I was eight years old during the summer break of 2005, and enrolled on the Junior Ranger program at Crater Lake National Park. We drove up from the suburbs of Redding, CA for a long weekend camping trip. I was in the back of our car listening to Gwen Stefani on the iPod Mini I got for my birthday. I was kinda obsessed with her that year, and my parents had introduced me to No Doubt as a result. They’d told me I was in the crowd of a No Doubt show in 90s L.A.

“In here,” mom had said, patting her belly. I thought that was so cool and definitely explained why I loved Gwen so much.

We parked up at the campsite and my parents got straight to work on pitching our family-sized tent. I’d already spotted some other kids that looked around my age.

“Can I go say hi?” I asked.

“Sure,” said dad. “But stay where we can see you, okay?”

“I will!” I said loudly, running off to introduce myself. There was a group of four kids sitting at a picnic table, two boys and two girls.

“Hi, I’m Becky,” I said as I approached them. I miss that fearless childhood ability to just dive straight in with a group of strangers. They all said hi apart from one boy, who I noticed was decorated with a few Junior Ranger badges.

“I’m Lou,” said one girl with a smile. The others introduced themselves too, but the boy who didn’t say hi just stared at me.

“How many badges do you have?” he asked.

I shook my head. “I don’t have any yet, but I’ve been studying at home.”

He scoffed at that. “I have seven already!” He tugged on his khaki vest to show them off.

“So what, Chase?” said Lou. “You’re older than us!”

It turned out they were brother and sister. Chase was ten and Lou was eight like me. I instantly gravitated towards Lou, and within an hour or so we were choreographing our own routine to Hollaback Girl. I took the lead for the chorus, singing the words as I did the moves. There was foot stomping, sky punching, lassoing, hip shaking. Lou stood in front of me copying the moves as she mouthed the words.

“I think I’ve got it,” she said.

“Okay!” I said excitedly. “Let’s go together from the top. One-Two-Three-Four… Uh-huh, this my shit, all the…”

“Rebecca!” my mum yelled from behind. I quickly turned, my face warming up. “Language young lady!” She actually looked like she was trying to stop herself from laughing, and Lou did start laughing.

“Sorry mom,” I said with a grin. “But those are the words.”

“I don’t care, we don’t say words like that. Especially in front of strangers.”

Lou stepped in. “I’m not a stranger, Becky’s mom. I’m Lou from Portland, Oregon, and we’re friends now.” She took my hand and we giggled together.

My mom continued to look like she wanted to laugh. “Well okay, Lou from Portland. But seriously Rebecca, no more language like that.”

Lou and I continued doing our routine and I shushed the bad word in my mom’s presence. Before long Lou’s mom had come over to introduce herself, then our dads got chatting too. Chase was sitting at the table looking through his Junior Ranger activity book, occasionally glancing over to shake his head. Lou and I stuck out our tongues and giggled.

Later that afternoon a ranger truck pulled into the car park. A clean shaven 30-something man stepped out in full ranger uniform, shiny badge and all.

“Good day everyone!” he yelled cheerfully, shaking hands with some of the adults. “Where are my Junior Rangers at?”

Chase didn’t hesitate, running towards the ranger in a flash. Lou and I joined the other kids. The parents gathered behind us as the ranger introduced himself.

“Welcome to Crater Lake, one of the oldest National Parks in the United States. I’m Ranger Zachary, but you can call me Zach, Zee, or just plain old Ranger! Who are my Junior Rangers?”

We took it in turns introducing ourselves. There were around ten kids altogether and Zach repeated our names as we said them.

“I’ll try my best to remember your names but boy there are a lot of you today! We’ll be leaving for a little hike in say…” He looked at his watch. “15 minutes. Don’t forget to bring your activity books and a pencil. Put on your sunscreen, grab your hats and your water bottles ‘cause it’s a scorcher today!”

Mom practically dragged me to the tent and smothered me in sunscreen. “We don’t want a repeat of your cousin's pool party,” referring to the previous year when my arms and legs got sunburned.

“No mom,” I sighed, standing like a scarecrow. I put on my green baseball cap and pulled my ponytail through the back. “I’m gonna go meet Lou.”

“Okay sweetie, have fun. And be good for Ranger Zachary!”

When we went to meet Zach a bunch of dads were taking it in turns to sit behind the wheel of the ranger truck, mine included. They looked like excited schoolboys, posing for photographs with huge grins.

“Okay!” yelled Zach, clapping his hands together. “Are you ready Rangers?”

We collectively yelled in agreement.

“Excellent! Parents, we should be no longer than around two hours. Oh, and dads, don’t even think about taking her for a spin while we’re gone!”

He motioned to his truck as the parents burst into laughter, and we followed Zach across the campsite to a forest opening to begin our hike. He spoke about the history of the park as we made our way through the trees, and told us to keep an eye out for wildlife and plants.

“You’ve got a checklist in the back of your books, remember to check off anything you see!”

“I’ve already found four things, Ranger Zachary,” boasted Chase, who was at the front of the group. “A yellow wildflower, a dragonfly, a chipmunk, and an American flag. Oh, five things! A park ranger too!” He started laughing to himself.

“Well done… Chase, isn’t it?”

“Yes Ranger!” he said, turning around with a smirk on his face. Lou and I rolled our eyes at each other. It wasn’t too long before I saw a bird I recognized from the book; a gray jay. It perched on a tree branch and appeared to observe us curiously as we walked past. I checked off the box and waved to the bird as we continued on our hike.

We eventually came to a sunny clearing where we got our first view of the shimmering lake below. It was an awesome sight. There was a large solitary tree that offered some shade.

“This looks like a good spot to rest up, Rangers,” said Zach. “Let’s sit for a moment and have a drink of water. Feel free to start any of the activities in your books.”

I was pretty thirsty and downed at least half my water bottle in one go! Then I opened my book to an activity where you had to observe your surroundings.

List four things you can see from this spot:

For the first thing I wrote Lou, giggling to myself. I also wrote Crater Lake and Big rocks. As I was looking around for another thing I noticed something colorful by a hedge. It was a red fox, quite young looking. I smiled as it caught my eye and started to roll around playfully. I finished the activity by writing Fox.

“Show of hands,” said Zach. “Who can tell me something special about Crater Lake?”

Chase put up his hand as well as a couple of other kids. Zach pointed at them one by one to give their answers.

“It’s the deepest lake in the United States!” said Chase.

“Well done! And who can tell me the name of this big island right here?”

I put up my hand because I knew that one, but Chase had shouted ”Wizard Island” before Zach had even picked someone.

“That’s right Chase, but let’s raise our hands if we know the answer.”

Lou and I snickered as Zach continued.

“And what about that smaller island all the way over there?”

He pointed to a spot on the other side of the lake and I raised my hand, as well as Chase. Zach pointed at me.

“Yes… I want to say something beginning with B?”

I giggled. “Becky!”

“That’s it! What’s your answer Becky?”

“That’s the Phantom Ship, because it looks like a ghost ship!”

“Well done!” said Zach. “It’s especially spooky on a dark, foggy evening!”

Chase turned to give me daggers and I gave him a sarcastic grin. As we were getting ready to continue our hike the water had gone right through me! I approached Zach and told him I really needed the bathroom.

“Oh boy,” he said. “Err, well there’s no bathroom around here. How about you go behind that hedge right there, unless you can wait until we get back to camp?”

I shook my head and embarrassingly ran to the hedge, squatting to do my business. Just as I was pulling up my shorts I heard a voice from behind.

“What are you doing?”

I almost fell back. It was the little red fox I’d seen earlier, sitting before me as its tail swished from side to side. It sounded like a young boy.

“I… You… Did you just talk?”

The fox nodded. “I sure did!”

My jaw dropped. “I must be dreaming.”

He started to giggle. “You’re not dreaming, silly! What’s your name?”

I slowly stood up straight. “B… Becky.”

“Becky, that’s a funny name! I’m gonna call you ‘Beckster’! Look out everyone, here comes the Beckster!” He started running around in a circle, then rolled onto his back. I started to laugh.

“What’s your name?” I asked.

“Mom calls me Kit-Three,” he said. “But you can call me whatever you want!”

I thought about it for a second. “How about Fox?”

“Whoa, Beckster. You're like, totally original and stuff!”

I laughed. “How about Red then?”

He fell on his back. “You’re killing me here!”

Just then a bird landed between me and the fox.

“Is he bothering you?” it said. It sounded a little older and wiser, with a soft feminine voice.

I started laughing as I shook my head in disbelief. “Can all of the animals here talk?”

“I think the real question is can every human talk to us?” said the bird. “I believe the answer is no.”

By this point the fox was crouched in a predatory position behind the bird.

“Look out!” I said as it pounced, but the bird was quick like it knew it was coming.

“Nice try!” it said, pecking the fox’s head.

“Quit it!” said the fox, tapping at the bird with its paws.

“He always tries and always fails, bless him,” laughed the bird.

“You’re a gray jay aren’t you?” I asked.

It nodded. “I suppose I am. And by all means call me Gray. I don’t mind the lack of originality, unlike this one here.”

The fox sat next to the bird. “Fine! Just call me Red.”

Zach shouted from the clearing, making me jump.

“Becky, is everything alright back there?”

Red recoiled and ran to another hedge with Gray flying close behind. I sighed and made my way back to the group who were all waiting for me. Chase looked especially impatient, folding his arms and tapping his foot.

“Okay gang,” said Zach. “Let’s go!”

⬙

I woke up late needing to pee. Mom and dad were sound asleep, dad snoring loudly as usual. I crawled to the tent opening and slowly unzipped, tip-toeing barefoot across the campsite to the restrooms. When I returned I could see the outline of two people by the car park, one adult and one child. As I got closer I could hear a hushed voice. It was Ranger Zach dressed in civvies, and he was talking to Chase.

“What’s going on?” I asked. Zach looked like he’d seen a ghost.

“Shit, Becky!” he said.

I started to giggle. “You said a bad word!”

“What do you want?” said Chase, glaring at me.

“Nothing dorkus!”

“Okay kids,” said Zach quietly. “Keep it down, yeah? We don’t want to wake up the whole camp.”

“Why are you here Ranger Zach?” I asked.

He was momentarily stunned by the question. “Well I… I’m just… The truth is I…”

“We’re going to Wizard island,” said Chase. “For a special badge. But it’s only for me because I’m the best Junior Ranger.”

“That’s not fair,” I said. “I’m a good ranger too! I’ve nearly finished my activity book.”

“You’ll never be a good ranger because you only care about stupid dancing and girl stuff!”

“Shut up Chase, or I’ll kick you right in the…”

“That’s enough!” said Zach. “Becky, you’re a great ranger too. How about you come with us, yeah?”

“But Ranger Zach,” whined Chase. “She doesn’t deserve the badge. I already have seven, she doesn’t…”

“I have two special badges!” snapped Zach before composing himself. “And if we leave right now you can both have one. Okay?”

“Yay, I’ll grab my stuff!” I said, running to the tent.

“Wait, Becky!” said Zach impatiently, but I’d already crept into the tent where my parents were still sleeping. I put on my shoes and grabbed my activity book. I also put on a hoodie as it was on the cooler side. Then I went running back to them.

“Right, let’s get going!” said Zach, opening the door to his truck.

“We’re going in the truck?” asked Chase excitedly. “Cool!”

“Yes, it’s cool. Now come on, get in!”

We drove for a while, Chase and I bickering like siblings. Zach told us to settle down a few times, at one point sounding quite angry which made us stop. Eventually we pulled off down a beaten track which took us to the lakeshore. I could see a boat in the headlights.

“Come on kids,” said Zach, getting out of the truck and grabbing a bag from the back. Chase and I hopped out.

“It’s pretty dark,” I said.

Zach opened the bag and pulled out a torch, shining it in my face for a few seconds.

“Is that better princess?” he hissed. I stepped back in shock, nodding my head. His reaction made my tummy flutter. He smiled and touched my shoulder. “Sorry Becky, I’m just very eager to get to the island so you can both be special rangers. Are you ready to earn that badge?”

I nodded enthusiastically. “Yes Ranger Zach!”

“I bet I’ll get mine before you!” said Chase.

“Something tells me you will,” said Zach under his breath, and I was determined to prove him wrong.

It took us around 10 minutes to get to Wizard Island in the small motorized boat. When we pulled up to the dock Zach helped us out, then slung the bag over his shoulder. He shone the torch up the dock.

“Right kids, we’ve got a short hike to the spot. Then it’s badge time!”

As we walked, Chase started to identify various plants and trees that we passed. Zach didn’t seem particularly impressed, not really paying attention. We must have walked for at least half an hour, most of it uphill. My legs were starting to get tired but I didn’t want to say anything, Chase would love making fun of me. I was relieved when Zach told us we’d arrived.

“First things first,” he said, putting down his bag. He pulled out a camera, one of those retro instant ones. “We need to get pictures for mom and dad as they’re not here to witness your achievement.”

He positioned Chase by a tree and knelt in front of him. “Perfect, now smile!”

There was a bright flash and Zach took the photo that ejected from the camera. He then guided me to the same tree.

“You know, there’s something extra special about this moment,” he said.

“What’s that?” I asked.

“You’re the first girl I ever brought here.”

With that I was momentarily blinded by the flash. As I rubbed my eyes to refocus, I had just enough time to see the torch come down on my head.

⬙

I woke up disoriented in a cage in a man-made den. There was a gas lamp offering limited light. I quickly sat up and started rattling the cage.

“Help me!” I screamed, a sudden pain shooting through my head. I touched a spot covered by my cap and felt a painful bump underneath. I cried for a little while until I could hear Chase somewhere nearby crying hysterically as Zach taunted him. It made me freeze in silence.

“What’s the matter Chase? I thought you really wanted a new badge to add to your collection?”

Chase screamed.

“No? Let me guess, you really want your mommy and daddy?”

I shook on the cage door and tried to reach the lock through the bars, but my hands weren't quite small enough. My activity book was crumpled up inside my hoodie. There was an activity where you had to write a poem with each sentence beginning with the letters that spelled the word CRATER. I started to fill it in as Chase’s screams filled me with dread.

C hase is in trouble

R anger Zach is hurting him

A nd I think he’s going to hurt me too

T here’s no one to help us out here

E veryone else is at camp

R ebecca aged 8

I closed the book and curled up, singing to myself as I snivelled.

“‘Cause I’m just a girl, oh little old me, well don’t let me out of your sight… ‘Cause I’m just a girl…”

“Yo Beckster!”

I jumped as Red appeared at the cage door. “Red! How did you get here?”

“I have my ways,” he said. “I’m getting you out!”

He got his teeth around the bolt lock and shook at it. The bolt shifted and the cage door swung open. I crawled out and he gently licked my cheek as I hugged him.

“Thanks Red. We need to help Chase too!”

“Gray’s already on it. Let’s go!”

As I approached the lamp I noticed a small decorative box on the den floor. There were several Junior Ranger badges inside as well as some photographs. Two of them were me and Chase, and there were three more boys who I didn’t recognize. They all had big smiles on their faces as they posed by the tree. On the back of the photos were names and dates written in black marker;

Tommy 1994, Jacob 1997, AJ 2001, Chase 2005, Becky 2005

“Come on Beckster!” said Red. I put the photos in my pocket and made my way out of the den. I could hear Chase whimpering and saw him tied to that tree. There was blood running down his right arm and a bloody knife by his feet.

“Becky!” he cried. “Please help me!”

“Let’s untie him, Beckster,” said Red. I picked up the knife and worked on the rope around Chase’s chest as Red chewed on the one around his legs.

“Where did Zach go Chase?” I asked.

“He ran off into the trees,” he said. “Someone was calling his name!”

When the ropes came free Chase dropped to his knees, his body trembling. I put my arm around him.

“It’s okay, we’re getting off this island.”

His arm was cut badly. I took off my hoodie and used the knife to remove one of the sleeves, then wrapped it around the wound. He groaned as I pulled it tight.

“Sorry,” I said.

“It’s fine,” he said, attempting a smile. “Thank you Becky.”

I gave him a nod and helped him up.

“Come on,” said Red. “Follow me!”

Chase gave me a confused look. “Is… Is that a talking fox or…”

“It is,” I said. “Just don’t think about it right now.”

We followed Red down the path. After a few minutes my heart jumped when I heard Zach shouting in the distance.

“Where are you?”

It was shortly followed by another voice.

“Over here Zachary!”

It was Gray! She was luring him away from us.

“Who said that?” asked Chase.

“A bird,” I said. “For real.”

“Well, a talking bird is a lot easier to believe than a talking fox.”

“And yet here I am!” said Red.

We continued down the path for several minutes. Chase couldn’t run very fast, he was shaken up. I tried my best to keep him supported but it was mostly downhill, and at times quite steep. He inevitably fell down a few times.

“Come on guys!” said Red, running around us.

“I can’t,” cried Chase. “My legs feel like jello.”

I grabbed his shoulders. “You’re the greatest Junior Ranger. You have seven badges, Chase. Seven! You got this!”

His eyes glazed over and he nodded. Before long we were back on our descent, and several uninterrupted minutes passed. Then I could hear the rustling of foliage and loud grunting.

“Zachary!” I heard Gray shout from nearby, but the rustling and grunting kept getting closer.

“Run kids!” she yelled as she flew from the trees. It was shortly followed by a loud noise as Zach burst onto the trail behind us and took a tumble. Chase and I screamed.

“You’re not leaving this island!” roared Zach as he got to his feet and pursued us.

“Come get me Zachary!” yelled Gray as she darted into the trees on the other side, but Zach kept following us down the trail.

“I’m not fooling for your fucking witchcraft again!”

“Keep running,” said Red. “I’ll try and hold him off!”

Red made a U-turn. I looked over my shoulder to see him darting around Zach’s feet.

“Fuck off!” screamed Zach, but it worked. He took another tumble.

“The boat’s just up ahead,” said Gray as she flew around us. Our surroundings were becoming more clear as night slowly became morning. I could see the lake surface shimmering in the distance.

“Look out Beckster!” yelled Red, and the wind was knocked out of me as Zach pulled on my ponytail. Chase fell down into the foliage.

“You little bitch!” snarled Zach, his arm tight around my neck. I punched and scratched at it but he brought his other arm around my upper body and squeezed tight. “Note to self; don’t ever bring another girl to Wizard Island.”

“Let her go!” Red growled, followed by a yowl as Zach kicked out.

“Pick on someone your own size!” Gray yelled as she started dive bombing. Zach cried out and released one arm to swat the air.

“What is this, a fucking Disney movie?”

“And we all know how they end for the villain,” said Gray, but she cried out as Zach knocked her aside.

“Not this time, Tweety Pie!” he laughed, and I started seeing stars as Zach’s grip on my neck tightened.

“That’s not even Disney!” I heard Chase scream, followed by a whack!

I fell to my knees and clutched my neck. Chase was standing nearby holding a large fallen branch, and Zach was laying on the ground groaning. Chase threw the branch aside and helped me up. I couldn’t see Red and Gray as we continued down the trail, but a weight lifted when I saw the boat gently bobbing on the lake, and two familiar outlines sitting on the dock.

“You’re okay!” I said as we approached them.

“He might be the runt of the litter,” said Gray. “And he occasionally tries to eat me, but together we’re pretty unstoppable!”

“Ah, you know I’m just playin’ Gray!” said Red, tapping her with a paw. “You look kinda gristly anyway.”

Chase and I climbed into the boat.

“Are you coming with us?” I asked.

“Don’t worry about us, Becky,” said Gray. “I can fly home and this one always finds a way back.”

“It’s a secret,” said Red.

Gray hopped onto the engine. “You need to pull that cord really hard to start the motor.”

Red bit the rope that looped over a dock post and lifted it off, detaching the boat. “Use that lever to steer.”

Just then Zach came running from the trees screaming bloody murder.

“Start the engine Becky!” yelled Gray.

My hands shook as I pulled the cord, I couldn’t get enough momentum. “I can’t do it!”

“Let me help,” said Chase, putting his left hand over my right. “Three-Two-One pull!”

“Nobody leaves Wizard Island alive!” Zach screamed.

The boat slowly moved away from the dock on its own. We were around 30 feet away from it when Zach ran into the lake and started swimming in our direction. We frantically kept trying to start the engine.

“Yo!” yelled Red from the dock. “What’s something special about Crater Lake?”

Chase and I looked at each other and shouted in unison. “It’s the deepest lake in the United States!”

“Exactly!” said Gray, who had flown to the boat. “I think it’s time we called on an old friend from the deep.”

⬙

By the time the sun was shining and the temperature had risen, we were reunited with our parents. We’d eventually got back to shore and used the radio in Zach’s truck to call for help. The campsite was filled with rangers, police, and paramedics.

Chase was patched up professionally before he was taken to hospital. We waved to each other before the ambulance doors closed. Chase’s mom rode with him. Lou gave me a hug and then left with her dad, following the ambulance in their car.

I had a small wound on my head and some bruising around my neck. Before I was taken to hospital myself a police officer came to talk to me as I sipped hot chocolate. I was sandwiched between my parents. It was then that I remembered the photographs in my pocket and handed them to the officer. I felt my mom shiver as she kissed my forehead.

I hope those boys’ families found closure and were able to heal over time. Thankfully Zach would never lay a hand on another child again.

“What happened to Ranger Zachary?” the police officer asked.

“He drowned,” I said. “He tried to swim after us and drowned.”

I didn’t mention our heroes, Red and Gray. Chase and I had decided to keep it to ourselves because it sounded crazy. We escaped on our own was the correct answer. Drowning was the correct answer. The alternative was too fantastical for an adult to believe.

Crater Lake is deep, and home to at least one creature straight from the pages of fiction. I can still hear Zach’s screams.

dd

DB