Read Online The Haunted Igloo by Bonnie Turner - Free Book Online Page B

began the long decline
into the village. Chinook stood behind the sled on the runners, so
he could control the speed of the sled with the hand brake. Hauling
a sled full of boys was very easy for Amarok, he being strong
enough to pull the sled all the way to the Yukon on a single
run.
    “ It was a smart trick, Nanuk!” yelled
Aiverk. “Building a new entrance on the apudyak and smashing it down after he
went inside.”
    Nanuk giggled. “Buried the
entrance! So only we know where it is! Jean-Paul will be as white as an okalerk when he comes
out.”
    “ We might have to go back sooner!”
Chinook hunched his shoulders up around his ears and stuck his chin
into his parka, away from the blowing, blinding snow. “We’re
getting a blizzard for sure!”
    He slowed the sled as
Amarok swung into the main street of Aklavik. In a few minutes they
stopped in front of the Hudson’s Bay trading post, then went inside
to warm up.
    There was no heat in the building, for
Inuits were used to doing without. But compared with the raging
storm outdoors, this room was quite comfortable.
    At one side was a long
counter, and shelves behind it were stacked with supplies to make
life bearable in the Northwest Territories: mackinaws, wool and
flannel shirts and underwear, handmade sealskin boots. An
assortment of snow knives and skinning tools were displayed in one
area. Kettles and pots hung by their handles from hooks and nails.
Several bolts of brightly colored calico lay at one end of the
counter. Huge bundles of pelts were stacked on the floor against
the counter, ready to be moved to one of the warehouses. A lamp
with an oil-smoked chimney glowed dimly overhead, and the room
smelled of rancid oil and musky animal hides.
    Two Inuit men shouted
loudly at the clerk, Ola Hanson, not even looking at the boys. In
the cold room, Ola wore his parka, mittens, and a stocking cap.
When business was slow, he retreated to the “native room” at the
back of the store, where people from the village often gathered for
“mug ups” of tea and games of checkers.
    Chinook glanced at the men
and lowered his voice as he rubbed his hands together. “We should
go back for Jean-Paul now.”
    “ You think maybe he’s had enough,
Chinook?” asked Nanuk. “If he’s the coward I think he is, he won’t
know two hours from two minutes inside that apudyak .”
    Aiverk shook his head. “A
blizzard is coming fast,” he said. “You guys can go back without
me. All I want is to go home now.”
    “ All you want is to feed your fat
belly,” scolded Chinook, “and warm your fat behind inside a thick
robe! But think of poor Jean-Paul inside that apudyak ! ”
    “ Poor Jean-Paul, poor Jean-Paul!”
mocked Aiverk. “Well, I’m going to think of poor Aiverk! You don’t
catch Aiverk fooling around in a blizzard!”
    The men glanced at the boys
as Aiverk’s voice rose. “Want something?” Ola asked.
    Chinook shook his head.
“Nah, just getting warm,” he said.
    Everyone looked up at the ceiling as a blast
of wind shook the building.
    Nanuk whispered, “The wind
must be eighty miles an hour! But I’ll go with you, Chinook. I want
to see if Jean-Paul’s still alive.” He punched his friend on the
arm.
    “ It isn’t funny now,” Chinook told
Nanuk. “After I get warm, I’m going back for him, even if I have to
go alone.”

    ____________

    C ordell sat at his desk, his thoughts unsettled. Jean-Paul should be home by now. The wind moaned. Cordell looked at the
ceiling. A blizzard ? He put a sheet of paper in the typewriter. He held his
fingers curled over the keys for a moment, then lowered his hands
to his lap, balling them into tight fists. I must stop this ! Jean-Paul’s probably on his way home right now. He’s dressed
like a polar bear, and with boys who’ve lived all their lives in
this country. The wind roared and it
rattled the windows. The blanket on the wall drifted outward, a
blast of frigid air pushing through the cracks. Snow sifted