Elaine Wolf - Camp

Silence filled the room while the light scanned us again. Then the creak of the wooden stoop, the counselor settling in by our door. Please stay , I prayed. Please don’t go away.

I lay frozen with fright. How had I lied? And what would they do to me?

The cabin stilled, the eye of the hurricane. Not a ruffling of blankets and sheets. Not a sneeze or a throat-clearing. No, this wouldn’t be a prank like my bra up the flagpole. Rory’s accusation, the way she had stretched lied into two syllables, signaled something darker.

I wished I had confided in Patsy. Now all my hope rested with the counselor by our door. Please don’t go away , I prayed again.

But the stoop creaked. Then soft footsteps. The crunching of pine needles and twigs.

“Shhh.” The warning came from the front of the cabin. It had to be Rory. My heart galloped in my ears. “She’s going to the counselor shack.” Yes, Rory’s voice. I knew it even in a whisper. “That bridge game in there’ll go on for hours. But we’ll wait a few minutes just to be safe, make sure she’s gone for good.”

This was it then. My initiation. Oh my God.

“So you lied to us, Amy,” Rory said again.

“About what?” was all I could think to say. Tears burned the back of my eyes. Don’t let them hear you cry, I warned myself.

“You said you met the kitchen boys, Andy and Jed. But I talked to them, and I know you didn’t. So you just stay where you are while we get ready for your special introduction. You got that?”

I tried to slip into my mother’s armor: no outer world in; no inner world out. But my tears wouldn’t stop.

“I said you got that, Amy Becker?” Rory asked once more.

“Enough, Rory,” Donnie whispered. “And in case you forgot, she’s the owner’s niece. This could really get you in trouble.”

I wanted to reach out to her, my new friend. But fear kept me still, my blanket pulled tight around me. When would Patsy get back from her night out? She had told us she was heading into town with the other first-year counselors. Uncle Ed had offered to drive them, she had said.

“You think I’m that stupid, Donnie-girl?” Rory’s voice stayed hushed. “Well, we don’t have to worry about Mr. Becker. Robin, his daughter, is coming with us. Everyone is. And Amy won’t snitch to anyone. Isn’t that right, Amy Becker? It’s been two days, and I know you by now.”

Rory didn’t wait for my answer. “So Donnie-girl,” she continued, “you’re either with us or with her . And if you’re with her, you get the same treatment she does. Your choice.”

“Okay. Okay,” Donnie whispered. “Let’s just do it already.”

“Don’t be so hasty. The boys aren’t meeting us till ten-thirty, and the counselors off duty won’t be back till midnight. So let’s take our time and do this the right way.”

On Rory’s command, the girls got out of bed and found their flashlights.

“Good. I think we’re set.” Rory’s tone softened, even in a whisper. “Now there’s nothing to be scared of, Amy. Just a little something we planned, a special way for you to meet those kitchen boys you lied about.”

I focused on Rory’s words, trying to ignore the turning in my stomach. Please, God , I prayed. Please don’t let them hurt me.

“So get up and out of your nightgown,” Rory ordered. “And don’t bother getting dressed. You won’t need any clothes.”

Someone giggled.

“Knock it off,” Rory said, then addressed me once more. “Just put your robe on, and take your flashlight… no… on second thought, no flashlight. You won’t need that either.”

I wriggled from my blanket and stood in the cool air. Why couldn’t I say no? No, Rory. I’m not coming. I tried to push the words from my mouth, but nothing came. Without a sound, I stripped off my nightgown, reached for my robe—on the nail with my laundry bag—and shivered as I put it on.

“Blindfold her,” Rory whispered.

Jessica used what felt like the tie from a starched beach robe, the terry cloth scratchy on my face. “And make sure it’s tight enough so she can’t see anything.” Jessica yanked the band until I thought my heart would shoot through my skull.

“Now, Donnie, since you’ve been telling me to ease up, I’m putting you in charge of leading her with me. And don’t even think of doing anything stupid.” With Rory pulling me by my left arm and Donnie guiding me by my right, we stepped into the night. I heard Jessica, Fran, and Karen behind us.

“Shhh,” Rory commanded, when we met another group, the girls from Bunk 10, I assumed. “No talking. You all know the plan.”

A path. Definitely, we were on a path, stamping twigs and pine cones. Then the sound of water, the cry of a loon. Its scream echoed my fear. Donnie jumped. “Jesus H. Christ,” Rory said. “It’s just a stupid loon. And watch where you aim that flashlight.”

We marched in silence after that, the trail to the lake longer in darkness. Roots spiked up, jabbing my toes. I wondered where Erin was. She couldn’t be part of this plot. And Robin? Where was my cousin in all this?

The path smoothed over. Fewer twigs. Fewer bumps. Then sand. The lakefront. Please, God. Please don’t let them hurt me.

“Okay, girls. Flashlights off.”

Still blindfolded, I felt them gather around.

“Ever go skinny-dipping, Amy?” Rory wanted to know.

Panic smothered my voice.

“I said, ever go skinny-dipping?”

I couldn’t answer.

“Okay. Doesn’t matter. You’re about to go now. But first, anyone want a look before she meets the boys?”

“No way, Rory. That’s not what we said.” Was that Erin, all hushed and shaky?

“Just the swimming part.” I recognized Donnie, even in whispers. “Nothing else.”

“Listen, you. This is the last time I’ll say it: You’re either with us or with her . Now which’ll it be?”

“But that’s not what we talked about.” Erin again. This time I was sure.

“Drop the robe, Amy,” Rory ordered. “And keep that blindfold on. Nothing for you to see yet. We’ll do all the looking, if you catch my drift.”

“Cut it out, Rory. It’s not funny anymore.” A voice I hadn’t heard much: Fran or Karen trying to rescue me.

“Oh, you want funny? I’ll give you funny all right.” Rory’s tone slapped me. “Donnie, Erin, Karen, if you give me any more trouble, you’re going in with her. How’s that? Funny enough?”

“How’s this, Rory? We’re all going in with her.” A new speaker, followed by a buzz of muted chatter. I didn’t know who said what, but it didn’t matter. Whatever they planned for me, however awful it might be, I wouldn’t be alone.

Someone freed me from the blindfold. I clutched my robe and blinked into the hazy crowd, visible by moonlight and the thin rays of Rory’s flashlight. Everyone in nightgowns, sweatshirts over them. “All right, girls,” Rory said. “You win. The kitchen boys aren’t here yet. So you want a little skinny-dip? Go right ahead. But be fast about it, ’cause once the boys get here, we’re back to our plan. And if you’re still in when they arrive, you’ll just have to find a way to your clothes while I hold the light.”

Nobody moved. Having tested their power against Rory’s, they knew they had lost. The boys were coming. How could they go skinny-dipping?

So there I was: alone again.

“Okay now,” Rory said. “If anyone’s thinking of doing anything stupid like trying to leave or calling for a counselor— anything stupid like that—just forget it. ’Cause what happens to Amy tonight will be nothing compared to what’ll happen to anyone who’s not with me. So drop the robe, Amy. It’s time for a swim.”