It was Saturday the last day of staff training, everything was being cleaned. Support staff where moving into Wigwam, a two story building that has rooms that house four to five people. All the senior councilors were assigned junior councilors for the first week. Brandon had been put with Scott, a slightly overweight kid with a huge gap between his front teeth and a blonde white-man-afro, in the cabin: Chinook. Amanda and Madison’s cabins were beside each other, Amanda was with Tiffany in Challenger and Madison was in Black Tusk with Olivia. Everyone was cleaning their new cabins, making signs for the door, or just messing around with their friends. Finding an inflatable pool ring in his cabin, Kai put on his shoes. Seeing that the sign with the cabin name, Typhoon, hanging vertically from a single nail Kai pushed the other side back into the wood of the cabin front. Picking the pool ring up Kai began walking towards the waterfront to put it away. On the way he passed Devin who was videoing the clean up in a tree, and eating a pudding filled pastry. Not trying to disturb Devin’s work Kai walked on narrowly being missed by a pudding drop from Devin’s hand. Putting the ring around his neck like a necklace, Kai ran down to the waterfront. Reaching the lake front, that had been covered in sand that had been trucked in summer 1985, Kai looked around for a lifeguard; but none there were none present. Strolling over to boathouse, that held all the life jackets and other water toys, Kai tried his key in the front door. Opening the door only a crack so just his body could enter Kai walked to the back of the boathouse in the dark wishing he had brought a light or left the door open. Reaching the back door of the boathouse where he guessed the pool ring would go, he opened it thankful that there was some light filtering from a few small high mounted windows.
Kai walked into the backroom to find two shadowed figures. Kai automatically recognized the large man figure as Kevin, the large ex-soldier brother of Dannaya his crush. The other character was a woman, but Kai had no idea who it was. Kai would have greeted them except that they where passionately kissing. Kai, wasn’t sure what he should do, should he just drop the pool ring and leave without a word. Kai after a fraction of a second of thinking dropped the pool ring and ran as fast as he could through the open area of the dark boathouse. Kai didn’t know why he did this, but there he was running as fast as he could towards a closed door in the dark. Holding his hands out in front of him Kai saw the faint glare of sun under the massive door. Crashing into the door, Kai took a step back from the pain in his left shoulder that had bashed into the wooden door. Kai turned back to faintly see Kevin’s body standing in the door of the backroom.
“Who is that?” Kevin said, in his loud deep voice. Kai gave no answer, but wrenched the door open, exiting as fast as he could. Kai ran across the sand, going over a way to loss his pursuer. Kai looked back, to see Kevin coming out of the boathouse. Quickly hiding behind a tree, Kai whipped off his shirt and threw it into a tree thinking that way he couldn’t be recognized.
“Hey Kai!” Kevin’s voice echoed into the woods and over the water of the lake. Kai stood motionless behind the tree, hoping Kevin would just go away. “Dude I see you behind the tree.” Kai broke away from the tree and started jogging down the path in front of the water front.
“Oh hey, Kevin! It’s it a great day for a run eh?” Kai lied to make it look like that’s what he was doing.
“Dude you’re wearing slip-on shoes, who runs in slip-ons?”
“Well it’s way better,” Kai fumbled for words, “with my foot virus, I have to do this.”
“Dude I know you saw me in the boathouse.” Kevin said taking a step closer.
“Boathouse? We have a boathouse, like ‘toot toot!’ boats, like ferries and yachts, and stuff like that? I didn’t know we had some thing like that.” Kevin pointed at the large wooden building beside them with the words: Boathouse written in faded red paint. “Oh that boathouse! Oh no I was just running, great for your health, well you would know, cause you are healthy and fit. Not that I’m looking at how fit you are, it’s not like I’m saying how fit you are or anything like that just…wow that’s a nice sign for the boathouse really…” Kai had run out of words, “…awesome.” Kevin stood his face in a solid shape, suddenly his face erupted into a laugh.
“That was the best thing I’ve heard, in a long time.” Kevin stood smiling, which was actually the first of only five smiles, Kai would even see on Kevin’s face. “Dude, I don’t care if you saw me making out with her.” Kai stood shirtless covered in goose bumps, smiling but continually thinking that he was going to die for this. “But if you could not tell people that would be great, there is not really suppose to be dating at camp. It’s policy: no inter staff dating.”
“Well I guess I’ll just go back to my cabin,” Kai said, backing up towards the path back to the field. “See you later.” Kevin waved and went back to the boathouse. Kai turned relieved he had survived and headed back to his cabin; grabbing his shirt from the tree he had thrown it into. “Well guess I got something to black mail him with…” Kai said to himself, “well kind of. Who was that girl?”
Thursday, June 24, 2010
The Wolf-Bird-Man
Changing out of her wet jeans and tee shirt, Dannaya meet Julie at the door of her cabin. Dannaya had been helping out with the water safety course at the waterfront and had fallen into the water climbing into a canoe. It had been all Kevin’s fault, he hadn’t tied the canoe to the dock so when she stepped into the boat it sailed away; which made Dannaya fall into the water.
“Hey Julie.” Dannaya said closing the door to her cabin, “What do you want to do for the next two hours of free time?”
“We could always go for a hike.” Julie said. Julie had grown up in a small town in the Rockies, a town where kids carried knives from a young age to defend themselves from mountain lions. Julies childhood included hunting, fishing, bushwhacking, and ATVing. Julie was extremely comfortable in the bush, unfortunately she did not have a very good sense of direction, mostly because he brothers never let her lead the groups. She was also the girl that as a young child when people saw her didn’t know if she was a boy or girl because of her short hair. Since then she had grown her hair out a little but still wore all boys clothes, and walked like a trucker. “Yeah there is this really good trail up to Wolfbirdman’s perch.”
“No idea where that is, but sure lets go.” Dannaya and Julie began walking up the center gravel road of camp, Dannaya stopping at the staff room for a drink of water. Before they entered the trail head, they looked over to see group of people playing in the creek; Dannaya noticed one in particular, Kai. “Hey we should invite Kai.”
“No, I want this to be a girl talk. I haven’t seen you since last year.” Julie said starting down the trail, “We’ll be back in half an hour.”
[two hours later]
“I think we’re lost!” Dannaya cried out sitting down on a log. “It’s been two hours.”
[Editor’s note: To save you two hours of reading I have condensed the events and conversation into a brief list: conversations: boys, life at home, boys, how protective Kevin had been since their parents had divorced four years ago, boys, how weird it would be if someone liked Kevin, the legend of the Wolf birdman (camp legend states that he is half wolf, half bird, half man, and 100% killer. He eats wild animals and can be heard on stormy nights howling at the wind, and every morning he makes bird noises after he pranks your cabin.). Events: the two of them went on a smaller trial, and fell into a stream, almost fell off a waterfall, found a rope buried in the dirt, found a deer bone that they thought was a human bone, found a rusty water barrel on a wooden stand, tire tracks and a fresh grave for a dog named molly, wandered through the forest.]
“We are not lost, I know exactly where we are.” Julie said standing on top of a stump pretending to look into the distance.
“Where is that?” Dannaya said swatting a mosquito off her neck. Julie looked over and shrugged then froze. Julie slowly put up her finger to her lips and pointed behind Dannaya. Turning, Dannaya saw a flash of dark fur behind a rustling bush. Jumping from the stump, Julie ran full speed down the slight incline. Dannaya was quickly on her heels running as fast she could. Dodging trees Dannaya looked backwards and slowed down. She couldn’t see anything behind her, suddenly she heard the piercing cry of a bird of prey. As quickly as she had slowed she quickened back into running. Bursting into a meadow full of tall grass, Dannaya screamed out in terror, “I love you Kai!” head down running Dannaya ran head long into Julie who was standing on the edge of the lake. Both girls tumbled into the water. Sputtering, Julie came to the surface.
“I found camp.” Julie said turning to Dannaya. She pointed to her right, and there it was, the dock, boathouse, guard shack, and tree line.
“Well that’s embaressing!” Dannaya said climbing back up onto the dry shore from the three foot deep water. “I just got dry too.”
“Which part, being so close to camp and not knowing it? Or confessing your love to Kai this close to camp?” Julie said poking fun at Dannaya. “I still don’t understand why you chose Kai, he’s kinda weird.”
“No, it’s just his friends.” Dannaya said, starting the walk along the shore line back to camp. “Seriously if we do start going out, I’m defiantly going to make him stop hanging out with them.” Dannaya said turning to Julie. “I will not be seen hanging out with that group of losers.”
“Hey Julie.” Dannaya said closing the door to her cabin, “What do you want to do for the next two hours of free time?”
“We could always go for a hike.” Julie said. Julie had grown up in a small town in the Rockies, a town where kids carried knives from a young age to defend themselves from mountain lions. Julies childhood included hunting, fishing, bushwhacking, and ATVing. Julie was extremely comfortable in the bush, unfortunately she did not have a very good sense of direction, mostly because he brothers never let her lead the groups. She was also the girl that as a young child when people saw her didn’t know if she was a boy or girl because of her short hair. Since then she had grown her hair out a little but still wore all boys clothes, and walked like a trucker. “Yeah there is this really good trail up to Wolfbirdman’s perch.”
“No idea where that is, but sure lets go.” Dannaya and Julie began walking up the center gravel road of camp, Dannaya stopping at the staff room for a drink of water. Before they entered the trail head, they looked over to see group of people playing in the creek; Dannaya noticed one in particular, Kai. “Hey we should invite Kai.”
“No, I want this to be a girl talk. I haven’t seen you since last year.” Julie said starting down the trail, “We’ll be back in half an hour.”
[two hours later]
“I think we’re lost!” Dannaya cried out sitting down on a log. “It’s been two hours.”
[Editor’s note: To save you two hours of reading I have condensed the events and conversation into a brief list: conversations: boys, life at home, boys, how protective Kevin had been since their parents had divorced four years ago, boys, how weird it would be if someone liked Kevin, the legend of the Wolf birdman (camp legend states that he is half wolf, half bird, half man, and 100% killer. He eats wild animals and can be heard on stormy nights howling at the wind, and every morning he makes bird noises after he pranks your cabin.). Events: the two of them went on a smaller trial, and fell into a stream, almost fell off a waterfall, found a rope buried in the dirt, found a deer bone that they thought was a human bone, found a rusty water barrel on a wooden stand, tire tracks and a fresh grave for a dog named molly, wandered through the forest.]
“We are not lost, I know exactly where we are.” Julie said standing on top of a stump pretending to look into the distance.
“Where is that?” Dannaya said swatting a mosquito off her neck. Julie looked over and shrugged then froze. Julie slowly put up her finger to her lips and pointed behind Dannaya. Turning, Dannaya saw a flash of dark fur behind a rustling bush. Jumping from the stump, Julie ran full speed down the slight incline. Dannaya was quickly on her heels running as fast she could. Dodging trees Dannaya looked backwards and slowed down. She couldn’t see anything behind her, suddenly she heard the piercing cry of a bird of prey. As quickly as she had slowed she quickened back into running. Bursting into a meadow full of tall grass, Dannaya screamed out in terror, “I love you Kai!” head down running Dannaya ran head long into Julie who was standing on the edge of the lake. Both girls tumbled into the water. Sputtering, Julie came to the surface.
“I found camp.” Julie said turning to Dannaya. She pointed to her right, and there it was, the dock, boathouse, guard shack, and tree line.
“Well that’s embaressing!” Dannaya said climbing back up onto the dry shore from the three foot deep water. “I just got dry too.”
“Which part, being so close to camp and not knowing it? Or confessing your love to Kai this close to camp?” Julie said poking fun at Dannaya. “I still don’t understand why you chose Kai, he’s kinda weird.”
“No, it’s just his friends.” Dannaya said, starting the walk along the shore line back to camp. “Seriously if we do start going out, I’m defiantly going to make him stop hanging out with them.” Dannaya said turning to Julie. “I will not be seen hanging out with that group of losers.”
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)