We showed Ramos the doll and the feathered arrow. But he couldn’t explain them. He was as puzzled as we were.
After dinner, Ramos asked if we wanted to sit around and tell jokes. But we were all yawning. Aching and exhausted from the long day of canoe paddling.
The tents formed a tight circle around the fire. The shadows of the flames danced on the nylon tent walls.
We divided up and climbed wearily into the tents. Marty and I shared a tent. I left the tent flap open so that we could watch the fire.
We pulled off our muddy shoes. Then we climbed into our sleeping bags in our clothes.
“How is your wasp sting?” Marty asked, yawning.
“Not too bad,” I whispered. “It itches a little, but it’s okay.”
I turned and saw that he was sound asleep.
I settled into my sleeping bag and stared out at the red-orange flames licking up at the darkness.
I wasn’t sure how much time went by when the drumbeats began.
Low and distant. A slow, steady thrum…thrum…thrum.
Indian drums, I thought.
I pictured the leather doll, the feathered arrow.
I picked up my head and gazed out through the tent flap. The fire had died down. The flames were small now, sparks above the purple embers.
Thrum…thrum…thrum…
Soft drumbeats from the woods. From all around.
All around the circle of the clearing, I thought.
Thrum…thrum…
Soft but close…so close.
I fell asleep to the slow, steady rhythm of the drumbeats. I slept a deep, dreamless sleep.
I jerked awake the next morning—sat straight up—stared out at the gray morning light.
What woke me up?
A scream?
Yes. A hideous, deafening scream of pain.
Ramos!
I reached over and frantically shook Marty awake.
“Wake up!” I cried. “It’s Ramos! Do you hear that scream? It’s Ramos!”
11
Ramos’s screams echoed off the trees.
I pulled on my sneakers and scrambled out of the tent.
Charlotte and Erin were awake, standing tensely in front of the dead campfire. Charlotte’s red hair stood out in all directions. Erin was struggling to tug down the sleeves of her sweatshirt.
They turned to me, their eyes wide with fright. Marty hopped out of the tent, pulling on his left boot.
David came climbing out of the tent he shared with Ramos. “What’s happening?” he asked, his voice still hoarse from sleep. “Is that Ramos screaming?”
Before anyone could answer, Ramos roared across the clearing, holding his right arm tightly against his side. His face was red. His dark eyes were half shut from pain.
“Oh, man. Oh, man,” he moaned.
“Ramos—what happened?” Charlotte cried. We all ran across the grass toward him.
“My arm,” he moaned. “I—I think I tore something.”
He dropped into a sitting position in front of the dead fire. “Oh, man—it hurts.” He gripped the arm tightly, holding it stiffly against him.
We huddled around him. “What happened? What did you do to it?” I asked.
He groaned in pain. “I went out early to chop more firewood for this morning,” he said. He looked around. “Where’s the ax? Oh, man. I left it in the woods.”
“I’ll go get it,” I said.
He motioned for me to stay where I was. “I was chopping a log in two—and I heard something snap. In my arm. The pain is unbelievable!”
He motioned to David. “Bring me some water. It’s in the pack over there. I…I’m so dry.”
“Do you think you broke your arm?” Marty asked him.
David handed the water bottle to Ramos. Ramos tilted it to his mouth and took a long drink. “No. I didn’t break the bone,” he said, wincing in pain. “I think I tore a tendon.”
He drank down the rest of the water and crushed the plastic bottle in his good hand. “I can’t believe this,” he muttered. “I won’t be able to paddle at all.”
My heart jumped. “Do you mean we have to go back to camp?” I asked.
Ramos shook his head. He glanced at the river. “No. We’re too close. The falls are less than half an hour away. You…you’ll just have to go over them without me.”
I gasped. I could feel my stomach tighten. “Go without you?” I whispered.
Holding his arm, Ramos struggled to his feet. “I’m really sorry I won’t be able to help. But you guys can do it without me. I know you can.”
“But—if we get in trouble…” Erin started to say. “If we need help…”
“You’ll help each other,” Ramos told her. He groaned in pain. “Listen, guys—leave everything here in the supply canoe. We’ll pick it up on the way back. Just have some breakfast. Get into your life jackets. Take the two canoes. And go.”
“But where will you be?” I asked.
“I’m going to start walking now,” he answered. “I’ll wait for you down below the falls. I’ll be watching the whole thing from the shore.”
“But, Ramos—” Erin objected.
“No more questions,” he groaned. “Good luck, everyone. Make me proud.”
Holding his arm limply at his side, Ramos turned and started away, walking quickly. We watched him make his way out of the clearing.
When he reached the shore, he gazed at the canoes for a moment. Then he turned and started to follow the river.
He didn’t look back.
The five of us didn’t say anything for a while.
Marty kicked the crushed water bottle into the fire. The bottle sent up a cloud of ashes.
“Guess we might as well get going,” Charlotte said.
“Yeah,” I said softly. “Let’s get it over with.” A shiver ran down my back. “We can do it…right?”
12
Our paddles splashed in the water. The canoe felt empty without Ramos.
I sat in the back. Charlotte took the front. I raised the paddle, then pushed…raised the paddle, then pushed. Copying Charlotte’s rhythm.
Trying not to think about where we were headed.
My life jacket seemed to weigh a hundred pounds. Large drops of sweat started to roll down my forehead, stinging my eyes.
Through the morning gray, I saw a tall deer watching us from the shore. The sun, trying to poke through the clouds, cast a white glare over the flowing water.
The canoe rocked as water splashed up in front of us. The current is definitely speeding up, I realized.
The river grew wider. The tangled trees along the banks suddenly seemed a lot farther away.
I leaned forward and paddled harder. Our two canoes slid through the water side by side.
“Whoa!” I cried out as we tossed over an onrushing wave. The canoe slapped the water hard as it came back down.
Swirls of water made circles of white, foamy waves. The canoe bumped again, harder this time.
“We’re getting close,” Marty said. “The river is starting to get rough.”
A wave of fear swept over me. We need Ramos for this, I thought. It isn’t safe to be doing this on our own.
I wondered if the others were thinking the same thing.
I was so surprised when Erin spoke up. “Maybe we should turn back,” she said. “I don’t feel right without Ramos. I mean, what if one of us falls into the river? What if our canoes crack up on the rocks?”
“Erin, go climb in Russell’s canoe!” David joked. “The two of you could hold each other’s hands.”
“Not funny,” Erin snapped.
Our canoes tossed up, then slapped back down.
“Russell, are you getting seasick?” David asked.
“No way! This is fun!” I lied. “I hope it gets rougher than this. This is kind of babyish.”
I’m going to be the bravest one here, I vowed to myself. Even if it kills me!
Foamy white water swirled up in front of
us, then splashed down into the canoe. The canoe rocked from side to side as water slapped the sides.
I bounced into the air and nearly dropped my paddle. Charlotte’s hair flew wildly behind her head. Our faces were wet from the cold spray.
“Guys, I’m serious!” Erin shouted. “This is too scary! And we haven’t even come to the falls!”
I was so glad she was saying this, and not me. But would anyone listen?
“Erin, just keep paddling,” Marty said. “You’ll be okay. Really.”
“We won’t be okay!” Erin cried, her voice shrill and trembling. “We’re going over steep falls, and we’re going to crash into rocks below!”
Charlotte suddenly spoke up. “We have to do this!” she shouted, bouncing up as a wave tossed the canoe. “We can’t be the first senior campers in history not to go over Forbidden Falls!”
“But the others all had a counselor with them!” Erin protested.
“So we’ll be the first without a counselor!” I shouted. “We’ll be famous!”
Everyone turned to look at me. “Russell—you’re the man!” Marty yelled. “You’re the man!”
We all had to shout over the roar of the water. White-capped waves splashed against the canoes on all sides. The canoes bounced beneath us.
Our canoe went into a wild spin. Charlotte and I stabbed the paddles harder and held firm. “Whooooaaa!” We both laughed as we finally straightened out the canoe.
Paddling hard, I turned to the other canoe. Marty sat in front. He was drenched with water. His hair was matted to his head. Water rose up into the canoe. Splashed against the front of his life jacket.
Erin, in the middle, leaned forward. She seemed to be ducking behind Marty, letting him shield her. Her face was very pale in the gray light. Even from my boat I could see the fear tightening her face.
David stared straight ahead. His eyes were narrowed. His face was set. His body was tensed, alert, ready for anything. As the canoe bounced and rocked, his expression didn’t change.
Our canoe bumped down hard, then bumped again, as if going down steep stairs. “We—we’re almost there!” I shouted to Charlotte.
She shouted a reply, but I couldn’t hear her over the roar of the rushing water. The canoe shot forward, rocking harder. The current pulled us faster…faster.
“Look out!” I shouted as the swirling waves tossed the canoe toward the shore. “Too close!”
Tall gray rocks jutted up along both sides of the riverbank.
We struggled to paddle back to the middle. The river dipped sharply here, and the current kept pushing us to the shore.
Cold water splashed over me. I gasped and sucked in a shuddering breath.
So close…
The rushing current carried us forward, faster…faster….
Charlotte and I stopped paddling. I gripped the sides of the canoe tightly, holding on for dear life.
“Here we go. Here we go!”
I tried to remember Ramos’s instructions. But they had flown out of my head.
I couldn’t remember. I couldn’t think.
I couldn’t move.
The rushing water roared in my ears. Waves rose up all around us, as if reaching for us. The canoe tilted to one side, heaving me hard. I felt myself start to tumble out.
Then the canoe tilted to the other side. I fell back into place.
Charlotte’s hair flew in the wind, flapping behind her like a red pennant.
Where were the others? Close behind us? I didn’t dare turn around to look back.
Charlotte and I were going down first!
The river dipped. Dipped again…
And as the canoe rushed toward the falls, I couldn’t help it.
I opened my mouth in a deafening, shrill scream.
13
My scream rang out as the canoe pitched forward.
Charlotte let out a cry.
Our boat rocked one more time, then settled in the smooth-flowing water.
We both stared open-mouthed at the falls.
A tiny trickle of water down the side of a black rock on the shore.
A tiny trickle…
“My—my shower at home is more powerful than that!” I cried.
Charlotte shook her head. “I don’t believe it,” she muttered. “The falls—it’s all a fake.”
“There is no falls,” I said, my heart still pounding.
The other canoe came bouncing around the curve. I could hear my three friends screaming the way Charlotte and I had.
And then the shocked silence.
Their canoe tossed up beside ours.
“Where is it? Where is the falls?” David cried breathlessly.
I pointed. “That’s it. That tiny trickle.”
“Get it? It’s a joke,” Charlotte said, frowning bitterly. “It’s all just another camp joke.”
Erin let out a sharp cry. “How could they do that to us?”
David shook his head. “Can you believe it? They do it to kids every year. They build it up and build it up. They make you think the falls is a really big deal. And then…”
We all gazed at the trickle of water. It splashed into the river, which was calm and quiet here. The white-water waves and spills all ended where the river curved.
“Are you sure it’s just a joke?” Erin demanded.
“Of course it is. Don’t you see?” I replied. “Everyone keeps the secret year after year. Because it’s so much fun to frighten the kids who have to do it next year.”
“Let’s get out of these canoes,” Charlotte said. She started to paddle toward the shore. “I’m totally soaked.”
Erin heaved her paddles onto the rocks at the shoreline. “What about Ramos?” she asked. “Do you think that whole thing with his arm was just an act?”
Before anyone could answer, we saw Ramos. He was standing in a clearing of tall grass. He was leaning over a long, straight stick he held between his hands—swinging it like a golf club.
“Look at him,” Marty whispered. “His arm is perfectly okay.”
“The lousy faker!” Erin growled. “Quick—don’t let him see us.”
She jumped from the canoe and waded through the shallow water to the shore. Charlotte and I ducked low and pulled our canoe onto the rocks. David and Marty dragged their canoe beside ours.
We hurried behind a clump of tall pine bushes. We tugged off our life jackets and piled them on the ground.
“Did Ramos see us?” Erin whispered.
I gazed around the side of a bush. Ramos was still taking his practice swings. “He is so busy over there, I don’t think he even knows we’re here,” I whispered.
The sun finally burst through the high gray clouds. I could feel its warmth on my wet clothes. All five of us stretched out on the ground, letting the sun’s rays warm us and dry us out.
“I’ve got a good idea,” David said. A grin spread over his face. “Let’s sneak away in the canoes.”
“You mean leave him here?” I asked.
David nodded. “Yeah. Make him walk back to camp. It would take him at least a couple of days.”
“Cool!” Marty declared. He tossed his baseball cap in the air and caught it.
“No good. He’s not stranded. He could take the supply canoe back,” I said.
“It isn’t mean enough,” Erin said through gritted teeth. “I want to do something much, much worse to that creep.”
“It was just a joke,” Charlotte said to her.
“He scared us to death,” Erin snapped.
“Whoa. Wait. I’ve got a great idea,” I said, jumping up. “Let’s turn it around. Let’s play a joke on Ramos.”
Everyone turned to me. “What kind of joke?” Marty asked.
“Well, he doesn’t know we came around the curve—right?” I said. “Ramos doesn’t know we’re here. What if we don’t show up? Think he’ll get a little worried?”
Charlotte narrowed her eyes at me. “You mean—?”
“He scared us—right?” I re
plied. “So, what if we give him a little scare? What if he waits and waits for us, and we don’t come around the curve?”
“No. No good,” David said. He jumped up beside me, his dark eyes flashing excitedly. “We don’t want to give Ramos a little scare. Let’s give him a big scare. What if we make him think something terrible happened to us?”
“Cool,” Marty said, grinning.
“How do we do it?” Charlotte asked.
“We go back to where the river dips,” David said. “And we overturn the canoes. And we smash them up a bit. You know. Make it look like we crashed.”
“Yeah. And we could send a few life jackets floating down the river,” I added. “That would get his attention. A few empty life jackets floating past him.”
“Yeah. Way cool!” Marty agreed. “We make it look like we crashed against the rocks on the riverbank. Then we hide in the woods. And we wait for Ramos to come searching for us.”
“I can’t wait to see the look on his face!” Erin exclaimed. “He’ll think we all drowned. He really will. He’ll be sick. He’ll probably have a stroke or something. It will be so totally cool!”
Charlotte bit her bottom lip. “It’s pretty mean,” she said softly.
“Not as mean as what he did to us!” Marty insisted. “Come on. Let’s do it.”
14
We dragged the canoes up the rocky shore. Just past the curve of the river, we turned them upside down.
David and Marty wanted to smash them with rocks. But I reminded them that we needed the canoes to get back to camp once the joke was over.
So we left the canoes, bobbing upside down, half in the water, half on the ground. Then Marty waded into the water and sent a single blue life jacket floating downstream.
“Come on. Let’s hide,” he said, splashing back onto the rocks. “As soon as Ramos sees that life jacket, he’ll freak. He’ll be up here looking for us.”
We scampered across the rocky shore and into the woods. The ground sloped up steeply. We found a hiding place behind two fat trees. We were high enough so that we could see the river and the whole riverbank.
Warm yellow sunlight filtered down through the leafy trees. Tiny circles of light danced over the ground at our feet. The air smelled fresh and sweet. Insects chittered all around.