Storymania - Summer Camp by Johan Keylay

Summer Camp
Johan Keylay

Friday, June 19th:

Take care of him. Who gives a damn about him anyway?

     That was the first voice. Eddie started hearing that voice two days ago and then he heard the second one that morning after breakfast. The second voice was almost a relief to him, mostly because it was in such contrast to the first one, the one he was hearing right now.

I’M keeping a list, Eddie my boy - don’t worry. I’m writing Harris’s name at the top of the list, with Carl’s name underneath. In ink.

  Eddie listened to the voice for a while longer and continued his walk to the supply shed.

Two weeks ago:

     “Mom! Have you seen my hiking boots?” Eddie asked. He was packing his bag for camp as slowly as he could. Eddie thought that because he was twelve (Almost thirteen!) he shouldn’t have to go to Summer Camp. He was old enough to stay home during the day while his parents worked, right? Well he thought so anyway. This would be the second year his parents had signed him up for Summer Camp and Eddie was dreading it – he hated camp last year.
     “Check the laundry room,” his mother yelled from the bathroom. Yep, his boots were there.
     Half an hour later a young boy of twelve stood at he front door to his house, holding a red duffle bag. He was wearing a purple t-shirt with a pocket, and also wearing a sullen expression.
     “Mom? Do I really have to go?”
His mother looked down and ruffled his hair (he hated it when she did that!) and told him that once he got there he would enjoy himself. She was always saying things like that, those little bits of motherly wisdom that seemed to be true more often than not. But he knew that wasn’t the case this time. He was miserable last summer and he had no reason to believe things would be any different this summer.
     Despite his protests, Eddie’s mother finally managed to get him in the car.
     “You remembered to pack at least a week’s worth of outfits, right Eddie?”
     “Yeah mom,” Eddie said in a monotonous voice, as if on autopilot. His mom continued with her questions, but for Eddie, they just faded to the background. He was thinking about last year at camp:

     It started almost immediately, the day after he arrived in camp in fact. Things started out pretty well the first day. The camp counselors sat the kids down on the floor of the recreation building in a circle and had them all introduce themselves. Each kid had to say one thing about themselves to help everyone get to know each other. Eddie was sitting to the right of a girl named Sarah, who just happened to have a dog and liked to read. To his left was Victor Michaels. Almost from first sight Eddie had developed a little crush on Sarah and was beginning to think that summer camp might not be so bad after all. He didn’t talk much to Sarah that day, being too afraid to strike up a conversation, but he did talk to Victor. Vic had been his only friend during that long, long month of summer camp. The boys were split up and put into two cabins, six boys in each cabin and Eddie ended up sharing the same cabin as Vic. Unfortunately he was also was sharing the cabin with Carl, Steve and Harris – the terrors of Cabin number two, at least that’s how Eddie ended up thinking of them. The other kid that shared the cabin with them, Davey Werner, was okay. He pretty much kept to himself.
     The trouble started the next morning when Eddie woke up…
     When the group introductions were finished that first day, the counselors, Mark and Boo, took the group on a quick tour of the camp, showing them all the facilities, and one of the attractions was a natural spring with a small geyser that would erupt in a small fountain at irregular intervals. Eddie thought the spring smelled really bad – he had learned about natural springs and geysers and such the previous year in school. He knew the bad smell was due to deposits of sulfur in and around the spring that came from underground…
     Well, when Eddie woke up, that second morning at camp, he was greeted by the awful smell of sulfur. It turned out that the leader of the Terrors of cabin number two, Harris, had returned to the spring that evening and collected a few samples of crystallized sulfur. Harris sought out a victim and chose Eddie for God only knows what reason. It wasn’t anything new to Eddie; he always seemed to be the obvious target to all bullies. Eddie thought maybe the fact that he was short for his age, skinny and wore large coke bottle glasses had something to do with it…anyhow, Harris had crushed up the sulfur and sprinkled it all over Eddie and Eddie’s bed. He must have rolled over several times in the night, because he was completely covered in the brown powdery substance when he woke up. It took three days for him to get rid of the smell, but that entire month of summer camp wasn’t long enough for him to rid himself of the nickname Stinky. Carl had thought of that particular wisdom. Almost everyone at camp was calling him Stinky Sheldon before the week was up. That was bad enough, but what was even worse was that he was humiliated on a daily basis in front of Sarah - kids were constantly coming up to him saying, “Hey Stinky! What’s up?” or “Quick! Get the gas masks! Here comes Stinky Sheldon!”
     “Don’t look so down Eddie, I’m sure you’ll have a better time this year,” Eddie’s mother said as they stopped at a red light.
     I guess it couldn’t be any worse, Eddie thought, Could it? Hopefully Harris wouldn’t be there; in fact it would be better if it was a whole new group of kids this year, then he could start fresh simply as Eddie Sheldon, and not Stinky Sheldon. The incident with the sulfur was only one of many humiliating things that Eddie suffered last year at the hands of the Terrors of cabin number two. But he didn’t want to think about the other things. He tried hard not to think of them at all during the year. Eddie was hoping that maybe Vic would be there this year – Vic was his singular ally and friend at camp last year. Yeah, it would be good if Vic were there this year.
     “Everybody out of the boat,” Eddie’s mother said after pulling to a stop, “Try to enjoy yourself won’t you honey? If you think you’re going to have a good time, you will.”
Eddie really hoped that was true.
     After retrieving his duffle bag from the back seat, Eddie began the walk down the short dirt road that led to the camp’s administration building. His mother waved from the car as she drove away and Eddie stopped in front of the door to the administration building, turning to look behind him, hoping to see that his mother had changed her mind and decided to come back for him. The road was empty. I’m going to have a good time, I’m going to have a good time, Eddie chanted over and over again in his head and then opened the door and walked in.
     Mom was right, Eddie thought, I am having a good time. It was the second day of camp and Eddie was actually enjoying himself. They were going to take a canoe trip in a few minutes and he was looking forward to it. There were only three other boys sharing the cabin with Eddie this time: Fritz, Jordan and Alexander. They seemed to be nice enough guys and the four of them had stayed up late last night telling ghost stories. Vic wasn’t at camp this year, that was a bit of a disappointment, but then again, neither were Harris, Steve or Carl. That more than made up for it.
     Eddie and the rest of his roommates joined the rest of the crowd at the edge of the lake, waiting for one of the counselors to hand out the lifejackets. The canoes were set up to sit three and Eddie was hoping to sit with two of his new roommates. The four of them stood waiting while discussing who would be in front, who would be in back and who would have to take another canoe when the decision was taken out of their hands.
     “Okay Sheldon,” a big counselor named Gavin said, “You take the canoe on your left. We’ve got two guys that came late to camp and you’ll be with them.” Gavin proceeded to hand out life jackets and assign everyone a canoe. Eddie still sat in his canoe, alone, as the rest of the group took off.
     “Okay Sheldon, here they come now,” Gavin said, “All right guys, pile in with Sheldon here and catch up with everyone else.”
     “Hey look!” came a horribly recognizable voice from behind, “It’s Stinky!”
Eddie looked behind him and saw Harris and Carl sitting behind him smiling.
     “What’s up Stinky?” Harris asked mockingly.
     “Leave me alone,” Eddie said. Eddie felt like he was going to cry. Things had started out so well… and now this. Why? Why him?
     The canoe trip turned out to be a disaster. Halfway across the lake Harris and Carl managed to push Eddie over board. When the counselor saw Eddie splashing around in the water he jumped into the lake and brought him to shore – and being pushed out of the boat wasn’t the worse part, no, the worst part was that he got in trouble because of it! Eddie tried to tell Gavin that he was pushed out but Gavin was in the middle of giving him a water safety speech and eventually Eddie gave up trying to explain. He could see Harris and Carl snickering behind their hands from out in the water.
This is going to be a long month, Eddie thought, as he walked back to his cabin, soaking wet, to change into dry clothes. That was the beginning of the nightmare that would be Eddie’s next two weeks at camp.
     That evening after dinner Eddie found out that Harris and Carl would be taking the two empty beds in his cabins. He sure had all the luck in the world, didn’t he? He saw it as more torture waiting to happen – and was right. Eddie woke up in the middle of the night to the sound of giggling, and as he looked to his left beside the bed, there were Harris and Carl. They both grabbed him, Harris behind him, one arm around his chest and his free hand clamped over Eddie’s mouth, to prevent him from screaming. Carl held his feet and the two of them carried him outside and threw him to the ground. He tried to run but Harris was too quick for him. The two Terrors of cabin number two then stripped him to his underwear and tied him to a picnic table.
      Eddie remained there for the next three hours, freezing cold until one of the counselors came outside on his way to the administration building.
If you tell anyone Stinky, I’ll kill you, Harris had said to him, just after he had tied him up. Carl just laughed throughout the whole process. The counselor who found Eddie tried to get him to tell who did this to him but Eddie remained quiet. He didn’t want to suffer a worse fate from Harris and company.
     The next day, during arts and crafts, Eddie returned to the classroom after going to the bathroom, to find all of his popsicle sticks broken. The day after that, upon returning to his cabin from the basketball courts, he opened up his duffle bag to find it full of horse manure. Fritz and Jordan sympathized with him, but there was nothing they could do to help – Harris and Steve were much larger boys than they were. Alexander kept his distance, trying to speak to Eddie as little as possible, as if by just associating with Eddie he would bring down the wrath of the Terrors of cabin number two on him. The counselors were of no help, number one, because they didn’t ever see it happen, and number two, Eddie was afraid to tell them who it was doing these things to him. He was afraid that Harris and Carl would do worse, and he was afraid Harris was capable of anything.
     On Monday of his second week at camp Eddie was nearing the breaking point. He called his mother first thing that morning and told her that he gave it a week and he wanted to come home and to please, PLEASE come pick him up. His mother told him that she may be able to get up there on Saturday to pick him up, cutting his time at camp down to two weeks. Saturday? No, he could NOT wait until Saturday. He argued with his mom for fifteen minutes on the phone, giving her all kinds of reasons and excuses – other than the truth. He was afraid to tell even his mother about what was really going on. His mother finally hung up on him, telling him that she would be there Saturday.
     Saturday was six days away. Six terror filled days and six terror filled nights. Nights filled with broken sleep and horrible dreams. Nights where he would jump up in bed every few minutes, sure, absolutely sure that Harris or Carl was beside his bed, waiting to do something – something awful or something painful. The next two nights he didn’t sleep more than twenty minutes at a stretch.
     On Wednesday morning Eddie woke up feeling a crawling sensation along his back and legs. He pulled off his covers and saw dozens of leeches in his bed. They were stuck, all over him and more were just lying there lazily in his bed. He started screaming, waking up everyone in the cabin and didn’t stop screaming until one of the counselors had rushed in, removed the leeches from him and took him to the infirmary. No one asked who did this and Eddie was in no condition that morning to tell. There was talk among the counselors of calling Eddie’s mother to come get him right away, but Eddie had recovered by noon.
     He was now starting to show the effects of all this abuse: he was hardly talking at all, if you walked up to him or made a movement too close to him he would jump, and he had developed a twitch at the corner of his left eye. That evening was when he first heard the voice.

This isn’t going to end until you take care of them.

    “But my mom will be here to pick me up Saturday,” Eddie replied to the stranger speaking in his head.

Get real Eddie. She has no intention of picking you up until camp is over. She’s just planning on stalling and stalling and stalling. That means that you’re gonna have to put up with two weeks more of this. Do you really intend to just sit back and continue to let this happen?

    “There’s nothing I can do.”

Sure there is. As soon as you get a chance, take a look in the equipment shed, next to the administration building.

     “Why? What’s in there?” Eddie waited for a response but the voice had gone silent.
     Thankfully, Eddie was moved to the counselor’s cabin, where they had a spare bed. The counselors weren’t sure of the source of the leeches and they didn’t want Eddie to stay in his bed – just to be on the safe side. There were no more incidences of abuse from the Terrors. But by Friday, Eddie was long gone, none the less. Sure, he could still function, but it was like he was on auto pilot, his mind a blank, and only able to perform the basic functions of life because the automatic override switch had been tripped in his head leaving reflex and instinct to take over. Friday morning the voice returned and this time it brought a friend.

Are you waiting for the two of them to die of old age or what? That was the first voice.
Your mom really WILL be here to pick you up tomorrow Eddie, believe that, the second, calmer voice said.

     A brief struggle ensued inside his head and after a few moments the first voice, the meaner voice, spoke up:
You need to take care of them.
     Do it now. Before any of the counselors know something’s up. They’re not watching you now. Go to the equipment shed – now!

     “I’m not going to hurt anyone, I can’t. No matter how much I hate Harris. I’ll get in trouble…I’ll just avoid him and Carl until my mom comes tomorrow.”

Your mom’s not coming tomorrow, Eddie my boy.

    “Yes she is! What do you suggest I do to Harris anyways? Soon camp will be over and I won’t have to put up with him anymore.”

Now you listen to me Eddie! You take CARE of him, now.

     “What about his parents? Or his friends?”

Take care of him. Who gives a damn about him anyway?
     “I could talk to the counselors! Make a list of everything that he and Carl did to me and they could call the police!”

I’M keeping a list, Eddie my boy - don’t worry. I’m writing Harris’s name at the top of the list, with Carl’s name underneath. In ink.

     Eddie was leaning against a light post in the common area of the campground. Some of the kids were just hanging out and some of the others were playing a board game. The counselors were sitting on a bench in the shade and talking amongst themselves. They weren’t looking in his direction. Eddie took one more quick look around and then walked across the dirt courtyard of the common area to the equipment shed. It wasn’t locked. Eddie opened up one of the double doors and quietly stepped inside, closing the door behind him. On a shelf toward the back of the shed he found what he was looking for. He picked it up and then opened the door to the shed just a crack, peeking out. No one saw him. The counselors were still sitting on the bench chatting away obliviously.
     A few minutes later, Eddie found Harris and Carl sitting by the lake trying to start a fire with a pack of matches they had stolen from the kitchen.
     “Hey guys!” Eddie yelled.
     Both boys turned to look at Eddie.
     Eddie then checked the barrel of the hunting rifle he had stolen from the equipment shed. There were two bullets in it. With a smile on his face, Eddie lifted the gun to his shoulder, and fired.