Cameron’s Camp

• Hayden Philp, Grade 6
• Short Story
• 2021

I jump onto the bus excitedly, just as the rest follow behind. After the 58 students and 2 teachers have all piled into the bus, we have liftoff. I’m Cam and guess what? Our teachers have decided to take us on our annual Year five camp and they have picked the perfect place, Wivenhoe Dam. It is going to be awesome. We are halfway there now and the backbone of the group start singing, “Living on a Prayer by Bon Jovi.” Great song.

Finally, we have arrived. Some start singing “Blinding Lights” while others did the hard labour of setting up the tents,- Good on you. Wivenhoe Dam is even better than I remember, glistening in the sunlight. Even better, there are no other visitors/hippies. The camping tents are now set up, organised and arranged in our Houses. I am in one of the houses and I am bunked with Stevie, James, Amelia, Hazel and Ned.

This morning I get up and straight away knew the time had come. I know this because last night, I got insider news that today is a day of boredom like safety instructions and how to find a stick in the wild. Obviously, this’ll calls for my specially ordered, boredom busting, camp saving Bunch’o Balloons. Now it is time to execute my plan. I jump out of my tent screaming like a maniac, hoping the others would take the bait when I filled the balloons. They did, they all evacuated their tents screaming and I hit ‘me with the balloons. But it doesn’t take long for Ned and James to retaliate! And I have started a new riot of water balloons.

The Final Day was a crucial part of my camping experience, which I decided to live to the max. We split in pairs for canoeing, which I am great at. So the teachers put me with Hazel. I pondered on the choice, and I tried to argue my way to be with Ned... But Nothing came to mind. So Iran to the docks and Hazel follows behind. I clamber into the canoe, and we begin the long journey, but little did I know in the middle of the lake rested a nasty surprise!!!

I paddle for a while then take a short break, just as Hazel lifts her paddle high behind her head. She slaps me hard across the back sending me flying into the water! I am lying there. I am cold, I am wet, I am helpless and I want revenge. But sadly, “When a boomerang is thrown, whatever is thrown comes back twice as hard.” So I tumble the boat over, at that moment Hazel falls in with me helping the snappy lobster take shot with it’s pincers at my butt! With Hazel’s help we paddle back over to the shore. Once ashore, I splash Hazel with water and she hits back. We then share friendly banter for the rest of the afternoon. I realise that Hazel is a great person. Calm but quiet, while also the ultimate jokester/prankster. Gosh... I think I am in Love!

Everyone is asleep now, except me. I wake Hazel and take her out to the shore, under the stars. A new friendship has formed. I kiss Hazel goodnight, and she gets a twinkle in her eye, I think she is contemplating on throwing me n the water again or kissing me again? But I know Hazel and I do not think things look good for me... Later in bed I dream about this day and the next to come...