Boone’s little rowboat was bright red with the word Voyajer painted in white on its side. It was a sturdy boat, but two Sasquatches was a heavy load for her. When Hugo and Boone both sat in the back, the front reared up out of the water. In the end, Hugo sat in the back and Nogg sat in the front, with Boone in the middle. That balanced things out nicely.
Hugo did the rowing. He loved to row, and his strong arms made the little boat zip through the water. The river wiggled this way and that, just like a Rippling Worm. Sometimes the riverbanks narrowed and the water rushed faster.
“Make her fly, Hugo!” Boone cried, and he put his hands in the air and whooped.
Nogg had never been on a boat before. When they went fast, he held on to the sides at first, but after a while, he let go, put his hands in the air, and whooped along with Boone.
Sometimes there were rocky humps peeking out of the water where the riverbed was shallow, and Hugo had to go slowly and carefully around them.
After a while, the river grew wider and the thick woods crept closer to the banks.
“It’s just up there,” Nogg said, pointing to the right.
Hugo slowed his rowing and steered the Voyajer to the right. When they were close enough, Boone hopped into the shallow water and guided the boat to shore.
As they stood at the edge of the woods, Nogg sniffed the air and Hugo listened. No birds sang. The air was still.
“Wouldn’t you rather make us do something more fun?” Hugo asked Boone.
“Nope,” Boone said. He turned to Nogg and asked, “Which way?”
“This way,” Nogg answered, and headed off into the woods.
Before long, they came to the mouth of Craggy Cavern. Boone reached into his back pocket, pulled out a flashlight, and handed it to Nogg.
“Stick close and stay quiet,” Nogg warned.
Hugo was used to Widdershins Cavern, which was a busy and noisy place. Sasquatches were always rushing here and there, shopping or visiting or going to school. Candle lanterns hung on the walls, always lit and giving everything a warm golden glow.
In Craggy Cavern, however, none of the lanterns were lit, so the passageways were full of dark shadows. As they walked, the only sounds they could hear were Boone’s sneakers padding against the ground, and occasionally a soft, cautious sniff from Nogg.
After walking down twisting passageways for several minutes, Hugo whispered nervously, “So where is the notebook?”
“In my bedroom, in the desk drawer,” Nogg whispered back. “Our apartment is just a little farther ahead.”
Out of the corner of his eye, Hugo spotted something behind them. It was a small pale blue light, about the size of a walnut. It bobbed up and down in the dark, moving along the passageway as though it were following them.
“What is that?” Hugo cried as he spun around to look at it. But the light vanished in a wink.
“What did you see?” Nogg whispered.
“A light,” Hugo said in a shaky voice. “The blue light.”
Nogg shone the flashlight around, but the blue light was gone.
“We can turn back,” Nogg suggested.
“No, we’ll keep going,” Boone commanded.
They continued on until finally Nogg stopped in front of a rough wooden door.
“This is our apartment,” Nogg said. He pushed the door open and led them down a hallway, past two rooms, and finally into his bedroom. Going directly to his desk, he opened the top drawer to get his notebook.
Hugo gazed all around, checking for the blue light and listening closely for the sound of knocking. Did the ghost know they were there? Hugo had an uneasy feeling that it did.
“That’s weird!” Nogg said after a moment.
“What is?” asked Hugo.
“The notebook’s gone.”
“Are you sure?” Boone asked.
Nogg shone the flashlight in the drawer again. “Positive. It’s not here.”
Just then, Hugo saw the blue light appear again, hovering near the entrance to Nogg’s room, close to the ground.
“Pssst,” Hugo hissed to the others, then pointed at the light. For a moment, they all stared at it as it hung in the air, bobbing slightly in the darkness.
“It’s watching us,” Nogg whispered.
Hugo felt a prickly feeling on his forehead, right on the spot where the Golden Eye was. It might have just been because the clay was drying. Or it might have just been that he had an itch on his forehead.
But Hugo didn’t think so. Because suddenly he had a hunch.
The blue light darted away, out of the apartment.
“Let’s go!” Hugo cried.
“Where?” Boone called.
“To wherever the light is going!” Hugo called back.
