Great Bear Rainforest by Patti Wheeler, Keith Hemstreet Page A

breath.
    “We also found the captain’s hat.”
    Joe closed his eyes and Liam ran his fingers through his hair.
    “Okay,” Joe said, after regaining his composure, “but it’s possible that they swam ashore. Wouldn’t you agree?”
    “It’s definitely possible,” my dad said. “We’re going ashore to search the coastline. Hopefully, we’ll find them safe and sound.”
    “We’ll stand by for more news,” Joe said.
    “Okay,” my dad said. “We’ll keep you updated. Over and out.”
    That’s the last I’ve heard of my father’s voice.
    About a half an hour has gone by and Joe’s tried several times to reach my parents on the radio, but there’s been no response. Nothing at all. Just silence on the other end. Again, I feel sick to my stomach. This time I might seriously throw up. My brain is being bombarded by all sorts of terrible thoughts and I’m totally panicked, about to flip out, really. I mean, my mom and dad have to be okay. They can’t be dead. They just can’t!
WYATT
    4:47 PM
    Joe and I found Gannon outside.
    “We have to find them,” Gannon said, his voice cracking with despair. “We need to get to the island right away.”
    “So you can disappear, too?” Joe said. “I won’t allow it. It’s far too dangerous. Very few people have ventured into the interior of Princess Royal Island. And some that have were never seen again. It will be dark in four hours. Even in the daylight hours the forest can be so dense you can’t see the sunlight through the trees. It’s easy to lose all sense of direction. You can literally be a hundred meters from the shoreline and be completely lost.”
    “But we can’t just leave them out there,” Gannon continued. “They need our help. They could be hurt. We might be the only ones who can save their lives!”
    “I’m calling the Coast Guard. I should have called them right after we lost radio contact with Captain Colin and Dr. Brezner, but I was confident they would be okay. To me, the captain’s always been invincible.”
    “It’s not your fault,” I said. “We all thought they’d be okay.”
WYATT
    5:53 PM
    Another hour has passed and I don’t think we have a choice anymore. We have to take action. To be honest, I’m scared. But, there are lots of reasons for Gannon and I to go in search of the captain, Dr. Brezner, and my parents—all of them good. The best of which is that right now we are their only hope.
    Turns out, the Coast Guard is responding to another Mayday call. A cargo ship is taking on water off the western coast of Haida Gwaii, a group of islands more than one hundred miles away, and that mission is putting to use the only rescue boat and helicopter in the region. Right now, we’re in one of the most remote parts of the Great Bear Rainforest, almost a day’s travel from civilization. Even in the best circumstances, it can take a long time before help gets to you.
    As further motivation to go ashore, Gannon reminded me that, according to seafaring folklore, a ship whose captain has been lost at sea becomes a “ghost ship.” Legend has it that a ghost ship is doomed to float adrift at sea … forever! Now, I try not to be superstitious. Gannon, on the other hand, can’t help himself and sometimes he can be pretty convincing.
    “Did you hear that, Wyatt?” he asked.
    “What?” I asked.
    “I just heard the captain’s voice.”
    We ran to the starboard side of the ship. Then the port side. There was no sign of the captain. No boat. No anything.
    “You’re losing it,” I said.
    “No, I’m not!” Gannon yelled. “I’m telling you, I heard the captain!”
    Gannon paused, as if thinking.
    “Oh, man,” he said, “I just remembered something.”
    “What?”
    “This was a hospital ship at one time. Jeez, you know how many ghosts are probably floating around us right now? I can literally feel them breathing down my neck!”
    Gannon shuddered, spun around, and hightailed it through the galley. I followed him to our