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One foot in front of the other……. One foot in front of the other. Swing your hips….. smile, like you’re enjoying it……. one foot in front of the other.
By Anistasia Allread
Chapter 6
A rivulet of sweat ran down Erika’s back as she stood with the other girls of the cabin outside the mess hall. Nothing had been said about wearing heels. She had just finished convincing Dani to play along, when Samantha handed her the sandal wedges from her duffle bag.
“You’ve got to be kidding, I don’t know how to walk in these.” Erika protested.
“It’s not hard.” Samantha pulled out a pair of heeled sandals for herself and started to strap them on. “You have twenty minutes to practice before we go over.”
Erika looked around the cabin for help from the other girls.
“If I have to do this,” Dani grinned. “Then it’s only fair that you have to do it in heels.”
Erika seeing no help coming from the other girls, dropped onto the edge of the bed and began strapping into the wedges.
After a few minutes of walking around the cabin, it was starting to get a little easier.
“You’re walking like a jock.” Victoria admonished. “Take smaller steps and use your hips. Didn’t your mom teach you how to walk in heels?”
“I’ve never really had an opportunity to wear them.” Erika hoped she wasn’t gritting her teeth. She could feel her face turning red as she became more frustrated. I’m at summer camp. Heels aren’t supposed to be at summer camp. I’m not even supposed to be on this side of the camp. I should have called the whole thing off and stayed where I belonged. Erika fumed silently.
“Take it easy, Erika.” Samantha came up to her and spoke softly to her. “You can do this, you just have to have some patience and put one foot in front of the other.”
“Okay, it’s time to go.” Katie looked around the cabin nervously.
“Let’s give it a few more minutes.” Rachel stood by the door looking everyone over. “We don’t want to enter the mess hall, we want to make an entrance.”
Easy for her to say. Erika was having difficulty keeping her thoughts unspoken. Rachel had a lean, well-muscled, body with legs that were tan and looked like she played soccer or basketball. She strode around the cabin with feminine if not a more athletic grace, while Erika felt like a Clydesdale stomping around in the damn wedges.
Getting across the camp to the mess hall was no easy feat. The slightly uneven ground was like hiking through rough terrain. Dips in the ground swallowed her and made the next step precarious. Sticks and tree roots kept tripping her. Her ankles were on fire and screaming at her while trying to maintain upright.
“Walking on stilts would have been easier.” she muttered.
Now she stood in the midst of her cabin mates outside the double doors to the mess hall, about to parade in to take a seat at their table. Good thing we saw where our table was on the tour, or else we would parade in, stop and be forced to look around for our place, like idiots.
The noise in the hall was almost deafening as everyone was forced to use louder voices to be heard over those of their neighbors.
“Let’s go.” Rachel decided. She pulled open one of the double doors and entered with poise, a smile and a sashay that, under different circumstances, would have had Erika’s full attention. Victoria followed her with more gusto than Erika thought that the writer could muster.
“Alright, Dani, go for it.” Samantha encouraged.
Dani’s eyes were as large as saucers, as she looked back at Samantha.
“I’ll be right behind you blinding them with my white legs.” Erika squeezed the curly blonde’s shoulder encouragingly. Dani smiled up at Erika with a nervous laugh.
Erika took a deep breath, pasted on what she hoped would be a sexy smile, and proceeded into the room. The mess hall had gone from hundreds of people sounding like a gaggle of geese, to a hiss of whispers from the girl’s side and the encouraging calls and whistles from the guys side. Erika’s heart wasn’t in her chest any more, it was in her head. At least it seemed so. Her head pulsated with every heartbeat, while her stomach wanted to hurl everything that might still be in it out across the floor.
One foot in front of the other……. One foot in front of the other. Swing your hips….. smile, like you’re enjoying it……. one foot in front of the other. Her eyes flitted from the blonde curly hair in front of her to the bounce in Rachel’s bobbed hair. One foot in front of the other. She was almost there.
Sitting at their table looking confused and upset at the same time was Phoenix. Erika didn’t pick her foot up enough and caught the toe of her sandal and wobbled, nearly stumbling.
One foot in front of the other……. Swing your hips.
Once she reached the table, she had to figure how to sit like a girl in the short skirt without flashing the entire camp. She smoothed the skirt over her bottom, like she had seen Samantha do so many times at school, and eased onto the front of the folding chair, then slid back slightly.
Erika turned in time to see the statuesque Katie approach the table with an elegance Erika envied. Behind her, Samantha had entered the mess. By this time the guys were all barking encouragement, some splitting the room with ear piercing whistles. Samantha approached her seat, turned around to face the boy’s side of the mess and blew them all a kiss before sitting down, her face glowing with excitement.
Director Hobbs stood up on a make-shift podium. “Alright boys, that’s enough.” She called out over the dwindling cat calls. “That’s enough, settle down.” She waited until the mess was quiet except for a couple hundred people breathing and the occasional clatter from the kitchen. “For those who don’t know me, I’m Director Hobbs……..” She continued with her welcome speech.
“What are you girls doing?” Phoenix asked through a toothy smile. “You’re late and our cabin has started out negative five points.”
“Relax, Phoenix.” We just made them all up and more.” Rachel patted their counselor’s arm.
“By making a spectacle of yourselves?” Phoenix asked.
“By searing our cabin’s name into the brains of every guy in the mess.” Rachel beamed at her successful ploy. “You’ll see.”
“…… So welcome to Camp Kumoni.” Director Hobbs finished to applause and some mild cheers.
“We are going to talk about this back at the cabin.” Phoenix was not amused. Just then, a large bowl of tossed salad and a basket of French bread was placed at the end of the table. The girls erupted into chatter, talking excitedly about their grand entrance.
“I thought I was going to die.” Dani admitted to Erika.
“I almost tripped and fell on top of you.” Erika informed her with a slight giggle.
A large bowl of spaghetti was placed at their table which was passed down after each took some.
“Alright, girls.” Phoenix said after they had finished their peach cobbler. “Let’s head back to the cabin.”
The girls in Columbine cabin all got up and exited the mess with less show, but still received some whooping and encouragement from the boy’s side to the mess.
“What in the world is going on?” Phoenix asked once they all had found perches on their beds. “What was with the show back there?”
Rachel explained to Phoenix about the extra points that the boys cabins awarded to the girls.
“That’s all a rumor.” Phoenix shook her head. “Director Hobbs won’t allow extra points for girls making a fool out of themselves like that.”
“Who said anything about Director Hobbs.” Rachel countered. “Do you really think she has the time to keep track of all the points that each cabin accumulates? It’s her assistant, Tyler who tallies and posts the points.”
“I’m sure, Tyler doesn’t do that kind of thing either. Now get out of those T-shirts and into something a bit warmer. We’re going to be late again, for our first campfire.”
Change again? Erika thought. I’ve already changed three times today. At least it will be nice to get out of these sandals. She joined Samantha over by their drawers and pulled off her altered T-shirt and pulled a hooded sweatshirt over her head. She checked to make sure that her breasts were in their proper places.
“You should continue wearing the sandals.” Samantha commented. “You need practice walking like a girl.”
“Are you kidding me?” Erika stopped what she was doing and looked to the cheerleader. “I can barely walk across the room in these things and you want me to traipse across the camp in them?”
“You walk like a guy, Erika.”
“I am a guy, Samantha.” Erika hissed.
“Fine, do as you wish.” Samantha growled with frustration.
Erika had mixed feelings about changing out of her skirt and into her girl jeans. The skirt gave her a freedom of movement she hadn’t expected. Sure, it was laborious making sure that she sat lady-like, but she had to admit, she did look good in it. She looked down at her feet, sighed and begrudgingly left her sandals on. “You are going to have to help me to the campfire.” She told Samantha.
Samantha smiled and nodded.
Phoenix led them across the camp through the boy’s section and to a large amphitheater. Most of the other cabins had already arrived, and were talking amongst themselves, while in the center of the great arc of tiered benches, a great roaring fire, crackled, throwing dancing shadows and light across the area.
Phoenix entered the circle of firelight and headed to an open area. The amphitheater suddenly became quiet, then almost as one, all the guys started calling and applauding columbine’s entrance, despite the protests of their counselors. Phoenix smiled, but clearly didn’t know what to make of the attention as she led her cabin around and through the cheering camp.
Dani looked up at Erika with a big smile. Erika, guessing how she felt, smiled back. The last time Eric had been applauded in anything close to this fashion was when he was in his underwear duct taped to the flag pole in the middle of the school quad. That, as Erika was finding out, was totally different from this kind of attention. This attention felt good. It warmed her even as it scared her. Part of her kept wanting to check to see if her zipper was down, or if someone had taped a ‘I’m really a boy’ sign on her back.
Just as she was settling her racing heart and her frazzled nerves, the toe of her sandal caught a root and she stumbled forward, landing on her hands and knees.
“Here, let me give you a hand.” A voice said near her.
Erika looked up into the face of a guy holding his hand out for her. Erika didn’t know what to do, so she took his hand and allowed him to slip his other hand under her arm to help hoist her back to her feet.
“Uh…….. Thank you.” She could feel her pale face turning bright red.
“Are you all right?” he asked with a concerned smile.
Why was he helping her? She should be scampering back, and trying to run the other direction. “Yeah, I believe so…..” She managed to say as she rubbed the dirt from her hands.
“I’m Josh.” His hand still held her under the arm for support, his blue eyes sparkled in the firelight. “I’m from Oak cabin.”
Why should she care what cabin he was in. Oh crap, what if the camp found out and put Eric in Oak cabin. This was a disaster.
“Are you alright, Erika?” Samantha took Erika’s other arm. “Did you hurt yourself?”
“No, I’m fine.” Erika shrugged. The feeling of Samantha’s fingers brushing lightly against her arm numbed any pain that she might have been feeling.
“Thank you…… um. “Samantha looked from her friend up at the broad-chested, dark haired, guy, and didn’t finish her sentence.
“Josh.” He smiled at Samantha, but his eyes were on Erika.
“Thank you, Josh. I’m Samantha, this is Erika, were in….”
“Columbine cabin. I know.” Josh finished. “Who could forget that entrance in the mess this evening. Are you sure you’re okay, Erika?”
“I’m fine, I just feel real stupid tripping over my own feet.”
“Heels weren’t meant to be worn out here.” He advised. “Although you do look good in them. I hope we see each other around, Erika.” Josh let go of her arm and stepped back allowing the two girls to pass.
Samantha quickly escorted Erika over to where the rest of Columbine cabin was seating its self. “My god, he is gorgeous.” Samantha almost swooned. “You tripped on purpose didn’t you.” Her voice took on an edge.
“What are you talking about?” Erika turned on Samantha. “You’re the one who told me to wear these stupid heels out in this root ridden, pothole infested camp.”
“Girls, sit down.” Phoenix ordered from the other end of the bench.
“Did you see those amazing eyes of his?” Samantha asked.
“No, I didn’t.” Erika answered. “I was a bit occupied with tripping and being embarrassed.”
“How about that chest, and those arms?” Samantha went on ignoring Erika’s reply. “I wonder how much he can bench-press.”
“I don’t know, and I don’t care. Why don’t you go ask him?” Erika brushed fir needles and dirt from her knees.
Samantha elbowed Erika
“What?” Erika was starting to get annoyed.
“He’s waving at you.” Samantha spoke through smiling teeth.
“So?”
“So? Smile and wave back.” Samantha instructed.
Erika looked up and spotted Josh, who was in fact smiling at her and trying to wave discreetly to her. She made a halfhearted attempt to smile and gave a slight wave.
Samantha leaned in to whisper in Erika’s ear “You bitch. You’ve been a girl for less than twenty-four hours and you’ve already got the attention of the cutest guy in camp.”
“That’s exactly what I don’t need.” Erika whispered back.
The strumming of guitars settled the crowd down as everyone’s attention was being diverted to the group of players tuning their instruments and playing a few bars of songs.
I can’t believe I tripped in front of the whole freaking camp. Erika contemplated. And now Samantha says that a guy likes me? If I was a guy, wait, what am I saying, I am a guy. She corrected. When I’m a guy and I trip like that, I’m lucky if I only get teased. She thought back to the school year when she was Eric. Someone in the hall had stuck out their foot tripping him, scattering his books and papers across the hall. Everyone in the hall started laughing, a kid nearby spit on him and began laughing. Eric wiped the phlegm from his hair and wiped it on his pants. “The plague has struck again.” Someone called out causing the laughing to escalate. One of the football players picked up one of his books and tossed it out an open window and into a mud puddle. Another jock grabbed an outline of a term paper and wadded it up and tossed it to a friend down the hall who then lit it with his lighter and tossed it into a drinking fountain. Eric tried to gather up his stuff as quickly as he could before anyone else could destroy any more of his things.
Erika shook herself and revisited the warmth and acceptance she had felt when she and the others of Columbine cabin had entered the amphitheater. Acceptance. It was an alien concept for someone who had only been accepted in the digital world of the internet. I could get used to this. Erika thought to herself as the voices of her fellow campers began to sing a camp song.
End of Chapter Six
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Comments
Nagging question
This is an interesting story, with characters that feel very real and plausible, and it makes the reader really care about them. Also, the setting is taking me back to my own memories of summer camp, so thanks for thathappy nostalgic feeling.
But I just have to ask - why name the cabin "Columbine"? It's just a word with too many negative associations. While it's true it's a pretty flower, the state flower of Colorado even, I don't think a real camp would use it to name anything, and would probably have changed it if the cabin's name predated the massacre. (And it doesn't help that the Columbine assassins were nerdy teens that didn't fit in and one of them was named Eric.)
I wondered that, too
Then I sat and thought about it. Most camps like this permanently name their cabins and such. In the background of the story, it was likely named Columbine before the incident at the school... and renaming it would lend credibility to the theory that it was the name of the thing that added to it.
Edeyn Hannah Blackeney
Wasn't it Jim Henson who said, "Without faith, I am nothing," after all? Wait, no, that was God. Sorry, common mistake...
the name of the cabin
I hadn't realized the negative assosiation with the name of the Cabin until after I posted the first 2 chapters. It wasn't intentional. I just like the flower. It is very fairie like.
I also didn't realize that one of the Teens with the Columbine massacure was named Eric. The whole thing is meant purely innocient. I was hoping that maybe I could get a more posative assosiation with the word. after all words only have power if you let them. if it detracts from the story, I will gladly change the name of the Cabin. who knows we could have a name the cabin contest.
Remember Aquilegia!
No, don't change it. (At least that's my vote.) It was the name of a flower long before the high school existed and long before any negative connotation attached to it. It should mean more than that still, and it will tomorrow if we let it.
They failed
For me, I find the cabin name distracting; it takes me out of the story nearly every time it's mentioned. So if you don't change it, I'd suggest that you don't bring it up too often.
I guess it's a good thing that you didn't know who Eric Harris was - one of the reasons those sick boys did what they did was to become infamous, so I'm glad that they failed in that task; they're not quite the household names they expected to become.
Columbine?
The name of President Eisenhower's official airplane.
The importance of names
I had to go search the internet to figure out what some found objectionable to the name Columbine. I guess it might be common knowledge for someone from Colorado and neighbourhood, but it sure wasn't for me.
While I'm rather disgusted by what seems to have happened at that school, the blame should go to the persons involved, not to some name. There are plenty of criminals and murderers. I'm sure almost everyone here would be able to be linked by for example first name to someone who committed something objectionable. If some nutcase called John Smith murders a dozen people in a street called Church Road, then I see no reasons to afterwards avoid naming your child John or changing your name if you happened to be called Smith (a lot of people) or to rename every Church Road in existance.
My view is that bad things are part of life and should not be forgotten and swept under the rug.
Hugs,
Kimby
Hugs,
Kimby
Regional?
Were you not living in the US in 1999? Columbine was not a regional story. It was all over the national headlines for months; Michael Moore even made a movie about it.
And particularly because it was teenagers killing teenagers, I don't think a summer camp would use that name for anything. But they didn't rename the school, so I suppose it's possible. However, since this is a work of fiction, it's not like your examples. It's more like deciding to name a character "Charles Manson," and while it's true that there are people with that name who didn't kill anyone, it's a name that comes with baggage.
I like how this story has at its core a bunch of misfits finding their own ways to fit in, but I just end up thinking that maybe those boys wouldn't have shot all those people if they'd spent the previous summer as girls, and that's not a thought I want to have.
But columbine is pretty!
Jennifer, your reaction is understandable, but please consider what you're asking. It now seems, every few years another one of these catastrophes occurs. (I suspect they are nothing new, but now there are more people in the world, these insane people have much more efficient weapons, and we hear instantly about thing from thousands of miles away which makes them feel more personal.) How much should we surrender to them? Several years ago the word 'postal' got a new meaning; should we hide, or never mention, letter carriers? Must we, after the most recent event, now avoid the word 'Tech' &/or 'Virginia'? I hope not.
I suspect your reaction to the cabin's name has something to do with your first impressions for the word. To me the word calls up an image of a pretty, delicate woodland flower (as it must for Anistasia). I don't think I should have to give up that image (I won't give up that image.) to a couple of insane boys, nor to the bullies and the arrogant, callous, unconcerned persons that created them! -- It really is a very nice flower, please find some pictures and decided if they should be symbols of murder.
Hugs; Joy;
Jan
time heals
Was a time, not too many years ago, that nobody could see a packet of Kool Aid without instantly being reminded of the mass murder/suicide/madness at Jonestown. Now it's not so evocative of such gruesome imagery, just a bad beverage......And before you know it, the name Columbine will regain its rightful association with God's beautiful handiwork. But if it was my story I'd change the cabin's name (American primroses are my favorite) just to shut everybody up...
I liked what Jennifer said about the name of those two murderous young wierdos in Colorado not being household names, that it denies them what they so desperately wanted, and do not deserve. For this reason, whenever the news is all about some new twisted serial killer or spree shooter, I try to tune it out as best I can. Unless it's still going on, and it's in your area, and you might be at risk, it does you no good; and it only inspires the next hateful crazy to get some attention, make their unfathomable "statement" this way. These people are in a sense a creation of the media, but the media wouldn't put so much emphasis on this sick shit if it wasn't profitable. This is one problem where "just ignore it and it'll go away" actually makes sense...
What borders on pure insanity?
Canada and Mexico.
.
Of two minds
I can see both sides of this, I vividly remember where I was and what I was doing when I heard the first breaking news bulletins on TV. But on the other hand, we have reached the point of memorializing so much that it has become a bit much. A few years ago there was a furor here when the highway dept. announced they would not maintain those little roadside memorials people have been putting up when a loved one dies in that place. The maint. workers would remove them as necessary when mowing or doing repairs and they would not be replaced. And I have to admit, I agree.
I think it's time we started reclaiming some symbols from those that would make them symbols of hate and death. I made the connection when I first started reading this story, then decided that perhaps it was a good thing that this name was being used in a positive manner.
Jennifer, I completely understand that this may be a problem for you, all I can say is if it is too much for you then you may have to leave off reading the story. I have had to do so myself when a story became too upsetting to me.
BTW, I believe Kimby lives somewhere in Europe, so she is not up on things we in the U.S. accept as common knowledge.
Karen J.
"Being a girl is wonderful and to torture someone into that would be like the exact opposite of what it's like. I don’t know how anyone could act that way."
College Girl - poetheather
“When a clown moves into a palace, he doesn’t become a king. The palace becomes a circus.” - Turkish Proverb
colum-what?
Here in the UK, at least, it was pretty big news; more recent school shoot-ups, less so, but that one was huge here. I wouldn't expect anyone here who's old enough to read this site to not recognise it immediately. It's probably second-only to Dunblane for us.
As for Kool-Aid, it seems to be entering a general vernacular; one talks of someone "drinking the Kool-Aid" if they've completely bought into whatever some politician, ceo, whatever is saying or selling. Microsoft fans, for instance, delight in accusing Mac users of "drinking the Apple Kool-Aid".
I'm sure the same process will happen to Columbine, rather than it simply dropping back into obscurity. In fact, it's probably happening already, as in, "God, I hope Ellen doesn't make Tuck and Mike do a Columbine."
:-)
this is as far...
... as I got last night. It is shaping up well, so my misgivings and lack of reference for a 'camp' story seem silly. There's a nice balance of acceptance and ease with some suitable moments of terror. I'm glad the Colombine thing didn't cause any problems or change in the plot. I did connect it but only in passing and I don't remember their names.
This is good and I'll keep reading till I'm up to date. Thanks Anistasia
Kristina
Camp KONOI WHATEVER
GOOD STORY ONLY ON6 BUT VERY INTERESTING.
Columbine
Don't worry, you are quite right, Columbine is a beautiful alpine flower. Honestly, I did not see the association with the tragedy in Colorado until I saw the comment about it. I love your story.
Coming out
It looks like Erica is coming out of her shell.
hugs :)
Michelle SidheElf Amaianna
"I could get used to this."
yeah well, his boy life is pretty shitty, so almost anything would be a step up.
"If I was a guy, wait, what am I saying, I am a guy."
It kinda seems like Erika is already starting to get used to thinking of herself as a girl. I'm wondering how she'll feel after spending more time at camp. The acceptance she's been experiencing seems a lot better than the flashback of being harassed in school.