and stated, “Do you think you can do me a favor? Can set up the hammock? I don’t want Ihaan to sleep on the ground. Please? I also was…” However, I heard something from Uncle Macon’s pocket.
“Hey, beautiful. You’ve got a text message,” and he jumped.
“Whoa!” Sure enough, Uncle Macon’s phone had gone off. Apparently he had reception out here. Uncle Macon reached into his pocket and pulled his phone out. “Oh, hey! What do you know? My sister texted me! Excuse me, Kylie, and don’t worry. I’ll set up the hammock for Ihaan.”
“Thank you,” I said, and I watched as Uncle Macon pulled out his mirrors again and left me. Sorry about his behavior, audience. That’s just the way Uncle Macon is.
After my unusual conversation with Uncle Macon, I next turned my head in the direction of Ihaan Kronin, and hey, what do you know? There was Dad and Uncle Bart. Besides them and Uncle Macon, the remaining members of Camp Juniper were setting up camp and pulling out dinner supplies. Aunt Lydia traversed into the forest to search for firewood. When Ihaan was nearby, because he was friends with all the animals, the mosquitoes didn’t bother me as much, so yay. For once, I wasn’t getting eaten alive.
Where Dad and Uncle Bart were, Ro stood next to Ihaan’s face, and she pressed the back of her bill up against his cheek. It was a sign she gave him to say that she was there.
Uncle Bart held Ihaan’s blanket over his shoulder, and Dad was kneeling to the mysterious hermit. The First-Aid kit rested open next to him, and he tried to work on Ihaan’s ankle, but he constantly flinched and pulled it away from his hand.
I again heard him cry, “I’ve got to help that animal! Let me go!”
“You’re not going anywhere!” Dad sternly told him. “You’re staying here tonight!”
“But the animal! The animal!” Ihaan did sound like he was in a lot of pain.
I approached him and stood next to my Uncle Bart.
I glanced at him, and he asked the mysterious hermit, “Do you want to send Ro to check on that animal?” Hey, that actually wasn’t a bad idea.
I nodded and focused my attention on Ihaan, “Why don’t we do that, Ihaan? Ro can fly.”
Ro took her bill off Ihaan’s cheek and glanced up at me.
Ihaan flung his arm and said, “But I have medicine for it! Let me go! I’m fine!” He again pulled his ankle away from Dad.
“What are you trying to do?” I asked him.
“I’m trying to unwrap this bandage so I can look at his ankle, but he’s not letting me.” Dad answered.
“Let me.” I spoke, and I kneeled next to Daddy. “You see, Daddy, he knows me best, so he’ll probably feel more comfortable if I attempt to unwrap it.”
“I need to help that animal!” Ihaan shouted, and he tried to get up, but he quickly fell again.
Uncle Bart leaned in towards Ro and asked her, “Do you think you can check on that sick animal for your friend, Ro?”
Ro immediately liked him. She got along great with Uncle Bart. As if she understood him, she nodded and opened her wings. Ro flapped them and lifted into the air.
We watched as she soared into the sky and vanished around a point.
Right when she did, Uncle Bart told Ihaan, “Don’t worry, kid,” and he patted his shoulder. “Ro’s checking on that animal for you.”
“But the medicine is here.” Ihaan mumbled. “Ro can’t administer it. I have to do that.”
I could tell he was slipping into sleep again.
Uncle Bart removed his hand from Ihaan’s shoulder, and I took it instead. As unbelievable as it seems, but I believe another spirit came to life. There was a slight breeze, and few more leaves escaped the forest and swirled towards Ihaan.
I reached for his spear and picked it up.
“Get back!” I told Uncle Bart and Dad, and grabbing their arms, I pulled them away from Ihaan. “It’s another spirit.”
“Spirit?” Dad asked. The spirits were trying to tell me something important, but I didn’t pick up on it until later.
The tops of the trees whistled in the breeze, and two more lines of leaves escaped the forest and headed towards us. Then, as crazy as this may sound, but I heard singing in the wind! You heard me right – singing. It actually sounded like it belonged to a little boy, and I believe it was sung in Iroquois language. The singing was so mysterious, and even more, it belonged to the Ghost of Ontario himself. I know this because it was a little boy singing.
A trail of leaves circled Dad, Uncle Bart, and I, and I heard Dad mumble, “Whoa.”
My eyes shifted from him to the left, and I saw Uncle Macon. His mirror was under his arm, and he had found two good trees where he could set up the hammock. He worked diligently. I don’t think he and the other remaining members of Camp Juniper noticed the spirit visiting us. Aunt Lydia was still in the forest searching for firewood. Uncle Clement and Uncle Harrison were setting up the tents, and Mom, Aunt Delia, and Aunt Jessie were preparing dinner.
After circling us, the spirit and singing next shifted over to Ihaan, and I believe they helped him fall asleep. Whoa, even nature knew when someone or something needed to take it easy.
I lowered Ihaan’s spear, and with my other hand, I reached up and touched the swirling leaves. The singing continued. The Ghost of Ontario just didn’t know when to leave us alone. I found it very strange. The ghost had found us no doubt about it, but why wasn’t he doing anything to Camp Juniper? I mean, we were the ones who invaded his home.
Finally, when the singing died down, and the spirit left us alone, Ihaan had fallen asleep. He looked a lot calmer.
I sighed and glanced at Dad, saying, “Okay, Dad, I think you can patch him up now.”
“Yoo-hoo!” suddenly chanted the voice of Uncle Macon, and we together glanced at him. Uncle Macon stood next to the hammock, which was now set up, and he patted it with one hand while his other one held his mirror. To us, he explained, “I’ve got the hammock set up, dudes and dudettes, and there’s already a pillow in it.”
“Thank you, Macon.” Uncle Bart said. He wrapped his arm around my nervous shoulders and pulled me close to him. “Don’t worry, Kylie Wylie, your dad will fix Ihaan right up.”
I didn’t speak. I just nodded my head and watched as Dad reached for Ihaan’s ankle again.
He let him take it this time.
While he worked, I peered into the sky and watched as the trail of leaves soared into the atmosphere, taking the mysterious singing with it. I thought about it. It definitely sounded like a little boy.
Behind Camp Juniper’s back, I cracked a small smile. From this point on, my life just got so much better (and a little worse too).
ns 15.158.61.8da2
