Veronica was eager to get her story told, the things she had seen, the terror that swept through that very camp ground? It was what stories had been made of, and she had survived it.. all of it. The night was calm and the air held a bitter chill to it that served as a warning that the winter would be coming before anyone had been prepared. She took a deep breath, the contents of her hot cocoa already having gone cold some hours ago still somehow hit the spot when she sipped from it and began to tell a tale to her audience, one that no one would believe, one that no one could see coming..
The summer camp had ended weeks ago with children being loaded onto busses and sent back to their parents throughout the city miles away from the wooded paradise that was Camp Willow. In accordance with tradition, the counselors all stayed for some time later, making sure early work was prepped for that next summer, making sure that everything had been cleared out, and of course.. lots of partying. An unofficial but very official rule that the counselors had honored since the camp opened ions ago in the early 1980s.
Veronica stood from her log, her arms outstretched to the sky. " Everything seemed normal.. and then one night Megan vanished! No one knew where she had gone. " She said as she sat back down at an attempt to provide an all too early fright to her audience. " We searched everywhere, but ultimately decided that she must have left.. she had a nasty fight with her boyfriend Joe anyway. So it's just like her to take off. " She said as she rolled her eyes. Megan was a snob, but Veronica had always tried to be kind to her. Lucy was a lot nicer, but that following day when the counselors awoke.. Lucy had been gone too. Veronica and the others assumed she left.. she was pretty pissed at Joe, and of course she was going to follow her bestie Megan.
As the winds nestled the leaves above the trees, Veronica lowered her voice. " Everything was calm after that, things started to return to normal. I cleaned the mesh hall, Nick had cleared out the outhouses, Joe was sweeping the cabins, Lindsey and Heather had gone ahead and started organizing the files in the office for kiddos we knew would return that next summer.. everything was nice! We had a campfire that night, and we roasted the last of the marshmallows we had in the supply cabinet. " A few days later, when we gathered for breakfast, Nick was gone. No one really paid much attention, Nick was always coming and going. So we went on about everything.. but something seemed wrong. I kept thinking I'd seen him, but then maybe not? I didn't say anything, you know how they always claim I'm crazy. "
She took a moment to shake her head, it was so hard to make friends, but here she was telling her story at long last and she was so happy that people were willing to listen.
" Joe and Heather went swimming, and they never came back.. me and Lindsey knew something was wrong then. We tried to call back home, but the phone lines no longer worked, and all of our cellphones had vanished. It was so weird.. So since I'm the real brains, I decided we would stay in our cabin together for the remainder of the week we had left, that way if something happened.. someone knew. "
A calm fell over her, and then that calm turned into a smile. " And then Lindsey disappeared. She nearly got away.. but then I was always the faster runner than her. When she tripped? She was done for. " Veronica smiled as the short but exciting story had come to a close when she had moved her arm just enough to gently brush along the bloodied handle of the ax she had laying beside her.
Around her, as the fire continued to flicker with life and it's embers floated to the heavens had been the bodies of her 'friends' Megan, Lucy, Nick, Joe, Heather, and Lindsey. They were propped up, their cold lifeless eyes staring at her as though each were clinging to every word of her story. " I'm so glad I have friends like you to tell my story to. " And now, they could hear her story.. no more would they be mean to her, or tease her, or steal her things. They were there, as her audience, and she loved every bit of that attention.
The summer camp had ended weeks ago with children being loaded onto busses and sent back to their parents throughout the city miles away from the wooded paradise that was Camp Willow. In accordance with tradition, the counselors all stayed for some time later, making sure early work was prepped for that next summer, making sure that everything had been cleared out, and of course.. lots of partying. An unofficial but very official rule that the counselors had honored since the camp opened ions ago in the early 1980s.
Veronica stood from her log, her arms outstretched to the sky. " Everything seemed normal.. and then one night Megan vanished! No one knew where she had gone. " She said as she sat back down at an attempt to provide an all too early fright to her audience. " We searched everywhere, but ultimately decided that she must have left.. she had a nasty fight with her boyfriend Joe anyway. So it's just like her to take off. " She said as she rolled her eyes. Megan was a snob, but Veronica had always tried to be kind to her. Lucy was a lot nicer, but that following day when the counselors awoke.. Lucy had been gone too. Veronica and the others assumed she left.. she was pretty pissed at Joe, and of course she was going to follow her bestie Megan.
As the winds nestled the leaves above the trees, Veronica lowered her voice. " Everything was calm after that, things started to return to normal. I cleaned the mesh hall, Nick had cleared out the outhouses, Joe was sweeping the cabins, Lindsey and Heather had gone ahead and started organizing the files in the office for kiddos we knew would return that next summer.. everything was nice! We had a campfire that night, and we roasted the last of the marshmallows we had in the supply cabinet. " A few days later, when we gathered for breakfast, Nick was gone. No one really paid much attention, Nick was always coming and going. So we went on about everything.. but something seemed wrong. I kept thinking I'd seen him, but then maybe not? I didn't say anything, you know how they always claim I'm crazy. "
She took a moment to shake her head, it was so hard to make friends, but here she was telling her story at long last and she was so happy that people were willing to listen.
" Joe and Heather went swimming, and they never came back.. me and Lindsey knew something was wrong then. We tried to call back home, but the phone lines no longer worked, and all of our cellphones had vanished. It was so weird.. So since I'm the real brains, I decided we would stay in our cabin together for the remainder of the week we had left, that way if something happened.. someone knew. "
A calm fell over her, and then that calm turned into a smile. " And then Lindsey disappeared. She nearly got away.. but then I was always the faster runner than her. When she tripped? She was done for. " Veronica smiled as the short but exciting story had come to a close when she had moved her arm just enough to gently brush along the bloodied handle of the ax she had laying beside her.
Around her, as the fire continued to flicker with life and it's embers floated to the heavens had been the bodies of her 'friends' Megan, Lucy, Nick, Joe, Heather, and Lindsey. They were propped up, their cold lifeless eyes staring at her as though each were clinging to every word of her story. " I'm so glad I have friends like you to tell my story to. " And now, they could hear her story.. no more would they be mean to her, or tease her, or steal her things. They were there, as her audience, and she loved every bit of that attention.
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Now they can sing Kumbaya forever