The weak light on the roof of their temporary replacement home flickered.
"Did you see that flash?" Zigzag said, with a sharp suspiciousness in his tone, "Did you see it? They're photographing us again. They want to see how we react to Stanley and Zero taking off. If we react poorly, prison. If we're good, freedom. I'm telling you, it's a test."
"Man, you're crazy," Armpit concluded, after hearing the most ridiculous explanation for why they were in this cold place, with an overall gray pigment to it. The walls were poorly-laid cinderblock, and the floors were glossy and cemented. There was no color, no decoration, and no heat. Even Camp Green Lake had more character and flair to it, "I told you a million times, they just puttin' us here until they find a better camp for us. A real camp, with lake maybe. A real one, with water and fish and stuff."
"And no rattle snakes. Or Scorpiens," Magnet commented.
"Or yellow-spotted lizards," X-Ray threw in.
"And not a single hole!" A familiar voice chimed in, and everyone turned around to see who it was.
"Stanley!" A chorus of deep voices said.
"Yep! I came for a visit. I heard you're getting relocated, huh?"
"Yeah," X-Ray replied, "They says we're gonna go to a camp. Not a hole-digging camp, but a real nature-loving camp. We'll have to serve some community service hours, and get counseling nightly, but it sure beats the heck out of digging holes."
A series of approving grunts followed.
"That'll be great," Stanley said, "Be sure to send me some mail, my box is getting kind of empty, you know?" It was a lie. The second he returned from camp, his mailbox was stuffed with letters and packages. For his birthday, they all sent him something. Armpit sent him an only slightly used bar of soap (I'm sure the other D-tenters were happy that Armpit gave up his only bar of soap), Magnet sent him a bottle of snake-venom nail polish (no doubt STOLEN form the warden), Zero sent him a touching card that he had written all by himself and a copy of "Gone with the Wind" (he had written "Read it. It's a good one" on the inside cover), Barfbag, whom he hadn't even met, had sent him an airline sickness bag (what did you expect?), Squid had somehow managed to pour some of their new cafeteria's food into an envelope (Stanley was quite disgusted; it appeared that this new cafeteria's food had about the same level of culinary expertise as ol' Green Lake), X-Ray sent him his old pair of glasses (imagine the social workers' faces when they saw the blinding glasses that appeared to have absorbed every grain of dirt that he shoveled), and ZigZag sent him 5 of what appeared to be human teeth (the motive for sending Stanley teeth is about as unexplainable as ZigZag himself). Stanley enjoyed hearing from every one of them. Even though his memories of Camp Green Lake were in no way good ones, and these strange delinquents of odd personalities were in no way the best friends that Stanley could aquire, he felt a certain bond that made each one of them his brother.
"Well, what I hear is that you're going to Camp Bryce. It's a great place - Zero and I checked it out for you. They've got basketball courts, a big blue swimming pool, a rock climbing program, and so much more. You'll LOVE it, I guarantee that! You will LOVE it!"
Stanley made a promise, and Stanley never broke promises.
Right?
"Did you see that flash?" Zigzag said, with a sharp suspiciousness in his tone, "Did you see it? They're photographing us again. They want to see how we react to Stanley and Zero taking off. If we react poorly, prison. If we're good, freedom. I'm telling you, it's a test."
"Man, you're crazy," Armpit concluded, after hearing the most ridiculous explanation for why they were in this cold place, with an overall gray pigment to it. The walls were poorly-laid cinderblock, and the floors were glossy and cemented. There was no color, no decoration, and no heat. Even Camp Green Lake had more character and flair to it, "I told you a million times, they just puttin' us here until they find a better camp for us. A real camp, with lake maybe. A real one, with water and fish and stuff."
"And no rattle snakes. Or Scorpiens," Magnet commented.
"Or yellow-spotted lizards," X-Ray threw in.
"And not a single hole!" A familiar voice chimed in, and everyone turned around to see who it was.
"Stanley!" A chorus of deep voices said.
"Yep! I came for a visit. I heard you're getting relocated, huh?"
"Yeah," X-Ray replied, "They says we're gonna go to a camp. Not a hole-digging camp, but a real nature-loving camp. We'll have to serve some community service hours, and get counseling nightly, but it sure beats the heck out of digging holes."
A series of approving grunts followed.
"That'll be great," Stanley said, "Be sure to send me some mail, my box is getting kind of empty, you know?" It was a lie. The second he returned from camp, his mailbox was stuffed with letters and packages. For his birthday, they all sent him something. Armpit sent him an only slightly used bar of soap (I'm sure the other D-tenters were happy that Armpit gave up his only bar of soap), Magnet sent him a bottle of snake-venom nail polish (no doubt STOLEN form the warden), Zero sent him a touching card that he had written all by himself and a copy of "Gone with the Wind" (he had written "Read it. It's a good one" on the inside cover), Barfbag, whom he hadn't even met, had sent him an airline sickness bag (what did you expect?), Squid had somehow managed to pour some of their new cafeteria's food into an envelope (Stanley was quite disgusted; it appeared that this new cafeteria's food had about the same level of culinary expertise as ol' Green Lake), X-Ray sent him his old pair of glasses (imagine the social workers' faces when they saw the blinding glasses that appeared to have absorbed every grain of dirt that he shoveled), and ZigZag sent him 5 of what appeared to be human teeth (the motive for sending Stanley teeth is about as unexplainable as ZigZag himself). Stanley enjoyed hearing from every one of them. Even though his memories of Camp Green Lake were in no way good ones, and these strange delinquents of odd personalities were in no way the best friends that Stanley could aquire, he felt a certain bond that made each one of them his brother.
"Well, what I hear is that you're going to Camp Bryce. It's a great place - Zero and I checked it out for you. They've got basketball courts, a big blue swimming pool, a rock climbing program, and so much more. You'll LOVE it, I guarantee that! You will LOVE it!"
Stanley made a promise, and Stanley never broke promises.
Right?