Sydney and the Wisconsin Whispering Woods (4 page)

“No thank you,” Sydney said again. “Come on, Alex. Let’s go sign up.”

The girls got Biscuit from the cabin, and Alexis made sure his leash was firmly fastened to his collar. Then the three of them headed up the drive toward the road.

Soon they came to a gas station and a row of quaint little shops. Tompkins’ Ice Cream was the first two-story building on the left. A red-striped awning hung over the wide front window, and a sign in the window said:

The girls opened the door and went inside.

Four small tables sat in the middle of the shop, and three huge, wooden booths lined one wall. The opposite wall had an old-fashioned soda fountain with a lunch counter and tall stools with round, red seats. The tables and booths were empty. Several men sat at the counter drinking hot coffee out of thick, black mugs.

“No dogs allowed,” said a man wearing a white apron. He stood behind the counter writing the daily specials on a blackboard. “You can tie it to the hitch outside the front door.”

Biscuit cocked his head and raised one paw to beg. Then he raced toward the man, pulling the leash out of Sydney’s hand. He stood up with his paws against the man’s knees and wagged his tail.

“There, there, now,” the man said, patting Biscuit’s head. “I have to kick you out, buddy—the health inspector says so.”

Sydney picked up the end of Biscuit’s leash and apologized. “Are you the manager?” she said as Alexis took Biscuit outside.

“I own the place,” the man said.

“Where do we sign up for the fishing contest—the one on the docks?”

“Right here.” The man looked past Sydney. “Are you signing up for your dad, or your brother, or someone else?”

“I’m signing up for me!” Sydney said as Alexis came back into the shop.

A man at the counter chuckled. “Girls don’t fish,” he said.

Sydney felt the blood rush to her face. “We do, too,” she told him. “Where’s the sign-up sheet?”

The owner walked to the end of the counter and came back with some papers attached to a clipboard. “Here ‘tis,” he said. “Do you know what you’re fishing for?”

Sydney signed her name and Miller’s Resort, Cabin One. “I’m fishing for the biggest fish dockside.”

The man at the counter chuckled again. “What
kinds
of fish?” he asked.

Sydney had no idea what kinds of fish were in North Twin Lake, and she didn’t like that the man tried to make her look stupid. “All kinds!” she replied firmly.

She handed the clipboard to Alexis. Alex hadn’t planned to compete, but when she heard the man laugh at Sydney’s answer, she signed her name, too.

“May we use the computer?” she asked.

“Over there,” the owner said, pointing to the corner of the room.

Sydney gave him back the clipboard. “Internet access is free, right?”

“Correct,” the man said. He took a coffeepot from a heated plate behind the counter and filled the men’s cups.

“Did you see that Duncan kid’s name on the list?” Alexis asked as they walked to the computer.

“Yes, right at the top. He’s Duncan Lumley. Age twelve.”

They sat down at the computer, and Sydney typed in her name and password. Then she logged on to the Camp Club Girls Web site. Bailey was online.

“Do you want an ice-cream cone?” Alexis asked Sydney.

“Alex! You just had a big breakfast and two donuts,” Sydney exclaimed. “What’s up with you? You usually eat healthy.”

“I know,” her friend answered, “but all this fresh air makes me hungry. I’ll wait. Maybe I can get an ice cream when we leave.”

Alexis chewed a hangnail on her thumb, a bad habit she wished she didn’t have.

“So, do you still want ice cream?” Sydney asked.

“No. I’ve changed my mind,” said Alexis. “Maybe when we come back tonight. I have an idea, though.”

“What’s that?” said Sydney.

“There’s a grocery store across the street. Let’s get some frozen pizza dough and other stuff to make pizza. The dough will be thawed out by suppertime. We can make pizza tonight and keep some of the dough for bait. What do you think?”

“Great idea,” said Sydney, shutting down the computer. “Let’s go shopping.”

“Happy fishing,” the man at the lunch counter said sarcastically as the girls left the shop. Sydney and Alexis ignored him.

Biscuit sat patiently just outside the door, his leash tied to a big, iron hook screwed into the building’s outer wall. “Just a few more minutes, boy,” said Alexis, petting his fluffy fur. “We’re going across the street to buy groceries. Then we’ll come back to get you.”

Biscuit whined softly and raised his right paw as if to say,
please don’t leave me here
.

“I’m texting Aunt Dee,” Sydney said as Alexis reassured Biscuit. She took out her cell phone and typed N
EED LIST OF KINDS/SIZES OF FISH IN
N. T
WIN
L
AKE AND BEST WAY
2
CATCH THEM
. W
ILL XPLAIN L8R
. S
YD
.

“Okay, that’s done. Now let’s get the stuff for the dough balls.”

The girls left Biscuit and crossed the street.

Sydney and Alexis loaded a large package of frozen pizza dough into their shopping cart. Then they added pepperoni, some olive oil, cornmeal, a big bag of shredded pizza cheese, and a can of tomato sauce.

“How about some mushrooms?” asked Alexis. “Do you like them on your pizza?”

“Sure,” said Sydney. “And onions, too.”

Alexis put a carton of mushrooms and an onion into the shopping cart. Then they headed to the checkout counter. Just as they were about to pay for their groceries, Sydney remembered something. “Where can I find canned tuna?” she asked the cashier.

“At the end of aisle ten.”

Sydney hurried off and returned with three cans of tuna.

“Three!” Alexis exclaimed.

“I want to catch lots of fish,” said Sydney.

They left the store carrying paper bags filled with groceries, and headed back across the street.

“Hey!” Alexis said. “Biscuit’s gone!”

Biscuit’s leash and collar hung from the hook, but Biscuit was nowhere in sight. The owner of Tompkins’ Ice Cream Shop stood outside. “That way,” he said, pointing in the direction of the resort. “He slipped out of his collar and scampered off.”

Sydney shoved her grocery bags at Alexis and sprinted as fast as she could down Twin Lakes Road.

“Wow, can that girl run!” the man said.

“She did track and field in the Junior Olympics,” said Alexis, taking Biscuit’s leash off the hook in the wall. She dropped it and his collar into one of the grocery bags. Then she hurried after Sydney. When she got to the resort, she found her friend alone on the cabin’s front porch.

“I don’t know what to do,” Sydney cried. “He’s lost!”

A sinking feeling swept through Alexis’s stomach as she put up the groceries and hung up Biscuit’s collar. “We have to find him, Sydney. But where do we start to look? He could be anywhere.”

Ruff-ruff! Ruff-ruff!
Biscuit’s bark came from far away—deep in the woods surrounding the lake. “Biscuit!” they shouted. “Biscuit! Biscuit! Here, boy!”

When Biscuit didn’t come, they dashed into the forest, hurrying toward the sound of his bark.

Alexis grabbed Sydney’s arm, stopping her dead in her tracks.

“What?” Sydney protested.

“We need to mark our trail,” said Alexis. “Remember? We learned it in camp. If we aren’t familiar with our surroundings, we should mark a trail so we can find our way back.”

She found some pinecones on the path and stacked them into a neat little pyramid. Then she laid a stick next to them, pointing in the direction they’d come from. “Whenever we make a turn, we have to mark the place,” she said.

The girls continued in the direction of Biscuit’s barking, stopping to mark the trail every time they turned. After a while, they didn’t hear his barking anymore. They only heard birds chirping loudly in the trees.

“Why do you think he stopped barking?” Sydney asked. “Or … do you think that someone stopped him from barking?”

“I don’t know,” Alexis said. “But I just said a silent prayer and asked God to keep him safe.”

“I’m praying, too,” said Sydney.

Tall trees blocked out most of the sunlight, and soft pine needles covered the cool forest floor. The girls looked for Biscuit’s pawprints there, but found nothing.

“I hope he didn’t run into a bear,” said Alexis.

“I doubt it,” said Sydney. “Besides, Biscuit could outrun a bear or any other wild animal. He’s fast.”

“I guess so,” said Alexis, marking their trail with a little pile of stones.

Sydney walked on ahead of her and disappeared among the trees.

“Yeeeeeeah! No! No! Stop it!”

Alex ran toward her friend’s screams. She found Sydney lying face down on the ground with her hands over her head. Biscuit licked her face with his long, pink tongue.

“Oh Biscuit!” Alexis gushed. She picked up the little dog.

“Eewwwww, Biscuit. You stink!”

“I know,” said Sydney, getting up and brushing herself off. “He smells awful. Biscuit, where have you been? What’s all that smelly stuff in your fur?”

Biscuit let out a sad whimper. Alexis put him down, and he sat in front of her. He raised a paw.

“He came out of nowhere and ran between my legs,” Sydney said. “I tripped over him and fell. Stay with him. I’m going to walk over there and see if I can find out what he got into.”

Sydney wove her way through the brush and the pine trees sniffing the air for anything that smelled like Biscuit now smelled.

“Alexis, come here,” she called. “I see something.”

Reluctantly, Alexis picked Biscuit up and went to where Sydney was.

“Look at that,” Sydney said, pointing slightly to the right.

In the distance, deep in the forest, she saw an eerie purple glow. It was the color of lilac nail polish, not a deep purple, but soft and wispy. It lit up the trees, making the forest look enchanted.

“Whoa,” said Alexis. “What do you think that is?”

“Should we go and check it out?” Sydney asked.

Alexis looked at Biscuit. “I don’t trust him not to run again,” she said. “Otherwise, I’d love to check it out. We’d better take him home.”

“I guess so,” said Sydney. “Unless—”

She saw a Virginia Creeper vine growing around a nearby tree trunk. She reached for it.

“Stop!” Alexis said, grabbing Sydney’s hand. “It’s poison ivy!”

“No, it’s not. It has five leaves, not three.” Sydney broke off a piece, and tied it around Biscuit’s neck. “These vines are strong, and they’ll make a good collar.”