late night outings at camp

ella m.

The evening June mountain air was slightly chilled, I was sitting on my bunk pondering  while the other girls of our cabin got ready for bed. Only thing was, we wouldn't be going to bed. Tonight was an important night, and though our counselor tried to hide it, we all knew what was going to happen. Tonight our brother cabin was going to prank us. Tonight they were ‘going to sneak in, and mess with our possessions. And we weren't all too happy about it. Personally, I was somewhat scared, I didn’t want my things messed with.

¨I hope they see our trap,¨ I said as I set my flashlight, which had been set to strobe, on the closed window. It was one of the many things we had brainstormed to protect the cabin, though it kinda made it seem like we had pranked ourselves.

¨It's pretty hard to miss, Ella.¨ Annie sighed, examining the pads and bras scattered on the floor. ¨The smell of perfume is awful in here and I told you that you shouldn’t put personal products on the cabin floor!.¨ A few of the girls giggled, We had also perfume bombed our cabin. A little overkill, but that's what they get for messing with us. I grabbed my backpack from the porch.Tonight wasn’t going to be all bad, we were sneaking off after lights out.  And with that thought we started our long path to the clearing.

The only audible sounds were our quiet feet and the lapping of the lake against the shore, it gave a serene atmosphere. Eagle lake has a big trail surrounding it that was a prime place to go for a walk if you wanted peace and quiet. It didn't help the nerves about what was going on at the cabin though, at least not for me. The trees began to clear as we reached the clearing, which was just a small area with benches and a fire-pit. The view of the lake at night was well worth the walk. Our counselor pulled out some candy, something we hadn't had much all week. The only place you could get candy or normal snacks was at the camp store, which was only open at free time.

We spent so much time laughing and talking and just hanging out by the lake. Our counselor had us gather in a circle around the benches and began telling us how she felt about us. Maybe to put us at peace and calm our nervous minds, or possibly just to show she cared. Either way, I was thankful. Everyone listened intensely, and would add comments. She was deep and specific, she showed such compassion for us. Annie let us know what made us special to her, and we left the circle feeling empowered, inspired, and much more confident than before.

We started making our way back when we heard a golf cart driving by. Annie quickly shooed us into the woods. Addi ducked and told us that we should go behind a bush. Once we were all clear, we continued, Addi now in the lead.

The cabin was destroyed, but it was worth all the fun we had.