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Alex Thorn

English 583

The Trip to Camp

It was warm but the wind blew across the surf. Teddy said we would be there soon. He said that once we arrived we would have time to ourselves if we wanted it. I ran my fingers through my hair and stared at the sky. A flock of swallows followed the boat. I had sandals on my feet and my hair was blowing in the wind. The sun was shining on where I was lying. It was hot. Some vacationers passed us and they waved. All the boys waved to them. Everyone was excited, but the young kids were nervous. Someone shouted to me from down below.

“Hey! Alex, when we get there let’s go to West Beach.”

“I’ve got to unpack, first.” I shouted back.

“Sure.” The voice shouted.

We were all free. I saw one that I recognized. It was Dollar Island and it was very small. We used to have canoe races from Bear to Dollar and back during our spare time. Sometimes a boat would come by like the Bear II and we would have to paddle over to the side of the island to get out of its way. The sun beat down on us the whole time and we would get tans around our jackets. Our boat was small in the lake, but we were all free.

Water splashed up onto the top of the Bear II where I was. It was colder than it looked from where I was sitting. Soon the sun’s heat overtook the cold and it was warm again. I could hear the ripples of the lake on the shore as we passed Dollar.

“Did you ever cut it off with that girl of yours?” Sean Paul asked.

“Yeah I’m finally free.”

He laughed. “Aren’t we all?”

I gazed out over the water. My eyes squinted. I tried to see Bear but it was still too far off. Sometimes the water gets warm and the air gets cold and huge fogs roll in from the eastern side of the lake and make it impossible to see. It was always cold on those mornings. She was blowing today though. Today was different. You could see white curls on the water.

“Shit. Soon we have to do the lines, Thorn.”

I stretched and made myself longer on the deck.

“Hold on. Wait until we can see the damn island.”

“Enjoy your rest because soon we’ll be back at work.”

“I know. That’s why I don’t want to get up to do the lines yet.”

The outline of the island was finally visible. I could just make out the porch of the dining hall poking through the trees. The horn signaled that we should prepare to dock and that my rest was over. I pulled myself to my feet. Sean Paul and I climbed down onto the sides of the boat and readied the lines. The boys would be on the island in minutes. The birds flew away from us to the island. These were the first new boys.

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