Shadows of Caesar's Creek Read Online Free

scribbled a few words, then stood silently, breathing deeply of the sweet, crisp air.
    Ziggy didn’t have time for poetic moments. Herushed past the rest of them and ran down the path toward the lake. “Whoopee” he cried. “Let’s go fishing”
    â€œYou probably scared away every fish for a hundred miles,” called Noni. “Let’s get these tents up first. We’ll set them up in this clearing—girls’ tent over here, boys’ tent over there. We’ll make our campfire in the middle.”
    Noni had been carrying the two tents on her pack. She showed them how easy it was to change the small folded objects into tents. Rashawn and Jerome helped her with the stakes, while Mimi and Tiana pulled and wrapped the rope. Rico and Ziggy went to collect twigs for the fire, while Brandy and Liza unrolled the sleeping bags and unpacked the food.
    â€œWhere are you gonna sleep, Noni?” Liza asked.
    â€œSince this is the larger tent, I’ll sleep with the girls, of course,” she replied.
    â€œWell, who’s gonna protect
us
?” Jerome inquired. “Suppose a bear comes and kidnaps us while you’re sleeping?”
    â€œYou’ve got Ziggy,” Noni replied with a laugh. “No bear would dare bother you”
    Ziggy and Rico returned just then. Each carried an armload of sticks. “What’s so funny, mon?” Ziggy asked with a grin.
    â€œOh, nothing,” said Mimi, giggling. “Just thinking about what Ziggybear soup might taste like”
    â€œYummy, of course, mon” Ziggy laughed as he dumped the pile of sticks right near Mimi’s foot.
    â€œSorry, no Ziggybear soup today,” said Noni, “but let’s eat lunch. You all have worked very hard this morning.”
    â€œAll right” cheered Rashawn. He pulled a large, overstuffed brown paper lunch bag out of his backpack. He dumped the contents on the grass in front of him—a bag of potato chips, three cheese sandwiches, an apple, an orange, a large plastic bottle of juice, and six chocolate cookies.
    â€œHow many did you pack for, Rashawn?” asked Rico. “You got enough there for an army.”
    â€œIt will take an army to get it from me,” mumbled Rashawn as he bit into the apple. “I’m hungry”
    â€œDo you want to trade one of those cheese sandwiches for my ham sandwich?” Tiana asked Rashawn.
    Rashawn shook his head. His mouth was too full to reply. Jerome told her, “Naw, you keep it. He won’t trade. Rashawn doesn’t eat meat.”
    â€œOh, yeah, I forgot,” Tiana muttered. She felt a little embarrassed.
    Rashawn grinned at her. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll take one of your cupcakes for a chocolate cookie, though,” he said, offering it to her.
    Rico and Ziggy giggled. They knew that Rashawn didn’t give up his chocolate cookies for just anybody. Tiana smiled as she nibbled at the cookie.
    Ziggy’s lunch was a sight to behold. Each of the pockets of the purplecoat held something different. First he pulled out his peanut-butter-and-pickle sandwich and set it in front of him. From another pocket he pulled a grapefruit. From a pocket with a zippercame a bottle of juice—prune juice. In a large, buttoned pocket, wrapped in foil, he had hidden four large pancakes. Two were covered with jelly; two were covered with ketchup. Finally, he pulled what looked like the largest piece of fried chicken ever seen out of the final pocket.

    â€œWhat is
that
?” hooted Liza. “Fried chicken for a giant?”
    â€œNo, mon,” replied Ziggy with fake dignity as he bit into it. “It’s fried turkey. Doesn’t everybody eat at Kentucky Fried Turkey?”
    Ziggy kept them all laughing as they finished their lunches and watched him gobble his amazing meal. Rico, Rashawn, and Jerome were used to Ziggy’s unusual eating habits, but the girls couldn’t believe it as