CHAPTER EIGHT

Moonlight Hike

“Why would Mr. Parker want to scare off visitors?” asked Zayn, munching on some blackberries from a nearby bush.

“It doesn’t make sense,” said Ibrahim. “Unfortunately, he’s on top of my list of suspects.”

“Who else is on it?” asked Yusuf, who had been taking his job as assistant detective very seriously.

“It’s a short list,” said Ibrahim, biting his lip in frustration.

Ibrahim and Zayn had been to the areas where the ghost had been seen, but they hadn’t found any clues. The forest floor near their cabins was covered mostly with loose pebbles and pine needles, which didn’t seem to have been disturbed, and the sandy beach at the lake’s edge had too many footprints to make any sense of them. It was the afternoon of their second day at camp. Most of the children were swimming in the lake or canoeing on it. Ibrahim, Zayn and Yusuf were sitting close to the water under the shade of a large, black walnut tree.

“How does the ghost know we’ll be out there?” asked Yusuf. “We keep seeing him right after fajr. If we weren’t awake, no one would have seen it.”

“And if no one had seen it, there’d be no one to spread fear to the rest of the campers,” reasoned Ibrahim.

“Guys,” said Zayn. “I think we’re being played.”

“By someone who has access to information about us,” said Ibrahim. “The forms our parents filled out when we registered had our prayer schedule, along with our vegetarian meal requests!”

***

A moonlight hike though the forest was planned for that evening. As the children gathered around, Mr. Parker arranged them all in a line.

“This will make it easier to move along the narrow trail. Remember who’s behind you and who’s in front of you,” he advised. “I’ll lead, while Henry will make sure no one’s left behind.”

The children, who were a little nervous about going into the forest at night, moved a little closer to one another.

“It’s a special treat to be here during the full moon,” said Mr. Parker. “It’s a spectacular sight. If we don’t make too much noise, we might be able to see some of the nocturnal creatures that live here.”

It wasn’t long before the kids forgot their fears and began to enjoy their surroundings.

“Look up,” said Mr. Parker. “There’s a male Snowy Owl. Unlike the female, they are almost completely white. On some nights it looks like a ghost is flying around.”

The children laughed nervously as they followed their guide.

“Look! A flying squirrel,” said Mr. Barnell, from the back of the line. “Notice the wing-like membrane of skin that extends between their wrists and ankles. They don’t actually fly, but glide from tree to tree.”

The time flew by, as the students whispered and pointed to the night creatures. Mariam almost stepped on the tail of a black-footed ferret, but Kathy’s grabbed her arm just in time.

“Those were once believed to be extinct,” explained Mr. Barnell. “In 1986 a small group of eighteen was discovered. A lot of work has been done to help increase the black-footed ferret population. Now there are around 750 in North America!”

Coming to a small clearing in the woods, Mr. Parker turned to the group.

“Let’s take a five minute break before we head back,” he announced. “I’m just going to fill my water bottle from a stream up ahead. It’s truly the best water you’ve ever tasted.”

The children sat in a small circle as they waited for their guide to return.

“Could a wild animal attack us out here?” asked Zayn. “Those ferrets had some pretty sharp claws.”

“We’re a large group,” said Mr. Barnell. “I’m sure we’ll be fine.”

But as soon as those words left his mouth, they heard the familiar loud moaning from deep in the forest.

“G—Ghost!” yelled George, even before he saw one.

“Ghost!!” yelled all the kids.

Everyone ran in a different direction. Mr. Parker, who had just stepped back into the clearing, tried his best to help Mr. Barnell calm everyone, but no one could hear them over all the panic and yelling. Fearing the children wouldn’t be able to find their way back, Mr. Parker and Mr. Barnell built a fire in the clearing, hoping it would help to guide the students. After a half hour only fifteen of the twenty campers had returned; five were still missing.

“Alright, campers, let’s put out this fire and head back to camp,” said Mr. Parker.

“But what about the rest?” asked Mariam, fearfully looking into the dark forest. “We can’t just leave them out there!”

“I’m hoping they’ve found each other and are already back at the camp, waiting for us,” he reassured her.