Chapter 8

CHAPTER 8 THE NEXT MORNING MONDAY, AUGUST 7, 1967 THE CABIN Mel woke up to the smell of eggs and toast. Kevin was gone; he'd left his stuffed alligator tucked in next to Mel. Mel threw on her jeans and sweatshirt and padded into the kitchen. Kevin had

finished breakfast and was busily drawing a picture. "Look, Melly!" he cried. "It's a picture of me and my wolverine beating up that mean grizzly!" Mel kissed his head and looked over his shoulder at his scribbles. Somehow Kevin had turned last night's terror into a thrilling adventure. She wished she was a little kid again. Pops looked tired, too. Mel doubted he'd closed his eyes last night. But he smiled as he served her a plate heaped with scrambled eggs and buttery toast. There was a knock at the door. They all jumped a little bit, before a familiar voice called out, "Hello!" "Aunt Cassie!" Kevin said gleefully. "Come in!" Pops answered. A moment later, the door swung open and Aunt Cassie appeared. With her yellow-and-pink dress and her green suitcase in hand, Aunt Cassie looked

like a flower — a six-foot flower with round glasses and an Afro. Mel's throat tightened. The last time she'd seen Aunt Cassie was at Mom's funeral, in December. Aunt Cassie had written Mel about ten letters since then. But Mel hadn't written back. She'd never known what to say. And now she felt ashamed. She couldn't even look at Aunt Cassie. But before Mel knew it, Aunt Cassie's arms were around her. "I've missed you!" she said. She put her hand on Mel's cheek so Mel had no choice but to meet her gaze. And to Mel's surprise, there wasn't even a flicker of anger in Aunt Cassie's eyes. Just the usual love and maybe a touch of sadness. Somehow, that split-second look between her and Aunt Cassie said more than one hundred letters could. "And you, little man," Aunt Cassie said to Kevin. "You've grown at least a foot!" Kevin hopped up and hugged her around the legs.

"So…" Aunt Cassie said when Kevin finally let go. "Who wants to tell me what happened here?" She pointed to the cabin door. Or what was left of it. The wood of the door was cracked, the hinges bent. There were deep scratches in it from the bear's claws. "A grizzly came here!" Kevin cried. "It wanted to eat me! I was brave!" Aunt Cassie looked at Mel and Pops. "Believe it or not, that's exactly what happened," Pops said. Pops poured Aunt Cassie some coffee, and they told her the whole story. Aunt Cassie listened with wide eyes. "I've never heard of a grizzly acting like that!" she said when they were finished. And Aunt Cassie knew as much about grizzlies as Mel and Pops did. Because she'd also been coming to Glacier her whole life.

Aunt Cassie and Mom actually met here as little girls splashing around in Lake McDonald. They'd told Mel all about the adventures they'd had together. The craziest ideas were always Mom's. She and Aunt Cassie would hike all day to find a secret waterfall or fishing hole. Sometimes they'd get lost and straggle home — smudged with dirt and covered with scratches — as the sun was coming down. But of course that was half the fun. Now Aunt Cassie lived in Chicago. She was a writer for all different magazines. She'd even won some prizes. Mom was so proud of her. Mel moved her chair toward Aunt Cassie. Being close to her made Mel feel calmer. But she still shuddered as she pictured that grizzly's claws aimed right at Kevin's face. "That bear… it was like a monster," Mel said. "It sure was," Pops agreed. "There had to be something… wrong with it." "What did the rangers say?" Aunt Cassie asked.

"Nothing yet," Pops said, clearing Kevin's plate. "I called earlier but there was no answer. They must be busy with the fires. I plan to stop by the station later. But first I want to go to town and get a lock for the front door." He glanced at Mel. "Just to be sure." Mel looked at Cassie, then back at Pops. "What if Aunt Cassie and I go to the station?" she said. "I can tell them what happened." She wanted the rangers to do something about the bear… now. Cassie's face brightened. "Sounds good to me," she said. "I'm curious to hear what they'll say." "That's fine," Pops said. Then he turned to Kevin. "Let's go, wolverine boy. We're going to town." "Ice cream!" Kevin boomed. On the way out the front door, Mel eyed the deep, jagged scratches in the wood. It looked like a maniac with an ax had tried to chop the door