by Farheen Khan
“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.
CHAPTER NINE
Ghost!
Zayn, who had panicked at the sound of the ghost, grabbed Ibrahim’s sleeve, dropped it again and barrelled into the forest. Only after several minutes of running did he slow down enough for Ibrahim to draw near. Before Ibrahim could get mad at Zayn for running, the boys heard a loud, hollow laugh coming through the trees.
Grabbing Zayn’s arm, Ibrahim pulled him to the ground.
“Follow me,” Ibrahim whispered, slowly crawling towards the noise.
As they got closer they noticed the dying embers of a small campfire from behind a camouflaged camping tent. The shadow of two men could clearly be seen. One was an averaged sized man with a round belly, who looked oddly familiar. The other was much taller and bald, with broad shoulders.
“I think we really scared them, Stan,” said the shorter man, whose voice the boys immediately recognized as Billy Jones’.
“Did you see those brats run?” laughed Stan. “Once news gets out that the ghost of the Haunted Lake has returned, this place will be deserted.”
“Finally we’ll be able to dig this place up without worrying about nosy campers hanging around,” said Billy Jones, with a chuckle.
“What happened to those kid detectives you were worried about?” asked Stan.
“I’ve been keeping a close eye on them,” said Billy. “I’m pretty sure they’re convinced Parker’s behind the whole thing!”
Ibrahim crawled closer, trying to sneak a peek at the taller man, but Zayn grabbed his foot, motioning his cousin not to go any further.
“I just want to get a quick look at Stan,” Ibrahim whispered. “Then we’ll go back to camp and get help.”
“It’s too dangerous!” said Zayn, a little too loudly.
“Hey, who’s there?” yelled Billy. “Circle around, Stan; I think someone’s in the bushes!”
Ibrahim and Zayn’s eyes grew wide; they knew there was nowhere to run. Lifting the back of the tent, Ibrahim shoved Zayn in, then squeezed in behind him. The small tent had an old rumpled sleeping bag on the ground and a small wooden crate, splattered with mud.
“We’re trapped,” Zayn mouthed.
“I know,” whispered Ibrahim, silently praying for a miracle.
The boys watched in horror as Stan’s shadow drew closer to the back of the tent where they had just entered from. Suddenly, they heard a loud shout from the forest behind them.
“Aaaahhhh! Run for your lives!” It was George!
“Let’s scare him off!” said Billy.
The two men took off into the forest after George.
“Is that boy still screaming from back in the clearing?” asked Zayn in amazement, rummaging through the muddy box.
“It sounds like it,” smiled Ibrahim. “I don’t think he’s in any danger though. According to my compass, George is heading straight towards the camp. I don’t think our ‘ghost’ wants to turn up there with Billy. Now is our chance to get away.”
“Look at this,” said Zayn, holding up an ancient looking, ivory-coloured arrowhead. “It looks just like the one Mr. Jones wears around his neck! And there are some more things in here – beaded jewellery and stuff.”
Let’s take the arrowhead with us,” said Ibrahim. “I read that some native tribes made them from antlers. We can examine it on our way back.”
CHAPTER TEN
Captured
“Wasn’t the book you were reading in the library called ‘The Haunted Lake’?” Ibrahim asked as they hiked back to camp.
“Yup,” said Zayn, pushing branches aside with a long stick. “It had the same story Mr. Jones told us on our first night here. It also had a map of this area, showing an ancient burial site for the Cree Indians on the other side of the lake.”
“That’s probably what the men are trying to dig up,” said Ibrahim. “I’m sure there are private collectors who would pay a lot of money for ancient artefacts.”
“Not just artefacts,” said Zayn. “Apparently the Cree people were the largest tribe in the area and one of the most important. According to the book, some gold and silver may be buried there. The only reason it’s been safe for this long are people like Mr. Parker and his family.”
“What do you know about his family?” asked Ibrahim.
“The book I was reading was written by John Parker,” said Zayn. “The author’s father was British and his mother was a full-blooded Cree Indian. My guess is that John Parker is somehow related to our Mr. Parker.”
“That’s some great detective work!” said Ibrahim, stepping into the clearing of Camp Chimo.
Everyone, including Mr. Barnell, George and Billy Jones, was back, and had gathered around the meeting place.
“Where do you think Stan is?” asked Zayn.
“Probably back at his camp,” guessed Ibrahim. “When we tell everyone what’s happened, we’ll have to keep Billy out of it for now.”
“Why?” asked Zayn, but before Ibrahim could answer, Mrs. Morris came running over to the boys.
“There you are!” she said, looking relieved. “We were all so worried about the two of you.”
“We’re okay,” said Ibrahim. “And we found out who’s been trying to scare us.”
Ibrahim and Zayn took turns telling everyone what had happened. They were careful to leave Billy’s name out of it, making Stan the only culprit. Mrs. Morris called the police while Mr. Barnell, Mr. Parker and the Khan Boys got ready to head back into the forest.
“I’ll come with you,” said Billy. “You might need me.”
“Sure,” agreed Mr. Parker. “We might need an extra hand out there.”
The boys led the small group back to Stan’s camp.
“You boys wait back here,” said Mr. Barnell. “If anything goes wrong, run back to camp and bring the police here.”
Ibrahim and Zayn hid behind a thick maple tree while the adults approached the campsite.
“Let me talk to him first,” offered Billy. “I’ll tell him the game’s over. Hopefully he’ll come with us peacefully.”
There was no sign of Stan outside the tent, so Billy entered the tent through the front while Mr. Barnell and Mr. Parker stayed outside, in case he tried to run.
“What if Billy and Stan try to take down Mr. Parker and Mr. Barnell?” asked Zayn.
“If I’m right, Billy doesn’t think he’s a suspect,” said Ibrahim. “I think he’ll try to convince Stan to surrender rather than risk himself being caught.”
Within minutes Billy brought out a tall, bald man with his hands tied behind his back.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Heroes
The police had just arrived when the group stepped back into the clearing.
“We’ve been looking for this guy for a long time,” said the sergeant. “He’s wanted in severa
l provinces for disturbing native burial grounds and removing artefacts belonging to local tribes.”
“You boys are heroes,” said Mr. Parker.
“You know,” said the sergeant. “I always thought there were two of them. Seems like a lot of work for one man.”
Making sure Billy was still close by, Ibrahim turned to the officer.
“There is more than one,” he said. “There’s a reason Camp Chimo’s cook can’t cook.”
Everyone turned to Billy as his eyes widened in fear. He turned to make a run for it, but Mr. Barnell put out his foot. With a loud thud, Billy landed face first in a pile of fresh mud.
***
“Why didn’t you tell me Billy was involved?” asked Mr. Parker.
“Billy was always around when the ghostly moans were heard,” explained Ibrahim. “Zayn and I only heard him talking to Stan, so we had no proof. We needed him to prove his own guilt by running.”
As Billy was being taken away in handcuffs, he turned to Ibrahim.
“How did you know it was me?” he asked with a scowl.
“A simple process of elimination,” said Ibrahim. “Well, that and your cooking!”
The class clapped and cheered as Billy and Stan were taken away.
“You know,” said Zayn, turning to Mr. Parker. “At first we thought it was you.”
“I guess I was always gone at the wrong time,” he laughed.
“But we couldn’t figure out a motive,” said Ibrahim. “Especially after Zayn read the Haunted Lake book.”
“So, you found my grandfather’s book in the library,” said Mr. Parker.
“You have a very rich family history,” said Zayn, yawning. “You should make it part of the Camp Chimo experience.”
“Not a bad idea,” said Mr. Parker, smiling. “Now, go get some sleep! It’s very late, and I’m afraid breakfast tomorrow will be cold cereal with milk.”
The children hollered and cheered!
CHAPTER TWELVE
The Last Day
The children thoroughly enjoyed their last day at Camp Chimo. Ibrahim’s team was the only one that had successfully completed the scavenger hunt. They won a return trip to the camp with their families.
“That really is the best news ever,” said Zayn, dipping his fingers from the side of the canoe into the cool water.
“Yeah,” agreed Ibrahim. “Huda will love it here, especially after working so hard trying to raise money.”
“I’m glad we worked on the scavenger hunt instead of canoeing,” said Zayn. “I’m already excited about coming back here!”
“You deserve it,” said Ibrahim. “If it wasn’t for your research, Billy Jones would have continued to feed people that awful Pot-o-Mush.”
“You’re right,” said Zayn. “I never thought of it that way. I probably saved hundreds of people from terrible food! They should name a cabin after me—”
“Don’t let it get to your head,” said Ibrahim, laughing. “You know it was Allah who guided us to catch those guys.”
“—and then they should put up a plaque!” said Zayn, with a faraway look in his eyes, too busy with his own thoughts to hear what Ibrahim was saying.
Ibrahim did the only thing he could think of to make his cousin stop. He stood up in their canoe, tipping it over—again!
Glossary
Alhamdulillah
‘Praise be to Allah (God)’
Allah
God Almighty
Astaghfirullah
‘I seek Allah’s forgiveness’
Bismillah
‘In the name of Allah’
Fajr
Prayer before sunrise; one of the five daily prayers
Halal
Food prepared according to Islamic guidelines
Hijab
Headscarf
Salah
Ritual prayer, offered five times a day
Subhan’Allah
‘Glory be to Allah’
Wudu
Washing the face, head, hands and feet before prayers
Word Search
Can you find the following words hidden in the grid on page 72?
• Ali • Arrowhead • Artefact • Billy Jones
• Brown sack • Camp Chimo • Canoe
• Conservation • Cree • David • Ghost
• Haunted Lake • Ibrahim • Khan boys
• Mr Barnell • Mr Parker • Mrs Morris
• Yusuf • Zayn
