“Let’s go to bed,” I agreed. “I’m sure we have a busy day ahead of us.”
Pine Cabin was basically a rustic pine box. Six metal bunk beds lined the walls, and there was a separate bathroom with a few stall showers and toilets. We laid our sleeping bags out. George and Bess shared one bunk, so I asked Taylor if she wanted to share, and she said yes. We were all sleepy, so we didn’t take long to change into our pj’s, use the bathroom, brush our teeth, and climb into bed.
I had the top bunk. “Good night, guys,” I called as I sleepily burrowed into the pillow I’d brought from home. It smelled of Hannah’s favorite lavender-scented detergent.
“Good night, Nancy,” came seven voices back to me.
I dreamed I had to go to the bathroom, but I was up in a tree, and the bathroom was down on the ground. I had to climb down the thick pine branches to get back to earth, but they were too tangled, and it was too confusing. Meanwhile the pressure was building, and I was getting really worried I wasn’t going to make it! The dream seemed to go on forever until suddenly my eyes popped open and there I was, staring at the ceiling of Pine Cabin, desperately having to pee.
I scrambled down as quickly as I could without stepping on Taylor and ran to use the bathroom.
Hugely relieved, I finished up and was walking back to my bed when I heard it.
WHOOOOOOOO-WOOOOO-HOOOOOOO!
I felt like ice water had been poured into my veins. It was coming from just outside the cabin. It was kind of like the sound that had come across the lake—the “owl” sound, according to George. But this was much louder, and closer.
WOOOOOO-HOOOO-WOOOOOOOO!
“What the heck?” Sam’s confused voice came from one of the bunks to my right, and I turned toward it.
“You hear it too?”
She sat up. “Yeah, I can hear that. I’m pretty sure the whole camp can hear it.”
“It’s loud, right?”
“It sounds like it’s coming from right outside.”
There was a creak from the bunks across the room.
“What is that?” Bess asked.
“I’m not sure,” I said honestly.
Wooooooooooohh . . .
This time the sound was softer, almost pretty. More of a whisper than a wail.
“Should we go outside and check it out?” Sam asked. Now that I could see her face, she looked terribly annoyed.
I glanced out the small window. It was dark outside, but cool blue moonlight shone down on the clearing that surrounded the mess hall. I didn’t see anything unusual. But the thought of going out there was not appealing.
More creaking. Bess got up from her bed and walked over to us. She grabbed a flashlight from her duffel bag. “I think we have to go,” she said.
“Where are you going?” a sleepy voice asked from behind her. George.
“Outside,” Bess said. “To check out—”
Wooooooooo-woooooooo!
There was an abrupt thunk as George jumped down from her bed. “What on earth . . . ,” she muttered.
I got my flashlight too, and so did Sam. As we approached the door, I couldn’t help asking, “Do you think it could be the ghost?”
I was normally much more logical than this. But it was the middle of the night, in a cabin, in the woods.
I was surprised when no one said no right away.
“I don’t want to think about it,” Bess murmured. “We’re going to be here for nine more days.” She was the only one to respond.
We pushed open the heavy wooden door and walked outside.
Woooooooooooooooo!
It was coming from the woods . . . from the path toward the lake.
We crept toward the woods. Closer . . . and closer. My skin felt too tight and my heart beat a jumpy rhythm in my chest.
“How far do we go?” Bess whispered.
“Far enough to figure out what this is,” Sam replied.
It was cooler outside than it had been during the campfire, and an even cooler breeze seemed to come down the path from the lake. I knew it was probably just air cooled from skimming over the lake’s surface, but it felt . . . ghostly.
I couldn’t help wondering what it would feel like to drown. Feeling the air leave your body and knowing you would never take another breath. What if someone was holding you down when you were trying to break free of the surface . . . if someone went crazy and drowned you, like Bella had said? What would it feel like to be held underwater and know you were dying?
“Wooooooooo . . . BOO!”
“AAAAAUUUUUUUUGH!”
I let out an ear-piercing scream as a pale figure jumped out from behind a tree. Bess, George, and Sam were screaming too. But instead of wailing at us some more, or grabbing us with its ghostly hands, the figure abruptly stopped wailing and started cracking up. When I was over my shock, I turned to look at her.
Bella!
“Were you scared?” she asked, a smug look on her face. “Bet you believe my story now, huh?”