The Haunted Igloo by Bonnie Turner

of
your training will be done.”
    Chinook came out of the
igloo. He went behind it to get Amarok and the sled. Jean-Paul
wondered if Amarok would like Sasha.
    Chinook’s huge husky was
very friendly. He barked once at Sasha, then came up to sniff.
Sasha backed off a little, then stood still while Amarok got her
scent. Then the large brown dog was satisfied. He would always
remember who Sasha was.
    “ Let’s go!” Chinook yelled.
    Jean-Paul could hardly wait for all the
secrets to be told.
    “ Where are we going?” he
asked.
    Chinook thumped him on the
shoulder as Jean-Paul climbed onto the sled. “We can’t tell you
where we’re going,” he said. “You’ll find out soon
enough.”
    Aiverk and Nanuk laughed as
they trotted along beside the sled. But when Amarok pulled faster,
they both jumped up to ride with Jean-Paul. Chinook yelled to
Amarok in Inuktitut , “ Ouk ! Ouk ! ” (Turn right.) And, “ Rra ! Rra ! ” (Turn
left.) The big husky pushed all his power into his harness and
swung off to one direction, then another. Jean-Paul hung on tight
to keep from getting thrown off the sled. Sasha ran along with
Amarok, and he was glad she was able to keep up.
    Jean-Paul buried his nose
in the warm robe. A strong wind had arisen, and sometimes it tried
to tip over the sled. For once Jean-Paul was glad he had worn the
itchy wool underwear. It was a very dark night, without the moon or
stars to guide the way. As far as the eye could see rose great dark
shadows of snow-sculptures and ridges.
    Several minutes of fast
sledding brought them to a stop beside an igloo, and Jean-Paul
wondered if Chinook’s dog had taken them around in circles. The
igloo seemed strangely familiar in the darkness.
    “ Where are we?” Jean-Paul sat up and
pushed the robe away from his face. A blade of icy air slashed his
skin and worked its way inside his hood. He shivered violently and
covered his nose.
    Chinook came around to the
side of the sled as Nanuk and Aiverk climbed down. Jean-Paul, too,
got off the sled and looked around. It was too dark to see, but the
huge igloo’s form stood out clearly. Suddenly, Jean-Paul knew! He
tried to see Chinook’s face, but couldn’t. Sasha whined, and
Jean-Paul reached down to pet her.
    When Chinook spoke, the
wind tried to snatch his words away. “Everyone sit down on the sled
so we can begin.”
    Jean-Paul backed against
the sled and sat down. Nanuk and Aiverk sat on each side of him,
and Chinook stood before them, a dark blob in the night. Chinook
said, “To get into Ice Patrol, you have to do two things,
Jean-Paul. Are you ready?”
    Jean-Paul glanced at the
haunted igloo. A terrible fear fell upon him. He wanted to go home,
but he couldn’t tell them that. He told himself that whatever they
wanted him to do couldn’t be so bad. Choking back a lump in his
throat, he said, “Yes ... I guess I’m ready.”
    Jean-Paul heard Nanuk and
Aiverk snicker.
    “ Hold out your hands.” In the
darkness, Jean-Paul saw Chinook holding something.
    “ Wh–what is it?”
    “ It’s food,” Chinook said. “If you
want to be in our club, you have to keep up your
energy.”
    “ Well, it’s almost supper time,”
Jean-Paul admitted.
    “ Take off your mitten,” Chinook told
him.
    Jean-Paul pulled off a
mitten. His hand became instantly cold. He held it out to Chinook,
and Chinook laid something icy in his hand. Jean-Paul jerked his
hand away at the last minute, dropping the object on the snow
beside the sled.
    Chinook grumbled and picked
up the item. “Come on now, Jean-Paul! We don’t have all night. Take
it now! ”
    “ What is it—?” Jean-Paul reached out.
When Chinook put the thing in his hand again, Jean-Paul closed his
eyes. It felt like a piece of bait. He gripped it in his freezing
hand. He sniffed, and smelled a familiar odor.
    “ It’s only a fish!” Aiverk
laughed.
    Jean-Paul almost dropped it
again. “Is it alive? I won’t eat a live fish!”
    Nanuk and Aiverk doubled
over with