sleep away at Camp Wiŋtke

Chapter 3

As they stepped into the Gigyago cabin, the scent of aged wood mingled with the faint aroma of pine, wrapping around them like a warm, familiar blanket. Sunlight streamed through the open windows, casting playful shadows onto the wide planked floor.

With their eyes adjusting to the change in lighting they discovered it wasn't at all what they thought it would be. They expected rusty old metal bunkbeds in a dusty, sparsely lit room. They expected camping type bed springs with sleeping bags or thin mattresses and beat up old steel military-style cabinets for closets.

Instead the beds were new single twin beds with fancy yellow pinewood head and footboards. They all had thick, pillow top mattresses with crisp white spreads covering them. The oversized closets were made of a fine polished yellow pine as well.

Albert wandered around the room looking at the name on each of the white cards as he passed. About halfway across the room he spotted [ _________ Peterson] .

He stopped and took a spot beside the head of the bed in front of the closet. Shortly each of the places were occupied and the screen door closed.

Albert stood in front of his assigned closet, feeling a blend of anticipation and anxiety surge within him as he glanced around at his peers. He could sense their eagerness, the subtle nervous energy coursing through their collective chatter as they explored the new surroundings.

Each boy was absorbed in their thoughts, forming silent alliances, but Albert felt alone; a yearning to belong mixed with a more profound curiosity about what this secluded oasis held in store for them. While the sun smiled down upon them, the camp seemed to breathe its own rhythm, hinting at mysteries that would compel them to confront themselves in ways far beyond the experience of summer fun.

Before long, Counsellor Amy had returned. She looked around and smiled.

"OK, good," she started. "Now, all of you can open your closets."

There was a brief shuffle as the boys began to open the doors. Then the room filled with a cacophony of sounds: excited squeals, surprised gasps, a few complaints, and a bit of confusion.

Albert just stood there staring into the shallow closet, his gaze flicking back and forth between the drawers and the neatly hung clothes. He saw it was divided in half: the left side a stack of drawers and shelves, the right with clothes hanging, someone's clothes, but definitely not his.

Hanging from the rail were several dresses in different styles and lengths, a few skirts, and some tops. On the bottom were several pairs of shoes.

He looked around in a panic to see if there had been a mistake. A quick glance at the boy by the next bed showed there was no mistake; the boy there had pulled a pair of tights from a drawer and was staring at them as he held them up.

Albert’s heart raced, a mixture of confusion and dread welling up inside him. The laughter and chatter of many of the other boys faded into an echo as though he were submerged under water. Each dress—a whisper of vibrant colors and soft fabrics—loomed like an unspoken challenge. Why were these clothes here? What made his parents send him here?  So this means they know? The thoughts gripped him with a shame he couldn't quite place, igniting the air with an awkward tension that surrounded him like a fog.

As he turned, he caught sight of the other boy's reactions—some were stifling their joyous laughter, while others exchanged glances laden with uncertainty. The air in the cabin grew thick with unasked questions, and Albert could feel the walls closing in, not just around him but around the fragile notion of who they were supposed to be.

In that moment, the enchanting sunlight seemed muted, the playful shadows a stark contrast to the weight of expectation that hung over them; boys who had come seeking adventure were now standing on the precipice of something far more profound, the beginnings of a summer that might reshape them in ways none could foretell.