3 STRANGE RANGER

CHAPTER 3 STRANGE RANGER Howdy! I'm Ranger Harry!" said the man at the gate. He looked like a cross between a bear and a lumberjack. In sandals. "Oh, hi!" said Alexander's dad. "Glad to see a friendly face!"

Ranger Harry knelt down by Alexander. He had a bushy ponytail, a shaggy beard, and the hairiest arms Alexander had ever seen. "You must be Alexander Bopp," he said. "You're the last chipmunk to arrive." "Uh, yeah," said Alexander. He couldn't stop staring at the ranger's hairy feet. Even his toes were shaggy. Ranger Harry opened the gate. "Say bye to your dad and go on ahead to the campfire circle!" he said. Alexander grabbed his things from the car. "Happy camping, AI!" said his dad, giving him a tight squeeze.

"See you in a week, Dad," said Alexander. He headed into the woods, and stopped when the path forked in different directions. Great, thought Alexander. There's no sign for campfire circle. I've been at camp for two minutes, and I'm already lost.

"Salamander!" shouted a voice. "Where have you been, Salamander?" shouted another voice. Alexander grinned. Only two people called him Salamander: the other two members of the S.S.M.P. "Rip! Nikki!" he shouted. He turned to see his friends running down the trail. They were both soaked with sweat. Instead of her usual hoodie, Nikki wore a floppy yellow sunhat.

"What a hat!" said Alexander. "Hat?!" said Rip. "It looks like a glob of pizza dough landed on her head!" Nikki rolled her eyes. "This big hat keeps me shaded," she said. "It works better than sunblock." Nikki was secretly a monster called a jampire. A good monster. Sees in the dark MUST AVOID SUNLIGHT! likes red juicy food Alexander wiped the sweat from his brow. "So, guys," he said. "Which way should we go?" "Beats me!" said Rip. "Ranger Scary sent us out on our own, too."

They tried a few trails, and finally found the campfire circle. Three other kids stood near an empty fire pit. Behind the pit was a hill of white grainy stuff that looked like sand. Ranger Harry stood on the hill. "Hello, possums!" he shouted. "Welcome to Camp Gloamy!" He tugged at his beard. "Hmm... I thought there'd be more of you," he said. "Oh, well. Tell us who you are and why you're here."