There are a lot of strange people in the world who claim that they've seen some pretty strange things. Big Foot and the Lock Ness Monster for example, and UFOs. Of course, none of these strange people can come up with any proof that what they say they've seen is the real thing, and I suppose that I can't either, but I've got the story to tell either way. It's a true story, and whether or not you want to believe it is your choice, but I know what I saw. You see, one August I discovered that Pepper Ann really and truly does exist.

No, seriously! I'm not trying to kid you. I saw her, and so did my mom. And my dad. And I'm sure that if my dog had been there he would have seen her too, but he couldn't prove it because dogs can't talk. But I'm digressing here. By now you're probably wondering what kind of crazy fool I am and what the whole story is. So here goes.

For a few days one August, my parents and I were on vacation at Lake Champlain. Nothing out of the ordinary had happened; the most unusual event was the daily passing of the ice cream truck around the campground we were staying at. In other words, everything was perfectly normal. At least it was, until that one day when we were making lunch and Mom said the words that changed the rest of my vacation.

"I saw a girl who looked just like Pepper Ann," was what she said as we were making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

I recall that I stopped spreading the jelly onto my sandwich and looked at her. "No way," was basically my response. Come on, would you believe something like that? Who could have the same hair, the same glasses, the same clothes, the same look that Pepper Ann has? It was one of the few things that I decided I'd have to see to believe.

For the next day or so, I kept my eyes open for anyone who looked even remotely like Pepper Ann. I thought I saw the girl once, but I couldn't be sure; I was still in doubt that such a girl could exist. Then my mom found the campsite where the Pepper Ann girl (as I've now started calling her) and her family were staying. It was, surprisingly, only a few spots down from where we were staying.

The next day, I got my chance. I finally saw the Pepper Ann girl. And Mom had not been kidding or exaggerating when she'd described the girl to me. Not only was the girl skinny, light-skinned, and red-haired, but she was wearing glasses that were the exact same shape as Pepper Ann's. And her hair was in the exact same style, or as close as you can get to it in real life. Needless to say, I was both amazed and fascinated. For the rest of the trip, every time I could get a glimpse of the Pepper Ann girl, I did. I even saw her wearing purple shirts a couple of times, and once she was riding bikes with her little sister (who, fortunately, did not look anything like Moose; that would have been a bit too freaky).

Unfortunately, that's basically where my story ends. I never got to talk to the Pepper Ann girl, and I'm not even sure if she spoke English anyway (a lot of people who go to that campground are French-speaking Canadians). But if I see her again, maybe I'll get to know more about her. Is she like Pepper Ann in more than just her appearance? Or is she completely unaware that she even looks like Pepper Ann? Or maybe she's just a "doppelganger" like Didi. Either way, I hope to see her again sometime. Then maybe, just maybe, I'll be able to add to this story: my story of the Pepper Ann girl.