CAMP

• Dean Sinai, Grade 5
• Short Story
• 2017

Lightning lit the night sky and thunder rolled ominously across the windswept moors. The old house loomed darkly on the hill, the only shelter from the driving rain. I raced towards it and my heart thumped as I cautiously pushed on the massive carved door. As I stepped inside, shivering with cold, I noticed the warm, welcoming glow of candlelight flickering at the top of the staircase.
I walked reluctantly towards the rust bucket before my eyes as I thought to myself ‘why did I ever even think of going on this stupid camp from the flyer I had received from my teacher’. As soon as Brandon who’s not exactly the sharpest knife in the drawer saw the note, he goofed at it and said “cooool.” I knew I was in trouble because he was going to drag me in on this crazy plan as well.
Now I’m sitting at the back of a bus being driven by a shifty looking driver ever so close to a cliff crumbling like a cookie. Just the way I wanted to end my life.
It was the first turn of events and the first day of hell too. We were going hiking on the wet, cold creepy moors and I had the feeling in my stomach that it wasn’t, just wasn’t going to end well. When the group got going it got boring and I mean boring. Brandon started being a real wally and saying “oh look a pine tree,” every time he saw one which was about every 2 seconds. He was starting to get on my nerves. We were both bored and tired and really couldn’t care less about the “nature hike” we were on.
Today was one of those days where everything went wrong. As soon as we started walking I knew something was bound to go wrong. I was starting to feel tired and hungry and then it happened. We got lost.
Brandon and I were lost cold, hungry and shivering in the middle of the moors. Then, (sigh) we found what we thought was heaven, or was it? We ran to the house looking golden compared to the grey and unforgiving sight of the cliff, the rain and the sheep grazing harmlessly in the paddock nearby. We ran towards the house, and then with all our strength we had left slammed into the door but did it budge? Why would it, to be nice and save our lives. No chance. We then slumped in a heap at the bottom of the massive carved door awaiting our death.
As we sat on the cold floor, bound to the wooden pillar in the midst of the tidy, strange room a figure with a bluey green round back faced he said in a gravelly low voice “the boss’ll be here soon kids, don’t try to make any moves”
A comically tall man slipped through the door and said to us. “Well, looks like we have winners, now for the next challenge!”