Thursday, October 27, 2016

Diary of a Struggling Student Entry Fourteen

July 30, 2016  1 am

Dear Diary,

I knew what I had to do.  I could not let the ranger come back and endanger my family.  He actually had the nerve to come to the tent where my brothers and sisters were staying.  I needed to get him away from the family.

Luckily, the storm passed quickly.  My dad told me to stay in the tent but this was something I had to do.  I quietly got up, grabbed my knapsack and snuck out of the tent.  The moon was now out and I could actually see without a flashlight.  I knew where the ranger station was and headed that way.  I wasn’t sure what I would do when I got there, but I could not let him near my family again.

There was a light in the small house, or should I say ranger station?  I knocked on the door and waited as I heard the footsteps coming to answer my knock.  I didn’t know what I was going to say.  The door opened and to my surprise it was a different ranger.

“Yes, may I help you?” 

“I am here to talk with the other ranger.  Could you get him please?”

“Sorry, but I am the only ranger here.”

“When will the other one get back?”

“You misunderstand. I am the only ranger.  There is no other ranger at this site.”

I now knew for sure that what I was afraid of was actually true.  That thing had come back with me and was determined to take me back again to where I had been.

“Why do you think there is another ranger?”

“I am so sorry; this has been a terrible mistake.  I should never have bothered you.”

“Hold on a minute.  I can see that you are very upset and that something is really wrong.  Please tell me what it is and maybe I can help.”

“You can’t help.  You would never believe what I told you.  I really have to go.”

“I will believe what you tell me and I will help.”

“How can you say that?  You have no idea how crazy what I have to say is.”

“Tell me, does it have anything to do with the stream?”

He could tell by the look on my face that he was right!

“Please, come inside and sit down.  I will tell you why I will believe you.”

It looked like he had tears in his eyes.  Maybe it was the light but he really did look sad.

“Okay, but I can’t stay long as my parents do not know I left the campsite.”

We sat down and he looked at me and said, “I had a son about your age.  Twelve years ago we came here camping with some other families.  My son was the oldest and pretty responsible.  The other families had six kids altogether.  I offered my son’s services to watch the kids for a couple of hours each afternoon to give the adults some time to do other things.  On the third day, my son came to me and said there were some weird things happening down by the stream.  He said he did not feel comfortable taking the kids there anymore.
 
The stream is not that big and it isn’t really very deep.  Even the smallest kid could stand at the deepest point and walk out without a problem. 
 
I asked him what he meant by strange things.  He said that he tied the tube we gave him to a tree and the kids would all get on and float down a little ways.  He would then pull the rope and they would come back up and do it all over again.  He said that one time it felt like someone was holding on to the tube as he tried to pull it back.  He said another time the stream started to rush really hard and one of the kids started to go downstream.  He caught him and was able to drag him out of the water but thought he saw something in the water.  Finally, he said one time half of the tube disappeared and he really had to pull to get the tube back.  He said again, ‘I am not going to take the kids there anymore.  Something is wrong’. 
 
Well you can imagine what I said.  I told him that was the most ridiculous story he had ever told.  He was really good at making up stories, but this one was one of his best.  I also told him if he had come to me and said he did not want to watch the other kids anymore, I would have said ‘okay’ and figured out another plan.  But, since he created this lie, he would be watching the kids tomorrow and they would be going down to the stream.  He tried to explain it wasn’t a story but I knew better.  Finally, I said I would not listen to any more, and sent him to bed.

The next day he tried again to get out of it, but he finally did as I instructed and took the kids down to the stream to play for a couple of hours.
 
That was the last time I saw my boy.” (This time I could see his eyes were filled with tears. His voice was shaky as he told more.)  “When he didn’t come back with the kids, we went down to see what they were doing.  There was no sign of them, no sign of the tube and no one saw what happened to them. 
 
I looked for my boy for the rest of the summer and had no luck.  I quit my job and became a ranger. Eleven years ago I got them to let me be the ranger for Katahdin Stream Campground.  I have been here ever since.

So, yes I will believe you and I will do everything I can to help you.  But, you have to tell me what happened.”

I looked at the ranger and said, “I know where your son is.  I know where the other children are as well.”

I actually knew it was his son.  He had somehow gotten out of the water with the kids.  When he left the campsite, he was going to the kids.  He kept them out of sight in case I was a threat to them.  That is why he couldn’t leave.  He couldn’t take them with him and he wasn’t leaving them alone.  I think he planned all along to get me home by jumping back in the water and going back to the kids.

“What do you mean?  How can you possibly know where my son is?”

I then told him the whole story and pulled my diary out of my knapsack.  You need to read this.  I wrote some in the beginning and some at the end, but I did not write what is in-between.

He opened the diary and started to read.  A couple of pages in to the diary he gasped!

“This is my son’s handwriting! I would recognize it anywhere. He always kept a diary.”

BAM, BAM, BAM!  “OPEN UP NOW!”

Tuesday, October 25, 2016

Diary of a Struggling Student Entry Thirteen

July 29, 2016

Dear Diary,

No the date is not wrong.  It really is the 29th of July.  I am not sure where those other entries came from or how everything happened but today is the 29th and I am in trouble.  I am in Big Trouble!

Last night when the ranger came and told us that a boy was missing, my mom was really upset.  She kept saying, “I could just imagine if it was one of our children.”

However, when the ranger stepped into the campfire light, I saw the face of the same person or thing that was holding on to my leg when I was on the tube trying to get back home.  I only saw the face for a second, but it was the same face.

The ranger told my dad that someone had said one of the campers from this site was down at the water with a tube.  My dad told him that they must have been mistaken because we do not have any tubes and none of us were playing down by the water today.  The ranger said they were pretty sure that they saw someone and then he looked right at me.  He said that the witness clearly identified me.

He came closer to me and bent down and asked, “Were you at the water today playing with a tube?”

“NO!” I said.
 
My dad looked at me.  I could tell he was not pleased with the way I said no.  My mom was also looking at me very strangely.

The ranger didn’t let up and I swear I could see a slight grin.

“Are you sure you were not down at the water with a tube?  I have it from a very reliable source (and he winked at me) that you were there.”

I felt my stomach turn and thought for a second about running.  Instead, I stood up and said, “I am really sorry but I can’t help you.”

“Why don’t you come with me and we can go talk with the person who saw you?  I bet we can clear this up right away.  I know your parents won’t mind and we will be right back.”

“NO!” 

“For heaven’s sake, what is the matter with you?”  My mother asked.  “Why are you being so rude?  This poor ranger is trying to find a missing child and you are behaving badly.”

Again the ranger looked at me and smiled.  No, no it was a grin – an evil grin.

My dad looked right at me and said, “Were you playing down at the water with a tube?”

I could not lie to my dad.  I wasn’t sure what I was going to do and all I said was, “I was not playing with a tube.”

The ranger looked at me and said, “Did you find or see a tube while you were at the water?”

I knew this was not going to go away.  I was going to have to answer the question.

“I did find a tube down by the water and thought that someone must have left it and gone exploring.  I was afraid if I left it out in the open that someone might come along and throw it in the water or take it.  So, I hid it in the woods and if someone came looking I would show them where it was.”

“Great!” said the ranger.  “Take me to it and maybe we can find the boy.”

“I am not going to do that,” I said.

This time my dad looked shocked.

“What?” he asked.  “What did you just say?”

“I am not going down to the water with the ranger,” I said.  “It is too dark and we would never find it at night.”

“At least come and show me where you found it,” the ranger said.

“I found it at the end of the path.  Just take the path to the water and that is where it was sitting.”

“YOU WILL TAKE THE RANGER TO THE EXACT SPOT WHERE YOU FOUND THE TUBE!  THEN YOU WILL GO DIRECTLY TO YOUR TENT AND STAY THERE UNTIL MORNING.  YOUR MOTHER AND I WILL DISCUSS THIS WITH YOU THEN.  DO YOU UNDERSTAND?” my dad said. 
 
I knew he was mad.  My dad never shouts like that.  Well almost never.

“I am so sorry about this,” my dad said.  “We brought our children up to respect others and be polite.”

What happened next can only be called a miracle.  All of a sudden there was a big flash of lightning and a huge clap of thunder.  The rain started to come down hard and heavy.  I mean hard and heavy.

“Well it is obvious you can’t go to the water tonight but, you come by first thing in the morning and my child will go with you.” My dad said.

I didn’t waste any time getting to the tent and inside.  My brothers and sisters were talking about how much trouble I was in and that tomorrow was not going to be a good day.

Suddenly a head poked in the tent and the ranger’s voice said, “Sweet dreams everyone!”  I will be by bright and early and we can go to the water together.”

Friday, October 21, 2016

Diary of a Struggling Student Entry Twelve

August  27, 2016,

Dear Diary,

What happens next is hard for even me to believe.  I am not even sure how to explain this to myself.  I guess the best thing to do is just write down exactly what happened.

I was lying on the tube and the water just stopped.  I felt like I had to get out of the water quickly as it was dangerous to stay in the water.

The tube was still tied to the tree.  I carried it out of the water and pulled on the other end of the rope.  I was hoping that my friend, I just realized I never asked his name, was hanging on to the other end.  What was on the other end was the clip that he had taken off the tube and put on himself to pull me to safety.  I was safe, but my friend was gone.

I saw my shoes by the edge of the stream.  How strange that my parents would leave my shoes there.  They must have been looking for me.  I can’t believe they would still be at the campsite after so long.  The next thing I noticed was the pan bumping up against a couple of rocks.  It looked like it wanted to get out and float downstream.  At least I wasn’t going to have to explain how I lost a perfectly good pan.

I put on my shoes and decided I would hide the tube.  I knew if I left it out it would look like it was abandoned and someone would probably take it.  I untied the rope and pulleys from the tree, walked into the woods and hid it under some brush.  I thought I would come back with my dad and show him the tube.  It was the only thing I had to prove the story I was going to have to tell them.  This was not going to be an easy story to believe.

I figured I would take the path back to where we had camped, find a ranger and explain that I was lost and have them contact my family.  I took the pan and headed back to the campsite.

When I got to the site, my dad was there!  He was at the fire making supper.  He looked up at me and said, “I was just about to go looking for you.  Supper is almost ready and if you are going to tell a story tonight, we need to eat soon as it looks like it is going to rain.”

I just stared at him.  How could he be so calm when I had been gone for days. Why was he still here?

“I thought you were going to get some water?  How come you came back with an empty pan?  We need the water to boil so we can use it.  Go back and get the water and this time come right back.  No playing around.” 
 
I still didn’t move.  What was going on?  

“I said go now!”

I turned and went back to the water and filled the pan.  I made sure that no part of me touched the water.  I hurried back to the campsite and gave my dad the water.  I went to my tent to sit down and think.  When I got to the tent my other siblings were outside. They just nodded to me as I went into the tent.  No one acted at all surprised to see me.  I went over to my sleeping bag and sat down to think.  That is when I noticed the diary, the same diary that I had written in about the shopping trip to get supplies.  How did it get here?  You have to know that I would never bring a diary on a camping trip!  Who would even consider that to be a good idea?  Well maybe one of my teachers but give me a break, a diary on a camping trip!

I opened it and there were several entries.  I started to read it and it was exactly what had happened to me.  The last entry was posted on Aug. 26, 2016.  I did not write those entries.  We always have to spell out the months and I would never think to abbreviate August as Aug. 

My dad called everyone to supper.  I put the diary down and then thought I had better hide it in a safe place.  I put it in the bottom of my backpack.
 
When we all sat down for supper, I decided to ask the question that was going to prove if I was losing my mind. 
 
“What is the date today?” I asked.

“July 28,” my mother said. “Why?”

I just looked at her.  My stomach did not feel very good.  How could it be July 28?

“Are you alright?” she asked.

“He is just counting down the days to when he has to go back to school,” my sister said.

“Yeah, I just didn’t realize the summer was going by so fast,” I said.

“Are you ready with your ghost story?”  My dad asked.  “It may get cut short if it rains.”

“I will wait until tomorrow then, if that is okay.”

“What?  You passing up a chance to tell a story?  I can’t believe it,” my mother said.

“Let’s go over to the fire.  It is getting dark.  If you get interrupted with the rain, you can continue with the story tomorrow night.”

We moved to the fire and we were sitting around it.  I was trying to figure out what I was going to do.
“Excuse me,” a voice said from behind us.

I turned around but it was too dark to see who it was and he was too far from the campfire.  My dad got up and went over to him.

“What can we do for you?” he asked.

“We are looking for a lost boy.”

“How awful!” my mom said.  “It is dark and he is missing.”

He was moving closer to the fire and we could see that he was a ranger.  Being lost at night is not a good thing in the woods.

“He was spotted down by the stream earlier in the day and I am checking with everyone to see if maybe they saw him.”

Suddenly he was in the light of the fireplace.  I could see his face.  It was the same face that the shape had turned into.  The shape that had grabbed my leg!

Monday, October 17, 2016

Diary of a Struggling Student Entry Eleven

Aug. 26, 2016

Dear Diary,

I woke up early and expected something to happen.  I knew it was still a couple of hours away from when we could leave. There was no wind and there were no noises.  The sun started to rise and I got up and got ready to leave.  I kind of wondered what excuse my buddy was going to give me to delay our departure.

“Are you ready?” he asked.

I jumped and turned around and he was there at the door of my tent.

“I need to know how you do that?”

“Do what?”

“Appear out of nowhere.”

“I don’t understand what you mean.”

“Forget it.  I am ready to go,” I said.

We got the tube and walked to the water without talking.  I knew I wasn’t going to see the campsite again.  We were either going to be home or in a much worse place in a very short period of time.

When we arrived at the water, everything was just how we left it the night before.  I don’t know why I kept expecting the worst.  This was a good plan and it was going to work.

I checked the pulleys on the tree to make sure they were secure.  We had clips to hook ourselves to the tube.  We were going where the tube went no matter what.

“Ready?” I said.

“Yes.” 

We put the tube in the water and climbed on one at a time.  I went first and steadied it as my buddy got on as well.  We were very careful not to touch the water.
 
“Remember as soon as we touch the water take your foot out and start to pull.  Do not leave any part of you in the water because that will slow down the tube.” I said.

“On the count of three we touch the water.  One, Two, Three”

The water started to rush immediately and we started to pull.  It was working.  We were actually moving at a fairly good pace.  The pulley was working.  I wasn’t sure how far we were going to have to go but I had no plans on stopping until I got to that tree!

Suddenly the water came rushing at us and almost tipped the tube.  It was coming so fast and hard now that we were not moving at all. 
 
“Pull,” I shouted.

“I am trying.”

My hands were starting to bleed.  I felt like I was pulling on wire and not rope.  The rope was so taut that I was afraid it was going to break. 
 
“We can’t give up.  Pull as hard as you can!”

That was when the next rush of water came and flipped the tube.  I lost hold of the rope from the pulley and went under the water.  Luckily the clips held and I came back to the surface and the tube was still there.  My buddy was just coming to the surface as well.

“Get on the tube!” he shouted.  “Get out of the water!”

I did manage to get on the tube and told him to get on.  I offered my hand to help him.  He just looked at me and said, “Hang on and do not look back.”

“What are you talking about?  What do you mean don’t look back?

Then, I saw what he was planning to do.  He had taken the rope from the pulley and tied it on to his clip.  He was now taking the clip off the tube.  He was going to let go and use his weight to pull the tube forward.

“No!” I shouted.
 
But it was too late.  He had decided what he was going to do and had done it.  He let go of the tube and the tube moved forward as he moved downstream.

I felt a hand on my leg and looked back to see a form holding on to me.  I say a form because I couldn’t make out what it was but it was something. Suddenly, I saw a face and then it disappeared and it was over!