Free 6 Maple Leaf Hunter by Maddie Cochere

before saying, “It started almost three years ago. Two families staying in the campground checked out early. They didn’t say why, but they were definitely in a hurry to leave. We found out later from another couple that they left because they heard a Sasquatch in the night.”
    “What?” Nate yelped. “You have a Bigfoot in your forest?”
    Understanding that Dan and Emily were serious, and their business was in trouble, I fought back my laughter, but the look on Nate’s face was priceless. We all knew he was afraid of ghosts and prone to passing out when frightened, but none of us knew how he felt about a Sasquatch – until now.
    “I guess we do,” Dan said. “You call them Bigfoot in the states. Up here, we call them Sasquatch. Those first two families who checked out were camping in tents, and they didn’t feel safe. But it wasn’t too long before other guests were frightened by sounds when they wer e out fishing or hunting during the day. Many of them said they saw the creature. Our repeat customers stopped coming back, and between reviews on internet travel sites and word of mouth, our business has dropped off to almost nothing.”
    “Have you had anyone go out and try to find it?” Darby asked.
    “When word got out we had a Sasquatch on our property, the place was crawling with Sasquatch hunters and reporters. But they were skulking around in the forest, and three people were accidentally shot in one week. The injuries weren’t serious, but no one turned up anything either. Everyone finally realized it was too dangerous with hunters and bears in the area, so they all cleared out, and no one’s come back.”
    “What about the other campgrounds in the area?” Mick asked. “Is their business down, too?”
    Dan shook his head. “The nearest camp is Rice’s Ponderosa about twenty miles down the road. Richard Rice is a good enough fellow, but his place isn’t nearly as nice as ours. He says they haven’t had any problems at all. No sightings or sounds, and the last time Emily talked with his wife, she said they picked up quite a few of our customers. We’re like the house on the block everyone skips at Halloween because it’s haunted.”
    I glanced over at Nate. I was sure he would pass out any minute now.
    “Have you ever seen or heard one?” Alex asked Dan.
    He looked at Emily again before saying, “I haven’t seen one, but I’ve heard one, and I have to admit, I understand why people left.”
    “Why?” Nate asked.
    I had to look away to hide my smile. His eyes were wide with fright.
    “It’s a horrible noise,” Dan said. “It’s like a high-pitched scream. It sounds like someone is murdering a woman in the woods. I’ve heard the sound in short bursts and another time as one long scream. It’s really terrifying.”
    Mick looked over at Alex and said adamantly, “Do not roam around by yourself. If you want to look for rocks, make sure you have someone with you. We’ll check out the rock quarry in a few days with Dan. Ok?”
    For once, Alex didn’t argue or bring out his smart mouth. Instead, he said thoughtfully, “I’ve done some reading about Bigfoot. There have been a lot of sightings in Ohio.”
    “There have?” Nate asked, his eyes still wide. Darby reached over and patted him on the knee. Nate’s reaction, and then Darby’s reaction to him, was the last straw and struck me as incredibly funny. I struggled to hold back laughter and had to bite my lip.
    Alex asked Nate, “Don’t you ever watch the news? Not only have there been a lot of sightings, but there’s a Bigfoot conference at Salt Fork State Park every year.”
    Nate leaned back in his seat and let out a sigh. The Bigfoot talk had completely overwhelmed him.
    Alex continued, “I’ve done quite a bit of reading and research. I wanted to know if there really was such a thing as Bigfoot, and I’ve come to the conclusion that they’re out there.”
    Nate groaned and slumped farther down in his seat.
    “But no