Madison was full of questions as we lashed together the giant gorilla, the banana, the rubber raft, and the two floating mats we bought during the scream auction.
“What if we tip over? Or sink? Can we touch the water at all? Should we touch the water at all? Are there copperheads in the water?” The terror in her eyes was disturbing.
I grabbed her by the shoulders.
“Madison, everything’s going to be okay. The lifeguards are out there in boats. Nobody has ever gotten hurt, bitten, or eaten during the swamp boat competition. Plus, I think we’ve built a magnificent swamp boat. Check it out!”
I jumped on the banana and bounced up and down. Then I looked over at the boat that Boys’ Six was building, and frowned. “I think they’re our strongest competition.”
Boys’ Six had purchased all the boogie boards and they had tied them together, front to end. And they’d even scored a few paddles!
Johan yelled in the bullhorn, “Cabins, ready? Bring your swamp boats to the north end of the lake. We’ll race two at a time, but remember, you are ultimately racing for the best time in the camp. If your boat tips over, you get no points for this event. You will lose a million points for each person that falls totally off the boat. And after that, we will award points based on who was fastest all the way down to slowest. Good luck, and watch out for the Allibeaver! HAHAHAHAHA!”
That’s not what Madison needed to hear.
“We got you, Madison,” Hayley said. “You and Allie stay in the raft and we’ll all be on the sides, paddling.”
“Yeah,” Shelby added. “We’re gonna smoke everyone.”
We hauled our boat down to the north end of the lake and checked our tournament pairing. Each cabin had their week-long point total listed on a big dry erase board by the shore. According to tradition, the two cabins with the most points always race against each other in the last heat.
The cabins with the highest points were girls’ Cabin Four and boys’ Cabin Six.
Great.
“Hey, we know they’ll be fast,” Ruby said, “so if we can beat them we should win it all,” I looked at Madison. “If you have any clever ideas, now would be the time to share them.”
She shook her head. “Like I said before, I have no deceit left.”
The races began. The first two cabins’ boats sank. Poor things. With so few points they weren’t able to buy many sturdy floats at the auction.
Each race improved just a little. By the third heat most of the campers were able to make it to the other side. In the fourth heat the boys’ Cabin Five boat broke in two and the halves finished separately.
“We take the time of the last half that finishes,” Johan said.
Girls’ Cabin Five—the cabin with Lola, Kendall, and their new friends Olivia and Natalie, won their race against boys’ Cabin Two. In fact, up to that point, girls’ Five had the fastest time.
And then it was our turn.
“I don’t think I can do this,” Madison said.
Shelby and Julia lifted her up and threw her in the middle of the raft.
Bliss yelled from one of the rescue boats.
“Let’s go, God’s princesses!”
“Boats ready?” I glanced to the side and saw the boys, each standing next to their boogie boards, ready to launch them into the water.
I wish they didn’t have those paddles.
Johan held up his airhorn. “On your mark, get set. . . . GO!” The horn blew and we all flew into the swamp.
At first we barely moved, but neither did the boys. Momentum takes a minute to build. But then our gorilla-andbanana swamp boat started making a wake behind us.
“Paddle harder!” Julia yelled, and Kayla and Ashley—who were up front on the mats—dug their arms into the water. Shelby and Hayley held on in the back and kicked as hard as they could. Shelby and Brook did their best from the sides and Madison and I cheered from the middle.
We edged in front of the boys, and then they edged in front of us. At one point I looked over, and Nathan was up on his knees, paddling like crazy.
Hunter brought up the rear of the boogie board chain, so he was behind us. He inched up closer and closer, and then I heard him cheering for us.
“C’mon, Girls’ Four, give us a run for our money!”
And so we did. Swamp water flew everywhere. But when we were about three quarters of the way, the girls started to run out of gas.
“My arms are toast!” Kayla yelled. “I can’t paddle anymore!”
“Me too!” Ashley grabbed her shoulder and sat down.
I looked at Madison. “I know you’re out of deceit, but do you think you could find some courage and strength?”
She knew exactly what I meant. And she didn’t hesitate one second. Madison jumped to the front, and dug her arms into the water, paddling like there was no tomorrow. I joined her, and I could smell certain victory as we neared the shore. The tip of our banana—which stuck out in front of our swamp boat—edged forward, a few inches in front of the boys’ boogie boards.
We’re gonna win this thing!
Well, at least my thoughts were positive. The outcome was not. I don’t know how it happened, but at the last second, a boogie board shot in front of our banana, and shoved into the shore.
Boys’ Cabin Six cheered and splashed and high-fived and whooped and hollered. “For Parker! We did it for Parker!”
Well, I couldn’t be upset with that.
The Cabin Four girls, with our rubber arms, joined the boys in their celebration. Their victory, added to their week-long point total, would most likely put them in front of us—making them cabin champs.
All the teams gathered on the deck overlooking the lake for the official totals and announcement of the awards. Johan brought his best grumpy face to the ceremony.
“We still have some tallying to do,” Johan growled. “Since we had a three-way tie for Pig Cabin today! That award that comes with a strenuous S.O.S.—goes to girls’ Cabins Four and Five, and boys’ Cabin Six.”
There was no applause. We didn’t dare.
“How do you kids live in such filth?” asked Johan, the guy who never changes his camp clothes.
“And so, you each lose ten million points!”
Yikes. That was harsh.
But the next announcement was epic.
“My time appears to be up. I was NOT able to expose the scoundrels who stole the dinger out of the bell. You may all step forward now, with no fear of consequences.”
My head pounded a little. I wasn’t sure Johan could be trusted.
But it was tradition, right? So I stepped forward, and Ruby, Kendall, Lola, Madison, Hunter, Nathan, Bliss, and Blaze joined me on the deck.
“Parker came too,” I said.
Johan grabbed his thick hair with both hands and pretended to pull it out. “I had a feeling it was all of you—I just didn’t have any proof. And Blaze and Bliss, my friends—I’m gonna get you back! The rest of you rascal campers—you get fifty million points for your cabins. But, watch out, you’re all on high alert for next year.”
If there is a next year.
CHAPTER 28
Special Opportunity to Serve
Our Pig Cabin idea worked. Girls’ Cabins Four and Five and boys’ Cabin Six were assigned special opportunities to serve at the 50th anniversary gala on Friday evening.
Our arms were tired and sore so most of the kids fought for the job of handing out programs and greeting folks as they came in.
The boys who hadn’t bathed since Wednesday’s whirlpool were stationed back in the kitchen to scrape plates. They were happy enough with that since they got to eat their fill of pizza back there too.
Lola, Kendall, Ruby, Madison, and I were chosen to push plates of food out on carts and Nathan and Hunter and some of the “cleaner” boys filled water glasses.
Ruby and I served the loudest group in the whole place—the table with Mamaw and her cabinmates. Papaw Ray and Uncle Saul sat at a table next to them.
“They’re a spunky bunch!” said Uncle Saul as he picked up his cloth napkin and spread it out on his lap.
The place next to Papaw was empty so I sat down for a moment to have a heart-to-heart talk.
“Papaw, are we really going to let Patterson Gables sell Camp 99 Pines to a housing developer?”
“What do you mean ‘we,’ sweet pea?”
I leaned in close, so he would hear. “Don’t ‘we’, meaning the Carroway family, have enough money to outbid that developer?”
Uncle Saul chimed in, “Oh, yeah—we got the money, and we could outbid that old Stan all day long. But that’d be our way out—not God’s way.”
“How do you know what God’s way is?”
Papaw recited a Bible verse that was familiar. “‘The wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is also peace-loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy, and good deeds. It shows no favoritism and it is always sincere.’ That’s James 3:17.”
There’s that word again. Mercy.
“Okay. I think I get it. Instead of fighting with Patterson Gables, we’re supposed to be peaceful and respect him even if he doesn’t deserve it?”
Papaw patted me on the shoulder. “God’ll soften him up, you’ll see.”
“You know,” Uncle Saul added, “Patterson was in our cabin the very first year 99 Pines was open. He used to love this place. He even helped us save the camp from . . .”
Papaw pushed a roll in Saul’s mouth before he could finish his sentence.
“Allie-girl, I think you’ve got some dinners on that cart to deliver.” Papaw Ray got up and pulled my chair out for me to stand.
“Thanks, Papaw. I’m sorry there isn’t room for you to sit next to Mamaw tonight.”
He laughed. “I don’t want to sit next to a bunch of crazy camp women. I’ll do just fine over here, thanks.”
I smiled. “Okay, I’ll be back in a little while with your dessert.”
And then I ran off with the cart to go find my cousins.
I grabbed Hunter by the sleeve and dragged him over to the corner of the tent. “Stay right here while I get the girls.” He was munching on a roll, so he was fine with that.
I spotted Lola a few tables over and I waved her over.
“What’s up?”
“I have a new piece of information to share. You get Ruby and I’ll find Kendall. Meet us over where Hunter is, in that corner. Hurry!”
In less than a minute, my cousins and I were all huddled together under the corner of the lighted tent.
“You guys, I just found out that Patterson Gables helped save the camp the first year. If he did it once, he could do it again!”
“What do you want us to do, Allie? I’ll do anything. You want me to put a frog in his cheesecake?” Kendall laughed.
I shook my head. “There’s nothing we can do. But we can sure ask God to do something. We’ve got a whole tent full of people who love this camp and I bet all of them together have enough money to buy it. But God’s gotta soften Patterson Gables’ heart first.”
We put our heads together and said a prayer for all that to happen.
Hunter patted his chest with his open hand. “God’s gonna do it, Allie. I can feel it.”
And then we went back to delivering dinners to the few remaining people, all the while being peace-loving, sincere, and hopeful.
The program was about to begin.
Lindsey Roth, all dressed up in a green beaded, floor-length gown, approached the podium. As she did, the live band that was playing over in the corner faded out.
“Good evening, Camp 99 Pines alumni. We are privileged to have you here to celebrate 50 years of camping, laughing, crying, and caring. Tonight is all about you, and the blessing you have been to this place. We want to start the celebration with a video—50 Years at 99 Pines.”
The lights dimmed and the presentation began. It was a mix of lively music, pictures, and video, and as Madison pointed out, it looked like nothing had changed at the camp over the years. Activities, places, campfire talks—the only thing that was different in all those scenes was the people. Several pictures of my aunts, uncles, and mom and dad popped up—playing tug-o’war, participating in the whirlpool, and running with Frisbees. There was even a picture of Mamaw holding up the bell dinger and smiling. And there was a guy standing next to her who looked kinda familiar. Was that Papaw Ray?
When that picture showed up, the whole crowd cheered.
I scoped the room for Patterson Gables. He was sitting toward the front of the room eating his dinner, his body facing away from the screen. He was having a discussion with that Stan guy. But Stan wasn’t eating. He was gesturing wildly and shaking his head. Then he got up and walked toward where we were standing at the back.
“Hello, sir,” I said. I cleared my throat. “Can I get you something?”
He squinted down at me in the dim light. “Allie Carroway? Oh, hello. Thank you for the offer, but I don’t need anything.”
I grinned. “Okay.”
“But Patterson Gables needs something.”
“Oh?” I looked over at his table. “Is he out of water? Salad dressing?”
Stan shook his head. “No. He’s out a buyer for this camp. I’m not going to build houses here. You all are building something much more valuable.”
He held out his hand to shake mine. “God bless you all.” And then he walked from the tent out into the darkness.
Adrenaline squirted through my veins and I rose on my tiptoes to try to locate Miss Lindsey. It didn’t take long for me to find her. She was up at the podium again.
“Wasn’t that fun? Thank you to all who contributed pictures and video. And now, I would like to ask anyone who made a commitment to the Lord while at Camp 99 Pines to please stand up and come to the podium. Say your name, and the year you made the commitment—if you can remember!”
Gasps traveled through the audience as more than half the guests stood up. I glanced over at Patterson. His body and face were still turned away from the front.
As names were being announced, Mamaw made her way back to me. She wiped tears from the corners of her eyes with a napkin.
“Are you okay, Mamaw?”
She put her hand on my head. “Yes, I am more than okay. This is just so happy and sad at the same time. We need this camp for future generations. We almost lost it once and if we had, all these people might not have found the Lord.”
“How did you almost lose it? And how was it saved?”
And then I decided to spill the beans.
“Mamaw, I know that the Prayer Barn on your property is girls’ Cabin Six.”
Mamaw’s eyes got big and her mouth dropped open.
“I can’t even believe I’m asking you this, but . . . did you and your cabinmates steal Cabin Six?”
Mamaw was silent for a minute, as names echoed in the background.
Finally, she turned, and put both hands on my shoulders.
“No, Allie. We didn’t steal Cabin Six. We sold it! At a ‘silent’ silent auction the last night of camp—to help raise the insurance money. Your Papaw Ray and Uncle Saul’s father bought it, and all of us girls in Cabin Six, with the help of Patterson, Ray, and Saul, loaded it on a flatbed trailer so they could haul it away in the middle of the night. We told everyone that it was a prank—kinda like stealing the dinger—and then over the years, people made up stories about its disappearance . . .”
“Sold it? But how can you sell something that doesn’t belong to you?”
“Well, it belonged to someone in our cabin.”
“Who?”
“Goldie.”
“Goldie? Your counselor?”
At that moment, thunderous applause filled the tent. Lindsey Roth wheeled in an elderly woman in a wheelchair. Her white hair looked stunning with her silver necklace and royal b
lue chiffon dress. When she reached the podium, Lindsey helped her stand, and she stayed next to her—holding her up—as the audience grew still and the woman spoke.
“Hello, friends.”
There was a long pause while the woman looked like she was trying to gather her thoughts.
“Thank you for . . . being here. I . . .”
More silence. She shook her head and Lindsey reassured her.
“It’s okay, Miss Audrey. You can sit now. We’re just so glad you’re here.”
Audrey? Could this be Audrey Gables?
But Miss Audrey didn’t want to sit. She shook her head and then continued. “Do not worry . . . about the future . . . of the camp . . .”
That got Patterson to finally turn around. Audrey looked straight at him.
“I . . . love you, son. And . . . I know . . . you’ll do the right thing.” Then, her eyes cleared and she straightened up. “For I know the one in whom I trust, and I am sure that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until the day of his return.”
Mamaw sighed. “Second Timothy 1:12. That’s always been Goldie’s favorite verse.”
“Goldie?”
Mamaw nodded. “Goldie is Audrey’s camp name.”
Goldie’s speech ended with a standing ovation, and immediately following that we girls were supposed to serve cheesecake. We tried, but no one was sitting in their seats. Instead, they were huddled in groups, buzzing about Patterson Gables.
“His buyer dropped out,” I overheard someone say. “This is our chance.”
“Does the board have enough money to make an offer?”
“Where can I make a donation?”
“Anybody seen Lindsey?”
People crowded the silent auction tables like they were deals on Black Friday. I wiggled my way to one of the tables and saw that my camo jacket from season one of Carried Away with the Carroways was in the middle of a bidding war. I jumped over to another table where one item seemed to have the longest line of bidders. I squeezed in, and couldn’t believe what I saw.
It was the dinger from the bell! And it was bringing in lots of bucks.
I glanced behind the table and saw Bliss pointing to the bid sheet and giving her Aunt Betsy a high-five.
Finding Cabin Six Page 14