Camp Vele Gaten
It was only two short years before Camp Green Lake was re-opened, re- named, and re-established. The dry lake bed had overfilled so much, that the bank of the green lake had become a swamp, filled with flies and cat weed. No one but those who had been to the boys correctional facility even remembered it. There had been one or two paper articles written about the camp when it was first under inspection, but the buzz quickly died down.
In the place of the labor camp was Camp Vele Gaten. A camp for 'troubled girls.' It was just like any other summer camp, with a big mess hall, a barn, rows of cabins, waterfront shed, arts and crafts table, and a lodge. As well as a long, muddy, dirty road that a forest green Honda truck was coming down. Behind the wheel was a tall black boy with black framed bifocal glasses. He seemed squished next to another black boy, who made the boy driving seem scrawny. In the back were 5 boys, three of which were hoopin' and hollering and standing up in the back of the truck. The loud cat calls and yeehaws died down as they pulled up the lodge. The back of the truck flapped down, and the 5 boys crawled out, meeting up with the other 2 that had come from the actual seats. The 7 young men were welcomed by a woman in a flannel shirt, tied into a knot at her belly button and a cowboy hat.
"Welcome, boys, to Camp Vele Gaten." She said with a large smile. She had the deep southern accent, but not the facial structure to match. It was as delicate as her bleach blonde hair, which she had pulled back into braided pigtails.
"I'm Becky VanDensen, Chief of staff and owner of Camp Vele Gaten."
"VanDensen, that's Dutch, ain't it?" Asked one of the smaller boys. His eyes were hidden by the shade of his visor, but his fingers kept moving from his back pockets to the belt loops on his jeans.
"Yes, it is. Come on in, I can introduce you to some of the staff. You won't meet all of 'em, because some of 'em are on their 24. You know, they get the day off. There's only 2 on their 24." Becky explained, waving all the boys into the lodge. One of the taller boys looked to the guy who was in the passenger seat of the car.
"Ah Chico..." He muttered, turning his head to watch Becky's hips wiggle back and forth in her jean shorts as she walked in.
"Hey, Jose, you comin'?" one of the boys yelled.
"'Ay, man, I thought I told you to call me Magnet. Especially since we're back on Camp Green Lake." Jose replied as he walked into the lodge. His accent was somewhat thick, and Hispanic. It had been like that since he returned home, where both his Mexico immigrant parents made amends and started again.
"Oh no, Jose, there ain't no such thing as Camp Green Lake anymore. Your on Camp Vele Gaten grounds down." Becky corrected him as she sat down at her desk. It was like déjà vu for each and every single one of them. It wasn't the same building, let alone the warden, but it had an eerie resemblance to the prior years when they had all been admitted into Camp Green Lake. Becky put both her feet onto the desk, the heel of her cowboy boots clacking against the desk. There was an upturned cowboy hat on the desk, filled sunflower seeds. She offered them to the boys. They all shook their heads.
"Hector's mother told me about how you boys had just been dying to come visit." Becky said gladly. Some of the boys exchanged looks. It wasn't all of their ideas to go back to their prison, even if their months of work of digging holes was covered up by seaweed and cold water. It was mostly Zero's idea. Him and his neighbor.
"Yeah. It looks great, Ms. VanDensen." Stanley said.
"Oh, please, Stanley, call me Becky." She insisted, pulling her feet off the desk. She leaned against the desk instead, grabbing a handful of sunflower seeds she popped them into her mouth.
"Yeah, Caveman. Lighten up some, will ya?" The fat black guy nudged Stanley. Stanley just rolled his eyes.
"So is there anything you'd like to know 'bout Camp Vele Gaten?" Becky asked.
"Yeah. What kin'a camp is this?" Asked the tallest boy in the back. His voice was a lot deeper, he was obviously the oldest.
"Alan.." Stanley said, as if to tell him to stop being so rude. Alan just kept mocking him.
"Alan..ALAN!" Stanley said between clenched teeth.
"Hey, yo, Squid, knock it off." Hector said, pulling on his ponytail. The mop of curly black hair he had finally became so untamed he needed to pull it back into a pony tail.
"Shut the fuck up, Zero." Squid muttered beneath his breath. Zero could tell what he was thinking. Alan had always resented the camp, and couldn't figure out why these girls were getting off so easily when he was there for 5 months, digging holes every day. Becky cleared her throat to ease away the unsettling air.
"Actually, I'm glad you asked that. Camp Vele Gaten is a camp for troubled girls. I know it seems like that had been done before, but the people who ran Camp Green Lake were just horrible. You can't deny that, can you uhm..Squid?"
"Si, but what kind a changes did you make to the camp?" Magnet asked.
"All of our counselors are all female, since this is an all female camp. For the exception of the lawn boy. But anyway, all of the counselors were trained to be psychiatrists. We actually have a few collage graduate women here who either are pursuing or have a career in psychology. We're here to help these girls get back on track. Not all of them are really that bad either. Some are here because they have no where else to go," Zero gulped, shifting in his chair.
"And some of them were just at the wrong place at the wrong time." Becky's glance shifted to Stanley, who shifted in his seat s well.
"The girls here range from the ages of 9 to 16. We haven't gotten anyone over the age of 16 here as a camper, only as a counselor." Becky added, taking another handful of sunflower seeds.
"Geez, I've kept you boys in here long enough. You go on and have a look around. I'm sure you'll see lots of things have changed. If you get lost, just come have a look at this map on this wall. The door is always open to you alumni sorts." Becky grinned and then winked, grabbing the hat full of sunflower seeds. The boys all got up, for the exception of Magnet who turned his head to the left and watched her hips wiggle as she went through another door, into another office.
"You're sick, Magnet." The second tallest boy said. He had crazy blonde hair which was perfectly styled with hair gel.
"Hey, man, Ricky, you gotta admit, she got nice hips!" Magnet said, grinning. He hit the word Ricky with his heavy Mexican accent, which
"Maybe these little magnet fingers will kick back into gear and help me steal those pretty little shorts right off of her."
"Jose, you're disgusting." The boy with the thick glasses said.
"Ah, like you wouldn't if you had the chance, X-Ray!" Magnet retorted. All the guys just mumbled, and they all filed out of the lodge. As Stanley left the air conditioned lodge, the Texas heat hit them again. It wasn't half as bad as what he had endured before, but he favored the air conditioner.
"What's say we go back home?" Stanley asked. He was then slapped over the head by Armpit, the largest of the boys.
"Home? Caveman are you crazy? We came all the way here and we ain't going home yet." Armpit yelled.
"Not that home, idiot!" Stanley exclaimed, pointing at one of the wooden cabins some 40 feet away from them.
"That home." All the boys stared at each other. They advanced maybe 20 feet, and Stanley broke from the group, taking a slight right turn.
"Hey, Stanley, where you going?" Zero called after him.
"The D-Tent!" Stanley called back over his shoulder. The group took off in a sprint after Caveman. The boy in the visor clasped his hand on Stanley's shoulder. His fingers twitched slightly.
"How do you know this one's our tent?" The small boy asked. Stanley pointed at the giant red letter 4 that was painted right below the light that hung on the cabin.
"That, Twitch." Caveman replied, smoothing back his curly hair.
"That's a number, not a letter, Stanley. Even I can tell you that." Zero said, looking at his neighbor as though he had just lost all common sense.
"Hector. What's the fourth letter in the alphabet?" Stanley asked. Hectors fingers twitched as he counted the letters of the alphabet.
"D."
It was only two short years before Camp Green Lake was re-opened, re- named, and re-established. The dry lake bed had overfilled so much, that the bank of the green lake had become a swamp, filled with flies and cat weed. No one but those who had been to the boys correctional facility even remembered it. There had been one or two paper articles written about the camp when it was first under inspection, but the buzz quickly died down.
In the place of the labor camp was Camp Vele Gaten. A camp for 'troubled girls.' It was just like any other summer camp, with a big mess hall, a barn, rows of cabins, waterfront shed, arts and crafts table, and a lodge. As well as a long, muddy, dirty road that a forest green Honda truck was coming down. Behind the wheel was a tall black boy with black framed bifocal glasses. He seemed squished next to another black boy, who made the boy driving seem scrawny. In the back were 5 boys, three of which were hoopin' and hollering and standing up in the back of the truck. The loud cat calls and yeehaws died down as they pulled up the lodge. The back of the truck flapped down, and the 5 boys crawled out, meeting up with the other 2 that had come from the actual seats. The 7 young men were welcomed by a woman in a flannel shirt, tied into a knot at her belly button and a cowboy hat.
"Welcome, boys, to Camp Vele Gaten." She said with a large smile. She had the deep southern accent, but not the facial structure to match. It was as delicate as her bleach blonde hair, which she had pulled back into braided pigtails.
"I'm Becky VanDensen, Chief of staff and owner of Camp Vele Gaten."
"VanDensen, that's Dutch, ain't it?" Asked one of the smaller boys. His eyes were hidden by the shade of his visor, but his fingers kept moving from his back pockets to the belt loops on his jeans.
"Yes, it is. Come on in, I can introduce you to some of the staff. You won't meet all of 'em, because some of 'em are on their 24. You know, they get the day off. There's only 2 on their 24." Becky explained, waving all the boys into the lodge. One of the taller boys looked to the guy who was in the passenger seat of the car.
"Ah Chico..." He muttered, turning his head to watch Becky's hips wiggle back and forth in her jean shorts as she walked in.
"Hey, Jose, you comin'?" one of the boys yelled.
"'Ay, man, I thought I told you to call me Magnet. Especially since we're back on Camp Green Lake." Jose replied as he walked into the lodge. His accent was somewhat thick, and Hispanic. It had been like that since he returned home, where both his Mexico immigrant parents made amends and started again.
"Oh no, Jose, there ain't no such thing as Camp Green Lake anymore. Your on Camp Vele Gaten grounds down." Becky corrected him as she sat down at her desk. It was like déjà vu for each and every single one of them. It wasn't the same building, let alone the warden, but it had an eerie resemblance to the prior years when they had all been admitted into Camp Green Lake. Becky put both her feet onto the desk, the heel of her cowboy boots clacking against the desk. There was an upturned cowboy hat on the desk, filled sunflower seeds. She offered them to the boys. They all shook their heads.
"Hector's mother told me about how you boys had just been dying to come visit." Becky said gladly. Some of the boys exchanged looks. It wasn't all of their ideas to go back to their prison, even if their months of work of digging holes was covered up by seaweed and cold water. It was mostly Zero's idea. Him and his neighbor.
"Yeah. It looks great, Ms. VanDensen." Stanley said.
"Oh, please, Stanley, call me Becky." She insisted, pulling her feet off the desk. She leaned against the desk instead, grabbing a handful of sunflower seeds she popped them into her mouth.
"Yeah, Caveman. Lighten up some, will ya?" The fat black guy nudged Stanley. Stanley just rolled his eyes.
"So is there anything you'd like to know 'bout Camp Vele Gaten?" Becky asked.
"Yeah. What kin'a camp is this?" Asked the tallest boy in the back. His voice was a lot deeper, he was obviously the oldest.
"Alan.." Stanley said, as if to tell him to stop being so rude. Alan just kept mocking him.
"Alan..ALAN!" Stanley said between clenched teeth.
"Hey, yo, Squid, knock it off." Hector said, pulling on his ponytail. The mop of curly black hair he had finally became so untamed he needed to pull it back into a pony tail.
"Shut the fuck up, Zero." Squid muttered beneath his breath. Zero could tell what he was thinking. Alan had always resented the camp, and couldn't figure out why these girls were getting off so easily when he was there for 5 months, digging holes every day. Becky cleared her throat to ease away the unsettling air.
"Actually, I'm glad you asked that. Camp Vele Gaten is a camp for troubled girls. I know it seems like that had been done before, but the people who ran Camp Green Lake were just horrible. You can't deny that, can you uhm..Squid?"
"Si, but what kind a changes did you make to the camp?" Magnet asked.
"All of our counselors are all female, since this is an all female camp. For the exception of the lawn boy. But anyway, all of the counselors were trained to be psychiatrists. We actually have a few collage graduate women here who either are pursuing or have a career in psychology. We're here to help these girls get back on track. Not all of them are really that bad either. Some are here because they have no where else to go," Zero gulped, shifting in his chair.
"And some of them were just at the wrong place at the wrong time." Becky's glance shifted to Stanley, who shifted in his seat s well.
"The girls here range from the ages of 9 to 16. We haven't gotten anyone over the age of 16 here as a camper, only as a counselor." Becky added, taking another handful of sunflower seeds.
"Geez, I've kept you boys in here long enough. You go on and have a look around. I'm sure you'll see lots of things have changed. If you get lost, just come have a look at this map on this wall. The door is always open to you alumni sorts." Becky grinned and then winked, grabbing the hat full of sunflower seeds. The boys all got up, for the exception of Magnet who turned his head to the left and watched her hips wiggle as she went through another door, into another office.
"You're sick, Magnet." The second tallest boy said. He had crazy blonde hair which was perfectly styled with hair gel.
"Hey, man, Ricky, you gotta admit, she got nice hips!" Magnet said, grinning. He hit the word Ricky with his heavy Mexican accent, which
"Maybe these little magnet fingers will kick back into gear and help me steal those pretty little shorts right off of her."
"Jose, you're disgusting." The boy with the thick glasses said.
"Ah, like you wouldn't if you had the chance, X-Ray!" Magnet retorted. All the guys just mumbled, and they all filed out of the lodge. As Stanley left the air conditioned lodge, the Texas heat hit them again. It wasn't half as bad as what he had endured before, but he favored the air conditioner.
"What's say we go back home?" Stanley asked. He was then slapped over the head by Armpit, the largest of the boys.
"Home? Caveman are you crazy? We came all the way here and we ain't going home yet." Armpit yelled.
"Not that home, idiot!" Stanley exclaimed, pointing at one of the wooden cabins some 40 feet away from them.
"That home." All the boys stared at each other. They advanced maybe 20 feet, and Stanley broke from the group, taking a slight right turn.
"Hey, Stanley, where you going?" Zero called after him.
"The D-Tent!" Stanley called back over his shoulder. The group took off in a sprint after Caveman. The boy in the visor clasped his hand on Stanley's shoulder. His fingers twitched slightly.
"How do you know this one's our tent?" The small boy asked. Stanley pointed at the giant red letter 4 that was painted right below the light that hung on the cabin.
"That, Twitch." Caveman replied, smoothing back his curly hair.
"That's a number, not a letter, Stanley. Even I can tell you that." Zero said, looking at his neighbor as though he had just lost all common sense.
"Hector. What's the fourth letter in the alphabet?" Stanley asked. Hectors fingers twitched as he counted the letters of the alphabet.
"D."