by Unknown
All over the world
All the kids wanted their way
But would not take naps
The parents reacted
In short, they all snapped.
We were herded together
Placed in cold nasty cages
There were tall kids and short ones
Children of all ages
We listened as the grown-ups told us
We were spoiled rotten and rude
They were outlawing awesome
From video games to junk food.
They piled all of it high
A great mountain of goodness
And surrounded it with torches
There was nothing we would miss
We tried covering our eyes
But there was no escape
From the towering inferno
With burnt awesome in its wake.
Flaming burgers and pizza
Candy and comics
Scorched toys and teddies
And ‘O man, electronics
The parents all stood there
I swear they were smiling
Swelled control it empowered
And felt so beguiling.
As the fire died down
They showed us stone faces
Stiff from nagging and wanting
All our greedy disgraces
They said they liked fire
And would use us as wood
That of course would not happen
If we promised to be good.
So needless to say
I am here for a reason
We all decided to behave
My surrender, was no act of treason
So whenever I see kids
Engaged in their play
I take a deep breath
And remember that day.
For although I loved pizza
And all my cool stuff
I learned it wasn’t the whole world
And I had enough
Instead of dogging my parents
With the old push and shove
I thanked them for all that they did
And I did it, with love.
Camp Lupus
Matthew Hickman
The bus slowly edged its way down the path. The driver had to steer carefully to avoid the tree roots protruding from the ground, as well as the trees overhead, their wilted branches causing obstruction and scraping along the top of the bus. Inch by inch the bus moved forward down the path about a hundred yards, until the dense overgrown foliage began to open up and the driver could see their location in the distance.
Two large wooden cabins sat in a clearance about two hundred yards away, a smaller cabin sat beside them. Behind them, a large lake stretched into the distance, birds flying just above the water’s surface. The sun reflected majestically off the water, making the location look both beautiful and inviting.
The group leader, Mr Garou, stood up at the front of the bus and addressed the group of excited thirteen-year-olds as they neared their destination.
"Right then kids, those buildings up ahead are where we'll be staying for the next two weeks. This is what you've all been waiting for, and what your parents have paid a lot on money for. Welcome to Camp Lupus."
A huge cheer rang out from the ten youngsters on board, all sets of eyes attempting to press up against the windows to catch a glimpse of their new, temporary home. There were excited mutterings between themselves about the trip; talk of going walking in the woods, swimming in the lake, and singing songs around the camp fire while toasting marshmallows. This was set to be a great summer camp.
The old bus slowly made its way down the winding path towards the lake, the sunshine pouring in through the large windows. Although it was only mid-morning, the heat was already into the eighties. The bus driver drove up next to the cabins and brought the bus to a halt. The doors swung open and the hot sultry air spilled inwards.
"Okay kids, the girls' cabin is to the left, the boys' cabin to the right. There are five beds in each cabin, one allocated to each of you, and you'll find a locker next to each bed for storing your items. Please exit the bus in an orderly fashion, and go select your beds. No running please…and no arguing."
All ten of the children formed a line to exit the bus and stepped out into the warm sun. The sounds of insects buzzing and birds singing was carried on the slight breeze. An abundance of greenery, plants and flowers was scattered around the cabins, while the sparkling waters of the lake gently lapped up against the underside of a wooden jetty.
The two groups made their way over to the cabins, struggling with their bags and belongings. The first, the group of girls Millie, Jessica, Morgan, Keeley and Holly, stopped at the entrance to the first cabin. There were no windows, only a large wooden door with a brass handle before them. The building looked old, but not in dis-repair. Above the door was a round brass plate with a logo of what looked to be a crescent shaped moon and a star.
Millie, one of the tallest in the group, stepped forward and stood on her tiptoes, leaning her head back to inspect the brass plate.
"Whoa, that’s kind of spooky," she said as she turned to the others.
Before anyone could ask what was written on the brass plate, Jake from the group of boys shouted over towards them.
"Whatever you've found there girls, I'll bet its nothing compared to this."
The five girls quickly walked over towards where Jake, Cayson, Archie, Jayden and Alex were standing.
The boys' cabin was identical in size and shape as the girls', with no windows and the same
large wooden door. Above the door, on a similar round brass plate, was the logo of a wolf.
"You're right about that," said Jessica. "That thing kinda creeps me out"
All of the girls mumbled in agreement, although the boys, not wanting to appear scared, shrugged it off and made statements about it being nothing.
"Never mind these old things," said Archie. "Let’s get our stuff stored inside and go see if we can find where to have lunch. I don't know about you lot, but I'm starving."
The children made their way into their respective cabins. As they opened the doors, the contained heat washed over them, and a musty smell from weeks or perhaps months of lying stagnant filled the air. The cabins were very basic but neatly laid out. The five single beds were all lined up with the heads to the walls. At the foot of each bed lay a blue rolled up sleeping bag. Next to each bed was a brown painted metal locker, more than adequately sized for each individual’s belongings.
Within minutes, the girls were all busily chatting with each other, discussing their backgrounds, where they were from, their interests, and their tastes in music, and more importantly, boys. It turned out that even though the girls all agreed the boys in the group were friendly enough, there wasn't anyone in particular that any of the girls felt they could develop a crush on. If anything, they all preferred boys a little older.
Similarly, next door in the boys' cabin, each boy was quietly weighing up their opposition, beginning to settle in and jockey for the position of top dog. It was all good natured, and soon enough the jokes were starting to fly about as the group began to bond. It seemed that one or two of them had an eye on the girls. Boys will be boys.
Half an hour later, there was a knock on each of the wooden doors by Mr Garou, requesting that the two groups meet him out in front of the cabins. Within a few minutes, everyone was out front, excited to see what would happen next.
"I hope you are all settled in and acquainted with each other?" said Mr Garou.
A general mumbling and nodding came from the group.
"Good, in that case, we will go for lunch, and this afternoon you'll have free time. It will give you the chance to have a look around and familiarise yourselves with your surroundings. Just try and remember where you are going, and don't wander off alone."
The group followed their team leader down a cobbled path towards another building that had been hidden in amongst the trees at the rea
r of the cabins. As the group entered the room, the aroma of cooking food filled their nostrils, causing stomachs to growl in hunger. Laid out inside the room were four tables, with cutlery, glasses and bowls containing a variety of bread and buns.
Just as the kids were settling down at their tables, a steel shutter in the far wall of the room shot upwards, revealing a large kitchen.
A large gentleman sporting chef whites and hat called out. "Welcome guys, come and get it."
Laid out in serving trays in front of him was a vast selection of food. Beef burgers, hot dogs, steaks, fries, salads, vegetables. Further down the display was a large selection of desserts. Ten sets of eyes lit up at the delicious food on offer, and one by one they stood up and headed over to form a queue.
Thirty minutes later, everyone’s bellies were full. They all agreed the food was good, and they'd enjoyed their first meal at camp. Mr Garou, as well as eating his own lunch, had taken the time to walk around the mess room, interacting with each of them in turn, ensuring that everyone was happy, had settled in well and made friends. He advised each of them that his door would always be open should there be any problems; all they had to do was ask for help, when and if it was needed.
Once lunch was finished up, Mr Garou excused himself, telling the kids they were free to do whatever they wanted for the rest of the day, but to ensure they were back for dinner at 18.00 hours.
The kids set off in a few directions. Some went down to the jetty and dangled their feet in the lake, cooling down from the summer sun. A few went for a walk along the lakeside, basking in the glorious sunshine. By mid-afternoon, the whole group had come back together by the jetty area, talking, laughing and enjoying each other’s company. It was quickly becoming evident that there were no 'trouble makers' in the group, and within a short time they had bonded well and made friends.
Mr Garou glanced out of his cabin window toward where they sat at the water’s edge. He was pleased the group appeared to be getting along well.
These young people were totally unaware of what fate had in store for them.
He smiled.
***
At 18.00, as agreed, everyone met up in the mess room for dinner. Once again, the food was plentiful and tasty, and conversation flowed freely throughout the meal. When dinner was over, Mr Garou announced that, as it was their first evening, there would be a campfire at 21.00 hours. He urged everyone to attend, smiling as he informed them there would be singing and stories involved.
Ten minutes before it was time to light the campfire, all ten youngsters, along with Mr Garou, were assembled in an area in front of the two cabins. The sun had set, and the temperature dropped a welcoming few degrees. With the campfire lit, everyone sat around laughing and talking, a comfortable relaxed atmosphere in the air. After a short while, the conversation had moved on from telling jokes, to telling stories.
A couple of the boys told the tale of a little girl who had fallen into the lake one cold winter morning and been unable to get out of the icy water. They claimed that early on frosty mornings, she could be seen walking by the water’s edge, the sound of her singing floating in the air.
Millie did her best to match the boys' spooky story with one of her own. Her story was about a beast-like creature that ran through the woods late at night hunting for food. A couple of boo's later and everyone was sufficiently spooked out, but enjoying the tales and each other’s company.
Mr Garou, commended the kids on their choice of stories, and added that before they retired for the night he had one last story to tell.
"Of course, you guys are all aware of the story of the werewolf of Camp Lupus?"
A couple of nervous laughs, and eyes shifting backwards and forwards to each other greeted his words, before the children replied that they hadn't heard the story.
"Do you want me to tell it then? It’s pretty scary"
A couple of the girls looked at each other, a little uncomfortable with the prospect of their camp leader telling them another chilling tale. Determined to keep up their brave image, the boys asked Mr Garou to proceed.
"Well, this is a true story. It goes back many, many years. You may be aware of the tale of the Loup-Garou. The curse of the werewolf?"
All of the kids shook their heads.
Then one of the boys, Archie, spoke up. "Hang on, that’s your name, Garou!"
A mischievous smile appeared on the camp leader's face.
"Indeed it is, Archie, indeed it is. Are you also aware that the name Lupus is the Latin name for Wolf?"
The group became a little unsettled, as they began to wonder whether their camp leader was simply trying to scare them, or perhaps something more sinister was going on.
Mr Garou stopped talking. He slowly raised his index finger towards the sky. The group of children followed the direction in which he was pointing, until a few of them suddenly realised what he was referring to.
"It’s a full moon!" shouted, Jayden and Alex in unison.
All eyes quickly turned to Mr Garou, who said nothing for a second. And then he threw his head back in hysterical laughter.
"Gotcha," he mocked. "You should have seen the looks on your faces, it was a picture."
Every member of the group, including the boys, let out a sigh of relief. They began looking at each other, snickering and shaking their heads that they had let their imaginations run away with them.
"Besides," said their camp leader. "I don't need a full moon"
All ten sets of eyes flew to Mr Garou, and they watched as something strange happened. A long pair of lop sided raggedy ears popped out of the top of his head. His nose extended outwards into a dog like snout, while matted, dirty hair began to spread across his face, arms and back. His teeth extended into semi sharp points and his easily three-inch long tongue lolled sideways out of his mouth. He dropped down to all fours, his body ripping through his clothes as they fell away, torn, to the ground. He looked up, cross eyed and said to the group, "Boo!"
An immediate outburst of laughter came from the group.
"What on earth are you supposed to be?" Morgan asked. "A werewolf?"
"Well, actually, I'm not exactly a Were-anything. In actual fact, I am a Therianthrope. A
shape-shifter, who can change into animals. I'm a hyena."
Again, the group burst out laughing. "A Were-hyena?" said Millie. "That’s the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard."
"Oh, I wouldn't laugh just yet if I were you," the creature said from between his lolling tongue and hanging jowls.
"Why not?" Holly asked. "Are you going to tear us limb from limb?" She was making fun of the ridiculous beast.
"Well, no," the beast replied, "but you don't know what you're going to be yet."
The children stopped laughing and looked at the creature in confusion. Then they began to look around at each other…and the transformations began.
Hair had begun to sprout from faces, followed by ears and fingernails extending. Facial features contorted and changed shape into various animalistic type creatures.
Millie was the first to transform. She took on the elegant form of a fox, whiskers appearing below her nose, ears extending upwards, and her eyes turning a dark black, before her signature bushy tail grew out behind her.
Alex was the next to finish, transforming into a large dog, all paws and flappy ears.
Cayson became a black furred hog with large tusks…tusks that made it difficult when he tried to speak.
Jessica had turned into a small pony, brown in colour with a dark brown mane and hooves to match.
One of the more impressive transformations was Morgan, who had sprouted large antlers from her head. She stood on all fours as a magnificent deer, scraping her hooves against the mud.
Jake, although not reducing much in size, had transformed into a rabbit. Large, goofy teeth protruded down his chin, floppy bunny ears growing out of both sides of his head.
Similarly, Archie had dropped down to all fours. His body was covered
in black fur, with large paws at the end of his four legs, his sharp teeth and large rump giving away the fact that he was a bear.
Jayden, the only one of the group to transform into a bird, grew sharp talons from his feet. Two large wings sprang from his back and extended outwards. He had taken on the form of a magnificent golden eagle.
Keeley was shocked to feel a strange sensation running through her back, as hundreds of sharp spines rapidly grew through her skin, her face extending outwards, in a long pointed nose and slight black eyes. She had become a hedgehog.
Their camp leader, the Were-hyena, stood back and watched in amazement. He had seen his type transform many, many times, but it never ceased to impress him, every single time he saw it happen.
He addressed the group of woodland animals before him. "So, as you have probably gathered my friends, you are all the same as I am. You, are the next generation of Therianthrope"
Cayson, the hog, tried to ask a question, but his tusks got in the way and it came out as nothing more than a stifled grunt.
The Were-hyena continued. "I understand that you are probably wondering what on earth is going on? You see, my friends it is no coincidence that you are all here at Camp Lupus"
The animals began to look around at each other in complete bemusement.
"You are all descended from a bloodline of Therianthropes. Your parents, and their parents before them, were all shape-shifters too. Many years ago, they would all have attended this camp. When a shape shifter comes of age, the first full summer moon after their thirteenth birthday is the first time they transform."
Millie the fox stepped forward. "So you're telling me that we are all Were-animals, who shape-shift whenever there is a full moon?"
"Not in so many words. A werewolf is a Lycanthrope. Indeed, they too were shape-shifters, but they were an aggressive, and dangerous race. They would attack and feed upon humans, sometimes just for fun. We are a more gentle race, who live in harmony with humans, and live long and peaceful lives. We drove the Lycanthrope's out many years ago, and have used their camp for ourselves ever since."