we left all the food at our campground.”
Charlotte kept staring at the flat river. “I just don’t understand…”
Erin grabbed Charlotte’s hand and pulled her away from the edge of the bank. “Come on. Forget about it. We have a long walk. We’ll be able to think better after we have some lunch.”
We huddled close together as we walked along the shore once again, following the river upstream. A few minutes later, we came to the same gnarled tree we had seen before. Only this time it was on the other side of the river !
“Whoa! I don’t believe this!” I cried. “That weird tree—it was on this side!”
“You’re right,” Charlotte agreed. Her eyes bulged in disbelief.
All five of us stared across the narrow river at the gnarled tree and the wall of vines covered with blackbirds.
“Totally weird,” David muttered. “Did we cross the river? How did they get on the other side?”
I turned and saw Erin staring at the water, her eyes wide. She bit her bottom lip. And pointed. “Hey,you guys. That bridge…”
A narrow wooden bridge crossed the river.
“We were here before—right?” Erin asked.
“Yeah. Of course we were,” I replied.
“But that bridge wasn’t here,” Erin insisted. “Does anyone remember seeing that bridge?”
Silence.
We all stared at the old bridge, its boards weathered and cracked.
“I—I never saw it,” I whispered. “This…this is so creepy!”
“Give me a break!” David shouted. “We’re all just freaking out here. Because we’re hungry or something. We’ve got to get it together, guys.”
“We must have crossed the river,” Charlotte said. “We crossed the river and started walking in the wrong direction.”
“But we didn’t cross!” Erin said. “Everything is…messed up! Everything!”
My chest suddenly felt fluttery. I gazed at the narrow bridge…at the wall of vines…the gnarled old tree…the smooth sand—no footprints. No footprints at all…
“I—I don’t like this,” I whispered.
16
“This is totally freaking me out,” Erin said. She crossed her arms tightly around herself. “We have to get out of here. Really.”
“But which way?” Charlotte asked.
“We know that all our stuff is upstream,” I said. “So we have to follow the river up.”
“But nothing looks familiar here,” Marty said.
“We can’t just stand here, talking about this!” Erin cried shrilly. “I’m really freaking here. No kidding. We have to go now!”
She was hugging herself tightly to stop her trembling. Charlotte put an arm around Erin’s shoulders. She led the way upstream, and we followed.
“Let’s just keep going,” Charlotte suggested softly. “We’ll come to something. We have to.”
“I am really starving,” David muttered. “Why did we leave all our stuff?”
“We thought we’d be back there by now,” Marty said. He handed David a stick of gum. “Here.Take it. It’s all I’ve got.”
As we followed the river upstream, low clouds rolled over the sky, blocking the sunlight. The sand and rocks gave way to mud.
“Yuck.” Erin made a face as her sneaker disappeared into wet mud. “It’s a swamp here.”
Charlotte helped tug Erin away from the shore. “Let’s try walking up there.” We followed her toward the woods.
But the ground was just as marshy away from the riverbank. We slogged through the mud for at least an hour. No one said a word.
The sky grew darker. The river curved to the right. The ground became rocky again.
“We should be very close to the campground,” I said.
Erin sighed. “If we’re heading the right way.”
“I think I remember those tall evergreen bushes,” I said, pointing.
David shook his head. “I never saw them before in my life.”
“No. I think I’m right,” I insisted. My heart started to pound. I began to feel hopeful. We were nearly there.
“Right around this bend,” I said. “I think we’ll see our stuff.”
Without another word, we all started to jog.
Charlotte kept staring at the flat river. “I just don’t understand…”
Erin grabbed Charlotte’s hand and pulled her away from the edge of the bank. “Come on. Forget about it. We have a long walk. We’ll be able to think better after we have some lunch.”
We huddled close together as we walked along the shore once again, following the river upstream. A few minutes later, we came to the same gnarled tree we had seen before. Only this time it was on the other side of the river !
“Whoa! I don’t believe this!” I cried. “That weird tree—it was on this side!”
“You’re right,” Charlotte agreed. Her eyes bulged in disbelief.
All five of us stared across the narrow river at the gnarled tree and the wall of vines covered with blackbirds.
“Totally weird,” David muttered. “Did we cross the river? How did they get on the other side?”
I turned and saw Erin staring at the water, her eyes wide. She bit her bottom lip. And pointed. “Hey,you guys. That bridge…”
A narrow wooden bridge crossed the river.
“We were here before—right?” Erin asked.
“Yeah. Of course we were,” I replied.
“But that bridge wasn’t here,” Erin insisted. “Does anyone remember seeing that bridge?”
Silence.
We all stared at the old bridge, its boards weathered and cracked.
“I—I never saw it,” I whispered. “This…this is so creepy!”
“Give me a break!” David shouted. “We’re all just freaking out here. Because we’re hungry or something. We’ve got to get it together, guys.”
“We must have crossed the river,” Charlotte said. “We crossed the river and started walking in the wrong direction.”
“But we didn’t cross!” Erin said. “Everything is…messed up! Everything!”
My chest suddenly felt fluttery. I gazed at the narrow bridge…at the wall of vines…the gnarled old tree…the smooth sand—no footprints. No footprints at all…
“I—I don’t like this,” I whispered.
16
“This is totally freaking me out,” Erin said. She crossed her arms tightly around herself. “We have to get out of here. Really.”
“But which way?” Charlotte asked.
“We know that all our stuff is upstream,” I said. “So we have to follow the river up.”
“But nothing looks familiar here,” Marty said.
“We can’t just stand here, talking about this!” Erin cried shrilly. “I’m really freaking here. No kidding. We have to go now!”
She was hugging herself tightly to stop her trembling. Charlotte put an arm around Erin’s shoulders. She led the way upstream, and we followed.
“Let’s just keep going,” Charlotte suggested softly. “We’ll come to something. We have to.”
“I am really starving,” David muttered. “Why did we leave all our stuff?”
“We thought we’d be back there by now,” Marty said. He handed David a stick of gum. “Here.Take it. It’s all I’ve got.”
As we followed the river upstream, low clouds rolled over the sky, blocking the sunlight. The sand and rocks gave way to mud.
“Yuck.” Erin made a face as her sneaker disappeared into wet mud. “It’s a swamp here.”
Charlotte helped tug Erin away from the shore. “Let’s try walking up there.” We followed her toward the woods.
But the ground was just as marshy away from the riverbank. We slogged through the mud for at least an hour. No one said a word.
The sky grew darker. The river curved to the right. The ground became rocky again.
“We should be very close to the campground,” I said.
Erin sighed. “If we’re heading the right way.”
“I think I remember those tall evergreen bushes,” I said, pointing.
David shook his head. “I never saw them before in my life.”
“No. I think I’m right,” I insisted. My heart started to pound. I began to feel hopeful. We were nearly there.
“Right around this bend,” I said. “I think we’ll see our stuff.”
Without another word, we all started to jog.
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