Summer Camp Queen

by Marci Peschke

  I try not to worry about Miley. I have twenty points. That’s pretty good for one day at camp!

  Dear Ugly Brother,

  I promised to write you a letter and here it is! They do not have any dogs at camp, but they do have butterflies,bees, mosquitoes, flies and every other kind of bug. I know you would love to dog paddle in Lake Mariposa.

  Today we rode horses. Don't get jealous, though. Okay?

  I missed you all day long. I bet you miss me, too.

  We are having a contest and I have 20 points now.

  Give Momma and Daddy a kiss for me. I love you all more than cheese and grits!

  Hugs and kisses, your sister,

  Kylie Jean

  The next day when Miley finds out I have twenty points, it starts a little war between the Ladies and the Monarchs. The other girls tell me that Miley is from Houston. That girl is a city slicker and I’m a country gal. No wonder we’re so different. I try not to worry about it. We have a busy day making crafts.

  Each cabin designs a t-shirt. The American Ladies paint one big butterfly with white stars on the wings.

  Everyone gets to vote on their favorite shirt.

  Miley shouts, “Vote for the Monarchs! Our shirt rules!”

  “Vote for the Ladies!” I holler. “Be true blue!”

  The Ladies chant, “Ladies, LADIES, LADIES!”

  Belle sighs, “I just love craft day. It’s the most fun!”

  One of the counselors counts the votes. We don’t win. The winners each get five points. That makes me start to worry that I might lose my lead in the contest!

  The next project we make is friendship bracelets.

  When no one else is looking, I see Miley dump the box of thread onto the floor. It looks like she just spilled a rainbow.

  Luckily, her counselor notices, too. She says, “Miley, you just lost five points.”

  Miley shrugs like she doesn’t care. I don’t understand that girl. She acts like she wants points, but then she does something she knows will get her into trouble.

  Lucy notices, too. She asks, “Why did she do that?”

  “I was just asking myself that same question,” I say. “It’s a mystery. Maybe we can figure it out.”

  Lucy and I help pick up all the thread, because pretty is as pretty does.

  We were raised up to be helpers and have good manners. Our good deed earns us each one point, but we didn’t do it for the points!

  Then we make our bracelets. They’re easy to do. You just braid the thread just like you would your hair. I make mine pink, all pink. Some of the thread is a soft baby pink, some is hot pink like watermelon, and I add bright bubblegum pink too. When I’m done, I make bracelets for each of the Ladies.

  Counselor Caroline exclaims, “What a nice thing to do for your cabin sisters! I’m going to give you a point for each one. Eight points.”

  “Yay!” I say. “Thank you.”

  Lucy gives me a high five. She knows I’m in the lead. But she’s not the only one who knows that.

  That night, when we’re all getting ready for bed, Maggie slides into her sleeping bag and hops right back out like a jackrabbit, screaming.

  She points to her feet. They are covered with shaving cream. That is a city girl trick if I ever saw one!

  Lola frowns. “I bet that Miley girl is behind this,” she says. “She doesn’t like us. Do you think she’s trying to get kicked out of camp?”

  “We can’t let them get away with this, or we’ll be in for a really long week,” Pearl says.

  Belle thinks for a minute.

  Then she says, “You know, I believe I just saw a grass snake on my way back from the showers.”

  The girls and I look at each other.

  “What do you think those city girls will do with a snake?” Lola asks.

  “I bet they’ll scream, run, and cry,” Lucy says, “and in that order, too.”

  “Let’s get it,” Lola says. She and Belle creep out of the cabin.

  Sure enough, minutes later we hear some screams and then some crying, too.

  Soon, the counselors are in our cabin. No one admits to putting the snake in the cabin. Even the girls in Miley’s cabin say that it must have just slithered in.

  Part of me feels bad, though. I shouldn’t have let them put that snake in the other girls’ cabin.

  Each cabin gets inspected. I’m sure we’ll pass just fine, but then Jane Ellen goes through my bag. “There’s a whole sack of junk food in here,” she says.

  I’m shocked, and so are the rest of the girls.

  “Looks like Miley got the last laugh this time,” Pearl mutters.

  I lose three points, but the worst part is that the other girls in my cabin do, too.

  I feel terrible.

  Jane Ellen looks disappointed. “I’m surprised that you would be a rule breaker,” she says to me.

  I want to tell her that I’m not a rule breaker, but I don’t want to argue.

  “Tomorrow is a new day and you can start fresh,” Jane Ellen says. “Try to be a better camper.”

  Dear Miss Clarabelle,

  I am writing to you by flashlight. The girls in my cabin all just went to sleep, even Lucy. We are in the American Lady cabin. You are the finest lady I know, so I sure wish you could help me out.

  There is a girl here who looks just like me with brown eyes. Her name is Miley and I'm sad to say that when I'm around her I act like a brat. But the worst part is how awful she acts to me. I've been getting into trouble and it isn't even my fault.

  I am wondering what in the world to do about it. If you were here, you would probably say two wrongs don't make a right.

  Please tell my Momma and Daddy I love them bunches. I won't make you give them kisses and hugs, but tell them I am sending some anyway.

  Your friend and neighbor,

  Kylie Jean

  In the morning I start out by being on my very best camp behavior. I don’t want to get into trouble. That means I have to try real hard to not even look at Miley.

  Lucy notices. She asks, “Are you trying not to let Miley get you into any more trouble?”

  I reply, “Yup!”

  “That’s a great plan,” she says. “How can I help?”

  I shrug. “I just want to stay out of trouble all day,” I tell her. “Avoiding Miley seems like a good beginning.”

  The first thing we do after breakfast is design flags for our cabins. We have a head start since our cabin is practically named after the good ol’ U. S. of A.

  The flag is easy to make. We draw our faces instead of the stars. There isn’t enough room for fifty stars anyway.

  In the afternoon we write campfire songs. Tonight is a big camp sing-along.

  At first, we don’t know how to start. Then Ella starts to scribble on her paper.

  We all wait . . . and wait . . . and then she sings.

  My country, ’tis of thee

  I pledge my camp loyalty

  A butterfly I’ll be

  My sisters we will sail and watch for our mail

  We’ll make some crafts and play

  Look at nature on another day

  And when it’s time to go

  We’ll miss each other so

  Loyal ladies we will be

  We’ll make camp history!

  Belle gasps. “That’s amazing!” she says.

  I nod. “Wow!” I say. “You can do all the writing for our cabin. You’re awesome.”

  Ella blushes. “Thanks, y’all,” she says. “I do want to be a writer when I grow up.”

  “You already are!” Lucy says.

  After we write a few more songs, we help find sticks to roast weenies and marshmallows on. Lucy and I skirt around the edge of the camp, loo
king for sticks in the woods. The leafy trees are like green umbrellas shading us from the sun. We walk and we chat.

  Luckily, we’re not so busy talking that we can’t pay attention. Miley is walking near us, and she starts reaching for a stick that’s in a bunch of poison ivy!

  “Not that one!” I yell. “Poison ivy alert!”

  She still reaches for it. I hold my breath.

  “Why should I believe you?” Miley asks.

  Lucy rolls her eyes. “Think about it,” she tells Miley. “If Kylie Jean wanted to make trouble for you, she’d keep quiet and let you be all covered with an itchy red rash. She’s trying to help you out!”

  Slowly, Miley backs away from the stick. She says, “Fine! I’ll look somewhere else.”

  We watch her go the other way and I’m glad. My plan is to stay away from trouble. As far away as I can get! “Trouble should be that girl’s middle name,” I say.

  Lucy nods and says, “I think you’re right!”

  Later that night, much later, when the long summer day ends and the sky is a dusky gray dusted with glitter of soon-to-be stars, we head over to the fire pit for our campfire.

  The counselors have piled up the wood in the center like a little teepee and the top of it blazes red, orange, and yellow fire. I spot Jane Ellen sitting next to our American Ladies flag. On the other side of the fire are Miley and the other Monarchs. I feel relieved that we’re not side by side.

  It’s time for s’mores! I roast my marshmallows until they are charred black on the outside and melted inside. When I stack them up with a chocolate bar and graham crackers, they taste like heaven.

  Then an idea hits my brain like a hungry skeeter on a camper. “Let’s tell ghost stories!” I suggest.

  All around the fire, campers shout out, “Yes!”

  “Kylie Jean is a good storyteller,” Lucy says. “Let her go first!”

  I stand up in the eerie glow of the firelight. The shadows dance around us like monsters. Then I begin with a voice as soft as a whisper, so everyone has to lean in to hear me. Everyone loves my creepy tale.

  Caroline suggests a storytelling contest, so a few more campers tell stories.

  Lucy whispers, “None of them can hold a candle to yours, Kylie Jean.”

  After a few more creepy stories, the camp leader, Missy, stands up. She says, “I am giving ten points to the best storyteller. Let’s vote. The camper with the most clapping and cheering when I call her name will be the winner.”

  When she calls my name, it gets so loud I bet they can hear us as far away as Dallas.

  Missy smiles and says, “Ten points to Kylie Jean!”

  Hurray! I am well on my way to being queen of Mariposa Ranch!

  Dear T.J.,

  Tonight I won a campfire storytelling contest. You sure gave me some good ideas. Remember all the times you tried to scare me? Well, I used all of the best ideas in my story for the contest tonight.

  I sure do miss everyone, especially Momma and Daddy and Ugly Brother. Tell Momma and Daddy that I will write them a letter tomorrow.

  I love them more than s’mores!

  Your sweet little sister,

  Kylie Jean

  XOXO

  In the morning, we hear the gentle tapping of rain on the tin roof of our cabin when we wake up. Maggie Mae sits up and arches her back like a cat stretching. Sleepily, she asks, “Is it raining?”

  BOOM! Thunder shakes our cabin walls!

  “I don’t think we’ll be having a water sports day today,” Belle says. She looks disappointed.

  “If we can’t go to the lake, what can we do?” Lucy asks.

  Pearl explains, “They’ll have a game day inside, since the weather is bad outside.”

  After breakfast, we find out that Pearl is right. We are going to have a game day. There are games stacked on the tables, like Monopoly, Chess, Checkers, Sorry, Candy Land, and Life.

  We Ladies stick together. First we play Sorry. It’s a fun game and not too hard to play. Miley loses the game at her table, so she knocks all the game pieces onto the floor!

  Jane Ellen crosses her arms and frowns. “Miley, that wasn’t very good sportsmanship,” she says. “You need to learn that everyone is a winner, but only one girl can win the game!”

  Miley shrugs and mutters, “Whatever.”

  Lola whispers to me, “She has a bad attitude!”

  Next we play Monopoly. It takes a lot longer. You would not believe how rich Pearl gets. She likes to buy things, so she buys a lot of property, houses, and hotels. Almost any space you land on belongs to Pearl.

  When someone lands on a space, we chant, “Pay Pearl!”

  “Look at all your money!” I say. “Looks like you’re the Queen of Cash! I bet you’re going to be the winner.”

  Pearl nods. “I bet I do win,” she says. “My family plays this game all the time. Every time we play, I’m the winner!”

  Even though we all know that Pearl is going to win, we keep playing. It’s fun just hanging out together.

  Pearl does win, of course. Then Lucy and I move on to Tic-Tac-Toe. Lucy and I start a game first. Then all of the other American Ladies decide to play, too. I am the X and Lucy is the O. We keep score. At first I am in the lead with seven wins, but then Lucy starts to catch up.

  After a few games, we decide to have a Tic-Tac-Toe Tournament. Soon all of the girls from the other cabins are playing Tic-Tac-Toe, too! The girls who win the most will play against each other.

  By the end of game day we are all awarded ten points each. Well . . . almost all of us. Since she was a bad loser earlier, Miley only gets five points.

  I’m starting to feel sorry for Miley. She has a hard time controlling her feelings!

  Dear Momma and Daddy,

  I miss you so much!

  It rained today. Nanny would say it rained cats and dogs. We played games inside all day. I won the Tic-Tac-Toe tournament.

  I saw more of my look-alike twin. We might look the same on the outside, but we are not at all alike on the inside. I think that girl has a bee in her bonnet. I am trying to be extra good.

  I love you to the moon and back!

  Your little queen,

  Kylie Jean

  P.S. Read this letter to Ugly Brother and give him a kiss from me.

  In the morning, the pale yellow sun floats low over Mariposa Lake. No rain! Today will be a great day for water activities.

  After breakfast we all go back to our cabins to change into our swimsuits. We’re going to have swimming relays, go canoeing, and have a picnic.

  Lucy and I are kind of nervous, since we’ve never been in a canoe before. We’ve only been in Pa’s little motorboat, fishing on the big lake.

  There is a narrow path that leads down to the water. One by one we head down the path. From above we probably look like ants on a log!

  When we get to the beach, I start to feel less nervous about the canoes. There’s a lot to do in the water. Campers can swim a relay out to the raft and back. There are huge, black inner tubes for floating lazily along and a tire swing for daredevil girls who want to swing out over the lake and jump off into the cool blue water.

  The Ladies start with the swim relay. We are racing against the Monarchs. Lucy starts the relay. Then it’s Pearl’s turn.

  While Lola goes, we dog paddle in the shallow water.

  We all chant, “Lola! Lola!”

  I’m last and so is Miley. Lola tags me first and I’m off!

  We have to swim using three different strokes. I start with the butterfly stroke, move on to the forward crawl, and finish with the backstroke. It seems like Miley is copying me until the end, when she does a side stroke.

  The backstroke lets me use my legs for extra speed at the end, but Miley edges ahead by a hair and the Monar
chs win. They each get ten points.

  The Ladies are disappointed, but we give the other team high fives and congratulate them anyway. We aren’t poor losers!

  Next we head over to the canoes. Each canoe has a name on its side.

  Lucy and I want the pink one named Butterfly Breeze. But some other girls get to it before we do, so we decide to wait until they get back. While we wait, we grab inner tubes and float along, watching our friends race their canoes.

  Lucy and I hold hands so we won’t float apart. I drag my free hand in the water. We float along watching until the Ladies win! YAY!

  By then our pink canoe is back, but it’s lunchtime, so we head for the shore. The cook has made a picnic lunch for us to eat right beside the lake. Each cabin has a picnic basket.

  Ella says, “I wonder what’s inside!”

  Wrapping my towel around my waist, I say, “I hope it has watermelon in it.”

  “I want brownies!” Pearl shouts.

  Charlotte looks inside and starts pulling things out of the basket.

  Lucy says, “Looks like we have ham and cheese sandwiches, carrot sticks, watermelon, and chocolate chip cookies.”

  Right away we start to stuff ourselves with picnic food.

  “I’m so hungry I could eat a whale after swimming in that race!” I say.

  Lucy laughs. “A whale could eat you,” she says, “but you couldn’t eat a whale.”

  For a while there is more eating than talking as we munch our lunch. When we are finally done, we clean up our mess.

  Then we head over to the canoes. Luckily, Butterfly Breeze is waiting for us.

  Lucy and I learn the hard way that unlike motorboats, canoes are tippy. She gets in first and gives me her hand. As I pull it, the canoe tips toward me, and Lucy falls out!

  Splish splash! Her head pops up out of the water.

  “That was scary!” she shouts.