Summer Camp | Luke Hemmings

Recently discharged from a mental health hospital in London, Piper Collins is sent to a summer camp. Apparently spending just short of two years in an institute on your own with everyone surrounding you thinking you’re crazy, can really take it out of you. Piper was discharged from the hospital four weeks ago. She still had to visit for follow up appointments, twice a week; once on a Monday and once on a Thursday. When the therapists review her case and progress since leaving, they come to a conclusion; a conclusion Piper doesn’t agree with. Dr Renyard signed her up for a compulsory summer camp. A six week music camp; three weeks away, a weekend back at home and away again for a further three weeks. The camp consisted of two of the things Piper used to enjoy before the death of her sister; camping and music. She always enjoyed making what she would call ‘creative noise’, writing how she felt on a piece of paper and putting it into some tune. The doctors, therapists, nurses, Piper’s parents and family all hoped that this would be the thing to put life back into Piper; it was the only idea they had left. They needed something to make her socialize, something to make her want to talk and eat; not feel like it’s a shortcut way out. They wanted her to trust people again as the last time she did that, her sister died. They needed her to believe in something and to believe in herself.