Cabin Girl by Kristin Butcher

Author:Kristin Butcher
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: JUV039230, JUV039060, JUV006000
Publisher: Orca Book Publishers
Published: 2014-04-01T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter Seven

Shore lunch is a fish feast prepared over an open fire by the guides. The lunch boxes are their portable pantries.

I check the list on the bulletin board against the contents I’ve placed inside. It’s been a long day, and I can barely keep my eyes open. As for my brain, it’s either already asleep or in a coma. The job takes way longer than it should. When I’m finally sure the boxes are stocked down to the last potato and fork, I let myself out of the lodge and head for bed.

Right away, the fresh air chases away some of my drowsiness. I breathe it in hungrily and gaze up at the night sky. It’s blue-black—dark, but not completely, so I don’t bother switching on my flashlight. Though it’s only about ten thirty, the camp is quiet. There are lights on in a couple of the cabins, including Dennis Savoy’s, but the other guests have gone to bed. Out on the lake, a loon calls and a fish jumps. The gravel crunches under my feet.

I have the camp to myself—the camp and the moon. At one spot, the path opens to a clearing by the lake, and there it is—a huge white orb hung so low in the sky, it seems to sit on the water like an enormous pearl in a sea of diamonds.

As I marvel at the beauty of it, someone emerges from the trees. It’s a girl. Right away, I sense an urgency about her. She moves quickly, but so fluidly that she seems to float. Her long hair and gauzy gown swing and sway with each step. She comes to a stop directly in front of the moon and reaches out to it—a black silhouette against glowing white.

Then, like a frantic hummingbird, she begins darting about the clearing—dropping, clawing the ground, springing up and moving on. Around and around she goes, becoming more and more frenzied with each pass.

It’s the witch of the lake. I’m sure of it. The moon is full, and she’s searching for her necklace.

I gasp and step backward—right into a bush. Leaves rustle and twigs snap. I drop my flashlight. The witch stops her feverish search and cocks her head to listen.

“Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god.” I barely breathe the words, but I’m sure she’s heard me. I clap a hand over my mouth.

She rises and takes a step toward me. She peers hard into the night.

I stop breathing. Is this really happening?

Silently I pray, Don’t let her see me. I have no idea what would happen if she did, and I don’t want to find out. I’m not one of the woodsmen who killed her mother, and I don’t have her necklace, but maybe the witch doesn’t care about that. I might be in trouble for disturbing her. I have no clue. This is my first encounter with a ghost.

After what feels like forever, the witch turns and lifts her arms to the moon again. Then she disappears into the trees.

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