The Ghost of Ontario

|SHORT STORY VERSION · FEATURED|

Lost in the depths of Lady Evelyn-Smoothwater Provincial Park, Ranger Kate meets a mysterious hermit who may be connected to the decade-old legend of the Ghost of Ontario.

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Ranger Kate wants only one thing: to see her son, whom she lost to a canoe accident ten years ago. The opportunity comes when she and her partner, Ranger Amelia, attend the 24-Hour Ghost of Ontario Challenge in the Lady Evelyn-Smoothwater Provincial Park. Legend has it that a ghost haunts it with his mysterious lullaby, "Lucilla," and the only way to connect with him is for two individuals to brave the lakes.

Ihaan never expected to find Ranger Kate on Red Squirrel Lake, which is said to be the birthplace of the ghost. He and his eagle friend, Ro, band together to win her trust, which is crucial for Ihaan's Guardian Trial. It's the only way for him to learn whether he is truly dead.

Fate turns to reality, and suddenly, the legend of the ghost is more real than Ihaan and Kate think. What will happen when the Spirit Animals come and try to interfere with their long-lost memories? Will Kate and Ihaan defeat them, or will they lose themselves to the hands of Ontario's Beast?

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*Featured on @ShortStory || DiverseLit Shorts Reading List (October 25th, 2024).*
*Moral: Loved ones are never really gone when they move on.*
*Ihaan is pronounced "I-an."*
*The Sixth Sense meets Brother Bear in a story about discovering one's true destiny.*
*Word Count: 6,000-7,000*