Mystery in the Camp

Doña María had brought the tablecloths, listened and then said:
—In the village they say that strange things are happening in the camp. I have told them that it’s children’s games, but some people rumour that there may be a curse in the air.
The children shuddered. Doña María’s voice sounded serious and deep.
—Don’t scare them, Doña María —said Lola, who tried to sound cheerful and carefree—. People always talk for the sake of talking.
—But it’s true —the woman insisted—. Father Luis was worried; no one had ever stolen even the coins from the collection and now they break in at night and take out an ancient crucifix that appears in a little mountainside shrine. That’s not child’s play, no sir.

Diego and Pablo go to a children’s camp in the mountains. Every night, they gather around the fire to tell horror stories, which strangely, seem to come to life the next day: signs are found that scare children. The cousins, together with their new friend Cósima, will try to solve the mystery.

Key points

• Through believable and agile dialogues, children will use logical and deductive thinking to develop the hypotheses that will lead them to unveil each mystery.

Beatriz García-Huidobro

1997 – Finalist in Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz Award, FIL Guadalajara