Camp Handiba

Dedication for Camp Handiba

2011-03-20T20:09:00.000-05:00

Am preparing the revised template for the printed version to go out the door (same story, just some format tweaks), when the publisher asked if I had an Acknowledgments or Dedication page. So I added a Dedication page for the printed volume, but that won't get into the Kindle or Nook versions. I figured I could post it here though. So in case you were wondering:

DEDICATION

First and foremost to my family who were gracious enough to give me the time it took to write this novel, and in some cases to share their experiences as templates for my ideas

Next, to the Miwok tribe of Northern California for the tales I used as the basis of some of the spirits described in this book.

Finally, to handicapped children everywhere who deserve their own Camp Handiba.

Ewan Grantham – April 2011

Working Title for Volume II

2011-03-17T21:49:00.000-05:00

I have to say that I have been very pleased with the sales of the novel version of Camp Handiba so far. I'm reminded of Sally Field's immortal line at the Oscar's "You like me... you really like me". Though of course I can only take credit for the story.

In any event, while it's not enough (yet, I can hope) to be considered a best seller, or to let me go into writing full time, it is enough to encourage me to start work on the next volume in the series. The working title is "Silver Wolf, Silver High" which will be volume II of the Camp Handiba series. The long term goal, if things go well, is to have a trilogy of trilogies - i.e. 9 volumes. The first 3 tell the story of Zoe, Scott and Becca; the next three tell the story of the "next generation"; and the final three take us far enough out to tell everyone's story.

But I'm getting ahead of myself. In any case, I'd still appreciate it if folks could be sure to leave reviews at Amazon and B&N to encourage others to pick up the story, and I'm still looking for who to contact at Oprah or Ellen to get a review from either of them. Might as well dream big, right?

Thanks again for your support!

Other Shoe Drops - Now Available for Kindle through Amazon

2011-03-15T20:35:00.000-05:00

If for some reason you didn't want to get the B&N Nook version of Camp Handiba, you now can also get the Kindle version from Amazon. I am working on a paperback edition as well, but that will probably be another week or two off.

Price of the book and the royalties are basically the same at both stores, so use whichever you prefer. Since I am following the "Light Novel" concept and have over 20 illustrations, you might want to make sure you get a copy on a platform that supports color.

Tell your friends - particularly if any of them are named Oprah or Ellen :-)

Copies of the Book now available at Barnes and Noble

2011-03-14T21:12:00.000-05:00

Yup, it's been quite a journey, but the book is now available on the Nook and Nook Color at Barnes and Noble. It should be available elsewhere soon, and I will make sure to add posts as it does.

Feel free to tell your friends!

Changes are Coming

2011-02-19T12:14:00.000-06:00

Believe it or not, I have been working on the story for the last few months, and it is looking like sometime this spring I will have the first book in the Camp Handiba series out. Since i don't know if the sales will be enough to justify more than the first book, I'm playing it safe the "Twilight" way and naming the first book Camp Handiba (with the publisher's blessing of course). More news about when and where to pick up a copy when I know.

I will probably have to take down most of the story at that point (we've agreed that leaving the first part up as an introduction would be ok), but I presume that anyone who has wanted to read the stuff on here already has :-)

Be back soon!

Chapter 9 - End of the First Day

2009-10-02T07:15:00.002-05:00

    “Well, that was an exhausting first day.” Scott told Becky as they climbed the stairs to the bedroom in their cabin. “Where did you get off to after dinner?”
    “After I escorted Erica Reed and Lynn Johnson to their cabin, I went to a little get-together in the Women Counselors' cabin.” she replied.
    Scott wondered what they might have to talk about. “Isn't it a little early for gossip?”
    Becca sighed, then said, “First off, the main topic was discussing table assignments and stuff. Second, you forget most of the people have been here before. So it's not like there aren't some couples already here.”
    “With folks coming from three different high schools, I didn't think there would be too many chances for relationships.” Scott added.
    “There's something to be said for a summer romance that you know will be there next summer as well.” Becca seemed to take on an air of superiority as she said this.
    “I wouldn't know...” Scott said quietly.
    Becca decided now might be a good time to have a little discussion with her brother. “You know, for a pretty popular guy you sure seem to manage to avoid getting dates.”
    “I think it's just that I'm looking for something serious.” Scott said, a bit more forcefully.
    “In High School?” Becca was surprised to think her brother might be thinking that seriously at this point.
    “Not necessarily. I think that's why I've always thought I wouldn't date much until college.” Scott replied.
    “It's up to you, but there seem to be some pretty nice girls here.” Becky observed.
    “Oh? Does Zoe have you helping her push Jenny on me now?” Scott wasn't sure if he was amused or angry about the possibility.
    Becky shook her head. “Zoe hasn't mentioned anything to me about that. However, I was thinking more about the other counselors.”
    Scott decided now might be the time to remind Becky of her interests. “Nah, Keith really isn't my type.”
    “Fine, be that way!” Becca was exasperated by the way Scott kept bringing that up. “You know what I mean. If you decide you'd like some serious advice at some point, just let me know. Just for that, I'm going to get the first shower.”
    Becca left the room, and Scott heard her slam the door to the bathroom. He laid back on his bed, and thought about everything that had happened. “And it's just the first day.” he reminded himself. He wondered if he would even be the same person after a couple weeks of this.
    His mind continued to wander, and before he knew it, he was fast asleep. Only to wake up a few minutes later when he felt Becca hitting him in the arm. He opened his eyes, and she was standing there in her pajamas with a towel wrapped around her hair.
    “You're not getting out of a shower just because you're a little tired. I want a good night's sleep, and that means you're not going to stink up the place.” Becca smiled as she said this, and so Scott knew she was just kidding him.
    “Fine, fine. I'll go wash off a little dirt if it will make you happy.” with that, Scott headed to the shower, and let his cares wash away with the warm water.

CHAPTER 8 <--

Want to read the rest? You can get the full book at:
Barnes and Noble Nook or Nook Color

Chapter 8 - First Dinner

2009-09-30T07:15:00.000-05:00

    It was early evening, with the sun still up in the sky, but the end of the day was obviously on the way from the low, orange light. Inside the mess hall Scott was directing Ken Brown and Shawn Davis to the same table that Keith Perkins was pushing Tim Sanders up to. Scott had spent the walk over finding out more about the campers they were responsible for.
    Ken was about the same age as Scott, and wore incredibly thick glasses that made him look like more of a geek than he really was. Without them he was legally blind, and was a little hard of hearing in his right ear. It seemed to Scott that those combined to make Ken somewhat withdrawn, but he appeared to perk up as they approached the table.
    Shawn Davis was the same Shawn that April had mentioned at the Arts and Crafts building. He was also about 18, but was very quiet and didn't seem to like to make eye contact with folks. Scott suspected he was borderline autistic, and Shawn's behavior certainly fit that.
    Tim Sanders was a couple years younger, and was quadriplegic. Tim's wheelchair was fitted with a speech synthesizer so he could “talk”, and a retina control unit for the synthesizer as well as to move the chair. It was hard for him to do that for long periods though, and so Keith had volunteered to push the chair from the cabin over to the mess hall.
    “Hey guys!” Keith said as he wheeled Tim into place.
    “Hey yourself.” Scott answered. He turned to talk to Ken and Shawn who were still standing. “Do you guys have any seating preferences?”
    Shawn stuttered a bit as he answered, “I p...prefer to s...sit on Tim's right s...side.”
    “How about you, Ken?” Scott asked.
    “Doesn't really matter to me, as long as I have my glasses on I can get around just fine.”
    Scott wasn't sure what that had to do with the question, but decided it didn't matter. Scott noticed Tim using the controller to unlock and raise a metal spork that had been concealed in the left side of Tim's chair. Scott decided that was probably why Shawn preferred to be on Tim's right.
    Tim's synthesizer squawked a bit as it came on,. and then in a synthesized voice he said, “Enough talking. I'm ready to eat.”
    “I agree.” Keith was still standing next to Tim's chair. “What would you like me to get you, Tim?”
    The synthesized voice came on again, “Whatever you can convince the serving lady is on my diet. An iced tea with no ice to drink would be great.”
    “Ken, Shawn, why don't you go up with Keith to get your dinner while I hang out here.” Scott nodded to Keith, who nodded back. They didn't want to be too obvious, but they knew that one or the other of them needed to be with Tim whenever possible.
    “Sure.” Ken replied. He, Keith, and Shawn made their way over to the serving line.
    Scott was watching them walk off when he heard the click of Tim's synthesizer. He turned his head, to hear it better, and Tim said “I understand your sister is Zoe?”
    “Yes,” Scott answered, “she's my younger sister. My older sister is Becca, and she's working here this year as well.”
    Tim's synthesizer made a mellow sound that Scott assumed was it's version of a chuckle. “Then you understand that you don't have to sit here with me, right? It's not like I'm going to take off, or suddenly swallow wrong.”
    “I know.” Scott replied. “But this is my first day working here, so I thought I'd better be extra careful. It would be a long hike home if I got fired this early.”
    “Ha!” Tim's synthesized voice responded. “As long as you don't act like you're my nursemaid, then it's okay.”
    Scott got a big smile himself. He knew that while Zoe often needed help, she generally liked to at least try things on her own first. “Don't worry. Once Keith gets back with a tray for you, I won't get in the way.”
    “So, what made you decide to work here?” Tim continued.
    “Zoe seemed to have such a good time last year, and I figured it was a chance to have some fun myself and still make a little money.” Scott thought that Zoe insisting that he and Becca come with her probably also had something to do with it.
    Tim's synthesizer clicked on and off a couple times as if he was trying to figure out what to say. Eventually Scott heard “Saying Zoe had a good time is a bit of an understatement. I gather no one has explained just how special this place really is?”
    “Well, Cindy said something about there being a camp secret, but that she couldn't tell me right away.” Scott wondered if Tim was about to tell him, or if it really was girls' only and Tim wasn't sure either.
    “More like she didn't think you'd believe her.” Tim's synthesizer continued, “That's okay, you'll get a bit of a feel for it tomorrow night at the campfire.”
    Scott was a little disappointed. “You don't want to spill the beans either?”
    Tim paused, and then looked over to see Keith, Shawn, and Ken returning. He smiled, then the synthesizer came back to life, “From the look of my tray, I think I'm going to be working hard not to.”
    “Hey guys.” Keith said as he put down his own tray, and then slid a tray, complete with green beans, over to Tim's seat. He helped maneuver it into place where it could be locked into position, and then Tim was able to use his controls to move the spork to get his first bite of food.
    Scott was impressed that Tim was willing to go to so much effort when he could just expect others to feed him. He was also more than a little impressed at the technology Tim had available. “That's one tricked out chair.”
    “Thanks.” Tim's synthesized voice was flawless even though Tim was at that same moment swallowing his food. It occurred to Scott that Tim might have the makings for a ventriloquist act if he could find a willing “dummy” for the camp talent show.
    The other boys had begun eating when they all heard the loud sound of someone tapping a knife against a glass. They looked across the room to see Becky Turner standing up at one of the tables where she, Savannah Taylor, and two other girls were sitting.
    “Now that I have your attention,” Becky began, “just a quick couple of announcements. For those of you who are here with us for the first time, welcome. For those of you returning, welcome back. Those of you returning know that tomorrow night's campfire will be very special.”
    Scott thought he heard a couple of nervous laughs around the room before Becky continued, “To prepare for tomorrow night's campfire, I will be working with Zoe Evans and my daughter Cindy. For the rest of you, tomorrow will be a free day to get acquainted and explore the campground. That's all I wanted to say tonight. Enjoy your meals, and have a good evening.”
    Becky sat down, and everyone began eating again. Scott got a couple of bites down before commenting, “I'm a little surprised to hear that Zoe is helping arrange the campfire. I guess being able to help might be one of the big reasons she enjoyed this camp so much last year.”
    Ken piped up at this, “As you'll see tomorrow night, they really can't do the campfire without Zoe.”
    Scott didn't say anything , but noticed that Tim seemed to be smiling in reaction to this, while Shawn just looked uncomfortable. “There's just so much to find out about...” Scott thought.
    He continued to try and puzzle things out as they all finished their dinners.

CHAPTER 7 <--    --> CHAPTER 9

Chapter 7 - Scott and Becca Move In

2009-09-28T07:15:00.000-05:00

Scott and Keith talked a bit about the campground, and how they might split the duties with the guys, and then split to go to their separate cabins.
Scott found Cabin 1-B, went inside, and noticed it was a two-level. Since Becca didn't seem to be downstairs, he started up the stairs and yelled, “Becca, are you up there?”
“Took you long enough.” she yelled back.
Scott finished climbing the stairs, and then looked around. “There's only one bedroom?”
“And it's open to the downstairs living room, so if you were planning to seduce anyone here, you'll just have to go to her place.” Becca had finished packing her stuff, and was just closing up her suitcases and putting them under her bed.
“Hey, I'm here to work. You're the one here to see if you can score with your crush.” Scott said this as he was walking toward his bed, only to be stopped by Becca's suddenly outstretched arm.
“Look, little bro. I don't talk about your lack of girlfriends, and I don't think you're in any position...”
“Hey, lighten up. I was just kidding you, okay?”
Becca gave him a serious look, and then let her arm fall down so Scott could get by. She then resumed arranging things, before adding “OK. Just be sure and hang a sock on the doorknob if you're busy, and I'll remember to do the same.”
Scott was a little surprised. Becca seemed a little more on edge than usual. “Being rather direct today, aren't we? Something bothering you?”
“Not really.” Becca said halfheartedly.
Scott thought about pursuing it, and then decided Becca would tell him when she was ready. He looked around his bed, but didn't see either of his suitcases. “Anyway, where are my suitcases?”
“Actually, Cindy already unpacked them for you when she was over here.” Becca was finished with her suitcases, and sat down on the edge of her bed.
“Umm... I guess I should thank her when we see her tonight.”
Becca seemed a bit flustered as she said, “Yeah, you should.”
Scott walked over to the dresser.
“My stuff is in the top two drawers, and your stuff is in the bottom two drawers. No closet or hangers, so you'll need to use one of these for your laundry.” Becca pulled a large, drawstring bag from near her feet and threw it over to Scott.
“They have a laundry here?” Scott wasn't expecting that.
“On the walk over here from the parking lot, Cindy said there were a few machines at the General Store. She said she normally does a couple loads about halfway through the session.” Becca laid back on the bed.
Scott opened first the one drawer, and then the other. “Wow, she did a really great job. Normally when she visits you she won't even give me the time of day.” Scott pushed the drawers closed, and then hoped up on the empty bed that was evidently his.
Becca looked over to see how he was doing. “Comfy?”
“Yeah. These beds aren't as bad as I thought they'd be.” Scott laid back on his, and things were silent for a minute as they both looked up at the log roof above them.
Becca broke the silence. “If you don't have anything better to do than to laze around, maybe you should drop in on Zoe and have her give you a tour of her cabin.”
Scott sat up, and looked over to where Becca was still laid back and staring at the ceiling. “Actually I got the tour when I took her to her cabin. Her cabin mate got there, and so I gave them a bit of a hand before I got the camp tour from Savannah Taylor.”
“Savannah's the head counselor, right?” Becca sat up so she could talk with Scott more easily.
“That's right.” Scott said.
“Did she mention when we needed to get folks to the mess hall for dinner?”
“I don't know about the gals,” Scott answered, “but Savannah asked me and Keith to meet her at the mess hall at 4pm to do just that.”
“Really?” Becca was a little surprised she hadn't heard about that since it was almost 2pm already.
“Yes. Why? Worried she'll get to Keith before you can?”
Becca fixed Scott with another withering look, “Are you TRYING to get me upset?”
“Nah. Just having a little fun.” Scott got off his bed, and stretched as he stood up.
Becca sighed. “Fine. Then why don't we go downstairs and see if there's anything we need to fix up down there.”
With that, Scott and Becca went down the stairs.

Chapter 6 <--- ---> Chapter 8

Chapter 6 - The Quick Tour

2009-09-25T07:15:00.000-05:00

    They had walked along a path that went through two stands of trees, before coming to an open area with a long, log building at the end of it. Savannah guided them to the front door, unlocked it, and ushered everyone in.
    Savannah shook her head, making a bit of a jingling sound with the beads in her hair, and then appeared to go into Tour Guide mode. “This is the Arts and Crafts building. We try to maintain a blend of indoor and outdoor activities, but when it's raining you have to go somewhere, and that's usually here, the Mess Hall, or the Lodge.”
    “Kind of plain isn't it?” Keith seemed to be expecting something a little more fashionable.
    Savannah explained, “Well, the main idea is to make sure there's plenty of room to get the wheelchairs around, and enough light for people who have trouble seeing to at least make the outline of what's going on. All those panels along the wall are actually cabinets where the supplies are kept.” She swept her arm along the wall to indicate the panels she was talking about, then walked over to the nearest one, opened it up, and slid out what looked to be a plastic bin. Everyone else moved closer to see what was in it.
    Savannah continued her instruction. “Each of the bins in here has several sets of supplies for whatever craft you're building, as well as instructions so that you can help the campers.” She pulled out one large bag from the bin, and turned it so that everyone could see that a set of instructions was packed in it, and then turned it to the other side so they could see the supplies. “Most of the campers have done these projects enough times they can probably tell you what to do better than the instructions can.”
    April added, “Particularly Shawn...” Scott noticed that she clasped her hands as she said this, and wondered if there was something in particular about Shawn that April was thinking about.
    Savannah took the interruption in stride, “As April is pointing out, some of our campers get uncomfortable if things aren't structured or done the exact way they're used to. Even if you know it will mess up what they're doing, if they insist it should be done a certain way, you should let them do it unless you can tell they'll physically harm themselves.”
    Scott nodded his head, then said, “To be honest, that's why we were a little worried about Zoe going to camp last year. It wasn't part of her routine, but it turned out to be like going to school - being able to be with other kids was more important to her than following her normal schedule.”
    Savannah gave Scott an interesting look, then she said, “Yes, we kind of noticed... anyway let's head to the Mess Hall.”
    With that they went back outside, and Savannah locked the door before pointing them to the next path to take.
    A few minutes later they arrived at a fairly large building with a more modern glass and wood architecture. It was evidently unlocked as Savannah went up, and held the door open for the rest of them to walk through.
    As soon as Keith got inside he let out a low whistle. “This is huge. Are we going to have more campers coming later?”
    “No...” Savannah chuckled, “this place normally handles campers from all three camp areas around the lake.” She regained her composure, and began her Tour Guide mode again. “But this time of year our campground is the only one that's active. That's partly to keep the kids from getting overwhelmed, and partly because Ms. Turner gets a good price break by having us here at this time.”
    “What's so special about this time of year?” Scott asked.
    “A lot of the other school districts have already started back to classes, and so there's not so much demand.” Savannah replied.
    “Plus it's when all the spirits come out to play...” April began, but then noticed the look going across Savannah's face. April's bubbly personality looked like it had been suddenly deflated.
    “April!” Savannah seemed about to launch into a lecture on some unpleasant subject, then changed her mind, and resumed. “Please ignore our resident comedian...”
    Satisfied that the proper mood had been restored, Savannah continued, “Anyway – enough tall tales. Your cabins aren't too far from ours, so we'll go to ours, and then I can point you in the right direction.”
    Everyone filed back out the door, while Scott found himself pulling up the rear. As they began the walk to the Women Counselors' Cabin, Scott was again struck by how everyone who worked at the camp or had been to the camp before seemed to be acting like there was some big secret that had to be protected. He couldn't imagine how they expected to keep him, Keith, and Becca from finding out what it was, and so couldn't figure out why they didn't just tell the three of them. He was still trying to think this through when everyone stopped. He looked up, and saw that they were in front of a fairly large A-frame cabin.
    “So this is where the Female Counselors stay?” Scott asked.
    “All except for your sister, Becca.” Scott was surprised to hear this, and was about to ask a question, but Savannah just smiled, tipped her head, and continued, “Keith, your cabin is the second cabin to the west of us, Cabin 2-B.” Savannah pointed to it, then said “You'll be sharing the cabin with Tim Sanders.” Savannah moved her hand again. “The next cabin further west is Cabin 3-B, and that's where the other male campers will be staying.” Savannah moved her hand one more time, “The cabin just west of us here is Cabin 1-B, and that's where you and Becca are staying Scott.”
    Before Scott could react, Savannah turned and pointed to the east. Everyone turned to see what she was pointing at. “Looking to the east, you'll see Cabins 1-A, 2-A, and 3-A.” Savannah's hand moved to each one, pausing only briefly. “That's where the female campers stay. So we're at the north end of the campground, the Lodge is at the south end, and everything else kind of snakes in between. Got it?”
    “I... think so.” Scott answered.
    “Well, Scott, shall we head off and get our stuff unpacked?” Keith suggested.
    “OK guys, just be sure to be at the mess hall around 4pm so we can figure out who needs to get who there.” Savannah added.
    Keith nodded, “Got it.” He began walking, and after a bit Scott seemed to notice and he walked quickly along to catch up with Keith.

---

Thanks again for reading!

CHAPTER 5 <--    --> CHAPTER 7

Chapter 5 - The Other Counselors

2009-09-23T07:15:00.000-05:00

    Scott was approaching the lodge, and saw Becky Turner consulting her clipboard about something. At home Scott had noticed that she seemed to always be able to keep on top of any crisis. It looked like she operated the same way here at the camp. Her husband had died before they had moved into the same neighborhood where Scott, Becca and Zoe lived. Scott wondered if she didn't get lonely sometimes, but she always seemed so full of energy it was hard to imagine her being sad about anything. Just as he was thinking this, she looked up from her clipboard, and waved at him.
    “Hey there! Got Zoe settled in?” she asked.
    Scott walked the rest of the way over and then answered, “As much as she'd let me.”
    Becky pointed to the front door of the lodge. “Well, let's go inside and get you introduced to the other counselors.”
    They walked together through the heavy wooden doors that led into the Great Room of the Lodge. Scott could see Keith Perkins, who went to the same high school he and Becca went to. Scott knew that Becca had a bit of a “thing” about Keith, and the fact that he was on the track team at school probably went a long way toward explaining his thin but muscular build, as well as his tendency toward action over thought. Like the Turners, Keith had red hair, although it was kept in a very short cut, and he had brown eyes instead of blue. Scott wondered if Keith's action first attitude didn't get him in trouble some times, but Keith seemed easygoing enough that most folks probably were willing to overlook the occasional quick response. Keith was talking with a slightly older girl with long black hair that was braided in a Senegalese hair twist style. Scott and Becky walked closer, and Keith and the girl stopped talking and turned towards them.
    “Keith, this is Scott Evans. He's the other male counselor.”
    Keith smiled and said, “Ms. Turner, Scott and I already know each other. Though I didn't realize he was going to be working here.”
    “Becca didn't mention that to you?” Scott was a bit surprised by that.
    “No, I think she was so excited about being a counselor herself she didn't get around to that.” Keith and Scott both chuckled at that.
    “And this is Savannah Taylor. She's the lead counselor you'll both be working with.” Becky continued. In addition to her interesting hair style, Savannah seemed to have an air of maturity around her. As if she was just born to lead.
    Savannah turned to shake Scott's hand, which struck him as being awfully formal for a camp. “Nice to meet you. Is Becca with you?” Savannah asked this with a big smile, which put Scott a bit more at ease.
    “She's getting our stuff unpacked at our cabin with Cindy.” Scott said.
    “If she's with Cindy it's more likely they're exchanging gossip. Well, I'm sure Cindy can get her oriented then.” Savannah said this with a smile, but Scott wondered if she and Cindy had some issues from previous years.
    Becky addressed all three of them. “I need to get back out front to see if any of the other campers are straggling in. Savannah, can you introduce Keith and Scott to the other counselors and show them around?”
    “No problem, Ms. Turner.” Savannah answered.
    Becky left the room, and Savannah motioned for them to follow her out the door as well.
    “Savannah”, Scott asked, “is it usual to have so many new counselors?”
    Savannah stopped for a moment and appeared to think about that. “Well, we generally haven't had that many male campers, but we added a couple boys last year and so we needed some more guys to help out.”
    “Is it a big deal if you have a male counselor rather than a female counselor?” Keith asked.
    “One of the boys you'll both be helping with is Tim Sanders. He's a quadriplegic, and so for the first couple days you'll have to do everything for him. That means changing him as well, which can be embarrassing for a guy to have a girl doing that for him.” Savannah managed to say all that without seeming to be bothered by it.
    Scott thought back to some of the trips his family had been on with Zoe. “Oh... normally Becca is with us when we go out somewhere with Zoe. So I guess I hadn't thought about it for a while.” Thinking a bit more, Scott asked “Do you know who the other guys are we'll be working with?”
    Savannah stopped again and made the same pose of putting her finger to her chin as she thought about it. “I think Ms. Turner said that all the boys were returning campers. In that case there would be Ken Brown and Shawn Davis in addition to Tim.”
    They continued outside of the lodge, where another older looking girl with black hair and glasses was running toward them. She sprinted over to where they were, and then tried to catch her breath as she talked.     “Hey, Savannah, Cindy wants us to get our stuff setup in our cabin... Oh, and who are your guests?”
    “They're not exactly guests,” Savannah replied, “they're the new male counselors. Guys, this is April Jones. April, this is Keith Perkins and Scott Evans.”
    Following the example Savannah set earlier, Keith stretched out his hand to shake April's. “Pleased to meet you.”
    Scott decided to go the more casual route and just held his hand up and said, “Howdy.”
    “Nice to meet both of you.” April told them. Her glasses made her blue eyes seem somewhat larger, which was appealing in it's own way.
    “I'm supposed to be helping these guys get oriented, but I suppose we could walk the long way to our cabin and show the guys around.” Savannah suggested.
    “Sure.” April agreed. She seemed to Scott like she was very chatty, and very excited.
    “Let's go gents.” Savannah said, and they made their way across the lawn in front of the lodge.

CHAPTER 4 <--    --> CHAPTER 6

Chapter 4 - Cabin Fever

2009-09-21T07:15:00.000-05:00

    Cindy had gone up the stairs first, but Becca was close behind her as they carried the suitcases up to the second floor of the cabin Becca and Scott would be sharing.
    “I'm going to take the bed nearest the stairs.” Becca told Cindy as she put her suitcases down. “You can put Scott's suitcase by the other bed. And THANKS for helping me carry these.”
    “No problem.” Cindy said as she put Scott's suitcases down next to the other bed. “Scott kind of pushed me out of Zoe's cabin, so I had a little time on my hands anyway. Does Scott know you guys are sharing a cabin?”
    Becca had put the first of her two suitcases on her bed and was unpacking it. “No, I thought I'd let your mom break it to him.”
    Cindy decided to do the same and put one of Scott's suitcases on his bed and opened it. It appeared to be filled with shirts and jeans; rolled instead of folded. She picked up an armful of shirts, and turned to see that Becca had already appropriated the top two drawers of the dresser for her stuff. It was easy to tell sometimes that Scott and Becca were related. They both had sandy colored hair and blue eyes. While Scott kept his in a short, somewhat spiky style, Becca let hers out a bit more and kept it shoulder length. Of course their sister Zoe had let her fairer colored hair grow quite long, and Cindy wondered sometimes what Becca would look like if she let her hair grow that long. She put that out of her mind, walked over, opened the bottom drawer, and began arranging the shirts. “You don't think he'll be disappointed?”
    Becca was getting some more clothes out of her suitcase. “He wouldn't have wanted to share a cabin with Zoe, and I don't think he would have been much happier sharing a place with Keith.” Becca moved over to the dresser as Cindy was headed back to Scott's bed for some more clothes.
    “And are you disappointed?”
    Becca turned to look more directly at Cindy, but she was bent over the bottom drawer, making it hard to see if Cindy was kidding, or was serious. Becca stopped as she watched Cindy at work, and found her mind drifting. Cindy wasn't athletic, but like her mom Becky she had glowing red hair and seemed to be fairly trim regardless. Watching her in action seemed like watching someone turning simple work into graceful motion.
Cindy stopped, and looked up to see Becca staring at her.
    Becca nervously twirled a lock of her hair, and then turned back to her suitcase. “I honestly don't know, Cindy. Part of me would have rather shared a cabin with you. Part of me would have rather shared a cabin with Zoe...”
    “And part of you would have liked to have shared a cabin with Keith?” Cindy teased.
    Becca stood up at this, and couldn't quite place the reason why she suddenly felt so irritated. “Cindy! You know that things aren't like that between me and Keith.” Becca felt so conflicted inside, but couldn't decide why. She thought about the last time she had talked with Keith at school before she had graduated. It had been pleasant enough, but there didn't seem to be a spark there. “At least, not yet...”
    Cindy looked over at her with a concerned expression, and an awkward moment passed between them. Then Cindy broke into a big smile. “Well, I'll see what I can do to get you guys assigned to common activities. After all, what good are best friends if they can't hook you up?”
    “Cindy!” Becca objected. However Cindy didn't say anything else, and Becca decided to let it pass. There was something else that was bothering her, and she figured now was as good a time to bring it up as any. "Anyway, you still haven't told me what the secret is that you and Zoe were signing about.”
    Cindy stopped halfway between Scott's bed and the dresser, and stared at the floor for a couple seconds. “Oh yeah... that... Becca, could I ask a favor?"
    “Sure Cindy, what?”
    “Could you give me a couple days to answer that? It's a bit more complicated than what I said back at the van, and I'd like to figure out the right way to explain it.” With that, Cindy got back to work.
“OK... is it something bad?” Becca tried to think about anything Zoe might have mentioned about problems at the camp, but couldn't think of anything that would explain Cindy's reaction.
“No, no, nothing like that.” Cindy seemed to relax a bit. “Just... well, it really is hard to explain. I promise, give me two days, and I'll tell you all about it.”
    Becca wasn't sure why it would take two days to figure out how to explain something, but she knew that Cindy had never done anything to get her in trouble or hurt her. “Sure. In a couple days then.”
    Becca returned to unpacking for a minute while Cindy put Scott's first suitcase down, and opened the second one. Cindy made a quick gasping sound, and Becca turned to see what was up. She noticed that Scott had packed his underwear, as well as some other items that Cindy probably hadn't expected to find in Scott's suitcase. Becca made a mental note to tell Scott to be a little more careful in his packing the next time, then decided she'd better try and lighten the mood.
    “I see you've got most of Scott's stuff unpacked...” Becca said.
    Cindy seemed to stiffen, and then relaxed again. “Yeah, well, I figured you could use the help.”
    Becca couldn't help noticing that Cindy was actually blushing at this point. “Cindy? Is there something else you're not telling me?”
    “Not really.” Cindy looked like she was going to say something else, then seemed to decide against it, and took an armful of Scott's stuff and went over to the dresser.
    Becca decided it was her turn to do a little teasing. “Hmmm... I wonder if I should be helping you find activities that you could do with Scott?”
    Cindy walked over to Scott's bed, but then just stood there. “What makes you think he's the one I'm interested in?” Cindy put her hands to her face and then added “Maybe I just like being with you that much.”
    Becca was surprised. “Cindy?”
    Cindy turned at that, and then pulled her hands away to show a big smile. “Oh come on, you know I'm just kidding you.”
    Becca wasn't sure what to think. She was sure that Cindy hadn't been kidding initially. Was she trying to tell her something else? Or was Cindy not sure about something either. She decided maybe they both needed some time to think. “Anyway, I appreciate the help, but I think I can get it from here. Why don't you let me finish, and you can go check in with your mom and see if there's anything else that needs to be done?”
    Cindy had gotten another armful of Scott's belongings, and put them in a drawer before replying. “Sounds like a good idea.”
    Cindy seemed cheerful as she walked past Becca toward the stairs, but then got a bit serious as she turned to look back at Becca. “I'm really glad you and Scott came this year. I think it will be a lot more fun with you guys here.”
    With that, Cindy went down the stairs, and a minute later Becca heard her opening, and then closing the door to the cabin. Becca took a moment to sit on her bed and think about what had just happened, then shrugged her shoulders, and resumed unpacking.

CHAPTER 3 <--    --> CHAPTER 5

Chapter 3 - Save the Cheerleader, Save the Cabin

2009-09-18T07:15:00.000-05:00

     There was a knock at the cabin door. “I'll get it.” Scott set the brake for Zoe's wheelchair, then went over to the door to open it.
     Scott began to pull the door open, only to notice that there was a hand already on the knob on the other side, and before he could catch himself he had pulled the door open and the girl holding onto the knob was pulled out of her wheelchair, causing her to fall on top of him.
     The girl seemed to be startled, but instead of getting mad just pushed herself up so she could get a better look at him. “Umm... Hello?”
     The burning sensation returned to Scott's ears, and seemed to quickly spread across his face. “I'm so sorry. I was just trying to be helpful, and I guess I pulled too hard...”
     Not being able to think of a way to finish the sentence, Scott helped her back into her wheelchair. Which was made more difficult as he was very aware of the fact that he was pulling up a very ample figured, brown haired girl. As he got her positioned in her chair he stopped for minute, and felt extremely disoriented by the smile that was framed by two deep brown eyes.
     She returned the look for a moment, and then looked over his shoulder.
     “Zoe is telling me that you are her clumsy, rather available, brother?”
     Scott turned to see Zoe, who was quickly folding her hands into her lap.
     “Zoe!” he said sternly.
     Zoe's reply was to stick her tongue out, and then to point back at Jenny. Not knowing anything better to do at this point, Scott quickly smoothed his hair, and then turned back around. “Anyway, my name is Scott Evans.”
     The girl held out her hand, and as Scott reached out to take it she said “I'm Jenny Stewart. Nice to meet you.” Scott held her hand a bit longer than he needed to, but Jenny didn't seem to mind. She then looked over his shoulder again. “Oh... and Zoe says I should mention I'm a cheerleader. Are you into sports at your school?”
     “No...” Scott thought about telling her what Zoe had said earlier, and quickly decided against it. “Anyway, did you have any luggage you need help with?”
     Jenny pointed back to the porch. “Just a couple suitcases. I can get them, though.”
     “It's no problem.” Scott insisted. “I'll be right back.”
     Scott went out on the porch to get the two small suitcases sitting out there, and to try and quickly gather his thoughts. This day was not going at all like he thought it would. He returned inside, and noticed the girls had already rolled themselves into the bedroom. Scott put the thought that he was going into Jenny's bedroom out of his mind, and carried the suitcases there.
     Zoe was already pushing out of her wheelchair to put herself on one of the beds. This forced Scott to try and navigate between her chair, the chest of drawers, and where Jenny currently had her chair parked. “Since Zoe seems to have already picked out a bed, I'll put these on the other one. Is that okay?”
     Jenny smiled sweetly, “Yes, thanks.”
     Scott put the suitcases on the empty bed, and thought briefly about offering to help her unpack them, and then realized that there were probably items that were not appropriate for him to be handling. Before he could stick his foot in his mouth he said, “Well, I'd better get back to the lodge and see what else Ms. Turner has for me.”
     “Okay, see you later.” Jenny said softly.
     Scott found his way to the door, and thought he heard the girls giggling about something behind him as he closed it behind him. He looked past the grove of trees to make sure he had his bearings, and tucked his hands in his pockets as he tried to put his thoughts together during the walk back to the lodge.

CHAPTER 2 <--    --> CHAPTER 4

Chapter 2 – At the Lodge

2009-09-16T07:15:00.000-05:00

     Scott neared the end of the trail, where he could see the main lodge. He was expecting a lot of activity with the camp just opening for it's two week session, but the only thing that looked like it was setup for the day was a table with Ms. Turner standing next to it and holding a clipboard.
     Scott pushed Zoe up to the table just as Ms. Turner was turning towards them after reviewing something she'd been writing.
     “Hello, Ms. Turner.” Scott said simply.
     “Oh! Hello Scott. Hi Zoe.” she replied. “Did you have any trouble finding the camp?”
     “The driver originally thought we were going to the camping area by the dam, but we managed to show him the map before he took the turnoff.” Scott answered.
     “Well, we do some activities there, but I'm glad you didn't have to spend your first day hiking from there with your bags. Is Becca here also?” She made a couple of tick marks on her clipboard.
     “Yes, she and Cindy went to take our bags to our cabins.”
     “Just so you know, you and Becca will be sharing Cabin 1-B. Zoe will be in Cabin 3-A with Jenny Stewart. Is that okay with you Zoe?”
     “Yes, I shared a cabin with her last year.” Zoe's smile grew as she signed this, which Scott interpreted as meaning that Zoe got along with her roommate pretty well.
     “Good. Scott, why don't you wheel her over to 3-A then and see if Cindy got Zoe's bags there okay. Once she's settled in, you can come back here and I'll introduce you to the other counselors.”
     “Will do.” Scott prepared to push Zoe's chair as Ms. Turner added another tick mark, probably for Becky he thought. He then realized he had a problem. Turning back to Ms. Turner he asked, “Umm... where is Cabin 3-A?”
     He was surprised to notice that Ms. Turner seemed to flush a bit at this, “I forgot this is your first year Scott, even though Zoe was here last year.” She pointed away from the lodge along another small dirt path,      “It's the one just behind that grove of trees.”
     Ms. Turner was Cindy's mom, and normally insisted that Becca and Scott call her by her first name. But since they were working as counselors at the camp, she had told them they would need to call her “Ms. Turner”. Cindy had pointed out that she did the same at the camp.
     “Got it! See you in a bit.” Scott started pushing Zoe's chair around the path, and noticed that Ms. Turner seemed to regain her composure. She had the same red hair and fair skin as Cindy, and Scott wondered how either of them could spend two weeks at this camp without getting seriously sunburned.

     A couple minutes later, Scott had negotiated the grove of trees and could see the cabin not too much further away. “So, Zoe, are you going to be okay in the cabin by yourself for a while?”
     Zoe excitedly signed “I'll be fine. I'm sure one of the other counselors will be by in a bit, and I can do some things myself you know.”
     “OK, you're a big girl, and I'm just being the overprotective brother.” Scott teased.
     The smile on Zoe's face was replaced by knowing glance as she turned back in her chair a bit, “I'm sure you'll find other things to do. Particularly once you meet my cabin mate.”
     “What do you mean?” Scott asked.
     Zoe turned back to face forward in the chair and signed, “She used to be a cheerleader. Boys like cheerleaders don't they?”
     Scott could feel the tops of his ears burning, and muttered “I think I need to tell Mom to start monitoring your TV watching a little more closely.”
     Zoe turned back to half face Scott again so he could see her sticking her tongue out, and then as she faced back toward the front she let out a healthy laugh. Scott found himself joining in. It was so rare to actually hear Zoe, that it was hard not to.
     “For someone who doesn't talk much, your laugh always comes out so perfectly.” Scott added.
     Without turning around, Zoe signed “That almost sounds like a complement.”
     It didn't take long to cover the rest of the way to Cabin 3-A, and Scott pushed Zoe's chair up the ramp, then backed up on the porch so that he could get the door and lock it open. He was a little surprised not to see a screen door, but realized that two doors would be that much harder to navigate in a wheelchair.
     As he pushed Zoe in, Scott thought he heard something rustling. Once they were in the living area he could see the open door to the bedrooms where Cindy Turner appeared to be unpacking Zoe's suitcases. Scott closed the door, a bit louder than he needed to so she would know they were there.
     Cindy noticed them, and as she continued to unpack called out. “Hey guys. Glad to see Scott was able to find the place. “
     “Well, I did have a little navigational help.” Scott said.
     Cindy put one more item into the chest of drawers that was between the two beds, and then walked out to where Scott and Zoe were.
     “Why don't I take Zoe from here,” Cindy suggested, “and you can get back to Mom for orientation.”
     “Don't you mean, Ms. Turner?” Scott kidded.
     “Yes,” Cindy answered thoughtfully, “but with you guys I figure I can be a little more lax about it.”
     “Hey, I was just kidding you know.” Scott wondered if that was a bit of a sore point, then added, “Anyway, Zoe mentioned that she wanted me to meet her cabin mate.”
     Cindy looked over to Zoe, who quickly signed something that Scott didn't catch, and then Cindy turned back to him. “In that case I'll go back and help Becca. Zoe, you make sure to keep an eye on your brother.”      Cindy followed this up by signing something to Zoe as she was leaving the cabin, and then the door was closed.
     Scott wondered what was up. “Another camp secret?”
     “Sort of.” Zoe signed.
     “At this rate I'm going to spend the entire two weeks wondering what is really going on.” Scott warned her.
     Zoe reached back to touch her brother's arm, then signed “I think you'll eventually catch on.”

CHAPTER 1 <--    --> CHAPTER 3

Chapter 1 – New Beginnings and Old Acquaintances

2009-09-14T07:15:00.000-05:00

     The sun shone through the clouds of dust the bus was raising as it drove down the gravel road. Scott watched the patterns of light and dark across the floor for a minute, then looked toward the front of the bus to make sure Zoe's wheelchair was still anchored properly. The bouncing didn't seem to have affected the chair or Zoe herself. She appeared to be straining to look forward to the parking lot that was growing closer every minute.
     Scott then looked back a couple of seats to where his other sister, Becca, was sitting. She was texting something on her handset, probably happy to finally have come down from the hills the bus had crossed earlier where there had been no reception.
     “Becca, I don't recall the counselors' handbook saying we could take our cell phones around with us.”
     “Just because you're a slow typist, don't give me any grief.” Becca replied, looking up at Scott and pausing her typing for a minute. “I just so happen to be texting Cindy right now, so I'm pretty sure this is ok.” She added a little “Humph!” for emphasis, and then began typing with her thumbs again.
     “I'm not sure I'd consider Cindy the end-all, be-all myself.” Scott thought. Cindy and Becca had been friends even before Zoe had started coming to the camp last year, and so it hadn't taken much for Becca to agree to become a camp counselor. Somehow Cindy had talked him into it as well, although he was sure he was doing it more to see why Zoe was so excited about the place.
     There was the sound of gravel being kicked up as the bus turned into the dirt parking lot, and then the dying sound of the engine as the driver let them know they had arrived. Scott and Becca each grabbed a couple of bags, and then went outside to deposit them next to the bus. Then Scott went over to where the driver had rolled Zoe into the lift, and helped guide her down to the ground.
     “OK, got you on solid ground, Zoe.” Scott told her to help her feel relaxed. Zoe wasn't always sure that the drivers knew how to operate the lifts properly, and she'd let Scott know this guy didn't seem any different to her.
     Zoe's hands began fluttering as she signed “Thanks Scott.”
     Scott, pushed the wheelchair off the lift, and a bit away from the bus. Both Scott and Becca had learned sign language so they could communicate with Zoe. She was a slight girl barely four feet tall even though she was sixteen years old. She spent most of her time in a wheelchair not because her legs wouldn't function, but because she tired very quickly and had a weak heart. For some reason, while she was able to understand very complex problems or high-level conversations, she couldn't manage the fine motor skills to control her mouth and tongue well enough to speak. Other than a few simple words, she generally relied on sign language.
Scott thought about the problems Zoe had encountered starting high school this year. For all her physical frailties, she had beautiful long blonde hair, and piercing blue eyes. The overall effect was much like an animated porcelain doll, and had led to no small amount of problems with some of the boys in her class who had decided to pick up sign language for some reason. At least here, he knew he could relax.
     “Daydreaming again Scott?” Becca had walked over to where Scott was standing behind Zoe's wheelchair. “You know it doesn't go anywhere if you don't push it.”
     “I was just waiting for the bus to leave. I didn't want to take a chance of getting in the way...” Scott's voice trailed off as he looked where Becca was pointing and the dust trail of the departing bus was rising into the sky.
     “The driver said he'll be back in two weeks to pick us up.” Becca continued. “I don't think he expects you to stand here for the whole time however.”
     Scott was about to deliver a stinging reply when he noticed Cindy running towards them from between a couple of trees. She came up full, speed, and wrapped her arms around Becca.
     “Hey, you guys finally made it!” Cindy was half out-of-breath as she said this, and then moved between Scott and Zoe, where she seemed to be animatedly signing something half-hidden to Zoe who replied likewise.
     “What are you guys going on about?” Becca asked, moving closer to see if she could pick up the conversation.
     “Secret Camp Stuff.” Cindy answered.
     Scott was surprised. It sounded like something out of an elementary school tree-house. “Secret Camp Stuff?”
     Cindy turned her head just enough to shake a few of the curls in her shoulder-length red hair, “Girls only, so you'll have to find out another time. Anyway, Scott, why don't you wheel Zoe over to the lodge? Mom can check you in while I take Zoe's bags to her cabin.”
     Scott considered a couple of quick comments, but was interrupted by Becca, “If you're pushing Zoe there first, then I'll get our bags.”
     It seemed like a good way to get out of this and do a little thinking, so he just said “Oh, okay.”
     Cindy and Becca divided the suitcases between them, and then headed off into the forest while Scott began pushing Zoe's chair down the trail.
     “Well, that was a bit weird.” Scott said, mainly to himself.
     Zoe tapped her armrest to get Scott's attention and then signed “What?”
     “No offense sis, but it seemed like Cindy was more excited to see you than to see Becca.”
     Zoe smiled slightly and then signed “I'm sure it's just my shining personality. Besides, Cindy sees Becca almost everyday at school. She only sees me occasionally when she comes over to visit.”
     Scott continued to push the chair a bit, and then replied “You're probably right about that.”
     “Of course I am. You'd better pick up the tempo, or Ms. Turner's going to think you're a slacker.” Zoe added a rather dramatic flourish as she signed the last word.
     “I'm going, I'm going...” Scott sighed as he started pushing a little faster down the trail.

CHAPTER 2