“Go on . . .” Madison said with a skeptical tone to her voice.
“The girls in Cabin Six could do nothing but argue all week. And they complained about everything—the food, the dust, the lizards, the smelly bathrooms . . .”
“I-I can relate to that,” Madison said.
“Well,” Kendall stepped back, looked both ways, and then returned to the huddle, “this made their counselor—Smiles—very upset. After all, her name was Smiles, and no one had been smilin’ all week. So, she asked the one girl who was the most positive—Zola—to go on a walk with her, to pray and ask Jesus to work in the hearts of the other girls during the last campfire talk.”
“We have campfire talks every night where a speaker teaches from the Bible,” I filled Madison in.
“Got it,” Madison said.
Kendall pointed to the thick woods. “And they went in there for their walk.”
The girls all turned their heads to look out at the thick forest.
Kendall continued. “The next thing that happened was so horrible that none of the senior staff ever talks about it. We only know because certain counselors will tell the tale to campers who are brave enough to handle it.”
“What happened?” Madison wrung her hands and cracked a couple of knuckles.
“Smiles fell in a gopher hole and broke her ankle.”
“What? Why don’t they talk about that?” Madison crossed her arms. “Seems like that would be common around here.”
Kendall brushed off the comment. “Not that part. The next part.”
“Oh.”
“Zola ran back to the girls’ village for help. And when she got there, she saw that Cabin Six was engulfed in flames!”
“I’m out,” Brooke said, and she joined Kayla on the stump.
“I told you it was scary,” Kendall said. Then she grabbed her stomach and pretended to be overcome with emotion. “I can’t go on. Allie, would you finish the story?”
I had been a part of many retellings of the Zola Simms tale, so I went along. “Zola heard the screams of her fellow campers inside the cabin. ‘I’m coming!’ she yelled. And she went in.”
“She went in?!?” Madison’s hand flew to her mouth.
Man, she’s really buying this.
“Yes. She went in seven times, to be exact. And each time, she dragged out a girl—saving her from certain death. By this time, the rescue crews had arrived, and the chief yelled from his truck for her to stop. ‘Zola! Don’t go in! We have everybody!’ But Zola turned and yelled, ‘NO! I have to get the last camper!’”
I stopped for a minute to take a deep breath. After telling the story so many times, I had to shake my head to remind myself it wasn’t true.
“Zola ran for the cabin, despite the chief’s warnings. And when she was only steps from the door, flames broke through the roof and windows. An explosion rang out, and the cabin collapsed—right in front of Zola’s eyes.”
A few of the girls were clutching their throats now. I went into full drama mode. “‘The last camper! I have to save her!’ Zola’s shrieks rang out, and echoed for miles around. And then . . . Zola Simms ran out into the piney woods, never to be heard from again.”
“That’s a horrible story!” Madison yelled. “Now I know why Kayla and Brooke are sitting on the stump.”
“Yeah, it’s pretty intense,” Shelby said.
“Well, it’s important for everyone to know . . .” Kendall breathed in deeply, “that no girls were lost in the cabin fire that night. Zola thought there was one more in there, but the whole time she was in the bathhouse, takin’ a shower.”
“It pays to be clean, I guess.” Madison wiped her sweaty palms. “But did they ever find Zola and tell her the good news?”
Kendall shook her head. “Nope. She’s still out there. Much older now—a lonely hermit. Sometimes you can see her in the shadows, rustling through the bushes, always looking for the last camper.”
Madison shrugged. “Who’s the last camper?”
“Anyone Zola finds out in the woods, walking alone,” I said.
“So that’s why I told you not to go out there,” Hayley said, “even to go dig a hole.”
“Oh.” Madison looked in the direction of the woods. Then she turned her head toward the bathhouse.
“I may just hold it all week,” she said.
The hammering noises finally stopped, and Redwood and Snowball emerged from Cabin Four.
“Safe to go in now,” Redwood said.
“And you won’t fall through your bed,” Snowball added. “Would you like us to move your mattress back up?”
“Nah. These girls can help me. Thanks for coming so quick so I don’t have to sleep with the spiders and snakes on the floor.”
“Ha!” Redwood said. “They can crawl up—you know that.”
Madison turned white. “That’s it, I’m calling Daddy to come get me.”
Oh no, you’re not leaving, Madison Doonsberry. I’m stuck here in Cabin Four, so you are too.
“It’ll be fine, Madison. We spray for spiders and snakes every night.”
She sighed. “Oh, that’s a relief! I didn’t know there was a spray for that.”
Ruby laughed. “Are you talking about the prayer spray?”
I smiled. “Yeah.” I nudged Madison with my elbow. “It’s something we made up a few years ago. We spray our hairspray on each other’s heads and say a prayer that God will keep away all the spiders and snakes. Get it? Hair spray . . . prayer spray?”
Madison gave me the squinty eyes. “Does it work?”
“Well,” Ruby said, “we’ve been coming every summer and we’re still alive.”
“And our hair looks really good in the mornings,” I said.
Madison stared like she was in the middle of deep thoughts.
“Okay, I’ll try it.” She held her index finger up in the air. “First spider or snake I see—I’m calling Daddy.”
I chuckled to myself. The staff at 99 Pines wants us to focus on God and each other during the week, so they collect our cell phones, and there are no phones anywhere for campers to use. So, the only “Daddy” we can contact is our Heavenly Father. Which always works for me, since I have a relationship with him. I wasn’t sure what Madison was going to do about that.
Lord, help Madison find you this week. I know you’ve been searching for her.
CHAPTER 10
Mystery Bed
I’m back with the tape!” Bliss paraded through the door with all kinds of girl-colored duct tape. Pink camo appears to be my life even here at camp.
“Let’s get this place all spiffed up, beautiful and clean. Our first inspection will take place while we’re at dinner. Ducky and Glitch are very picky!”
Ducky I knew. She’s been one of the lifeguards for a couple of years now.
“Who’s Glitch?” I asked.
“She’s our new head of the tech department.”
I nodded. “Should we be alarmed by her camp name?”
“Well, y’all shouldn’t worry, since you have no technology this week,” Bliss said. “But the office staff could be in serious trouble.”
Hayley ripped open a bag of candy and dumped it on her top bunk in the back of the cabin. “I’ll write a nice note and leave a pile of chocolate.”
I turned to Madison to explain. “Bribes aren’t encouraged in the Bible, but they are at camp.”
“Whatever works!” Madison reached down and tried to lift my mattress off the floor. “Can I help you make your bed?”
Wow, she wants to help?
“Sure. Let me check it out first, for sturdiness.”
I jumped up and landed on my backside—right where the hole used to be.
“Whoop! It’s as hard as I remember.”
I stood, and turned to inspect the old bench wood. Snowball was right, it was a piece of history—with all kinds of words carved in. I bent at the waist and ran my fingers over the old carvings.
“This is really cool. I wonder how old this pi
ece of wood is?”
I leaned in closer, to read the words, names, and phrases.
The first name I saw was Jesus. Appropriate for a Christian camp bench.
The next phrase was a Bible Scripture passage. Luke 15:4. This one I knew well, since it’s the Camp 99 Pines motto. Camp 99 Pines is situated at the end of Highway 99, but the number 99 has another meaning. It refers to a story Jesus told about a shepherd who has 99 sheep safely in the fold, but chooses to leave them and go look for one sheep that is lost. And that’s how Jesus is. He never stops going after his children—no matter how far they wander away from him. That’s why Miss Lindsey always signs her letters with, “Till all the lost have been found.”
I smiled and said a little prayer for Madison again, and then I noticed some more names on my new bed.
Mary, Barb, Judith, Carolyn.
The names had letters and numbers next to them in parentheses. Mary (G2), Barb (G3), and Judith (G5). I figured that must have stood for the cabins they were in.
Awesome, Judith! You made it into the top cabin. You did better than me!
But then there was another name. Kat (G6).
G6?
“What are you looking at, Allie?” Madison had joined me and poked her head in to see the writing on the bed too.
I ran my index finger along the name and the number.
Could this mean Cabin Six? Surely there hadn’t really been a Cabin Six at one time.
“Hey, check this out, Allie! Someone broke the Ruby Rule!”
Madison pointed out a little artwork in the corner of the new, old piece of wood. It was a carving that had two sets of initials, PG and KC, with a heart in between.
And numbers beside them in parentheses were B6 and G6.
“What do B6 and G6 mean?”
Well, by now, all our cabinmates were crowded around, and that meant they were all breaking the Bliss Rule about not stepping on other people’s bedding, since they were all standing on top of my mattress and sleeping bag which was still on the floor.
“Wow! It’s a piece of history!” Kayla pushed in to see for herself. “I wonder if PG and KC got married.”
“I doubt it,” I said. “They had to be just kids when they carved this.”
“Hey, Allie,” Brooke sat down on my pillow on the floor. “Didn’t I see on one of your shows that your grandparents, parents, and even a couple of your aunts and uncles met each other here at Camp 99 Pines?”
I chuckled. “Yeah, that’s true.”
“So, it could have happened for PG and KC too. That’s kind of cool to think about.”
Madison repeated her comment, “What do B6 and G6 mean?”
“I’m not sure, but I have an idea,” Hayley said. “The same letters and numbers are by these girls’ names over here. G2, G3, G4 . . . and they match the signs on the tree at the front of the girls’ village. Except there is no G6.”
“True,” Brooke said. “Unless, of course . . .”
Nobody finished her sentence, because everyone knew the end of her sentence.
Unless, of course, there once was a girls’ Cabin Six!
CHAPTER 11
Campfire, Night One
Allie, do I need a Bible tonight for the campfire?” Madison sat on her top bunk and fumbled around with her flashlight. Dinner had been great—hamburgers, beans, and corn-on-the-cob—and after a game of “Who’s Weirder—Camper or Counselor?”—which was just a goofy talent competition, the staff had sent us back up to our villages to prepare for the campfire.
“Because I don’t have a Bible, remember? Were you able to bring me one?”
I had heard Madison the first time she asked, but then my mind wandered back to the carvings that were hidden under my mattress. I had to find a way to show my cousins—including Hunter—who wasn’t allowed on this side of the camp, what was on that piece of old bench. Not having my phone with the camera was going to make that a tough project.
“Yes, Madison, I brought you one of my Mamaw Kat’s Bibles. It was given to her by the founder of this camp, Audrey Gables.”
My suitcase sat on a wooden shelf at the end of my bed. I opened it, and rifled through until I found the Bible, wrapped carefully inside one of my towels. Even though Mamaw had said that it needed to get used, I still felt like it was a fragile family heirloom.
“Here it is. It’s even a good color, huh? Matches your comforter.”
“Thanks.” Madison took the Bible from me, but didn’t look at it or open it, or cradle it in her arms, or act at all like it was the most important book ever written.
Fine. Give. It. Back.
“I don’t want to go tonight.” Madison tucked the Bible under her arm and bit her lower lip. “Just being honest.”
“Why not? The campfire talks are my favorite. You’ll see. It will be inspirational.”
Madison shrugged. “Whatever. I guess it will be better than sleeping in this creaky cabin tonight. That’s going to be a long nine hours.”
Okay, I’ll give her that. The cabin is creaky, and the nights are long.
Bliss opened the screen door and peeked in.
“Hey, you two, campfire’s in ten minutes. We’re all sittin’ in the same row.”
“Madison, why don’t you head down with Bliss? I have something to do really quick.”
“I’ll wait for you.”
“I have to go to the bathroom.”
“Oh, yuck. I was just there, and it wasn’t pleasant.” Madison ran for the door. “Bliss! Wait up!”
Then she turned to me. “Don’t let Zola catch you walking alone.” And then she was gone.
As soon as I was sure she wasn’t going to return, I pulled my mattress, with all the bedding, off the wood frame. My pillow slipped onto the floor of the cabin.
“Oh, man. Bliss would freak if she saw that,” I said out loud.
Then I pulled my spiral notebook out of my backpack and tore out a few pages. I grabbed my small box of crayons—yes, I like crayons—to do a few “carving rubbings” so I could show my cousins and bring them in on the Cabin Six mystery.
I placed the papers, one by one, over the different carvings, and scribbled away with a brown crayon. It took a couple of tries on the names, since the carvings were shallow. But that one with the heart—that was deep.
PG (B6) KC (G6)
Who could they be? And was this KC really in Cabin Six?
The bell chimed the five-minute warning. And anyone who’s late to campfire loses points for their cabin.
I quickly finished up the rubbings and threw my mattress and bedding back up on the wood frame. Then I tucked the papers in the notebook, stacked my Bible on top, and ran down to the campfire amphitheater.
Madison was saving a seat for me in between her and Ruby.
Okay, I guess that will work. I can help her find verses in the Bible since she’s probably not familiar.
I ran to the righthand side of the fourth row of the horseshoe-shaped amphitheater. I climbed over a few girls in my cabin and then squeezed into the skinny spot Madison had saved for me.
“Hey, cousin, I was getting worried about you.” Ruby smiled and then scooted over a few inches so I could breathe.
When I finally got situated and looked up I found I was sitting directly across the horseshoe from Nathan Fremont!
He spotted me, and he smiled and waved. His eyes twinkled in the firelight and my cheeks caught on fire again.
Look down, look sideways, look at the stars, but don’t look at him! Remember—no love at camp!
“Hey, Madison, do you want me to help you find where today’s memory verse is in your Bible?”
She tossed the Bible in my lap. “Of course. This book might as well be written in Greek. I can’t find a thing.”
I flipped to the New Testament. “Well, some of it was originally in Greek.”
Madison crossed her arms. “Exactly as I thought. Difficult to understand and not applicable to real life.”
Huh?
I turned a few more pages, and finally landed on Luke 11:9.
“Here it is. If you can memorize it, we can get more points toward being cabin champs.”
Thankfully this was one I already had memorized.
And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for.
Keep on seeking, and you will find.
Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you.
I showed it to Madison, who didn’t seem impressed.
“Ask, seek, knock? What exactly am I asking, seeking, and knocking for? See, this Christian stuff is a just a big mystery to me. And I hate mysteries.”
At that moment, Maestro, who had been our camp worship leader for the last three years, walked up to the little stage in front of the campfire amphitheater. He began strumming his guitar, and that sound brought back lots of feel-good memories for me from camps past. I couldn’t wait to jump in and sing a chorus or two—it didn’t matter what the song was. The tune he began with was new to me, but the words were not.
Sing a new song to the Lord!
Let the whole earth sing to the Lord.
Sing to the Lord, praise his name.
Each day proclaim the good news that he saves.
I recognized those words from Psalm 96—Kendall’s favorite verse in the Bible. She has it painted on one of our Scripture boards in the Lickety Split. I glanced over at Kendall, who was sitting with her Cabin Five friends. She was singing at the top of her lungs. Even if I had my eyes closed, I would have known that, because Kendall’s beautiful voice rang out louder than everyone’s else’s. I wished I could be over there sitting next to her.
Jesus is alive in Cabin Five.
But for now, I closed my eyes and tried to harmonize with my cousin.
Great is the Lord. He is most worthy of praise . . .
Let the heavens be glad, and the earth rejoice . . .
The campfire burned hot against my skin, the aroma of pine trees and the sound of chirping crickets filled the air, and my spirit soared. This is what I loved most and waited for all year. An opportunity to worship God, outside, in this beautiful place.
“Allie.” I felt a sharp jab in my side. It was Madison’s elbow and it jerked me out of my moment.
Finding Cabin Six Page 5