Oh, my God, he was so beautiful! My cheeks turned red. I knew they did. I sighed dreamily.
The boy soon opened his gorgeous, deep brown eyes, and he groaned, "Ugh. Ahh!" He yelped when he saw me.
Openmouthed with astonishment, I observed, "It's you."
"So," spoke his beautiful voice, "do you always try to kill people who save your life twice in one day?" He spoke English! I don't know how he did, but he did. I also noticed that he had a Canadian accent.
"No." I told him, and I offered him my hand. "However, I thought you were a bear at first. But you're not!"
"It's pretty obvious if you look at it!" he snapped at me. "Do I look like a bear to you?! The fur is a costume!" He shooed my hand away and stood up.
I backed up and stared at him.
The eagle soon screeched, and it tried to attack me again. I yelped.
The mysterious boy soon yelled, "Ro!" and he grabbed the eagle. "No, no, no, everything is okay."
"Is that crazy bird a friend of yours?" I asked. "What's her problem?!"
Ihaan nodded. "She is. I apologize, but she's upset with you."
"Why?"
"I believe you have something of mine."
I narrowed my eyebrows. I did? Yeah, I was confused at first too. "What do you mean?" I asked the boy.
He lifted his hand and pointed at the pouch I wore.
I peered down on it. Wait a minute, this was his? I thought it belonged to someone the Ghost of Ontario drowned. "This is yours?" was my next question.
"Unfortunately, yes. Sorry." Ihaan held his hand out to me. He wanted the pouch back really badly.
At first, I didn't know why. I mean, I didn't know what was so important about it. All it had in it was a wooden spoon, a bag of berries, and a leaf. However, later on, I learned why those three things meant a lot to the mysterious hermit. They really did. In a rude way, I said, "Here," and I took the pouch off.
Ihaan thanked me and accepted it. He put it around his waist and turned to the eagle. To her, he said, "Come on, Ro. Let's listen." Both he and the eagle got down on the ground and placed their ears to it.
I stared. Um, exactly what were they doing?
The boy soon said, "I concur," and he stood back up. Concur? Concurred what?
Ihaan picked up his bear costume and put it back on. He let the mask hang behind his neck. Next, he lifted his right arm, and the eagle landed on it. It was amazing! The eagle sat on the boy's forearm. She had sharp talons, yeah, but he was protected by his leather gauntlets. One thing I can tell you about Ihaan is that he knows how to survive. Suddenly, he grabbed my wrist with his free hand, and he started to pull me away. "Little Red!" I remember him announcing. "We have to hide before the other people on this island see us!"
"Little Red," was Ihaan's nickname for me. So I had "Kylie Wylie," "The Oracle," and "Little Red" all on this canoe trip. At first, Ihaan thought I was another hermit like him. But I wasn't.
I broke free from his powerful grasp, and he flinched.
Turning to me, he looked me in the eyes.
"Who are you?" I asked.
The mysterious boy's cheeks turned red. He was embarrassed. He got embarrassed easily. "Oh, I do apologize," he said, and he acted out an awkward bow. "My name is Ihaan." He next glanced at the eagle sitting on his arm. "This is Ro." So, Ro was the eagle's name? Hm. I thought that was a little interesting. Ihaan held her up to the treetops and continued, "Go on, girl."
Ro opened her massive wings, flapped them, and lifted off his arm.
I watched as she disappeared in the blackness of the night. Then, turning to Ihaan, I nodded and decided to introduce myself. I placed my hand to my chest and spoke, "I'm Kylie. Kylie Juniper."
"Kylie, eh?" Ihaan smirked, "What are you doing here on Red Squirrel Lake?"
"No," I angrily stated, "why are you here?" I was pretty rude to Ihaan the first time I met him. "Listen, pal," were my next words, "we saw this campsite first. If you want a campsite, then go to Lake Temagami, but we've claimed this one."
"Oh, Little Red," Ihaan spoke, "you have it all wrong. I live here." He took his bear costume off again and set it down on a rock.
I stared. My mind was full of questions. "Live here?" was my next one, "You mean here at Red Squirrel Lake?"
Ihaan shook his head no. "No, I live here." He opened his arms and smiled at the treetops. "Here in the Lady Evelyn-Smoothwater Provincial Park."
"So, you're a hermit?" were the only words that left my lips.
Ihaan shrugged and replied, "Well, if that is how you civilized people define a person who lives secluded from society, then yes." He pushed by me and headed towards a tree.
I followed him and asked questions along the way. My first one was, "Excuse me, Ihaan, but aren't you a little young to be living on your own?"
At first, Ihaan didn't answer. He stopped at the tree he wanted and reached up to a branch of it.
I saw what he was about to do, but I didn't want him to do it until he answered my question. To stop him, I grabbed the back of his pants and pulled him back down.
Finally, he answered my question. He released himself and explained, "I may be, but I've lived here for a long time now. I've grown used to it." He grabbed the branch of the tree and hauled himself up. He started to climb. Now, I'm just going to go ahead and say this, Ihaan was a very skilled climber. He climbed like like Dan Osman. He was that good. He reached another limb and hauled himself up on it, sitting down.
Down below, I asked, "Ihaan, where are your parents?" I noticed that on his branch, Ihaan's face had dropped. He looked sad, very sad.
When he spoke again, his voice was hollow. "I'm not sure. Believe me." He shook his head and lowered it. "I don't know. I don't believe I have any parents. I'm an orphan."
I couldn't help but to feel some pity for this kid. If he didn't know where his parents were, then who knows how long he's been separated from them? I was very bewildered by this new character. In my opinion, I thought he was quite mysterious. I wanted to learn more about him: his age, where he was from, where his parents were, who his parents were, and what had separated him from them. He seriously was too young to be living on his own. I'll go ahead and admit it, but I was actually older than Ihaan. Not by much, but still.
Before he hopped down from his tree, he forced a smile and said, "Honestly, I need to thank you. You're the first person I've talked to in a long time." Right after he said that, he hopped down from his tree and landed next to me. He wobbled a bit when he landed.
My next question for him was, "Exactly how long has it been since you last socialized with another human being?"
"A long time." Ihaan admitted. "Over a year, maybe. The last human I socialized with goes back to a time I can't remember all that well."
I gave him a funny look. "Hm, so you are a hermit. Do you remember what this last human looked like?"
"Nah." Ihaan answered, and he approached his costume, sitting down cross-legged next to it. "It's all a blur."
I joined him at the rock. I sat down next to him and propped up my head, staring dreamily at him. He was so hot. "But I must admit," Ihaan continued, "I really like this park. Yeah, it can get cold during wintertime, but still."
"But you've been alone all these years." I started. My pity kept on growing. I felt so bad for this boy. He didn't feel bad, though.
He just smiled and explained, "Oh, I haven't been alone. I have all the animals." He counted on his fingers. "The moose, loons, bears, eagles, beavers, squirrels, mosquitoes, fish, spiders, and let's not forget the snakes."
"What?!" I gasped horrified, "They're snakes here?!" I'm like Indiana Jones. I hate snakes. I don't want to have to anything with them. They slither. They just...ugh. I don't like them.
"Well yeah." Ihaan told me, and I saw that he was reaching for his right, Native American styled boot. "It is the wilderness, after all. But they're nice snakes. They just like attention. And not every mosquito bites. Only the..."
"The females." I interrupted, and I sighed. "Terrific." I peered confusingly into Ihaan's deep brown eyes. "But how have you made friends with every animal here?"
Ihaan chuckled and answered, "Well, Little Red, when you've been in the wilderness for as long as me, you tend to pick up a few things. Like this." With his left hand, he reached behind his back and pulled out another, unlit, wooden torch. "A modern day torch," he explained, and he held the torch out to me to I could have a good look at it, "I happen to be a really big torch fan. I love torches."
Teeth chattering, I nodded and wrapped my arms around my body. It was getting a little nippy.
Ihaan noticed my distress, and he smirked. "I'm getting the feeling you're cold."
Embarrassed, I looked away.
"Well," continued the hermit, "I guess that's what it means to be a rookie. Not to worry, Little Red, I will get you fixed up right away. As long as we have this." I looked back and noticed that he had lifted his torch. "Countermeasure! Give me a minute." Here, he stood up, "I'll be right back."
Now here, audience, a very, very big clue was revealed. Pay close, close attention. I'm serious.
Ihaan took off towards the forest, and I watched him from behind. I then noticed something very discomforting with the hermit. Ihaan had a limp in his walk. It looked like it pained him to walk. He was injured! For a second, he stopped and ran his long fingers down his right leg, but then he picked it back up and carried on with his limp. He disappeared in the forest, and I watched him do so. I waited. At first, I thought about leaving, but at the same time, I wanted to know why Ihaan was limping. How did he hurt his foot? Did he need a doctor? Who was he? Basically, I wanted to learn more about him. Therefore, I waited him out.
Ihaan was gone for a very long time. I became worried. Oh no, did the Ghost of Ontario get him? I took a step back and prepared to run, but just before I could, Ihaan returned from his long delay. He returned to the light of my headlamp, and I sighed with relief. I noticed that he was carrying two minerals.
Curious, I approached him, but the first thing I said was, "Don't do that, Ihaan! I thought the Ghost of Ontario got you!"
Ihaan's smile suddenly vanished. He looked very confused. "Ghost of Ontario?" he asked, "What's that?"
What? I wanted to laugh. Ihaan seriously had never heard of it before? What kind of hermit was he? It's true, though. Ihaan had never heard of the Ghost of Ontario before. That's because...well...never mind. Just keep listening. I asked him, "You've seriously never heard of it before?" and snorted.
He shook his head no, and I rubbed my watery eye. However, instead of being a jerk and laughing, I dropped the subject and asked, "Question, Ihaan, why do you have those minerals?"
Ihaan lifted his torch and smiled again. It was as if he liked to answer questions. I don't. Especially questions on a test.
Grinning, Ihaan excitedly nodded his head and said, "Little Red, this is an amazing invention! If you're stuck in the wilderness without matches, then this is the easiest way to make a fire. Watch and learn." He put his torch down, sunk to his knees, and lifted the minerals.
Placing my hands on my knees, I hovered over his left shoulder and watched as he gave them a few whacks. Immediately, there was a spark, and I jumped. In less than thirty seconds, Ihaan's torch was lit, and the blazing fire lit up the night. He looked proud of himself. I was amazed. At this time, I didn't even know how to do that.
"How-How did you do that?" I asked, and I turned off my headlamp because the torch was all the light I needed. In the light of it, I warmed up and discovered a few more details with Ihaan that I didn't see before. He was a little dirty. Dirt was on his cheek, arms, and decorated torso, and he had a scar on his upper, left arm. I wondered where he got it.
While I wondered these things, he answered my question. "Well, the title goes, 'I have been living in the wilderness for a long time, and I have taught myself a few things during my journey," as he held his torch. "After many tedious hours of burning myself and almost setting the park on fire, the torch was the first thing I learned."
Amazed, I rubbed my hands together and stared at his torch's fire. "Wow, amazing. Did you learn how to catch fish with your bare hands?"
Proudly chuckling, Ihaan elucidated, "Oh yes. That was the second thing I learned. The bear costume came third, and usually, during winter, I stay in a cave, and Ro helps me find food."
I opened my mouth to ask another question, but just before I could, in the blackness of the forest, I heard the voice of Mom.
"Kylie! Kylie!" she shouted, "Where are you?"
I gasped and whirled around.
I heard Ihaan mumble under his breath behind me. "Great, I gave ourselves away. Little Red!" I suddenly felt him grab my wrist again, and he started to tug me towards the forest. "We need to hide! That other human may see us if we're not careful!" This is what I mean by when I said he thought I was another hermit.
At first, I was confused. However, then I understood, and gasping, I broke free from his powerful grip again and exclaimed, "No, Ihaan, you don't understand! I'm not another hermit like you. I'm here on a weeklong canoe trip with my family. That's my mother."
At the fact that I wasn't another hermit, Ihaan appeared to be slightly disappointed. "Bummer," he said, and he met my eyes, "I really thought you were one."
I turned my headlamp back on and backed away from his torch. "I have to go now, Ihaan, before my parents leap out of their skin. It was awesome to meet you." However, something then clicked in my brain. Wait a minute, Ihaan was another teenager. He could be the answer to all my problems. What if he came with us? What if he joined Camp Juniper? Come on, he was very strong. He saved my life twice. If he could save me, then he of course could take on the Ghost of Ontario. It was settled then! This was very mean for me to do, but I tried to kidnap him. "Wait a minute, I've got an idea." I said, and I held my hand out to Ihaan, "Why don't you come with me, Ihaan, and meet my parents? I'm sure they'd love to meet you. Come on. Just take my hand. You're safe with me. I promise."
Ihaan refused to take my hand. He looked horrified, and backing up, he shook his head and frightfully spoke, "I'd love to, Kylie, but I can't. I just can't. Sorry."
I brought my hand back to my care and concluded that he was a little shy. Well, it made sense. Ihaan had been living alone in the wilderness for many years, and I was the first human he socialized with after however so long.
Mom's voice was soon heard in the blackness again, and she sounded worried. "Kylie! Kylie!"
I called back to her. "Give me a minute, Mom! Please!" Taking it up a notch, I begged for Ihaan to come with me. "Please, Ihaan! You're the only other teenager I've met on this trip! I'm stuck in the wilderness with a bunch of adults, and it bites, man!" I refused to let him out of my sight.
Ihaan apologized to me one last time and blew out his torch.
I glared at him and said, "Ihaan, I'm not going to let you out of my sight. You're going to meet my parents." Apparently, I looked very scary because Ihaan suddenly yelped, and he turned on his heel, starting to limp away. He wasn't going to get far on that foot. Another reason why I wanted to kidnap him was because I wanted him to get checked out by a doctor. I sprinted forward and dove, grabbing him.
I knocked him to the ground, and he yelled, "No!"
"Where do you think you're going, chump?" I asked him, and I pulled him up by the arm.
"Trying to get out of here!" he frightfully yelled, "Unlike you, I actually am a hermit, Little Red! Dempsey told me that a human critically injured me when I was little! I don't want to have to do anything with them!"
I didn't even recognize the name "Dempsey" until much later. I instead became confused again. What did Ihaan mean by "A human critically injured me when I was little?" Was it the Ghost of Ontario? He critically injured Ranger Kate and now he critically injured Ihaan the Hermit? Dang, what was his problem? Now I really didn't want to stay there! Was Ihaan's foot injury part of the critically injured thing? To him, I asked, "If you're so scared of other humans, kid, then why did you come to me?"
"Because I like you!"
"Really? Physically or emotionally?"
"Does it matter?"
"Yes it matters, Ihaan! I'm not going to let you go until I learn a little more about you!"
"No! Please!" Ihaan tried to release himself, but I held him tightly. He yelped again and attempted to run, but his feet only slid on the ground. Dust was picked up. "Let me go!" he yelled.
"Not until you answer a few questions!" I snapped.
Ihaan continued to struggle. He actually managed to release his hair. He started to run, but I grabbed him by the pants and wrapped my arm around his torso. I hammered him with questions. My first one was, "How old are you?"
"I have no idea!" Ihaan closed his eyes and grabbed my arm wrapped around his torso, but he failed to release himself.
"What?" I asked, shocked. "How can you not know your own age?"
"I don't know!"
"When's your birthday?"
"I don't know!"
"Where are your parents?"
"I don't have any!" Ihaan finally managed to pull my arm away, but this time, I grabbed him by the ear. I wasn't finished yet. My next question was, "Where are you from?"
"The Lady Evelyn-Smoothwater Provincial Park!"
"No, I mean, where were you born?"
"I don't know!"
"How did you hurt your foot?"
"I don't know!"
"Do you have amnesia? Are you sick?"
"Stop with the stupid questions! Just let me go!"
"No."
Ihaan was finally given no other choice. He lifted his foot and stomped down on mine. Searing pain engulfed my foot.
"Ow!" I yelled, and I released Ihaan so I could grab it. He fell down on his back. He didn't waste any time. He got up, limped to his bear costume, and picked it up.
While I hopped around holding my foot, he sprinted to the forest and dove into it. "Ihaan wait!" I yelled. I released my foot, but just before I could go after him, I bumped into somebody. I gasped, "Mom!" and whirled around. Mom it was.
"Are you okay, Kylie?" she worriedly asked, and she immediately checked me up and down. I pulled her hands away. "How many times have I told you?!" she snapped. "You're supposed to tell us where you're going if you're planning on leaving!"
I knew she wasn't going to believe me, but I went ahead and said, "Mom, I met a boy!"
"Oh not again with the boy nonsense!" Mom snapped. "Kylie, you did not see a boy!"
"But I did!" I argued back. "His name was Ihaan, and oh," I twirled hair around my finger, "he was very dreamy."
"I think you just hit your head going to the latrine." Mom told me. "You just imagined this boy."
"No, I didn't! I wasn't imagining it, Mom! I met a boy, and his name was Ihaan!"
"Go to bed, Kylie!" snapped Mom. She pushed me forward and towards the path that led to the campground. "And we'll discuss this matter with your father in the morning!"
"But, Mother!" I shouted. "I'm not kidding! Along with the Ghost of Ontario, there's a hermit staying here on Red Squirrel Lake!"
"The Ghost of Ontario is a myth! It's not real! The same goes for this boy! Go to bed, young lady, and I don't want to hear another peep out of you until tomorrow morning!"
I groaned and lowered my head. "But..." I started, but Mom interrupted me and pointed towards the campground.
"To bed! Go to bed, Kylie!"
I glared and growled, "Fine. I can't believe how selfish you and the rest of Camp Juniper are. You guys don't even pay attention to me. You totally ignore me. Some Mom you are, Mom."
Mom froze. She glared at me.
I soon scoffed and added with, "So, you don't believe me when I tell you I met a hermit? That's your problem, not mine. There is a boy on this island, Mom. I swear to it. I'm going to find him again, and I'm going to help him. He's hurt. I think he may have amnesia. Goodnight."
"A pleasure to talk to you." Mom growled. She passed me and stopped at the entrance of the path that led to the campground. She waited for me.
Before leaving the wide-open area, I shone the light of my headlamp in the direction where Ihaan had vanished. I saw him. He was in the forest, and his bare back was propped up against a tree. I remember, he was frightfully staring at me. He looked very scared. I didn't mean to scare him so much; I just wanted another kid my age to hang out with.
After a bit, he closed his eyes, looked away, and shook his head. He vanished again, right as Mom appeared next to me.
"Whatcha looking at?" she asked me.
"Nothing." I answered. "I'm just fine, Mom."
"Well then, come on! Let's not keep the others waiting!" Mom pressed her hand up against my back and led me to the path.
I, however, peered back to the forest one last time. And that, my fellow audience, is how I officially met Ihaan the Hermit!