Sydney and the Wisconsin Whispering Woods

by Jean Fischer

  Sydney looked at the muskie flopping on the dock.

  “He’s right, Syd,” said Alexis. “I read the rules again this morning. If it’s not the biggest fish, you’re supposed to release it.”

  She reached down and grasped the fish around its middle, steering clear of the razor-sharp teeth in its huge, gaping mouth. The fish’s body was motionless; it seemed to melt in her hands. With all her might, Alexis pushed it off the dock and into the water.

  “Swim away,” she said. “Go on. Swim.”

  The big fish treaded water just below the surface. Then, sensing that it was free, it shot away from the dock.

  “Wow,” said Duncan. “You touched it and everything.”

  “Yeah,” said Alexis. “So what?”

  “So, girls don’t touch fish,” Duncan said. But this time his voice sounded confused. Sydney sighed deeply.

  “Listen,” she said. “I’ve had it with all this girls don’t stuff. Girls do a lot of things that boys do. If your mom wanted to, she could fish. So could your sister. And if they wanted to, they could touch the fish and everything!”

  “I don’t have a mom, and I don’t have a sister,” said Duncan. “It’s just me and my dad.”

  Suddenly, Duncan seemed different and not so much of a bully.

  “Well, anyhow,” Sydney said softly, “thanks for your help.”

  Duncan picked up his net. “Not a problem. And don’t forget, I’m going to win the contest.”

  He started walking toward the end of the dock. “And don’t get your line anywhere near mine.” He looked over his shoulder at Alexis. “Next time, I won’t be so understanding.”

  He went back to Dock Two, baited his hook, and cast his line into the water.

  “I can’t figure that kid out,” said Sydney. “For a minute there, I thought maybe he wanted to be our friend.”

  Alexis threw her line back into the lake. “He is a bit strange. And what did you make of what he said about Jacques Chouteau’s ghost? Do you think he was really trapped in a cave and died there?”

  Sydney put another dough ball on her hook and cast her line. “It all adds up with what Mr. Miller said. Remember? He said Jacques hid his money and furs in a cave and that he died in the woods.”

  “But he didn’t say anything about him dying in a cave,” said Alexis.

  “No,” Sydney said. “The legend says that he died in the woods, and he haunts them.”

  Alexis was quiet for a while. “Well, I don’t believe it, do you?”

  “Do I believe that he’s a ghost? No,” said Sydney. “But we know that Jacques Chouteau was a real person, so it’s possible he might have died in a cave in the woods. Something is out there. And it lurks in a spooky, purple light, and it hangs around with some sort of big dog that howls and maybe kills coyotes.”

  “Oh Syd,” said Alexis, easing her grip on the pole. “Do you think that thing we saw last night killed the coyote? It sure didn’t look like a wolf.”

  Sydney turned the crank on her reel and added some slack to her line. “I’m sure it wasn’t a wolf,” she said. “It was much bigger than a wolf, and black, and not at all shaggy. And Alexis, when that thing stood up, it must have been six feet tall!”

  “I know,” said Alexis. “I don’t even want to think about it. I couldn’t believe my eyes.”

  “Neither could I,” said Sydney. “In fact, when I woke up this morning, I wondered if it had all been a dream—just something in my imagination.”

  Alexis reeled in her line a bit. “It wasn’t your imagination, Sydney. I saw it, too. I think it was his dog—Fang.”

  They fished silently for a while. The sun was up over the trees now, and its reflection on the water hurt their eyes. Alexis watched Sydney’s pole while Sydney went back to the cabin and got their sunglasses.

  “You know,” Sydney said when she returned. “I just saw that mushroom book on your nightstand, the one you found on the ground yesterday morning.”

  “Yeah, what about it?” Alexis said lazily.

  “Well,” Sydney continued, “it’s a field guide to mushrooms. And we just found a mushroom on the dock and more floating in the water. Do you think they’re somehow connected?”

  “They could be,” said Alexis. “What are you thinking?”

  “I don’t know yet what I’m thinking,” said Sydney. “But maybe they have something to do with the mountain man.”

  “Could be,” said Alexis. “Maybe he’s a farmer or something.”

  “No,” said Sydney. “My instinct tells me that he’s not a farmer. I don’t know yet what he is, but we’re going to find out. And when we do, we’ll know what that purple light is, too, and the howling.”

  “Whoo-hooo!”

  A shout came from Dock Two. Duncan stood, pole in hand, fighting with something on the end of his line. As the girls watched, he reeled it in. He dunked his net into the water and, after almost falling in, he scooped a big fish onto the dock.

  Duncan took out his tape measure.

  “Thirty-five and a half inches!” he shouted.

  Into the Woods

  Kate’s package arrived as promised.

  “Great,” said Sydney. “Let’s see what’s in here.” She put the box on the kitchen table and got a sharp knife from the drawer. Carefully, she cut the tape that held the box shut.

  “Hurry,” said Alexis. “I want to see what Inspector Gadget sent us.”

  The lid popped open. The first thing Sydney saw was a watch.

  “Cool!” she said. “Kate sent us the Wonder Watch.”

  Kate loved inventing things, and the Wonder Watch was one of her best creations. It could connect to a computer, surf the net, and read e-mail. Kate set it up so that with the push of a button, the girls would be connected to the Camp Club Girls chat room.

  Also in the box was a plastic bag, carefully wrapped and surrounded by Styrofoam peanuts. Sydney removed the wrapping and pulled out a pair of mirrored sunglasses.

  “Check this out,” she said. “Kate gave us a note. ‘If you wear these, you can see what’s behind you.’ “

  She handed the glasses to Alexis.

  “Whoa,” Alex said after she put them on. “This is weird. Depending on where I look through the lenses, I can see straight ahead or behind me. These are awesome, but they’ll take getting used to. Here. You try them.”

  Sydney put the glasses on and looked in front of her.

  “Oh!” She gasped. “What?”

  “I saw someone looking in the window behind me.” Just then, there came a soft knock on the back door. The girls saw Mr. Miller standing on the little concrete porch. “Hi, Mr. Miller,” Sydney said, opening the door.

  “Howdy,” he said. “Nice sunglasses. Say, I hear that you might need one of these.” He held up a fishing net. “And one of these, too.” He handed Sydney a metal tape measure. “So, you caught a big one this morning, huh?”

  “You must have been talking to Duncan,” said Alexis.

  Mr. Miller took off his baseball cap and scratched his head. “Well, let’s just say that a little bird told me.”

  He gave Sydney the net, and she put it on the table next to Kate’s box.

  “Well, that little bird has been giving us plenty of trouble since we got here,” Sydney said. “And his dad hasn’t been very nice, either.”

  Mr. Miller plopped his cap back on his head. “Well, that’s kinda what I wanted to talk to you about. You see, Duncan’s not a bad kid. His family’s been comin’ here since he was a baby. Then a couple of years ago, his mom and sister were killed in a car accident. Duncan and his dad haven’t been the same since. His dad’s still mad that it happened, and poor Duncan gets the worst of it sometimes. I don’t think he has many friends.”

  A guilty feeling sank into the pit of Sydney’s stomach. “I’m glad you told us,” she said.

  “Me, too,” Alexis added. “We’ll pray for them.”

  Mr. Miller smiled. “You seem like nice girls. I figured you’d giv
e Duncan a break and try to be friends with him.”

  “We’ll try,” said Sydney. “And thanks for the net and the tape measure.”

  “You’re welcome,” he said. “Good luck with your fishing, and may the best man … er … I mean … um … may the best man or woman win!”

  He tipped the brim of his cap and walked back toward the office.

  Sydney closed the door. “Well, that might explain why Duncan is so mean,” she said. “I can’t imagine how I’d feel if my mom and brother died.”

  “Me neither,” said Alexis. “We’ll add Duncan and his dad to our prayers every night. And Syd, let’s be nice to Duncan—as hard as that might be.”

  There were three more things in Kate’s box. One was a GPS locator.

  “Great!” Sydney said. “Now we won’t have to worry about making trails in the woods and getting lost.”

  The second item was a tiny camera, about the size of a matchbox. Kate had included another note:

  This is a mini-microcamera with a hand-held monitor. It takes pictures and videos. You can set it up like a security camera and watch the monitor to see what’s going on. You can also use it under water. I programmed it so every picture you take will automatically show up on our web site.

  Sydney unpacked the monitor, which was about the size of a cell phone.

  “This is so cool,” she said. “So do you want to do some exploring?”

  “You mean sleuthing?” Alexis asked.

  “That’s exactly what I mean,” said Sydney. “Let’s go into the woods and find out what that mountain man is up to.”

  Sydney loaded the gadgets inside her waist pack and strapped it around her middle. In the meantime, Alexis slipped the Wonder Watch over her wrist. She took her cell phone out of her pocket and flipped it open.

  “I’m texting Kate to let her know that we got the package. Then I’ll text the other girls and tell them that we’re going into the woods. Maybe some of them will be online if we need them.”

  “Good idea,” said Sydney.

  “And Syd, don’t forget the pepper spray in case we run into a bear,” Alexis reminded her. “I got it,” said Sydney.

  The girls entered the forest following the same route they’d taken the day before. After they’d walked about ten minutes, they noticed the shovel on the ground.

  “Hey look,” said Sydney. “Someone’s been digging again.”

  The earth near the shovel was freshly turned over, and the tip of the shovel was caked with mud.

  “Do you think that’s where Mr. Miller buried the coyote?” Alexis asked.

  “I don’t think so,” said Sydney. “We’re too far from the resort. And look at how the ground is dug up. Whoever dug here didn’t dig one big hole. The person dug a bunch of little ones.”

  Alexis gave the earth a closer look. “It looks like clumps are missing out of the soil.”

  Sydney picked up the shovel.

  “What are you doing?” Alexis asked.

  “I’m going to dig and see what’s here,” Sydney said. “Maybe I’ll find the lost treasure of Jacques Chouteau.” She grinned.

  “Don’t,” said Alexis. “At least not now. Whoever dug here will probably come back. We’d better not mess things up. Otherwise, whoever it is will know for sure that we’re watching them.”

  “You’re right,” said Sydney. She put the shovel back on the ground, careful to place it exactly as she’d found it.

  “What are those things over there?” Alexis asked. She pointed to a brownish white mass on the forest floor a few yards away.

  “Mushrooms!” said Sydney. “Gigandimundo mushrooms.”

  She took a closer look and snapped a picture with the mini-microcam. “I don’t know what kind they are, but there’s a ton of them all over the place. I didn’t notice them when we were here before.”

  “Neither did I,” said Alexis.

  Dozens of mushrooms popped out of the rotted leaves and pine needles on the forest floor. Their umbrella-shaped caps were rough and bumpy like the wool on a sheep, and their edges were ragged. The black-and-white caps sat atop thick little trunks that were scaly and peeling.

  “Do you think they’re edible?” Alexis wondered.

  “I don’t know,” said Sydney. “Some mushrooms you can eat, but others are poisonous. I think we should leave them alone. Definitely, though, we need to check out this spot and find out who’s digging here.”

  “Maybe it’s one of the visitors at the resort,” said Alex. “These things are probably edible, and someone is digging them up for cooking.”

  The girls walked farther into the woods searching for clues as they went. After a while, they found a narrow path going east and decided to follow it.

  “I think we’re walking toward the lake,” said Alexis. “I hear a motorboat.”

  “Me, too,” said Sydney. “A bunch of boats were on the lake when we left. Shhhh! Listen.”

  Alexis heard it, too. Someone whistled a quick and lively tune. It came from the south—in the woods—and with each happy note it got closer.

  “Hide!” said Alexis. “Over there in those bushes.”

  The girls scrambled behind a thick cluster of honeysuckle. They stood silently watching the path through the dense leaves. Sydney took the mirrored sunglasses out of her waist pack and put them on.

  “I don’t want anyone sneaking up on us,” she whispered.

  The whistling stopped. The girls heard a rustling. Something was trying to force its way through the brush on the other side of the path. Twigs snapped, and the tops of small saplings swayed.

  “Doggone it!” a man grumbled. More twigs snapped. The brush on the other side of the path trembled. “Come on…. Ugh! Ooof! Umph!”

  Suddenly, a bright orange object thrust through the bushes and fell onto the path. It was nine feet long, and it looked like a giant kazoo. The middle part was hollowed out to form a little place with a seat. A long pole was strapped to the side of the thing with a rounded paddle on either end.

  “It’s a kayak.” Sydney whispered so softly that Alexis could barely hear.

  A heavy brown boot emerged from the thicket, then a leg wearing worn khaki pants, a thick brown belt, a red plaid shirt, an arm, a hand. Finally, the mountain man pushed through the brush and onto the path. His cap had come off, and he held it in one hand. Burrs and brambles covered his shaggy beard and hair.

  “Dad burn it!” he complained. “There has to be a better way through the woods to this path.”

  He picked up his cap and plopped it onto his head. “Ow!”

  He took it off again and picked the brambles out of his hair. While the girls watched, he tilted the kayak onto its edge with the bottom facing him. He gripped the center rim, hoisted the boat onto his upper leg, and then wrestled it onto his shoulder. “There,” he puffed. Then off he went down the path, whistling his happy song.

  “Let’s follow him,” whispered Alexis. “Are you going to take off those glasses?”

  “I think I’ll leave them on,” said Sydney. “In case Fang is nearby.”

  They followed a safe distance behind as the mountain man slogged along toward the shore.

  “Wait!” said Alexis.

  “What’s the matter?” Sydney asked.

  “The Wonder Watch is doing something. I feel it jiggling on my wrist.” Alexis looked at the face of the watch. Words flashed across the screen. MESSAGE WAITING: BAILEY. “What do I do?” she asked.

  “Push the button on the side,” Sydney said.

  Alexis pushed the button, and Bailey’s message scrolled across the watch’s big, round face. WHAT’S WITH THE UGLY ‘SHROOM? HAVE YOU GUYS SEEN THE OLD MAN IN THE WOODS YET?

  “Can I text back on this thing?” Alex asked.

  “No, but you can talk back,” said Sydney. “Just say what you want, and a microchip inside will translate it into printed words. They’ll show up in the chat room.”

  “I forgot all the extra stuff that Kate built into this thing,”
said Alex. “I’ve never used it.”

  She put her lips up to the face of the watch and spoke softly. “They’re growing all over the place in the forest. We don’t know what kind they are. We’re following the mountain man now. More later.”

  “Come on. Let’s go,” said Sydney. “He’s probably to the lake already.”

  By the time they got to the lakeshore, the mountain man had already launched his kayak. They could see him paddling swiftly across the lake, heading directly to the other side.

  Sydney searched the muddy earth for clues. “Hey, I think these are his boot prints,” she said. “A word is on the bottom of the soles.”

  She took out the mini-microcam and took a picture. “I can’t read it very well, but maybe the Camp Club Girls can enlarge it and tell us what it says. Send a message on the Wonder Watch. Ask them to blow up the picture.”

  While Sydney and Alexis waited for the girls to reply, the mountain man steered his kayak to the other side of the lake. He pulled it up onto the shore and disappeared into the forest.

  “The watch is jiggling again,” said Alexis. “It’s a message from Elizabeth.” She held out her wrist and pushed the button so Sydney could see.

  I ENLARGED THE PHOTO. THE WORD ON THE SOLE IS ÉSPRIT. I TOOK FRENCH LAST SEMESTER. IT MEANS SPIRIT.

  Sydney felt a chill. “This is spooky, Alex,” she said. “I mean, think about the legend of Jacques Chouteau. He paddled off across North Twin Lake and was never heard from again. He was French. Now, we find this French word on the bottom of this boot print, and it means ‘spirit.’ It’s too weird.”

  “You know what’s weird?” Alex said. “Seeing my reflection in those mirrored sunglasses!”

  “Sorry,” said Sydney. She took off the glasses and put them in her pack.

  “Syd, you don’t really believe that he’s the ghost of Jacques Chouteau, do you?”

  Sydney hesitated. “No,” she said. “But you have to admit it’s strange.” She started walking up the narrow path and into the woods.

  Alexis followed her. “Where are we going now?”

  “We’re going to find the purple glow,” said Sydney, “and see what’s really going on here in the forest. I’m sure it’s over this way—the direction the mountain man came from. We should be safe now that he’s on the other side of the lake.”