The Zombie Project

by Gertrude Chandler Warner

  “No, we don’t sell those here,” said the clerk. “See the markings?” The clerk pointed at a small arrow on the side of the golf tee.

  “I didn’t notice that before,” said Henry. He turned over the other two golf tees. They also had small arrows carved into them.

  “That’s a special brand,” said the clerk. “They only sell those at the pro shops. They’re too expensive for our customers. We only carry these.” He pointed at a box on the shelf behind the counter.

  “Do people play golf at the lodge?” asked Violet.

  “No,” said the clerk, “but some of our guests like to visit the golf course down the road during their stay. We keep these in stock just in case.” He took the box off the shelf and put it on the counter.

  “You know, there’s big charity golf tournament going on this weekend. That’s why we only have this one box of golf tees left. Did you want to buy it?”

  “No, thanks,” said Henry.

  “Okay,” said the clerk. “Here is your bag, miss.” He handed Jessie the bag with the wind chimes. “And your change.”

  Jessie put the change back in the envelope for Mrs. McGregor.

  “Thank you,” said Jessie.

  “That was helpful,” said Henry as they walked out of the shop.

  “But what does it mean?’ asked Violet.

  “That zombies play golf,” said Benny.

  Henry laughed and then he said, “I’ve never seen that in the movies.”

  “The zombies in the movies are always chasing someone,” said Jessie. She pretended to lurch like a zombie. “That’s the only game they play.”

  “So zombies don’t play golf,” said Violet. “That’s a relief.”

  “We’ll find out who is really doing this,” said Jessie. “Let’s go back and look at the trail again.”

  “Good idea,” said Henry.

  “I have my camera ready,” said Violet. She patted her pocket.

  Benny led the way as they walked on the trail out to the old fishing lodge.

  “Slow down, Benny,” said Henry. “We have to look for clues.”

  “What are we looking for?” said Benny.

  “You’ll know it when you see it,” said Jessie.

  The children could hear someone laughing. They followed the sound down the trail. Who could it be?

  As they walked around the turn, they heard the laughter again. It was Madison. She was standing by the river with Jake, Caleb, and Abby. The Aldens moved behind a bush. They didn’t want the teens to see them.

  “It’s hopeless,” said Madison. “I just can’t get the hang of this.” Then she laughed again.

  “I can help you,” said Jake. He took the fishing pole from Madison and tied her lure to the end of the line.

  “Here you go,” said Jake. He handed the fishing pole to Madison.

  “Thanks for your help,” said Madison. “Though I doubt I will catch anything.”

  “Our zombie is good luck,” said Jake. “We always catch fish out here.”

  Benny looked out at the river. Abby and Caleb already had their lines in the water.

  Madison put her hand on Jake’s shoulder. “That’s good to hear,” she said. Then she held up her fishing pole. “What do I do next?”

  “Hold the pole in your hand like this,” said Jake. He held his own fishing pole up. Then he flicked his wrist back and the line flew back over his shoulder.

  “Okay,” said Madison. She stood up and moved her pole just like Jake did.

  Benny watched as the two fishing lines landed on the ground behind Jake and Madison. Wait a minute! Part of the grass and dirt by the river was flattened, too.

  “Psst!” said Benny. He pointed at the flattened grass and dirt on the ground behind Madison.

  Violet reached into her pocket and took out her camera. She zoomed in the camera and took a picture. Click!

  “This looks like the other place,” whispered Violet. “The zombie must be real.” She showed them the picture. The dirt and grass looked exactly the same.

  Violet held the camera up and took another picture. Click!

  Then she looked at the camera. “See these bushes?” said Violet. “They’re all smashed down in one spot.”

  “Where?” whispered Henry.

  Violet stood up and pointed at the bushes farther down the trail.

  “The zombie starting dragging his victim over there,” said Benny.

  “Yes, it’s just like the last time,” said Jessie. “I wonder if there really is a zombie. No, that can’t be right.”

  Henry stood up tall and looked over the bushes. “It goes from the trail all the way to the porch,” whispered Henry.

  “The zombie took the body in the old fishing lodge?” said Benny. “But no one lives there.”

  “Not so loud,” said Henry. He pointed at Madison and the teens fishing by the river.

  Henry turned and whispered to Violet. “Can you take some pictures of the trail?”

  “Sure,” said Violet. She leaned around the tree next to the bush where they were hiding. Click! Click! Click! Then she crouched back down.

  Benny looked at the river again. No one was looking this way. He quickly walked to the next tall bush. Henry was right behind him.

  Benny ran over to the trail. He looked left and right but saw nothing. So he walked around the next turn, and then he heard a crunch.

  What was that? Benny stopped and lifted up his shoe. It was a golf tee. He turned it over. It had the small arrow on it. The zombie had been here!

  Benny looked around. He saw another one! And another one . . .

  Benny bent down to pick up three golf tees. They looked just like the other ones. Then Benny felt a tap on his shoulder. It was the zombie! Benny jumped up and started to run away.

  “Benny!” whispered Henry. “It’s only me.”

  Benny stopped. Then he turned and looked at Henry. Henry had taken the three golf tees out of his pocket. He was holding them in his right hand.

  Benny walked over to Henry and held out his own right hand. The three wooden tees in Benny’s hand looked just like the ones in Henry’s hand. It was a perfect match.

  CHAPTER 8

  Fore!

  Back at their cabin, the Aldens talked about their clues.

  “What do we know so far?” asked Jessie.

  “I saw a light in the woods at night,” said Benny.

  “Twice,” said Violet. “It happened two nights in a row.”

  “And there was a strange sound, too,” said Benny.

  “Later, we found the expensive golf tees by flattened grass,” said Henry.

  “Twice,” said Benny.

  “And they’re not from the lodge,” said Violet.

  “So someone brought the golf tees with them,” said Henry.

  “The grass and dirt was flattened all the way to the fishing lodge,” said Jessie.

  “But it wasn’t flat everywhere,” said Henry. “The flat part was only a foot or so wide. It wasn’t done by a mower or anything like that.” Henry knew his tools.

  “Don’t you think the zombie was dragging his victim back to the fishing lodge?” said Benny.

  “I haven’t heard about any victims,” said Jessie.

  “No one is missing,” said Violet.

  “So it’s not a zombie,” said Henry. “But what does all this have to do with the golf tees? It doesn’t make sense.”

  “Maybe it’s not supposed to make sense,” said Jessie. “It is a legend after all.”

  “But why tell it?” asked Violet. “There must be something we’re missing.”

  Benny’s stomach grumbled. “I know what’s missing,” said Benny. “We’re missing dinner.”

  “Okay, Benny,” said Jessie. “Off to dinner we go.”

  After eating dinner and s’mores by the fire pit, Violet wiped off her fingers and took the camera out of her pocket. Grandfather would love to see this. Everyone was telling stories.

  Violet filmed the other guests s
itting by the fire pit. The man who had gone off to paint that first morning was telling his wife about a beautiful spot he had found by the river. I’ll have to go and see it for myself, thought Violet.

  The couple next to them had gone hiking on the trail that led all the way up to the waterfall. They were telling another guest all about it.

  “And we saw them catch the fish we ate for dinner,” said the man.

  “Fresh is best,” said the woman.

  “I couldn’t agree more,” replied her companion.

  Violet turned in a full circle around the campfire. It looked like everyone from last night had come back for another dinner outdoors.

  Then she turned her camera toward Benny, Jessie, and Henry. They were sitting next to Jake, Caleb, and Abby. Caleb and Abby hadn’t been at the fire pit last night.

  Violet filmed Benny as he made another s’more.

  “Are you getting this?” asked Benny.

  “You’re the star of the show,” replied Violet.

  “A food show,” said Jessie.

  “I like food,” said Benny. He took a big, hot, gooey bite, and then he licked his lips. Benny really liked s’mores.

  Violet turned her camera back to the teens. They were talking about zombies again.

  “And then the zombie comes up behind her,” said Jake.

  Violet tapped Jessie on the shoulder and pointed to Jake. “Listen,” she whispered.

  “And she screams,” said Caleb.

  Jessie whispered Henry’s ear. “Listen.”

  Henry quietly turned to listen.

  “And she trips,” said Jake. “She’s so scared that she trips on a branch.”

  “That will hurt,” said Abby.

  “Yes, it will,” said Jake. “But that doesn’t stop the zombie.”

  Benny’s eyes grew wide. He started to stand up, but Henry put his hand on Benny’s shoulder. Benny stayed put.

  “He’s slowly moving closer,” said Caleb, “step by stumbling step.”

  “So the girl looks up at the zombie and screams,” said Abby.

  “Yeah, that’s right,” said Jake.

  “And then the zombie gets closer and closer,” said Caleb.

  “Until it’s standing right over the girl,” said Jake.

  “Like this,” said Caleb. He stood over Abby, his arms reaching down to grab her.

  “And I move in for a closer shot,” said Jake.

  Abby leaned back and waved her arms as she pretended to scream. “So she screams even louder,” said Abby.

  “But no one hears her in the woods,” said Jake.

  “What next?” said Caleb.

  “I’m not sure,” said Jake.

  The teens stood up and walked away from the campfire.

  “Did you hear that?” said Benny. “Someone is going to get shot!”

  “But not with a gun, Benny,” said Violet.

  “That’s good,” said Benny. He breathed a sigh of relief. Then he sat up straight. “Wait! How do . . .”

  “With this,” said Violet. She held up her camera. “Remember how Jake looked at my camera on the trail? He knows a lot about cameras.”

  “I get it,” said Jessie. “A closer shot is a camera shot.”

  “Jake and his friends must be making a movie,” said Henry.

  “A movie?” said Benny.

  “A zombie movie,” said Henry. “Jake is filming Caleb chasing Abby.”

  “If Caleb is chasing Abby, then he must be the zombie,” said Violet.

  “But what about the light I saw?” asked Benny.

  “Abby is probably using a flashlight so she won’t trip in the dark,” said Henry.

  “So the zombie isn’t real?” said Benny.

  Jessie shook her head.

  Benny breathed another sigh of relief. “That’s good,” said Benny. Then he sat up again. “But what about the golf tees?”

  “We’ll figure that out in the morning,” said Henry.

  “Okay,” said Benny.

  CHAPTER 9

  A Zombie in the Woods

  “I’m glad there’s not a real zombie,” said Benny as they walked back to their cabin after the campfire.

  Crack! Something was moving in the woods.

  Henry turned the flashlight toward the sound.

  A man standing behind a tree raised his arm to cover his face. It was a zombie!

  Benny grabbed Jessie’s hand. What was the zombie going to do? The children waited for the zombie to make a move.

  The zombie moaned loudly. Then he turned and lurched away. He was pulling a body behind him!

  Snap! Snap! Crack! The woods made noise as the zombie dragged the body behind him.

  “Now what?” asked Jessie.

  “Now we go back to the cabin,” said Henry.

  The children ran to the cabin. When they got inside, Henry locked the door.

  “Do you believe in zombies now?” asked Benny.

  “Well,” said Henry. He wasn’t so sure anymore. After all, he had seen it with his own eyes.

  “There must be an explanation for this,” said Henry.

  “I hope so,” said Violet.

  “Did you get a picture of it?” asked Jessie.

  “No,” said Violet. “I was so surprised I forgot I had my camera.”

  “That’s what we do next,” said Henry. “We have to capture the zombie—”

  Benny gasped.

  “—on camera,” finished Henry. “It didn’t attack us. We’ll be okay if we keep our distance.”

  “That’s true,” said Jessie. “It didn’t come after us at all. It was like we surprised it . . . or something.”

  “Or something is right,” said Violet.

  “But we have to have proof before we say anything,” said Henry.

  Benny looked at the cabin window. “The owl hoots every night,” said Benny.

  “And when it does,” said Henry, “we’ll go out and capture the so-called zombie—on camera.”

  Violet held up the camera. “I can zoom the camera in from far away. Then we don’t have to get close to the zombie.” She shivered as she thought about the zombie.

  “If we’re going back out,” said Benny, “then I’m not going to put on my pajamas. The zombie could run away while I’m getting dressed.”

  “That’s a good idea, Benny,” said Jessie. “We can go to bed with our clothes on.”

  Benny took off his shoes and put them right next to his bed. That way he could put them on as soon as he saw the lights in the woods.

  After they all washed up, Henry turned out the lights. To anyone outside the cabin, it looked like the Aldens had gone to sleep.

  Benny lay on his bed. He tossed and turned as he waited for the lights in the woods. He closed his eyes. Maybe he could sleep just a bit.

  Hoot! Benny heard the owl outside his window. He sat up in bed. The light was flashing in the woods behind the cabin.

  Henry jumped out of bed. Jessie and Violet sat up. They all put on their shoes. Henry grabbed the flashlight and Violet picked up the camera.

  Henry opened the cabin door. “Here we go!”

  The Aldens walked out of the cabin and into the night.

  “The light is coming from that side,” said Benny.

  “I’ll lead the way,” said Henry. He walked into the woods. Benny, Jessie, and Violet followed him.

  Up ahead, the light was flashing.

  Crick! Crack! Someone was running in the woods.

  Henry stopped and raised his hand. Everyone waited a minute.

  “Do you hear that?” whispered Henry.

  Benny nodded his head. “The light is over there,” whispered Benny.

  “We don’t want to get too close,” whispered Henry. “We don’t want them to see us.”

  “I can’t see it with my camera yet,” said Violet.

  “We’ll have to move a little closer,” said Henry.

  Crick! Crack! There it was again. That noise in the woods.

  Someone wa
s running.

  “Let’s go,” said Henry. They followed the sounds and the light.

  When they got closer, Henry stopped again. “Violet, can you see anything?”

  Violet lifted up her camera. “I see Jake,” whispered Violet. “He’s filming with a video camera.”

  “He’s making a movie,” said Jessie, “just like we thought.”

  “What else do you see?” asked Henry.

  Violet moved her camera over. “I see Abby. She’s holding a flashlight.”

  “That’s the light I saw,” said Benny. Then he thought a moment. “Wait a minute, where is the zombie?”

  “Do you see Caleb?” asked Henry.

  “He was pretending to be the zombie at the campfire,” said Jessie.

  “I don’t see him,” said Violet. She gave the camera to Henry.

  Henry lifted up the camera and looked at the teens. He saw Jake and Abby and something else. It was someone dressed up as a zombie.

  “Benny, I think we found your zombie,” said Henry. “It is Caleb. Take a look.”

  Henry gave the camera to Benny.

  “Caleb is the zombie?” said Benny. “Why was he trying to scare me?”

  Benny looked into the camera. He saw Jake holding his movie camera. Then he saw Abby. She was crying and running away . . .

  Benny moved the camera. She was running away from a zombie! The zombie was moving slowly, with his hands out in front of him. The zombie’s long hair swayed back and forth as he walked.

  “Wait a minute,” said Benny. “That zombie has long hair!”

  “Caleb has long hair,” said Jessie.

  “But the other zombie didn’t have long hair,” said Benny. “He had short hair. Remember?”

  Jessie looked at the dark woods all around them. They had found a zombie in the woods, but it wasn’t the right one. Who else was out there?

  “Could it be true?” asked Jessie. “Is there really a Winding River Zombie?”

  “I hope not,” said Henry.

  “Me too,” said Violet.

  CHAPTER 10

  Unmasked!

  After breakfast, the Aldens walked along the winding trail that went out to the old fishing lodge.

  “There must be an explanation for this,” said Henry.

  “What is it?” asked Benny.