The boys are going to CAMP III

Later on that afternoon, after a best out of three row boat relay, and a ninety minute "Deep Woods Camping/Survival" class, the boys all had 1 hour before lunch to do what ever they chose but were to stay around the bivouac area. It didn't really qualify as a technical bivouac, but that's what they called it. Most of the counselors were encouraged to head off to their bunks for a quick nap. They alternated who would stay to watch the boys outside. Mostly it was to recharge for the next round of what ever classes, hikes, or games that were scheduled. Twelve to sixteen year old boys have a way of wearing out the eighteen year old young men who's daunting task was to keep them from killing themselves. You wouldn't think so, but when you are the watchful eye for 20 boys, it's the younger ones that wear you down. You know, the new kids that like to climb trees full of poison ivy, pick up rocks near a snake hole, and jump in puddles that turn out to be actually 1 to 2 feet deep. It takes a lot out of you, and it proved to be the determining factor for a few young men as to how soon he would be getting married and having kids of their own.

Stephen and Jarred brought a bag of marbles to camp, and having been pre-warned about the way that they play, started a regular game rather than a game of dare marbles. If you recall, dare marbles could get out of hand if you were the loser. You might have to kiss a cat-fish or de-pants your cabin counselor. Or have the cat-fish kiss the counselor. Or even put the cat-fish down the pants of the cabin counselor. (Those counselors had it ruff. Eh, not really. They actually started camp 2 days before the other kids got there, and left 3 day after the rest went home. This was mostly for preparations of the camp site and bunk houses. But they also got quite a bit of free time to swim, fish or do what ever.) Anyway, joined in by 3 others the boys began their game. Jarred divvied up the marbles amongst the five of them. Stephen grabbed a stick and scratched a circle in the dirt, and they each tossed in one large and one small marble. Frankie asked "Who goes first?" Jarred explained "In Gruberville we put our marbles in our pocket, we each pull one out in a closed fist and then someone calls out a color. Who ever has that color or the most of that color on their marble goes first and picks the order of who goes next. Is that okay with everyone?" The other boys never heard of this way but nodded and said "Sure" "That's okay by me." So they all dropped their stash in their pockets and each pulled out one hidden in their fist. Stephen instructed "Go ahead and call a color Gary." Gary said "blue". They all opened their hands. Red with yellow cats eye, green, clear with red swirl, purple and yellow/green were the colors. No winner. "Now what?" John asked. "Do it again." Jarred replied. "No biggie. Sometimes we have to do this a couple of times." They all reached in again and pulled out another marble. Everyone else looked at Gary again. "Oh uh, Red." he said. They each opened their hand. This time the colors were blue, purple with orange cats eye, green again, white with yellow dots, and a purie (clear through and through). This went on for about 5 minutes when John stopped them and said "Forget this." He turned and pointed at Gary on his right and went around the circle. "Einie Meinie Minie Moe. Catch a tiger by the toe. If he bites you let 'em go. Einie Meinie Minie Moe." and the second Moe landed on Jarred. "You go first Jarred." He said. Luckily John intervened. That color thing could have gone on for hours.

The boys played marbles until they heard lunch announced over the loud speakers. It was a bell chime followed by the cooks voice saying "Round 'em up. Lunch is on." Stephen and Jarred gathered up the marbles from the ground and others and tossed them in the bag. They sprinted for the bathroom to wash their hands, and popped in their cabin to leave the marbles and to wake their counselor Mike. "Mike!" "Hey Mike get up." Mike seemed to be a bit deep in sleepy town. Stephen bumped the foot of Mikes bunk "Hey Mike, you old dog fart, get up." No movement. I almost bit Stephen for the dog insult. Jarred was preoccupied with tying his shoe, but shouted out a "MIKE, you scurvy Dog. WAKE UP." Jarred I bit. He was closer! You'd think these two would get it when I bite them after insulting my race, uh breed, I , mean us dogs, er uh whatever. "Henry!" He yipped. Now forgetting the shoe, they both leaned in a bit toward Mike. "Is he even alive." Stephen snickered jokingly. They both laughed under their breath took a hard look at Mike and then looked up at each other. "I can't see him breathing." Jarred whispered over to Stephen. "Listen for a heartbeat." Stephen told Jarred. "I aint listening to a dead guys heart." He replied. Both their eyes got big for a second, and then they both leaned down toward Mike chest to see if he was............Mike jumped up and grabbed both of them around the neck. One in each arm. "Old dog fart Huh?!?" He said. "You two got me in a bit of trouble with your breakfast shenanigans this morning." He lightly bopped their heads together. "Star Spangled Banner Huh? You couldn't come up with something original?" He crossed his hands over top of their heads and tweaked both their noses. They both twisted and turned trying to get out of the hold, but Mike only tightened his grip. This was Mikes last year at camp. He had just graduated from Gruberville High. Mike was the all American kid. Football, Wrestling, and being raised on a farm, he had more muscle from hauling hay than most grown men. So two twelve year olds were not really any kind of match. "You too goof balls just might need a 'swirly' kind of lesson." "No NO" they shouted. "Mike we're sorry. Mike were SORRY." They said in unison. Mike thought for a second, raised an eyebrow and smiled, and then said "Say Mike is the greatest counselor on the planet." The two of them, caught in a tighter head lock, repeated it. Mike went on, "Say Jarred and Stephen are a couple of lunk heads." They repeated that too. "Say I - state your name." They repeated once again. "I state your name." Mike now stood up picked them both up off the floor by their heads. "Let's try that one again." He chuckled a bit letting their feet touch the floor again. "I Jarred" "I Stephen" they replied. "Do solemnly swear. " Mike continued "Do solemnly swear." They echoed. "To worship the ground that Mike walks on and obey his every command." The boys looked at one another and snickered. Mike squeezed their necks just a bit more. "To worship the ground that Mike walks on and obey his every command." They chimed in together with their faces getting a little bit pink. "And should I disobey Mike, I give him full permission to give me a swirly at his earliest convenience." "Ah Man." Stephen cried out. "Say it." Mike said tightening his squeeze a bit more on Stephen. "But Mike....." Jarred tried to interject. Mike now put a bit more squeeze on Jarred. "Say It. " If us dogs could laugh, I would have been rolling on the floor laughing my tail off. So instead I just jumped up and down and barked. 'Take 'em down Mike. Give 'em both a swirly.' I barked. "See. Even Henry agrees with me. So say it." Reluctantly they repeated the words. "And should I disobey Mike, I give him full permission to give me a swirly at his earliest convenience." "There." Mike said loosening his grip a bit but still holding on to make sure they didn't add something of there own. "That wasn't so bad, was it?" He bopped their heads together again, let them loose, and patted them both on the shoulders. "I think I like you two. You remind me of me, when I first came to camp." Mike challenged them to race the whole 20 steps to the Chow hall. Mike and I tied. I got a pat on the head from Mike. "Good job Henry. I like you too."


A few days later..........

Henry the Dog.