The Chief is away on the mainland, and Ava has been left alone with Osceola at Swamplandia! Osceola, still obsessed with The Spiritist’s Telegraph and her Ouija board, keeps to herself. Ava watches the gators, reads mystery novels until 4 am in the floating library boat, and sleeps on the sofa with all of the house lights blazing on the nights when Osceola fails to return home. The girls are not entirely idle, however. They work together to clear invasive Melaleuca trees, imported to help drain the Everglades in hopes of turning the area into a vast tract of farmland. Their family has long been dedicated to clearing these swamp killers, and the girls chop down trees and poison stumps even though their father is not there to help them with the project. While clearing, they spot a dark object on the horizon. They decide to investigate and when they get closer, they realize that it is an old dredging boat. Osceola is sure that it is haunted and once they board the vessel, promptly takes out her Ouija board. Ava is less sure about the presence of