There's a Bat in Bunk Five (12 page)

I put down the bat when I realize that I really do want to clobber Risa and Linda.

Someday this is going to be very funny, but right now I'm just trying to get my heart to stop pounding so fast.

Everyone starts laughing.

Even I begin to see the humor in the situation.

There's a knock on the cabin door.

It's Carl. “Marcy, the magazine's ready, all put together. How about you and the girls coming down to the office to put the finishing touches on it?”

“There's a bat in bunk five,” yells Risa.

Carl looks at me.

I grin. “In my room, take a look.”

He does and comes out laughing.

I can't believe I used to be afraid of him.

We all go to the office to work on the magazine. It looks great. I'm really proud of it.

Corrine walks in and calls me over to the side. “Marcy, I'm going to stay in the infirmary for a day or two until this clears up. I feel terrible. I can't believe it. Would you be in charge of the cotton-candy machine tomorrow for the carnival? Barbara says it's all right, that someone will show you how to work it. I can't. It's hard to twirl paper cones with mittens on my hands. Also I think the Board of Health would view it as a health hazard to ooze poison ivy onto cotton candy.”

“Sure,” I say, seeing how bad she looks. “Do you want me to do anything else?”

She hands me an envelope. “Here, Katherine wrote this list for me of the stuff I need from the bunk. Would you please have one of the kids pack a suitcase for me and deliver it to the infirmary?”

I nod. “Want me to walk you back?”

“No thanks. I just had to get out for a minute before I went stir crazy.”

She leaves, and I give Betsy the list so she can get Corrine's stuff.

Lunchtime.

It starts to rain. Oh no, the dreaded downpour. That's one of the worse things that can happen at camp, having everyone closed in for a long period of time.

Everyone remains in the main house after lunch.

One of the upstairs rooms is set up with arts and crafts supplies.

Another is turned into a rehearsal room for skits practice.

Most of the kids stay on the ground floor, running, yelling, and joking around.

Someone lets the goats in.

The campers have a great time rounding them up, pretending it's a rodeo.

Once the goats are outside again, we push aside the tables and chairs and set up a kickball game. Ted heads up one team and Sally heads up the other.

I referee.

The noise level's high. It sounds like a rock concert.

I hope the rain lets up soon.

Heidi comes over. She's wearing an orange hooded rain poncho with the baseball cap on top of it. “I hope this clears up and the sun dries everything out. It'd be awful if carnival had to be postponed. The kids are really looking forward to it.”

Ted's team is up to kick and it's his turn.

I watch as he kicks and rounds the bases.

“I'm glad you two got everything straightened out,” Heidi says. Then, “I kind of wish I'd met someone here. Oh well, I suppose I could always take Jimmy up on his offer and go look at his newspaper clippings.”

“You're kidding,” I say.

She grins. “I'm kidding. I'd rather be alone than with someone just to be with someone. If they learn how to clone people, I'd like to have one made from Ted.”

I tell her the Bozo the Clone joke.

We laugh.

It's good to have a friend who isn't jealous because you're doing something she's not. I really like Heidi.

Finally the rain stops and we can go outside.

Back to our regular activities.

Then on to dinner. A lot of camp seems to center
around the dining room. I hope I'm not gaining weight. But I don't think so. My clothes still fit, and I'm getting lots of exercise.

Then we have a campfire, only we have to hold it inside, using the dining room fireplace because the ground's still wet from the rain.

A special treat. Hot chocolate with marshmallows. And Somemores, graham cracker sandwiches with melted marshmallows and a piece of chocolate inside. For the kids who don't want sugar, there is a special package of nuts and raisins.

Then it's off to bed.

I'm in charge and nothing's gone wrong. What a relief. I'll be glad when Corrine feels better and comes back. I miss her.

Sleep, then reveille. There's definitely a pattern to camp.

Carnival's to begin just before lunch, a break in the pattern.

T
he big field, next to the dining hall, is ready.

The staff's really busy.

We've set the booths up.

The sun, thank goodness, is shining.

Some of the staff is roaming around, making sure the bigger kids don't try to take the rolls of tickets away from the little kids. The tickets have been given out so that the kids can “buy” things. Each kid gets the same amount of tickets with certain categories
printed on them. That's to make sure not all of the tickets are used just for one thing—all food . . .or all games . . .or all pony rides.

The camp's really gone all out on this.

There are booths where the kids can paint themselves with body paint. Others where they can batik cloth, do water gun painting; there's even a dunk-the-staff-member booth, lots of booths.

I go over to the cotton-candy machine.

Ted's got the booth right next to mine—candy apples. I think he traded with someone to get it.

We're both wearing the T-shirts we bought in Woodstock.

“Ready?” he asks.

I nod. “Corrine explained to me how it works. It would be just my luck to break a rented machine.”

“I'll help.” He comes over and puts his arm around my shoulder.

We look at the machine.

“Shouldn't be too hard,” I say. Since I've been at camp, I'm not so scared to try out new things.

We turn the machine on, pour sugar and food coloring in, and like magic, spun sugar starts to collect on the sides of the machine.

I grab a paper cone and twirl it around the machine.

Ted turns off the machine while we look at the first cone of cotton candy. It's lopsided, but it'll do.

Ted takes a bite out of it and then gives me a kiss.

“Sticky lips,” I say.

He grins.

Ellen comes over. “Traitor. How can you two work at these things? Cotton candy and candy apples. I'm going to put up a sign telling kids to boycott this junk.”

We let her. I'm not sure that she's wrong, but it's going to have to be something each kid decides for himself or herself. Ted goes back to his booth.

Ellen's sign,
POISON
, with a skull and crossbones, doesn't seem to be stopping a lot of the kids.

They've been let loose and are all running around, with long lines at Ted's and my booths.

Alvin comes running up with his tickets. “I want a cotton candy and a jelly apple.”

“Don't forget to get a hot dog or hamburger,” I say.

“You sound like my mother,” he says. “This is camp. Give me a break.”

I give him the cotton candy and take his ticket.

There's a long line.

The cotton candy's a real mess to make. How come it always looks so easy when other people make it? The stuff keeps globbing up on the sides of the machine, and I have to keep stopping and scooping all the goop off. I'm covered from head to foot with cotton candy.

Ted looks my way. “What a sweet person you are. Sugar and spice and everything nice, that's what little girls . . .”

I walk over to him and cover his face with cotton candy. “Sweets for the sweet, you male chauvinist.”

Alvin runs up, crying. He shows us his candy apple. One of Alvin's teeth is attached to it.

I don't think it's the right time to say I told you so.

Sally runs over to me. “Marcy. I'm here to relieve you. It's time for you to go to the dunk-the-counselor booth.”

I look at Alvin.

“It's okay. I can take care of him,” Ted says, pulling cotton candy off his face and sticking it down my back. “Just remember that the next time you're tempted to call me a male chauvinist.”

I give them both a kiss and go take my place on the “dunking board.”

It's set up by the pool.

I have to sit down on the diving board, fully clothed.

A target area's set up nearby. If someone throws a ball through the middle of the target, someone behind me pushes me into the water.

Kitty aims and misses. She tries again. Safe. She's got really bad aim.

So does Risa.

And Linda.

Stacey's been practicing. She gets the target twice.

I'm pushed into the pool twice.

Soaking wet.

Bobbie aims and gets me.

I'm in the water again.

The water's made the mess from the cotton candy even worse.

Alicia, Ginger, and Janie throw together. One ball hits me and the other hits the target.

Down and wet again.

Betsy and Robin miss.

A breather.

Some of the kids from the writing group get me.

“Isn't my time up yet?” I yell.

“Not yet. Our turn.” It's Barbara, Carl, and Ted.

“But I thought you were my friends,” I say as I go down again.

Finally my time's up and it's Ted's turn.

I get him.

I wave good-bye, go up to the bunk, change, and go back to the cotton-candy machine.

By the end of the afternoon I'm exhausted and it's not over yet.

The talent show. All of the bunks perform. Then the individual kids perform. Then some of the counselors. There's a lot of talent at this place.

Then there's a campfire and everyone sings.

By the time we finally sing, “Day is done, gone the sun,” it's very late.

We help carry the little kids who've fallen asleep up to the bunks.

The kids crawl into bed.

They're exhausted too.

I do a bed check and then go to sleep.

Camp's three-quarters over.

Next weekend's Visitors' Day.

It's going too fast.

That's the last thing I remember before I fall asleep.

I'm awakened in the morning by Janie.

She hands me a piece of paper with writing on it.

It's from Ginger.

She's run away.

G
inger's gone.

I read her note over several times. Each time my stomach hurts more.

“Did anyone hear or see her leave?” I ask, feeling like my insides are going to erupt out of my body.

The girls crowd into my room.

No one did.

Betsy says, “Marcy, what are we going to do?”

“I don't know. I wish Corrine was here.” I'm beginning to feel numb. “I feel so guilty.”

“It's not your fault,” Helene says.

“It's all our faults,” Risa says.

I try to figure out what's best, even though it's hard to think. “Someone get dressed fast and take this note to Barbara and Carl.”

“I'll do it,” Robin says, taking the note and rushing out.

I jump out of bed. “Everyone get ready. Check out the bathroom and around the cabins. Then meet me in the dining room.”

I throw on clothes and rush to the dining room, remembering how I said I was going to help her and then pretty much ignored her.

By the time I get there, Barbara and Carl are waiting by the bell.

“I'm sorry,” I say. “I didn't know she was this upset. It's all my fault. I should have listened to her.”

“Let's worry about whose fault this is after we find her. When did she leave? Did she take her clothes or anything with her? Does anyone have an idea of what she could be wearing?” Carl is holding the note.

“I don't know.” I look down at the ground.

Robin offers to go back to the bunk to check out Ginger's clothes. She runs back up to the bunk.

A lot of people are arriving for breakfast.

Soon everyone knows what's happening.

Jimmy walks up. “The other day Arnie was taking Polaroid pictures by the pool. I think he's got one or two with Ginger. Maybe that'll help if we have to call the police.”

The police. Oh no. This is really serious. What if something terrible happens to her? What if she falls down and gets killed? I'd never be able to look at myself in the mirror again.

“Let's stay calm,” Barbara says. “It won't help if we look upset. That'll only make the rest of the kids more upset.”

“I'll help search,” Jimmy says.

Maybe he's not so bad after all.

Ted comes over. “What can I do?” He puts his arm around my waist.

I stand there thinking about all of the time I spend with Ted. I should have spent some of it with Ginger.

“We can all go inside,” Carl says.

Robin reports. Some of Ginger's clothing is gone.

Once everybody goes inside, breakfast is quickly served and the meeting begins.

“Attention,” Carl says. “We've got to have silence in order to discuss this.”

It quiets down immediately, and Carl asks if Ginger had confided to anyone about running away.

She hadn't.

He explains that running away never solves anything because you take your problems with you.

Barbara tells everyone that the camp activities for the day will revolve around the pool and sports areas. That'll free a lot of staff members to look for Ginger. She calls out the names of the staff who will search.

My name's not on the list.