Sydney and the Wisconsin Whispering Woods (2 page)

Alexis smiled shyly.

“Goodness, all the way from Sacramento, are you?” Mrs. Miller said. “So, what do you think of the Northwoods?”

“From what I could see in the dark, it’s very nice,” Alexis said politely.

“So, there will be three of you, then, staying in Cabin One?” asked Mrs. Miller getting out the guest register.

“Right. Three of us,” Aunt Dee said.

“We have a little dog, too,” Sydney added. “Is that okay? We’re taking care of him while our friend Kate is on vacation.”

“We thought he’d enjoy spending time near the lake and the woods,” Alexis added. “We found him when we were at Discovery Lake Summer Camp, and Kate adopted him.”

Mrs. Miller opened the big registration book and asked Aunt Dee to sign her name. “Your aunt told me about the dog when she made the reservations. It’s okay, as long as you don’t let him run around and bother the other visitors.”

“We’ll keep an eye on him,” Sydney promised.

“And be sure to put him on a leash after dark, and stay with him when you let him out to do his business at night,” Mrs. Miller warned. “Some of the wild animals around here would hurt a friendly little dog.”

“Are there bears?” Alexis asked.

“Oh yeah,” said Mrs. Miller. “We have black bears here. Sometimes, they wander over by the cabins at night. But, if you don’t bother them, they won’t bother you. And make sure you don’t leave any food outside. That’s how most problems between people and bears start.”

Alexis shivered.

Mrs. Miller took a set of keys from a wall behind the desk. “Here are your keys,” she said. “Go to the end of the driveway. It’s the first log cabin on your left, the one with the big front porch. You can park behind it to unload. Then move your car back here to the parking lot. Try to be quiet. Cabin Two is occupied, and the folks are asleep.”

“We will,” said Aunt Dee. “And thanks for staying up for us.”

“No problem,” said Mrs. Miller. “Enjoy your stay. My husband and I are here if you need anything. Good night, girls. Sleep tight.”

“Good night,” Sydney and Alexis answered.

“Oh,” said Mrs. Miller, remembering something. “And do you have a flashlight?” “I do,” Aunt Dee replied.

“You’ll need it, then, to find your way. I put a couple more in the cabin on the table.”

“Thanks,” said Aunt Dee. She closed the door, and they got back in the SUV and headed down the driveway.

“We’re almost there, Biscuit,” said Alexis, reaching into the kennel. Out of the coal-black night, the headlights shone on a log cabin with a screened porch all along its front. A sign near the door said C
ABIN
O
NE
.

“Oh, Biscuit will love the porch,” Sydney said. “He can hang out there all day long and not have to worry about wild animals.”

“Like skunks,” said Alexis.

Aunt Dee parked the SUV behind the cabin and shut off the engine. While the girls unloaded the suitcases, Sydney’s aunt used her flashlight to find the lock on the door. She unlocked it, pushed the door open, and fumbled for a light switch.

When she flipped it, thankfully, the light came on. The door opened into a quaint, little kitchen that had ruffled curtains on the windows and a flowered plastic tablecloth on the small, round table. Two flashlights lay on the table with a brochure that said M
ILLER’S
R
ESORT—REST AND
R
ECREATION
. Gratefully, Sydney and Alexis plopped their bags onto the floor.

“I’ll let Biscuit out,” said Sydney.

“Remember the leash,” Alexis reminded her.

Sydney found Biscuit’s leash near his kennel. Carefully, she opened the kennel door and snapped the leash onto his collar. The happy little dog came bounding out of his cage and ran circles around Sydney. Then he stopped. He put his head up and sniffed the air. He sniffed it again and let out a little
“Ruff”

“What’s the matter, boy? Do you see something?” Sydney asked. She looked toward the lake, but in the darkness, she couldn’t see a thing.

Biscuit pulled hard on the leash and started to pant. He reared up on his hind legs.
Ruff! Ruff! Ar-roof! Ruff! Ruff! Ar-roof!

“Quiet!” Sydney whispered. She thought she heard a bump.
Something’s out there in the darkness
, she thought.
I’m almost sure of it
.

Just the idea that something or someone might be watching made Sydney nervous. “Come on, boy,” she said, leading Biscuit back toward the cabin. “Do your business, so we can go inside.”

Biscuit stood for a few seconds, anxiously staring into the darkness. Then, obediently, he did what Sydney asked and followed her to the cabin’s back door.

“Why was Biscuit barking?” Aunt Dee asked when Sydney brought him inside.

Sydney shut the back door and flipped the deadbolt lock. “I think he saw something by the lake,” she said. “I couldn’t see anything. Do you know how dark it is out there? At Discovery Lake, the paths are lit at night, and we sort of know what animals are around. But this is way different—and spooky.”

Alexis hauled her suitcase into the girls’ bedroom. “By tomorrow night, we’ll be getting used to the darkness and all the weird noises.”

“You’re probably right,” said Sydney, picking up her suitcase and following Alexis into their room.

Alexis found a lamp on the nightstand next to the bunk beds. She turned the switch, and the room lit up. On one wall hung a brightly colored Indian trading blanket. Above the closet door, a mounted deer’s head stared down at them.

“Oh, gross! I hate it when hunters display the heads of animals they’ve killed,” said Alexis. She put her suitcase on the lower bunk and opened it.

“Get used to it,” Sydney grinned. “There’s a moose head in the bathroom.”

“No there isn’t!” Alexis exclaimed.

“There is,” Sydney insisted. “Hey, which bunk do you want?”

“I’ll take the top one,” said Alexis. She took her pajamas and toothbrush out of her suitcase and headed for the bathroom.

“You just don’t want to sleep next to the window,” Sydney said, “in case a big bear comes along and peeks in at you.”

“You’re right,” Alexis agreed. “I don’t like bears.”

Aunt Dee had parked the SUV in the lot and settled in to her room on the other side of the cabin. Before long, the girls snuggled into their beds, too.

“Lights out?” Sydney asked.

“Prayers first,” said Alexis, pulling the cool sheet up under her chin.

“Okay. Say ‘amen’ when you’re done,” Sydney told her. The girls prayed silently for a few minutes.

“Amen.”

“And amen,” Sydney echoed. Then she reached over and turned off the lamp.

The girls were almost asleep when the bedroom door swung open. A rush of air swept through the room as Biscuit scurried in and leaped onto the lower bunk, landing on Sydney’s chest.

“Get down!” said Sydney.

Biscuit didn’t move.

“Biscuit, don’t stand on me. Lie down.”

He pretended not to hear.

“Oh, I know what’s wrong,” Alexis said from the top bunk. “He wants his doll. He has that rag doll that he sleeps with. It’s in the car.”

Sydney sighed. “I forgot,” she said. “I guess I’ll have to go get it.” She climbed out from under the covers and put on her shoes.

“Don’t forget the flashlight,” Alexis reminded her. “And watch out for bears.”

“Okay,” Sydney said as she left the bedroom. She took one of the flashlights and the car keys from the kitchen table. Then she unlocked the back door and bravely walked up the driveway to the parking lot. She got Biscuit’s doll from his kennel and headed back to the cabin.

When Sydney was almost there, she shined the flashlight toward the lake. The beam landed on a picnic table. She saw the gentle waves lapping on the shore, and then—a shadow. A mysterious hulking figure dashed from the beach and disappeared into the forest. Sydney heard whatever it was running through the edge of the woods.

Every ounce of courage drained from her body.

Something was watching her!

“Alex, are you awake?” Sydney asked, hurrying into their bedroom. “I think something is out there.”

“Huh?” Alexis answered sleepily.

Biscuit grabbed his doll from Sydney’s hand and wrestled it on the floor.

“I just saw someone, or something, hurry into the woods. I could only make out its shadow, but it looked tall and kind of hunched over. I could feel it watching me.”

Alexis rubbed her eyes and sat with her feet dangling over the edge of her bed. “Now I’m afraid to go to sleep,” she said. “Bears don’t walk upright and hunched over, right?”

Sydney lay on her bed on her stomach and looked out the window. “Circus bears walk on their hind legs,” she said. “And I’ve seen people throw marshmallows to bears at the National Zoo—when the bears stand up to catch them, they look sort of hunched over.”

“Are marshmallows good for bears?” Alexis asked.

“I don’t know,” Sydney said. “But they like them.”

Biscuit hopped onto the bed and wiggled next to

Sydney. He stuck his nose against the window screen and sniffed. “He smells something,” Sydney whispered. “What is it, boy?”

Alexis and Sydney both sniffed the air.

“I don’t smell anything, do you?” Alexis asked.

“Just fresh air,” Sydney said. She reached over to pet Biscuit, and she noticed that his muscles were stiff. He stood at attention, focusing everything on his sense of smell. Then, he let out a low, soft growl. “Something
is
out there,” said Sydney. “I’m sure of it.”

Alexis climbed down from the upper bunk and lay on the bed with Sydney. With Biscuit between them, they peered out the window. The clouds had begun to break up now, and a narrow ray of moonlight cast the faintest bit of light on the grounds outside the cabin.

“I think I see something,” Alexis said. “You’re right. It looks big and hunchbacked, but I can’t tell what it is. It’s moving around by the beach. At least I think a beach is out there. Who knows in this darkness? Now it’s stopping.”

Sydney saw the shadow, too. “I wish I knew exactly where we are. The cabin is pretty close to the lake. When I came back with Biscuit’s doll, the flashlight lit up the water and a picnic table. Hey, I think it’s standing by the table.”

Biscuit growled again, a low, menacing growl.

“What do you think it’s doing?” asked Alexis.

“I have an idea,” Sydney said, “I think it’s a bear. Someone left food on the table, and it’s after that. How brave are you?”

Alexis looked at her in the darkness. “Why?” “Because I’m going to shine the flashlight out the window and see, once and for all, what’s lurking around out there.” Biscuit shivered.

“Oh Syd, are you sure that’s a good idea?” asked Alexis.

“We’re the Camp Club Girls,” Sydney answered. “Solving mysteries is what we do.” She reached over to the nightstand and got the flashlight. “Are you ready?” she asked.

“I guess so,” Alexis replied.

Sydney pointed the flashlight at the window and flipped the switch. “Oh!” she gasped.

Alexis caught her breath as Sydney turned off the flashlight and both girls ducked under the windowsill.

A man lurked outside, a big, burly man with a bushy brown beard and a ruddy complexion. He wore a floppy tan hat, khaki colored clothing, and brown hiking boots. In one hand, he carried a long, thick walking stick. It looked bumpy—perhaps carved out of a tree branch. A huge, bulky backpack hung over his shoulders, and attached to it was a frying pan and a bedroll. The flashlight startled him. He grabbed something from the picnic table and ran off toward the woods.

Biscuit was barking wildly when Aunt Dee rushed into their room.

“What’s going on?” she asked.

“Someone is out there,” Sydney said. “A guy.”

“What do you mean, a guy?” Aunt Dee said, sounding concerned.

“I went to the car to get Biscuit’s doll, and when I was almost back to the cabin, I saw something big hurry into the woods,” said Sydney. “It looked like a bear. So, Alex and I looked out the window. We shined the flashlight outside to see if we could see anything, and we saw a guy. He looked like a mountain man. He’s gone now. He ran into the woods.”

Aunt Dee climbed onto the bed and looked out the window. “Was he looking in at you?”

“No,” said Alexis. “I think we scared him. He was doing something at the picnic table when we turned on the flashlight, but we didn’t see what. He took off running that way.” She pointed.

Aunt Dee locked the window and drew the curtains closed. “Keep the window closed tonight,” she said. “And Sydney, you shouldn’t have gone out there alone to get Biscuit’s toy.”

Biscuit jumped to the floor, picked up his doll, and scampered out of the room.

“The ceiling fan should keep you cool enough,” said Aunt Dee. “In the morning, we’ll have a better idea of who and what you saw.”

“It
is
morning!” said Sydney.

“I know.” Aunt Dee sighed. “And we should all be asleep.” She flipped on the ceiling fan and left the room, closing the girls’ door but leaving just enough room for Biscuit to go in and out.

Alexis climbed the ladder to the upper bunk. “What do you think he was up to?” she asked.