The horn wakes me from my two minute nap.
I get up, pull on my orange jumpsuit and my black boots, and quickly put my hair in a side braid. I leave with the boys to the shed that says 'Library'.
"Smiling faces! Smiling faces! The early mole digs the deepest hole! Shovel's on the left, tortillas on the right!"Dr. Pendanski yells while Mr. Sir opens up the shack.
Turns out, it's not full of books but shovels.
"Come and get em'! Come on, Magnet, open them peepers!"Mr. Sir says.
Everyone grabs a shovel before going to the tortilla's and honey. I get one and shove it down my throat to avoid the taste.
I walk with Stanley as X-ray grabs the shovel out of Stanley's hand and throws his own onto the ground. X-ray sarcastically smiles at us as Stanley reaches down to pick up X-ray's shovel.
"Hey man. You picked up X-ray's. It's shorter than the rest of them."Magnet says before following everyone else.
"Smaller shovel, smaller hole."Squid says to us.
He walks off and I chuckle to my self.
He's my favorite.
Stanley and I follow everyone to the site where we're supposed to dig.
"This isn't girl scout camp, no one's gonna babysit you! You'll dig here."Mr. Sir says showing Stanley and I our spots.
"Now, if you find anything interesting, you are to report it. To me or Pendanski. If the warden likes what you find, you get the rest of the day off."Mr. Sir says to us.
"What are we supposed to be looking for, Mr. Sir?"I ask.
"You're not looking for anything! You're building character! You take a bad kid, make 'em dig holes all day in the hot sun, it turns them into a good kid. Thats our philosophy here at Camp Green Lake. Start digging."Mr. Sir says.
Stanley steps on his shovel to start a hole but falls.
"One down, ten million to go."Mr. Sir says before he walks to his truck.
I step on my shovel and am just barely able make a hole without falling.
I dig and soon, it's afternoon. I take a pause to look at the others and see that Squid, Armpit, and X-ray are all throwing their dirt into Stanley's hole.
"Hey, can you throw that into another pile 'cause it keeps getting in my hole."Stanley says before Armpit, Squid, and X-ray all say, "Shut Up!".
"It's all because of your no good, dirty rotten, pig stealing great, great grandfather! Elya Yelnats. It started in the little village, Latvia. He was shoveling in Morris Menke's barn when Myra, his beautiful daughter walked by, and that was it. So what does your great, great grandfather do? He goes to a fortune teller, Madame Zeroni, for advice. That's when our troubles began."Grandpa's voice says in my head.
Mr. Sir's truck drives up and I get out to see Stanley inspecting his blistered and bloody hands.
I take off my gloves to inspect them. My hands are the same.
"First hole's the hardest right?"Magnet says to Stanley and I.
We get in line for water and Squid pushes Magnet back to us.
"What are you doing man? Get your place in line, Magnet!"Squid says.
"Keep your hands off me, man!"Magnet says.
"So how'd it go your first day, Yelnats? Got some blisters on ya'?"Mr. Sir asks Stanley and I.
"Big fat blisters."Magnet mutters.
"Yeah."Stanley and I answer.
"Well, don't worry, everything turns to callous eventually. That's life. Next."Mr. Sir says.
After he leaves, I see Zero spit in his hole before starting to leave.
"You done already?"I ask.
"Don't you know? He's like the fastest digger in the camp."Magnet says.
"He's a mole. I think he eats the dirt."Squid says.
"Yeah, he's a weird dude."ZigZag says.
"Moles don't eat dirt. Worms eat dirt, dog."X-ray points out.
I roll my eyes before going back to digging.
Stanley and I are finally done with our holes but we're stuck in them.
"Help!"Stanley yells.
"Help! We're done with our holes!"I yell.
Finally, I hear Stanley make it out of his hole. He comes to mine and helps me out.
"Thanks."I say.
"No prob."He says before we go back to camp.
I shower(Very cold by the way!)and go to D tent to see everyone but Stanley. Also, to make things awkward, Squid and ZigZag are both shirtless.
I sit on my cot before a gunshot is heard.
"Stanley's out there!"I realize before running out to see Mr. Sir and Stanley.
Mr. Sir is holding his gun but he isn't aiming for Stanley. Stanley looks behind him at the shower walls and see's a yellow spotted lizard.
The lizard jumps and starts coming towards Stanley. Stanley runs and the lizard leaps. Mr. Sir shoots and the lizard is killed.
Thank God.
"Get your stuff."Mr. Sir says.
Stanley does so and he walks towards where Mr. Sir and I stand.
"Get yourself a good night sleep."Mr. Sir says.
"Yes Sir."We say before we run back to our tent.
We tell everyone what happened and they have mixed emotions.
"What color was it's blood?"ZigZag asks.
"I don't know, I couldn't tell."Stanley says.
"Well I wish I'd have seen it. BAM!"ZigZag says making Stanley flinch.
I hit ZigZag upside the head before sitting on my cot.
"If Mr. Sir didn't shoot it..."Armpit starts.
"Stanley, you'll be in the hole."Magnet finishes.
"Did you know that each one has exactly eleven spots?"ZigZag asks Stanley.
"Yeah man, but if you ever get close enough to count em'..."Squid acts like he's cutting his neck.
"You're dead."Squid finishes his sentence.
"Look, it's the lizards we working for man. We build their houses for them. I mean yesterday I saw like ten of em' in one hole."Armpit says.
"Man, we ain't digging for no lizards."X-ray says.
"What we digging for then man?"Armpit asks.
"Like Mr. Sir said, we digging to build some character."X-ray says.
Everyone but Stanley, Zero, and I laugh.
A gunshot makes us jerk our heads towards the opening in the tent.
I sit with Stanley as he writes a letter to our mom. Here's what he's written...
Dear Mom,
We're having a wonderful time at camp. The food's great. Not as good as yours of course but we like it. We've been out on the lake all day. Once we pass the swimming test, we get to learn how to water ski. We've made lots of friends and the water's cool and refreshing. You'd like our counselor. He's a doctor. And we're really enjoying the wildlife. The others aren't bad kids. Like us they were in the wrong place at the wrong time. Well, that's it for now mom. Say hi to dad and grandpa for us.
Love your son and daughter, Stanley and Angel.
A hand snatches the letter from us.
"Who you writing to? Aww, you miss your mommy and daddy?"Squid teases.
"We don't want them to worry!"Stanley says.
"They don't care!"Squid says.
"Can you give us the letter?"Stanley asks.
"Believe me, their glad to be rid of you!"Squid says crumpling the letter and throwing it in the trash.
He leaves the wreck room and I follow.
"What the heck is your problem?"I ask.
"Your brother."He says.
"What did he do to you?"I ask.
"He came here."He says before turning and going to our tent.
Jerk.
I turn and go back into the wreck room.
I get my water from Dr. Pendanski before starting on my way to my hole.
"I think I found something."I hear Stanley say.
I turn and go back to the water truck.
"It's a fossil. You see that?"Stanley says as Squid,Armpit,
ZigZag, X-ray, and Magnet come over.
"Well that's interesting."Dr. Pendanski says.
"Do I get the day off?"Stanley asks.
"What?"Dr. Pendanski asks confused.
"Well that's what Mr. Sir said, that if I found something interesting, I get the day off."Stanley explains.
"Stanley, the warden isn't interested in fossils."Dr. Pendanski says giving the fossil back and taking Stanley's canteen to fill.
"Let me see that!"Squid says taking the fossil.
Everyone examines it.
"What is it?"Magnet asks.
"Man look! Look at the little fishies! Aww."Armpit says the last part in a sing song voice.
All of us stare at him.
"You know man, it looks like those cave pictures!"Armpit says trying to save himself from embarrassment.
Squid throws the fossil back to Stanley before they all walk off.
"I think Stanley belongs in a cave, man."I hear Squid say.
"I told you he was a neanderthal first time I saw him."X-ray says.
I resist the urge to dent his skull with my shovel.
"Guess there was really a lake out here once right?"Stanley says to Dr. Pendanski.
"It was a town warden's grandfather owned the lake and half the town."Dr. Pendanski says.
The pretty blonde from my dream and the African American that I saw while Stanley and I were on the bus flash through my mind. I go to my hole and start digging again.
I finish my hole and walk over to Stanley's. I sit on the edge while he continues to dig.
"That was some lame crap you pulled."I hear X-ray say.
"What?"Stanley asks.
"If you ever find anything, you give it to me, you understand? I've been here for over six months and never found anything. No one has! Why should you get a day off when you just got here? You know what I'm saying, that's only fair right?"X-ray asks.
"Right?"X-ray lightly hits Stanley in the stomach.
"Right."Stanley says.
"Call it an informed decision, dog."X-ray says before he goes back to his hole.
I shake my head at Stanley before going to ZigZag's hole. I jump into it and I tap ZigZag on his shoulder.
He turns and I avoid being hit with his shovel.
"Sorry. Habit."He says.
"It's okay."I say leaning against the wall of his hole.
"What're you doing over here?"He asks starting to dig again.
"I'm done with my hole but I don't wanna go back to camp alone."I say.
ZigZag shakes his head before looking at me.
"What?"I ask.
"Nothing. Just looking."He shrugs.
I nod before kissing his cheek.
"What was that for?"He asks surprised.
"Nothing. Just kissing."I say before pulling myself out of his hole.
I go to Zero's hole and see he already left. I decide that it's okay to go. I grab my canteen and shovel and leave.
I quickly shower and go into the wreck room to see everyone has finished their hole and are all doing various things.
Stanley walks in behind me and is pushed onto Lump who sits in a chair.
"Watch it!"Lump growls while pushing Stanley off of him.
"You watch it, man."Stanley says.
"What did you say to me?"Lump asks kicking Stanley.
Stanley falls and pushes the radio down when he grabs onto a table to help him get up.
"I'm sorry man. I didn't mean to hit you."Stanley says.
Stanley falls onto Lump again and Lump tries to punch Stanley.
I run towards them and take a hit to the stomach. I fall and Lump tries to punch Stanley. Everyone crowds around as the rest of D tent tries to break it up.
"Hey, just chill caveman, alright?"X-ray asks.
Caveman?
"You okay?"ZigZag asks helping me up.
"Yeah."I whisper paying attention to the scene in front of us.
"You start a fight, the warden'll come down hard on all of us."X-ray says.
"Keep that punk away from me!"Lump yells before leaving.
We all go to the pool table and talk.
"Don't look at him! He's crazy, you understand me?"Squid says to Stanley.
"Hey, nobody messes with Caveman and Arch. Nobody."Magnet says.
Who?
"Did you see them back there?"X-ray asks.
"No, we don't wanna mess with anybody!"Stanley says.
A whistle blows.
"You comin' Arch?"ZigZag asks me.
"Sure."I say.
I'm Arch? Cool!
That must mean that Stanley's Caveman.
Hope ya'll like! Review for more!