The Campfire
“Sit around the campfire kids, and let me tell you a story.” The counselor says. The boy scouts huddle around the fire, listening intently. “Alright, so. There was a boy who went to a camp, this camp in fact. He came here every year, and had a reputation for being a troublemaker. Nobody liked him, except for one counselor. Her name was Jade. Jade and the boy were best friends and looked forward to seeing each other every year.” “Oh I know where this is going!” Said one of the boys. “Shush, it’s not like that!” said the counselor.
“Anyway, where was I? Oh right, they hung out all the time. A few years passed, but one year Jade wasn't there. The boy asked where she was, and no one told him. He grew sad, and went on a walk. Nobody saw him leave, or at least, said they saw him leave. He wandered into the forest, walking farther and farther and farther. By the time he realized he went too far, it was already dusk. He began to walk back, when he heard the howling of wolves.” The counselor paused, and the boy’s all stared. He smiled, and continued.
“The boy ran and ran, hoping that he could get back to the camp in time. He could see the lights as he drew close, the sounds of wolves echoing around him. He was almost there, he saw the clearing and the dock! He ran and ran, but just before he reached the clearing-” He stopped again, and the boys were bouncing with anticipation. “What happened next what happened next?” Said one of the boys. “I can’t say, we don’t know what happened. All we know was that we found the boy’s clothes. All torn up, and a metallic smell in the air. But some say that you can hear someone...or something’s voice in the trees. A little boy calling you in.”
The boy’s faces changed from wonder to fear in a flash. One boy looked all around, but couldn't see past the dim campfire. The counselor stood up and said “Well, I’ll go get some more wood, be back in a bit!” “I’ll come with you!” says one of the boys. “Fine, but I need one other person, camp rules.” All of their hands shot up in unison, and the counselor picked one. They walked into the dark with their flashlights and soon disappear into the trees. Five minutes pass by, then ten.
Finally, one of the boys that went with the counselor came back. “Where is everyone else?” says one boy. “They’ll be back in a sec, they’re at the camp and he’s sending up another counselor. Some sort of an emergency.” A woman appeared out of the dark as if it was timed. “Hi everyone!” says the counselor. “I’m gonna tell you some more stories.” The boys sit still and listen. The fire was dying, so no one could see each other’s face. “So I’m gonna continue that story that the other counselor was sharing. The boy was almost home free, but one of the wolves caught him. They pinned him to the floor, and began to bite him. He was torn to pieces, his throat being ripped out, pools of blood flowing all over the leaves. When the boy finally passed out from the pain, the wolves pulled him away, ripping his clothes against the sticks and stones on the ground.”
One boy began to cry, while another started to heave. “And some say, you can still hear the howl of the wolves, and a faint dripping noise, the sound of the boy’s blood dripping onto the floor.” The boys huddled together, as the fire began to die. They barely saw each other now, only their legs. They saw the beams of light come running out of the trees, and the voice of 2 kids and a man calling to them. “We have the firewood!” The boys saw the flashlights shine to where the counselor was, and noticed she was gone, along with the boy. Tattered, bloody clothes replaced the boy’s seat and a name tag sat where the woman used to be. A faint dripping noise, and the howl of wolves echoed through the forest.
