The Ghost at Camp David by Ron Roy

1
The Deer in the Fog
    KC and Marshall hurried through the White House gate. It was three o’clock on Friday afternoon, October 14. School was out, and the kids were going to Camp David with the president for the weekend.
    “Are we really taking the helicopter?” Marshall asked.
    “Yup,” KC said. “My stepdad said it will only take half an hour to get there.”
    Both kids had packed the night before. Their duffel bags were already in the president’s helicopter.
    KC and Marshall ran across the White House lawn. Two marines stood at attention next to the helicopter. They gaveKC and Marshall a boost up into the passenger compartment.
    President Thornton was sitting next to his pilot. “Hi there,” the president greeted KC and Marshall. “How was school?”
    “We had science, and it was great,” Marshall said. “We learned why leaves turn different colors in the autumn.”
    “And this March we’re gonna go to a place where they make maple syrup,” KC added.
    “There are plenty of maple trees at Camp David,” the president said. “Maybe we can try making syrup this spring!”
    “Cool!” Marshall said.
    “Okay, buckle up, you guys,” the president said. He clicked his seat belt shut.
    KC and Marshall buckled themselves into their seats.
    “You can take off now, Jeff,” the president said to the pilot.
    “Yes, sir!” Jeff said. The copter lifted into the air. KC and Marshall waved at the marines down below. They waved back as Jeff turned the chopper into the clouds.
    “Where is Camp David, anyway?” asked Marshall. He had to shout to be heard over the noise of the helicopter.
    “In Thurmont, Maryland!” KC yelled back.
    The president turned around. “Camp David is in the Catoctin Mountains,” he explained. “If we’re lucky, we’ll see some wildlife. There are plenty of deer, bobcats, and a few bears.”
    “I wish Mom could have come,” KC said. Her mother, the First Lady, had gone to Florida to visit KC’s aunt.
    “You’ll have lots of stories to tell her when she gets back,” the president said.
    About thirty minutes later, the helicopter hovered over a thick, dark forest. Fog covered the trees, making it hard to see the ground.
    “Gee, how can we land with all this fog?” Marshall asked KC. He had his nose mashed against his window.
    KC didn’t answer. She was watching the fog swirl over the tops of the trees. She thought it looked like flying ghosts.
    “There’s the camp,” the president said, pointing.
    KC’s breath was fogging the window. She wiped it clean. She could just make out a few buildings through the fog and the blue water of a swimming pool. A tall fence wound among the trees.
    “Taking her down, sir,” Jeff said to the president.
    KC and Marshall watched the ground get closer. The wind from the helicopter blades blew the fog around and bent the tree branches.
    Just before they landed, a deer bounded from a clump of bushes. “Look!” KC shouted. “A deer!”
    “Where?” Marshall asked. He leaned across KC to look out her window. “All I see is fog!”
    Then KC spotted something else—or thought she did. Something the color of fog was scurrying between the trees. She couldn’t tell if it was a human or a wild animal. She wiped her breath from the window and looked again. The thing had disappeared.

2
The Lonely Little Cabin
    Jeff helped the president and the kids step to the ground. He handed a heavy briefcase to the president. KC knew it was filled with books, files, and a laptop. The president had told her he had a lot of work to do that weekend.
    “Here you go, kids,” Jeff said. He gave them their duffel bags.
    “Thanks, Jeff,” the president said. He was shouting over the noise of the helicopter blades. “Have a good flight back.”
    The president led KC and Marshall away as the helicopter rose, then vanished into the fog.
    KC looked around. They were in agrassy clearing. Through the fog, she saw what looked like a guard’s hut near the fence. Two