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.
"Ahem!" Hearing him, I pressed my palms on the dock's wood and tilted back my head. There he was! Uncle Bart! Uncle Bart had suddenly appeared behind me. In one hand, he held a bowl of cereal, and in the other, he held his orange whistle. Strange. He never took off the whistle. To me, he said, "I thought I heard a teenage girl's tummy rumbling out here!" and he offered me the cereal, "Here you go, dear." Yeah, Uncle Bart served me breakfast that morning we left for the provincial park. I love him. Uncle Bart is such a wonderful uncle. He didn't even leave me after he gave me breakfast. He instead grunted and sat down next to me on the dock so I could have some company. Together, we dangled our legs over the edge and watched the sunrise. He rested his hands in his lap, and I started stuffing my face with cereal. There was already milk in it and everything.
While I ate, Uncle Bart started a conversation. "What a beautiful morning," he spoke, and he watched as a few birds soared across the sky but not another eagle, "It's going to be a wonderful day to drive." I scoffed and took another bite from my cereal. Uncle Bart soon glanced at me, and he placed his hand on my thigh. "Don't look so upset, Kylie," he spoke, "You're going to have a great time."
I scoffed again. "Yeah right, Uncle Bart." I rudely answered back, and I set my bowl of cereal down next to me on the dock, "And who am I supposed to hang out with? There's not another teenager on this trip! It's just me!"
"Believe me," said Uncle Bart, "Once we get on the lake tomorrow, Kylie, you're going to be wondering why you were debating in the first place. Before we go, though, I wondering if well..." He chuckled nervously and lowered his head, "you could hold onto something for me." Hold onto something for him? Hold onto what? Yeah, I was asking myself the same question when he mentioned it. He wanted to give me a gift? What gift? What did he have on him that he wanted to give me? You guessed it. His whistle.
He peered down on it, and I gasped when I saw what he wanted to give me.
"Your whistle?" I remember asking, "No, Uncle Bart. I can't accept this."
"It's okay," he admitted, and he turned his head to me. We met eyes. I blinked. I was openmouthed in astonishment. Uncle Bart soon lifted his free hand, his left one, and he took mine. Opening my palm, he gently set the whistle, lanyard and everything in it, and continued, "Please, Kylie. You're a lot more fragile in this world than I am. I can always get a new whistle. If you ever get in trouble, you can blow it, and we'll come right to you." He wrapped my fingers over the whistle, "I trust you'll take good care of it. It belongs in the hands of a beautiful young lady like you."
"Gee, Uncle Bart," said I, and I examined the whistle in my palm, "I don't what to say."
"Just say it's a good luck gift," he told me, and he smiled.
"Thank you," were my next words. I had to say thank you, even though I was in such a rotten mood that day. Uncle Bart just gave me one of his most prized possessions! I loved the whistle just as much as he did. Guess what I wanted to do with it a minute after I got it, though? That's right. Blow it. I wanted to test it out. I wanted to test the whistle.
Before I did, Uncle Bart said, "My pleasure," and we shared a hug. I do love my Uncle Bart. I was so happy when I figured out I was going to be in the canoe with him.
Once we disconnected, Uncle Bart took my shoulders and said, "It appears as if the rest of Camp Juniper has arrived." We heard a bunch more chitchatting coming from the canal house now. Uncle Bart finished with, "Come on, let's say, 'Hi.'" He stood up and offered me his hand. I took it, and he pulled me up. The back of my sneaker hit the spoon in my cereal bowl, but it didn't fall. Uncle Bart soon let my hand go, and he started back towards the canal house.
I stopped him, "Wait, Uncle Bart," and I held out my hand. He turned back. This was where I decided to test the whistle. I smiled and told Uncle Bart, "I want to test the whistle." He nodded and gestured me on. I held the whistle in both hands and took a deep breath. Closing my eyes, I brought it to my lips and blew into it. TWEEEEETTT!! That was how loud it was! It was so loud that Uncle Bart jumped out of his skin, and ducks quacked and took off in flight. My head spun, and my ears rang, but I was still very impressed by the whistle. To this day, I still remain impressed.
After blowing it, I shook it and said, "Oh yeah, baby! Now that is what you call a whistle! You can summon people miles away with this thing!" The whistle was so loud that within seconds, Dad appeared in the sliding glass door, and his eyes landed on Uncle Bart and I. "I heard a whistle!" he shouted, and he frantically searched the area, "What's wrong?! Is everything all right?!"
"Ha, ha!" I laughed, and I held the whistle like a sword out to him, "On guard! No, Daddy, you have it all wrong. I was only testing Uncle Bart's whistle. He just gave it to me."
"Whistle?" Dad asked, and he met eyes with Uncle Bart, "Bart, you didn't have to. Why did you give her your whistle?"
"Oh shush, Azul," he answered, and he gestured at me, "It belongs in the hands of a beautiful youth such as your daughter. In case she ever gets in trouble, she can blow it to call for help. She's more fragile in this world than I am. It makes since to give it to her. Anyway," He put his palms together, "has the rest of Camp Juniper arrived?"
Daddy stood frozen for a few more moments, and then finally he answered Uncle Bart's question, "Oh yes, they're waiting inside for you two. After they have coffee and breakfast, we've got to finish packing and get going! Yippee!" He and Uncle Bart cheered, but I just groaned. Remember, I didn't want to go on this trip in the first place.
Daddy and Uncle Bart, after a bit, turned on their heels and entered the canal house. They left me all alone on the dock. I examined Uncle Bart's gift for just a little bit longer. Then, I nodded and slipped the lanyard over my head. Now the whistle hung in front of my chest.
Audience, audience! Quick announcement! This is not the last you'll see of this whistle! This whistle is actually one of the main characters in this story, so don't think it's over! Get used to it! Once I was sure the whistle was secure, I picked up my cereal bowl and glanced at the driveway. Yep, there was Uncle Clement's Explorer. Tied to the top of it were two more canoes. One was brown, and it was known as the Sawyer. Finally, the last canoe was another olive green one, and I just called it Old Town #3. The Sawyer, my favorite canoe, could hold three people, and Old Town #3 could hold only two people. Basically, two canoes could hold two people and two other canoes could hold three people. Let's do the math here, even though I really don't want to because I'm on vacation but whatever. Sometimes you've gotta do what you've gotta do. Let's see, let's pull out my calculator here. 3 + 3 + 2 + 2 =...yep, 10 people, and that was exactly how many members of Camp Juniper went on the big canoeing trip in Ontario. All right, now that that's done, I'm throwing this calculator away. Oops, it broke. Who cares, though? You're not here to hear a math lesson; you're here to hear my story. See what I did? Here and hear? Homonyms? Whatever. Let's continue.
Yeah, so after I put on the whistle, I picked up my cereal bowl, and my green eyes landed on the canal house. "Well, here we go, Kylie." I told myself, and with that, I lifted my foot and shuffled to the sliding door.
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