by Dan Kelly
Without giving anyone else a chance to say anything, Shannon laughingly blurts out, “Yes, yes, yes, yes!”
So, the guy zips himself back up, turns and walks over to where Mickey is practicing on one of the logs and says, “I saw you dunk that other kid. You’re pretty good. I’d like to find out if you can dunk me. No bets, just for fun.”
“Okay”, Mickey says. The girls come closer to get a better look, trying to hide the knowing smirks on their faces. Pulsar glances over at them and immediately knows that something’s up.
They both get up on the log, someone yells go and the log starts to turn, first one way then the other, sometimes fast and sometime slow. While all this is going on, the log is also bouncing up and down. This goes on for seven or eight minutes and Mickey is holding his own, but the suspense is killing the girls. Suddenly, with a wink to the girls, the Novathanian unzips his wetsuit, revealing the hidden set of legs. Using both sets of legs, he really gets the log churning and bouncing and Mickey is soon launched high in the air, head over heels, and lands on his back in the water with a loud splat! He comes up sputtering, “No fair, no fair. He cheated!”, but he’s laughing so hard he falls back into the water. This sparks howls of laughter from every kid in the vicinity and Mickey’s the talk of the camp for days.
The Novathanian turns out to be a real nice guy. His name is Bruzak and his dad is an instructor at Camp Splash. The Pack and Bruzak make plans to go surfing later in the week and then they go their separate ways.
“What should we do next?” asks Chester Comet.
“Let’s go kayaking.” says Belinda. They all agree and Pulsar pulls out a map of the camp to see where they have to go. It’s a couple of miles away, so they’ll have to catch one of the shuttles going that way. There are lots of shuttle stops all over the camp and in a few minutes they’re on their way to another adventure.
As the shuttles only go about ten miles an hour for safety reasons because there are kids running all over the place, it takes the Pack about 10 minutes to get to the kayak area. As they crest a hill and start down the other side, they see this huge lake, its surface as blue as blue can be and hardly a ripple anywhere. Along the shore line there are dozens of one man and two man kayaks lined up pointing out to the middle of the lake. It’s a beautiful day with the temperature in the low 80s and there’s practically no breeze at all. It’s a great day for kayaking.
Some of the Pack wants to kayak solo, some in pairs and Pulsar winds up being paired with Sally Sunbeam, much to the chagrin of Gracie Galaxy who’s developing a crush on Pulsar. Belinda Black-Hole and Molly Moonbeam also pair up, but they have a special reason for doing so. They’re planning on having a little extra fun with Artie Asteroid. Twenty minutes later the Pack is out near the middle of the lake, paddling away and having a ball. Belinda and Molly think this is as good a time as any to put their little plot into action.
Artie loves the outdoors and he’s drifted off from the rest of the Pack to be alone so he can enjoy the sights, sounds and smells of Camp Splash without being disturbed. He’s stopped paddling to take everything in. The woods and flora surrounding the lake are exhibiting a riotous proliferation of colors. The unusual and perhaps unique fauna are totally captivating and the beautiful birds soaring high in the clear blue sky are crying out the most exotic sounds that Artie has ever heard. All of this has completely mesmerized him and he is oblivious to Belinda and Molly quietly paddling up to about ten yards behind him.
They stay quietly behind him for a couple of minutes to make sure that he’s unaware that they’re there and then they strike. Belinda makes herself invisible and Molly, who’s sitting in front, transforms herself into a giant beach ball. The ball is so big that it completely hides Belinda’s cockpit. Molly, who has a beautiful voice that none of the Pack has ever heard, starts singing softly.
At first, Artie doesn’t hear a thing he’s so lost in his appreciation of the surroundings. But, gradually, the exceptionally pleasing timbre of Molly’s voice registers with Artie and he begins looking around to see where the sound is coming from. When he looks behind him, all Artie sees is an empty kayak with a large beach ball resting in the front cockpit. “I wonder where that came
from.” Every time Artie looks away from the rear of his kayak, Molly resumes singing. Every time he looks back, Molly stops singing. He cannot locate the source of the sound.
This goes on for quite awhile and Artie finally says to himself, “The sun must be getting to me. I better head back in.” Artie turns his kayak towards shore and, amazingly, the kayak behind follows him. No matter which way he turns, the kayak with the beach ball stays on his tail. The beach ball is big enough to hide the paddling of Belinda as long as she stays directly behind Artie. Artie starts talking to himself again and says, “What is going on here? Maybe the two kayaks somehow got snagged on something under the water. That’s the only explanation that makes any sense. I better check under the kayaks before any damage is done.”
As he is about to roll out of the cockpit to dive under the water, Molly bounces up high into the air and comes down with a big splash next to Artie’s kayak. Artie’s eyes open wide with surprise and he stares at the ball completely bewildered. Molly can contain herself no longer and transforms back to herself with Belinda reappearing an instant later.
The girls laugh so loud that the rest of the Pack can hear them a couple of hundred yards away and paddle over to see what’s so funny. When they hear what the girls pulled on Artie, they all have a good laugh with Artie laughing the hardest. Artie is a good sport, but he also believes that turn-about is fair play. “It’s my turn now.”, he’s thinking, “and I will get you back. I don’t know how yet, but I will.” and he silently smiles in anticipation.
Although Pulsar also laughed, he voices his concern. “We’ve all had a good laugh, but you two disobeyed Headmaster Herby’s instructions. What if someone saw what you did? You all know about the dire consequences that could occur if we are found out by someone outside of our inner circle. As funny as they may be, none of us should be pulling stunts like this.”
“You’re right, Pulsar. It’s all my fault.” says, Belinda. I talked Molly into playing this joke on Artie.”
“It’s just as much my fault, Belinda. I didn’t have to go along with your idea. All I was thinking about was having a few laughs. We’re sorry, Pulsar.”
“Apology accepted. It doesn’t appear that any harm’s been done. We’re the only ones out on the lake right now. Let’s keep this our little secret. If Headmaster Herby hears about this, he’ll pop his cork!”
They all head back to shore thinking about what they should do next.
Chapter 20
The next several days are filled with adventure, with each day more exciting than the last. The Pack is learning how to do a lot of new things, meeting all kinds of new life forms and making new friends. A day seems like an hour. As the end of the fourth day approaches, the Pack and Bruzak meet in the cafeteria during dinner and firm up their plans to go surfing the next day.
Headmaster Herby asks if he can come along because he’s always wanted to try surfing, but has never had the chance to do it. “Of course you can come with us.” says Pulsar. “We’ll teach you for free. The lessons here are very expensive and, besides, we’re always happy to have another set of hands to help us wax the boards.”
There are a few chuckles from the Pack and the Headmaster says, “Why you’re nothing but a pack of little connivers and here I thought you were taking pity on your poor old headmaster. Your lessons really aren’t going to be free are they? Your remuneration will be perspiration instead of monetary compensation is that it?” The Pack breaks out laughing now.
“Spoken like a true pedagogue.” Sally Sunbeam says.
“Okay, you hustlers have me over a barrel. I’ll see you tomorrow.” Smiling, he heads off to sample the delicious desserts that Camp Splash always puts out at dinner time.
The surfing facility is man-made and huge.
It nestles at the bottom of a canyon a quarter of a mile away from a roaring river that flows down from the heavily timbered mountain at its northern end. Water from the river is fed via an aqueduct into a basin hollowed out of the bedrock at the bottom of the canyon. The basin is 100 feet deep and a mile across. It’s big! Giant waves, some as high as thirty five feet, are generated by forceful undulations of sophisticated machinery imbedded in the bedrock beneath the water in the basin. On the east side of the basin, a beach has been constructed that gradually slopes down into the water for about 40 yards and then there’s a sheer drop to the bottom 100 feet away.
Pulsar, Mickey and Artie take turns at teaching the Headmaster the basics of surfing. It takes him awhile, but he finally starts to catch on and is beginning to gain some confidence and enjoy himself. After surfing for a couple of hours, Headmaster Herby is starting to get tired. He figures he’ll ride one more wave and then call it quits. He catches a beauty. “It’s going to be a thirty footer for sure.” he thinks. Everything is going well until the Headmaster over corrects and falls into the water.
This in itself is no big deal. The Headmaster is an excellent swimmer, but the board has hit him in the head and knocked him unconscious. The board is preventing him from sinking, but he’s still under the water and being thrown around by the huge wave. He will drown if something isn’t done right away. Fortunately, Casey was right behind the Headmaster when he took his spill and saw everything. He sits down on his board and paddles out of the wave he’s just hitched onto and turns to where the Headmaster is being churned around like butter. He points his hands toward the Headmaster and concentrates real hard. In a few seconds, the Headmaster is enveloped in a cocoon of air and out of immediate danger of drowning although he’s still being bounced around like a leaf in the wind. Casey yells out to Artie who’s nearby to his left for help as the Headmaster could drown if he loses his concentration. Artie quickly takes in the scene, dives into the water and latches on to the Headmaster. Artie uses his amazing strength to battle the wave and stay atop its crest. He’s successful and they both ride the wave in tandem to the shore.
When they reach shore there is a medic waiting for them. All of the facilities at Camp Splash are heavily monitored to detect any accident that might occur and respond to it as quickly as possible. Headmaster Herby is still unconscious and the Pack is really worried. The medic checks out his vital signs and detects nothing alarming except for the unconsciousness. His pulse, blood pressure and breathing are within normal ranges for the activity he’s been engaged in. The medic says, “This man is very lucky. Why he didn’t drown out there I’ll never know.”
“For which I am very grateful.”, thinks Casey.
Just as the ambulance arrives to take him to the hospital, the Headmaster comes to and asks, “What happened?” The medic replies,
“You fell off your surfboard and it walloped you in the head. You’ve been unconscious for the last ten minutes.” Pointing to Artie he adds, “You can thank this young man for saving your life.” The Headmaster’s smile of appreciation quickly disappears as he realizes that Artie’s actions may raise questions in the minds of others who have witnessed what he did. After all, the Headmaster is a fairly big man, six foot three inches tall and weighs 250 pounds on a good day, and someone might start wondering how a five foot seven inch 140 pound kid could handle such a big guy.
The Headmaster refuses to go to the hospital to be checked out saying, “I feel fine. All I need is some ice for this lump that’s starting to form on my noggin.” After the ambulance and the medic leave, the Pack walks with the Headmaster back to his room. “Thank you, Artie, for saving my life. That was a very brave thing you did back there.”
“Well, Headmaster, it was a joint effort between Casey and me. You should thank him too. He spotted you going off your board and when he saw that you weren’t moving he used his power to create a cocoon of air so you wouldn’t drown. After he did that, he called out to me for help.”
“Well then, thank you too, Casey. You kids, all of you, are really starting to work like a team. I’m very proud of you and”, looking at Casey and Artie, “very grateful.”
He’s also very concerned. Not only has Artie used his powers, but Casey has also. He’s hoping that their actions have gone unnoticed by anyone who might be more than a little curious.
The rest of their stay at Camp Splash is free of pranks and further use of any of the Pack’s powers. On their flight back to Proton, there is endless chatter about all the things they’ve done and all the fun they’ve had and everyone has thanked the Headmaster at least three times for arranging the trip.
The Headmaster’s concerns about the possible exposure of the Pack’s existence have faded into his subconscious mind and for the first time since they left for Camp Splash he begins to relax. If he only knew.
Chapter 21
The Pack’s exploits at Camp Splash have not gone on unnoticed. The monitoring system at the Camp is manned 24 hours a day seven days a week to ensure the safety of everyone and everything within its confines. Its equipment is the latest available and state-of-the-art. Its visuals are high definition and can be magnified many times without affecting their clarity. The audio is so sensitive that it can pick up the sound of a butterfly flapping its wings. For practical purposes, a lot of sounds like this are selectively filtered out to amplify what the listener wants to hear. In other words, there really is no privacy outside the buildings in the Camp. Even the public areas inside the buildings are monitored.
Purely by accident, a woman working at the monitoring station happened to be watching the goings on at the pool the day Pulsar was teaching Casey how to swim. She was amazed at how quickly the kid being taught learned how to swim and how fast he was swimming. This fascinated her so she began following them with the monitoring equipment and this led her to the other kids in the Pack.
She saw Mickey’s performance on the log and was very impressed with the athletic prowess for a kid so young. She saw what happened on the lake between Belinda, Molly and Artie and was both amused and confused about what had transpired. Fortunately, the lady was distracted during the discussion that took place out on the lake after the prank that Belinda and Molly pulled on Artie, so she didn’t hear them talking about the use of Belinda’s and Molly’s special powers. She saw what happened at the surfing basin and was perplexed over what she saw Casey do and astonished at what she saw Artie do. She began to think that there was something unusual about these kids. These weren’t your normal twelve year olds.
Now, this woman is not a bad lady. She’s just gets bored easily and is always looking for something to brighten up her day. These kids were the ticket to an out of the ordinary day and she eagerly keyed in to them. Unfortunately, the lady also likes to talk to relieve her boredom and sometimes plays an active role in the local rumor mill. Such was the case a couple of days after Headmaster Herby and the Pack left on their return trip to Proton.
During dinner with some of her friends at a neighborhood restaurant near where she lives, she innocently tells them about the Pack, what she has seen some of them doing and the extraordinary maturity they exhibited for a bunch of kids. This is overheard by a diner at a table behind them who is eavesdropping on their conversation. It so happens that he is one of Emperor Eclipse’s prefects who is attending a tourism conference being held at a trade center not far from Camp Splash.
When this news gets back to the Emperor, it just adds to his crabbiness. He mutters to himself, “I wonder if these are the same kids that were at Camp Chameleon. If so, they sure do spend a lot of their time at camps. How can I find out more about them?” They are a mystery that he’s determined to solve. He instructs the prefect to befriend the woman and probe for any information that might be helpful in locating them.
Every night for the next week the prefect has dinner at the same restaurant with the hope of seeing her again. As he’s getting up to leave once again, beginning to believe that this is probably a
waste of time, he looks up and sees the lady standing by the reservation desk waiting to be seated. He has to walk by her to leave the restaurant, so he seizes this opportunity to approach her.
When he’s about even with her, he glances her way and says in a surprised kind of way, “Excuse me, but weren’t you in here about a week ago having dinner with a group of people? The reason I ask is that I couldn’t help but overhear you talking about a Camp Splash and it sounds like an ideal place to send my children for a vacation.”
“Why, yes I was and Camp Splash is a wonderful place for children to go for a vacation.”