him.
“Go on,” Alice urged. This story should be harmless enough.
“Is it scary?” Benny asked.
“Listen and find out. Digby came to the mountains, insane with grief, to look for his missing daughter, Doreen.”
“
The
Doreen?” Karen asked.
“The very Doreen who vanished with Audrey so mysteriously earlier that summer. Well, Digby wandered the trails and woods and the high, barren passes, looking everywhere. Soon, his food ran out. But he didn’t turn back. He kept searching. He lived on chipmunks and squirrels, which he ate raw.”
“Yuck,” Rose said.
“Squirrel tartare,” said Julie.
“October came, and a terrible blizzard hit. But Digby continued his search. He couldn’t find any more squirrels. He was starving to death. Then one night he saw the light of a campfire in the distance. He trudged through the knee-deep snow, and came upon a lone camper. He staggered up to the man, who was kind enough to offer him a bowl of stew. But Digby had lost his taste for stew. The man, who happened to be a surgeon on a fishing trip, looked very appetizing to Digby. And he tasted as good as he looked.” Scott leaned back, folded his arms across his chest, and grinned.
“Is that all?” Benny asked.
“Great story, Pop,” Julie muttered, shaking her head:
“What happened next?” Rose demanded.
“Well, poor Digby eventually starved to death. He ran out of Dr. Scholl’s.”
“Boo,” Julie said.
“That’s awful,” Karen gasped as she laughed.
“Wasn’t even scary,” Benny complained.
“The best I could do on short notice.”
Heather looked up at Alice, frowning. “I don’t get it.”
“That’s all right, honey. It’s just as well.”
“He
ate
the guy, stupid,” Rose explained.
“I know that. What I mean is, if he ate up Dr. Scholl’s and then died, who buried him?”
“We’ll never know,” Scott said. “One of those great, unsolved mysteries of life.”
“It’s just a story,” Alice told the girls. “None of it really happened.”
“But we saw his grave,” Heather said.
“Don’t be a dork.”
Alice glared at Rose. “Watch your language, young lady.”
“I want a real story,” Benny said. “That wasn’t even scary. It was okay, but it was just a joke. I want a scary one.”
Nick suddenly sat up straight and slapped his knees. “I’ve got it! Let’s all get our flashlights and go on a Doreen and Audrey hunt!”
“Neat!” Benny blurted.
Julie looked eager. “They’ve gotta be around here someplace.”
“Can we, Mom?” Rose asked.
“Not me. I’m perfectly comfortable where I am.”
Arnold turned to Scott. “What do you think?”
“I’m all for letting the kids go, if that’s what they want.”
“Somebody might get hurt,” Alice said. She wanted to protest more strongly, but since Scott seemed to think it was all right…
“We’ll be real careful,” Nick told her.
“And no funny stuff. I don’t want you trying to scare the girls.”
He raised three fingers. “Scout’s honor.”
“Don’t go wandering off too far,” Arnold said. “We don’t want to lose you.”
“We’ll just circle the lake.”
“Maybe one of us should go with them,” Alice suggested. “Just in case.”
“Jeez, Mom, nothing’s gonna happen.”
“Nick’s old enough to take care of things,” Arnold said.
She sighed. “Well, be very careful. Somebody could fall and break a leg.”
“We’ll be careful,” Nick assured her.
A flashlight shined in Benny’s eyes as he hurried through the darkness. “What took you so long?” Julie asked.
“I couldn’t find my flashlight.” He shielded his eyes from the beam.
“Have you got it?”
“Yeah.”
Julie lowered her light. It made a pale disk on the ground at her feet.
“Okay,” Nick said. “Let’s stay close together.” Benny heard a slight tremor in the older boy’s voice.
He was shivering himself. It was partly the cold, but he felt shriveled and shaky inside. I’m not scared, he
“Go on,” Alice urged. This story should be harmless enough.
“Is it scary?” Benny asked.
“Listen and find out. Digby came to the mountains, insane with grief, to look for his missing daughter, Doreen.”
“
The
Doreen?” Karen asked.
“The very Doreen who vanished with Audrey so mysteriously earlier that summer. Well, Digby wandered the trails and woods and the high, barren passes, looking everywhere. Soon, his food ran out. But he didn’t turn back. He kept searching. He lived on chipmunks and squirrels, which he ate raw.”
“Yuck,” Rose said.
“Squirrel tartare,” said Julie.
“October came, and a terrible blizzard hit. But Digby continued his search. He couldn’t find any more squirrels. He was starving to death. Then one night he saw the light of a campfire in the distance. He trudged through the knee-deep snow, and came upon a lone camper. He staggered up to the man, who was kind enough to offer him a bowl of stew. But Digby had lost his taste for stew. The man, who happened to be a surgeon on a fishing trip, looked very appetizing to Digby. And he tasted as good as he looked.” Scott leaned back, folded his arms across his chest, and grinned.
“Is that all?” Benny asked.
“Great story, Pop,” Julie muttered, shaking her head:
“What happened next?” Rose demanded.
“Well, poor Digby eventually starved to death. He ran out of Dr. Scholl’s.”
“Boo,” Julie said.
“That’s awful,” Karen gasped as she laughed.
“Wasn’t even scary,” Benny complained.
“The best I could do on short notice.”
Heather looked up at Alice, frowning. “I don’t get it.”
“That’s all right, honey. It’s just as well.”
“He
ate
the guy, stupid,” Rose explained.
“I know that. What I mean is, if he ate up Dr. Scholl’s and then died, who buried him?”
“We’ll never know,” Scott said. “One of those great, unsolved mysteries of life.”
“It’s just a story,” Alice told the girls. “None of it really happened.”
“But we saw his grave,” Heather said.
“Don’t be a dork.”
Alice glared at Rose. “Watch your language, young lady.”
“I want a real story,” Benny said. “That wasn’t even scary. It was okay, but it was just a joke. I want a scary one.”
Nick suddenly sat up straight and slapped his knees. “I’ve got it! Let’s all get our flashlights and go on a Doreen and Audrey hunt!”
“Neat!” Benny blurted.
Julie looked eager. “They’ve gotta be around here someplace.”
“Can we, Mom?” Rose asked.
“Not me. I’m perfectly comfortable where I am.”
Arnold turned to Scott. “What do you think?”
“I’m all for letting the kids go, if that’s what they want.”
“Somebody might get hurt,” Alice said. She wanted to protest more strongly, but since Scott seemed to think it was all right…
“We’ll be real careful,” Nick told her.
“And no funny stuff. I don’t want you trying to scare the girls.”
He raised three fingers. “Scout’s honor.”
“Don’t go wandering off too far,” Arnold said. “We don’t want to lose you.”
“We’ll just circle the lake.”
“Maybe one of us should go with them,” Alice suggested. “Just in case.”
“Jeez, Mom, nothing’s gonna happen.”
“Nick’s old enough to take care of things,” Arnold said.
She sighed. “Well, be very careful. Somebody could fall and break a leg.”
“We’ll be careful,” Nick assured her.
A flashlight shined in Benny’s eyes as he hurried through the darkness. “What took you so long?” Julie asked.
“I couldn’t find my flashlight.” He shielded his eyes from the beam.
“Have you got it?”
“Yeah.”
Julie lowered her light. It made a pale disk on the ground at her feet.
“Okay,” Nick said. “Let’s stay close together.” Benny heard a slight tremor in the older boy’s voice.
He was shivering himself. It was partly the cold, but he felt shriveled and shaky inside. I’m not scared, he
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