Church Camp Chaos

by Annie Tipton

  7. Hooded sweatshirt (See #6.)

  8. Pajamas

  9. Bathing suit (DON’T FORGET THIS ONE!)

  10. Shampoo, conditioner, soap, deodorant, toothbrush/toothpaste

  11. Hairbrush and ponytail holders (If you’re lucky, you’ll have a dorm mom who will be able to fix your hair in French braids!)

  12. Bug spray (You’re so sweet, the mosquitoes will eat you up!)

  13. Flashlight (It gets dark at night at camp. Also fun for flashlight tag in the dorms.)

  14. Diary and pen (To record all the fantastic memories you make at camp!)

  EJ smiled as she set the list on her bed. She liked how specific Mom was on the list. Scratching the remnant of a chicken pock on her elbow, EJ wondered how all this stuff was supposed to fit in her little suitcase.

  “All right, EJ. You can do it.” EJ gave herself a little pep talk as she dove into the mounds of stuff on her floor. Every time she found a piece of clothing on the packing list, she sniffed it to determine whether it was clean or dirty. If it was clean, she tossed it into the suitcase. If it was dirty, it went into a laundry basket. If it wasn’t obvious by the sniff test whether it was clean or dirty, EJ gave it the benefit of the doubt and tossed it in the suitcase.

  By the time she’d found all the clothes on the list, her room was looking quite a bit cleaner. A dozen books made their way to their spots on the bookshelf, eliminating even more clutter. Next she picked up shoes and matched them in pairs before lining them up in her closet. For a half second, she couldn’t find the mate to a lime-green flip-flop, but then she remembered it was hanging from the ceiling fan, so she stood on her desk chair to get it down before slipping both sandals in the front zipper pocket of her luggage.

  EJ had just started flattening the pile of clothes into her suitcase to get them to fit (folding clothes was a giant waste of time), when she heard a crunching noise coming from the small door that joined her room with Isaac’s. Until a couple of years ago, this was a fun “secret passage” that she and her brother would use to sneak back and forth between their rooms while they played. Until the day it wasn’t fun anymore.

  EJ remembered it like it was yesterday: her ninth birthday—a slumber party with the girls from EJ’s class at school. Isaac sneaked through the secret door after lights-out wearing a Darth Vader mask that changed his voice to sound like the evil villain from the Star Wars movies. He woke up EJ and all her guests by yelling, “Luke … I am your father!” which was followed by seven full minutes of shrieking and screaming (the girls) and barking (Bert) before Mom and EJ could get everyone calmed down.

  The secret passage door had been firmly locked from EJ’s side since.

  Crunch, crunch.

  EJ tiptoed toward the door and listened.

  The crunching stopped.

  She held her breath.

  The crunching started again.

  EJ quietly unlocked and slowly twisted the knob before yanking the door open and shouting “Hey!” Isaac snapped his head up, eyes wide in surprise. His hands were still on the piece of paper he was trying to shove under the door, but the carpet was too high on either side for him to do it very easily, so the paper was getting more and more mangled each second his little fingers tried to get it to go under.

  “What is this?” EJ snatched up the paper and saw that Isaac had written a note:

  “Isaac, I’m busy!” EJ crumpled the paper and chucked the ball so it bounced off his forehead. “And you’re supposed to be cleaning your room, too!”

  EJ slammed the door closed before Isaac could respond (or throw the paper wad at her head) and jammed the doorknob lock button till it clicked.

  “But you didn’t circle one,” she heard Isaac say through the door.

  EJ ignored him and returned to her bed, checking the list to see what she was still missing. Bug spray? She’d need to get that from Mom. Toiletries? Diary? She decided she would pack those at the last minute since she would still need to use them before she left for camp. Flashlight? She dug in her desk’s bottom drawer until she found her favorite red flashlight. She flicked it on and off a couple of times to make sure it worked and then tucked it in her suitcase among the mass of wadded-up clothes. She mentally checked off items from her list: socks, underwear, T-shirts, shorts, jeans, hoodie, shoes …

  “Oh! My swimsuit!” EJ had nearly forgotten the most important thing to pack for camp. She opened up the bottom dresser drawer and pulled out her favorite suit—a red tank with three gold stars on the front. She folded it in half and then in half again and gently laid it on top of everything else in the suitcase.

  Finished packing (at least for now), EJ zipped her suitcase closed and scooted it to the end of the bed. She looked around her room and was pleasantly surprised to see that packing had pretty much taken care of the cleaning, too.

  Crunch, crunch.

  Inmate EJ knows that all-too-familiar sound. It’s the prisoner in the next cell, Isaac, sending her a message the only way he can without the guards knowing—through a crack between their cells.

  Both EJ and Isaac claim to be innocent of the crimes that landed them in the slammer. But at this point, it doesn’t matter. They’ve been working on an escape plan for months, and after three long years behind bars, today’s the day they’re going to get out, and get out for good.

  EJ has just been waiting for the signal.

  Crunch, crunch.

  A corner of the paper sneaks its way through the crack, and EJ is just able to pinch it with her fingertips to pull the note through.

  Time to go.

  Those three little words are the signal EJ is waiting for. She quickly removes a bobby pin from her hair and uses it to pick the lock between their cells. After a minute of work, she feels a click and the door swings open.

  “We don’t have much time, “Isaac says, looking back into his cell before closing the door. “The warden is making rounds today, so we have to get out while the getting’s good.”

  “How much time?” EJ asks, starting to work on the window lock.

  They both freeze as they hear a voice in Isaac’s empty cell.

  “Isaac? Isaac!” Mom’s voice filtered through the door. “Come out, come out, wherever you are!”

  “Isaac! The jig is up!” EJ whispers. “Hide under my bed.”

  Isaac runs and slides under the prison cot head first.

  A moment later, EJ heard a knock on her bedroom door. EJ (not-so-gently) kicked Isaac’s left foot, which was still peeking out from under the bed a split second before Mom stuck her head in the door.

  “Ow!” Isaac said, while EJ pretended to sneeze to cover up the sound.

  “Bless you. Hey, it’s looking good in here, EJ,” Mom said, glancing around the room. “Are you all done packing?”

  “All packed but a couple of last-minute things,” EJ said, stepping in front of the bed to try to hide any Isaac body parts that might try to make an appearance.

  “Fantastic. Well, you’ve served your sentence, and you can leave your room anytime you want to,” Mom said. “Oh, and I can’t find Isaac, but his room is clean, so he’s free to go, too.”

  “Thanks, Marmalade!” Isaac called from under EJ’s bed.

  Mom chuckled as she left the room.

  “Well, there goes our jail break,” EJ said, disappointed their daydream was ruined. “We don’t have to stay in our rooms anymore.”

  “Unless we just break out for the fun of it,” Isaac said as he crawled out.

  “What do you have in mind?” EJ asked.

  Isaac looked out the window and pointed at the flat roof that covered the front porch. “Dare me to jump from that roof to the ground?”

  “Triple-dog dare you!” EJ grinned. No way Isaac could say no to a triple.

  “Here goes nothin’!” Isaac raised the window and hopped out onto the shingled roof. He turned and gave EJ a thumbs-up sign just before Bert started barking like a maniac in the yard below.

  “ISAAC DAVID! What are y
ou doing?” Dad bellowed from the ground. “Sit down before you fall and break your neck!”

  EJ mostly disappeared below the open window but continued to peek a little bit over the windowsill. Sorry, kid, she thought. You’re on your own.

  “But it was a triple-dog dare, Dad!” Isaac tried to plead his case while he scooted toward the edge of the roof and let his feet dangle down.

  “I don’t care if it was a quadruple-dog dare. This is violating your terms of parole,” Dad said as he reached up and firmly grabbed Isaac’s legs before pulling him safely to the ground. “Back to the slammer for you.”

  Chapter 9

  OFF TO CAMP

  July 21

  Dear Diary,

  It’s finally here: the day I’ve been waiting for since I was a Camp Christian day camper. My week of church camp starts today!

  Dad says that Camp Christian is one of those special places that a lot of the kids in Wisconsin get to experience together, so we all have similar memories that last a lifetime. I think it’s pretty cool that Dad still keeps in touch with some of the friends he made at camp. A couple of his camp buddies were even groomsmen in Mom and Dad’s wedding.

  Macy and I are going to have so much fun this week, Diary. This will be her first time at summer camp, so I can’t wait to experience this week together! I just wish this wasn’t possibly our last week of camp together, too. But I’m trying really hard not to think about it.

  Isaac is super bummed that he’s not going to a week of camp, although I’m not going to be free of him for the entire week, because one of the days he’ll be there for day camp with all of the other babies. I’m just hoping to avoid him as much as possible that day. Maybe I’ll try to disguise myself so he doesn’t even recognize me.

  Well, Diary, you’re the last thing I need to pack in my bag before we load up and drive to camp, so into the suitcase you go!

  EJ

  “Bye, sweetie,” Mom called one last farewell as she walked out of the girls’ dorm room with Dad and Isaac, both of them gently tugging on an arm. “Have a fantastic week!”

  “Love you!” EJ waved as her family disappeared around the corner. She was the first girl in the dorm room, and she and Mom had already made her bed, so she decided to do some unpacking.

  EJ sat on her lower bunk and unzipped her suitcase. The wadded mass of clothes she’d stuffed into the luggage two days ago made the top fly open like it was spring loaded—three T-shirts, a pair of shorts, and two pairs of socks exploded onto her bed. Something else she didn’t recognize flopped out onto the clothes, too—a small book that landed with a little bounce.

  EJ picked up the book—a pocket-size Bible with a worn leather cover. She traced a finger over the gold lettering of the words HOLY BIBLE. Then she saw the name stamped at the bottom corner of the cover: DAVID PAYNE. She opened the front cover and found a note with her name on it.

  Dear EJ,

  My parents gave me this Bible for my very first week of church camp when I was ten—all the way back in 1986. (Yes, I know. I’m old.) And now that you’re at your first week of camp, I want you to have it. If you look hard enough, you might find some handwritten notes in the margins that I took while I was at camp.

  I know you have been looking forward to this week for a long time, EJ—and it’s going to be the best week of your summer. Soak up every second of swimming, boating, tent sleeping, campfire-ing, archery-ing, and everything else in store for you. Listen for God’s voice in the fun and exciting times—and in the quiet times, too. Listen for Him and look for Him in the pages of this Book. He’ll teach you what He wants you to know.

  Mom and I are proud of you, EJ. God is, too.

  Love,

  Dad

  “That’s a pretty sweet Bible.”

  EJ looked up and saw a smiling face of a young woman carrying a sleeping bag under her arm and pulling a roller suitcase behind her.

  “Thanks!” EJ smiled. “It’s my dad’s. Somehow he put it in my suitcase without me knowing it.”

  “Doesn’t look like it’d be too hard to hide a stowaway Bible in that hot mess of clothes you’ve got there,” the girl said, pointing to the clothes explosion on her bunk. “I’ve got something here that might help with all those wrinkles.”

  She unzipped a suitcase pocket, produced a spray bottle labeled WRINKLE RELEASER, and handed it to EJ. “This stuff is a lifesaver for us college students. Who has time to iron? I’m Susan, by the way—your camp counselor and dorm mom.”

  EJ took the spray bottle from Susan. With her long brown hair in two braids, a green Camp Christian T-shirt, khaki shorts, green-and-white-striped knee socks, and white tennis shoes, Susan looked every bit the part of a camp counselor, EJ thought.

  “I’m EJ Payne,” EJ said, spraying a tentative spritz of the wrinkle releaser on a T-shirt.

  “Come on, EJ, you’ve got to show those wrinkles who’s boss or they’re not going to leave.” Susan picked up another wrinkled T-shirt and hung it on a hanger next to EJ’s bunk. “Let me show you.”

  Intrigued, EJ handed Susan the spray bottle. Susan pumped several sprays onto the wrinkles and tugged on the shirt to smooth the whole thing. “There, just like that, and you’ll have wrinkle-free camp clothes as soon as they air dry.”

  “Cool, thanks!” EJ hung up all the clothes from her suitcase and began spraying and tugging one piece at a time while Susan made up her bunk across the room.

  “When will everyone else get here?” EJ asked.

  Susan checked her watch. “Anytime now,” she said. “Since we’re the farthest dorm away from registration, dorms A through D are probably filling up first.”

  “I didn’t mind the walk, because I wanted to stay in dorm E. You know, for my name.” EJ wondered if that was a babyish reason for picking a dorm. “Plus, this is the one I told my best friend I’d be in.”

  “Both are good reasons for being in this dorm,” Susan said, shoving her empty suitcase under her bunk. “I’m glad you’re here, EJ. I can tell we’re going to be friends.”

  Just then, CoraLee McCallister appeared in the doorway looking wild-eyed and desperate.

  “Is there room in here?” she demanded. “Open bunks?”

  “Hey, I’m Susan.” The dorm mom stood up from her bunk and smiled. “And you are …?”

  “In need of a place to sleep! The other dorms are filled up already!” CoraLee snipped and then called over her shoulder, “Mom, I told you we left home too late to get a good spot!”

  CoraLee’s mom and sister, Katy, stepped into the room. Her dad, a few steps behind, was struggling to carry two huge suitcases, hanging clothes, and bedding.

  “Wow, looks like someone plans to be here all summer,” Susan said, an obvious teasing tone in her voice.

  “CoraLee has packed only the necessities for a comfortable week away from home.” Mrs. McCallister had an edge to her voice. “We McCallister women don’t do well roughing it.”

  “Oh, right. Sure.” Susan didn’t seem to know how to respond. “CoraLee, which bunk would you like to claim?”

  CoraLee pointed to the bunk directly above EJ’s. “That one will be fine,” she said. Her dad moved toward the bunk and dropped everything next to it as if he couldn’t carry the heavy load for another second.

  “CoraLee, that one’s reserved for Macy,” EJ said, poking out her head at the foot of the bunk bed.

  “EJ! Hi!” Katy McCallister rushed to EJ’s bed and plopped down next to her. “I love your sleeping bag—red is my favorite color!”

  “Thanks, Katy.” EJ smiled to herself. Ever since she had realized last year that Katy wanted to be just like her (and not CoraLee), she thought maybe CoraLee was a little jealous. “Are you coming to day camp this week?”

  “I don’t see Macy’s name on that bunk.” CoraLee narrowed her eyes at EJ. “And that’s the bunk I want.”

  “How about the one above me?” Susan offered, patting the mattress. “I promise I don’t roll around at night much or snore t
oo loudly.”

  “On second thought, I think I want to stay as far away as I can from this Payne-in-my”—CoraLee saw the disapproving look she was getting from her mom—“uh, I mean, I’ll just take a bunk at the back of the room.”

  Mr. McCallister sighed and reloaded his arms with luggage and bedding and followed CoraLee and his wife to the back of the room, where CoraLee was already loudly complaining that her mattress didn’t have a memory foam top.

  “Yep, I’m coming to day camp,” Katy said as she stood up to reluctantly follow her family. Then her face brightened. “Maybe you can be my big buddy!”

  “I’d like that. I’ll see what I can do,” EJ said. Weeklong campers would be assigned day campers to be “big buddies/little buddies.” EJ knew it was a way to keep track of the little campers—but if she could have a cool little buddy like Katy (and not get paired up with Isaac), it might not be so bad.

  “Awesome!” Katy gave EJ a big smile. “See ya later, alligator!”

  “After a while, crocodile,” EJ said.

  EJ watched as girls and their families showed up in the doorway, all looking for empty bunks. Susan made quick work of ushering them in and getting everyone situated. EJ appreciated that Susan steered clear of the bunk she was trying to save for Macy. Soon the room was a hum of excited energy.

  “EJ! I’m coming!” EJ heard Macy shout down the hallway even before she could see her. Two seconds later, Macy ran into the room, a sleeping bag tucked under one arm and a pillow under the other. “Am I late?”

  “No, you’re right on time, Mace!” EJ grabbed the pillow from her friend and tossed it on the top bunk. “There, now it’s officially your bed.”

  Mrs. Russell walked into the room, Macy’s big canvas gymnastics bag on her shoulder. “Here we go, Macy,” she said as she set the bag at the end of the bunk. “Good-bye, my love!” She pulled Macy in for a quick hug and kiss on her forehead.

  “Aw, Mom!” Macy wiped off the kiss. “Have a good week. I love you. Tell Dad I love him, too. And tell Bryan not to touch my stuff while I’m at camp.” Bryan was Macy’s fifteen-year-old brother.