Author's note: A big thank you to all of you who are sending me ideas, and
thanks to Sarah for reminding me of this game, which is only the coolest
game ever played at camp (after capture the flag, of course) !
~*~***~~
"Come on, Shawn! We're going to be late!"
The other boys were waiting at the door of the cabin, all looking back at Shawn, who was still getting dressed. The horn had sounded for dinner, and they were going to be late if they waited any longer.
"You guys go ahead," Shawn told them. "Tell Jack I'll be right there." He'd spent too much time goofing off as they'd dried off from the water balloon attack, and even though he was going to be late, he didn't want everyone else to get in trouble, too.
"You sure?" Andrew asked, dubiously.
"Yeah. He won't mind." Shawn reached for his bag to find a pair of dry socks. "It's his fault I'm all wet, anyways."
"I think it was Murray's idea," Simon said, grinning.
"Maybe. Anyways, just tell them I'll be right there."
"Okay."
The other boys left Shawn alone, and ran down the hill. Shawn sighed, unable to find any clean socks, and picked up a pair of dirty ones. They weren't too dirty. He pulled them on and jumped off his bunk, looking for his shoes that he'd kicked off as he'd come into the cabin. They were scattered, but he knew more or less where to find them, and even though they were still damp, he slipped his feet into them. They'd dry eventually.
He heard some other campers shouting to each other outside the cabin, and hurried to the door, hoping he wasn't going to be too late. As he did, though, his foot caught on the strap to Jack's bag, and he tripped, dragging the bag out from under the bed with the momentum, and causing Shawn to fall to the floor.
Using a word he knew his mother would be shocked to even know he knew, Shawn untangled his foot, and pushed Jack's bag back under the bed, feeling a lot of odd shapes in the bag as he did so. Curious, he pulled the bag out and opened it, and grinned to see that Jack had put all the items the China boys had found for him on their Nature Walks into a large plastic baggy and had put it in his bag to take home.
Jack had liked the necklace Shawn had made for him. Shawn knew, because Jack hadn't taken it off since he put it on. The boy had been so pleased with the reaction that he'd made Jack a bracelet to match during free time. Not quite as cool, but it was pretty neat, too. Shawn thought maybe he'd just put it in the bag and leave it as a surprise for Jack to find later, but then his hand brushed something else, and Shawn got a better idea. A much better idea. He'd leave the bracelet in a place Jack was sure to find it. Digging through Jack's bag, Shawn snatched up what he needed, grabbed his bracelet and ran out the door, his pocket jingling.
~~**
"Where's Shawn?"
"He's coming, Jack." Andrew slid into the spot next to Teal'c, grinning up at his friend. "He had to finish getting dressed."
"He's going to be late."
"He said he was sorry."
"He said it was your fault he was wet, anyways," Simon added with a grin.
"Well... true." Jack grinned and watched as the rest of his boys filled the chairs around their table, then picked one of them to be Runner. It wasn't as though the boy couldn't find his own way down to the dining room, Jack told himself. He didn't need a nursemaid.
However, it was a good fifteen minutes later before Shawn actually came into the cafeteria. He was panting, as though he'd been running full out, and as he slid into the spot they'd saved for him next to O'Neill, Jack wondered why he looked so pale.
"You okay?" Jack asked.
"Fine." He gave Jack a smile, but it wasn't the usual smile he gave the Colonel, and Jack gave him a second look, putting a hand out and running it along his cheek and forehead. A little warm and damp, but probably just from running.
"You sure?"
"Uh huh. Just hungry."
The boys handed him the serving plates of food, and Shawn loaded his plate, but Jack noticed that he barely picked at his dinner. Obviously he was preoccupied.
"Shawn?"
Shawn started and looked up, and Jack thought the reaction was an almost guilty one.
"Yeah Jack?"
"You okay, buddy?"
"I'm fine, Jack. Honest."
"Are you feeling sick?"
"No."
"You're sure?"
"Yes."
"Okay." He wasn't going to get anything out of him, Jack decided. It was obvious that Shawn's thoughts were elsewhere, but if he didn't want to share, then Jack wasn't going to push.
"Attention, Campers!"
Jack looked up with everyone else, and saw that Gary had moved to stand in the middle of the room.
"Tonight we're going to play another all camp game."
There were general sounds of approval as the kids started chattering about the kickball game and the Capture the Flag game, wondering what kind they'd be playing next. Gary didn't make them wonder long. He waited until the sounds had died down a little, and then explained the game.
"Tonight, once I release you from dinner, I want all the campers to go back to your cabins. Counselors, you won't be going with them. What you're going to do, is a soon as I tell you to, you're going to go hide in the woods. After we give you a little while to get good and hidden – and I don't mean lost – then I'm going to blow the horn again, and the campers will come find you. When you find a counselor, bring him or her to the gym, which will be base. Kind of like an odd version of Hide and Seek. Everyone knows how to play Hide and Seek, right?"
Teal'c didn't have a clue. However, the game that Gary had described didn't seem all that complicated, so the Jaffa didn't bother to ask Jack or Daniel for an explanation. He just nodded with the others.
Gary looked out the window and saw that it was getting close to twilight, meaning the sun would probably be down in half an hour or so, and darkness wouldn't be far from then. The Camp Director gestured to a box that was filled with flashlights and little whistles.
"Campers, you'll each be carrying a flashlight, and a whistle. If for some reason, you get lost. Just sit still and blow your whistle and someone will come find you. Which means you don't blow your whistle unless you want someone to come find you, understand?"
There was a general murmur of agreement, and Gary nodded, sure that there'd be no problems. They'd played this game before at other camps, after all, and had never lost a camper yet.
"Counselors, pair up with another person, although you don't have to hide together, just close by. I don't want any of you getting lost, either." The campers laughed, knowing that none of their counselors would be dumb enough to get lost. "Finish eating, and we'll start the game when the dishes are cleared."
~*~***~~
"Come on, Shawn! We're going to be late!"
The other boys were waiting at the door of the cabin, all looking back at Shawn, who was still getting dressed. The horn had sounded for dinner, and they were going to be late if they waited any longer.
"You guys go ahead," Shawn told them. "Tell Jack I'll be right there." He'd spent too much time goofing off as they'd dried off from the water balloon attack, and even though he was going to be late, he didn't want everyone else to get in trouble, too.
"You sure?" Andrew asked, dubiously.
"Yeah. He won't mind." Shawn reached for his bag to find a pair of dry socks. "It's his fault I'm all wet, anyways."
"I think it was Murray's idea," Simon said, grinning.
"Maybe. Anyways, just tell them I'll be right there."
"Okay."
The other boys left Shawn alone, and ran down the hill. Shawn sighed, unable to find any clean socks, and picked up a pair of dirty ones. They weren't too dirty. He pulled them on and jumped off his bunk, looking for his shoes that he'd kicked off as he'd come into the cabin. They were scattered, but he knew more or less where to find them, and even though they were still damp, he slipped his feet into them. They'd dry eventually.
He heard some other campers shouting to each other outside the cabin, and hurried to the door, hoping he wasn't going to be too late. As he did, though, his foot caught on the strap to Jack's bag, and he tripped, dragging the bag out from under the bed with the momentum, and causing Shawn to fall to the floor.
Using a word he knew his mother would be shocked to even know he knew, Shawn untangled his foot, and pushed Jack's bag back under the bed, feeling a lot of odd shapes in the bag as he did so. Curious, he pulled the bag out and opened it, and grinned to see that Jack had put all the items the China boys had found for him on their Nature Walks into a large plastic baggy and had put it in his bag to take home.
Jack had liked the necklace Shawn had made for him. Shawn knew, because Jack hadn't taken it off since he put it on. The boy had been so pleased with the reaction that he'd made Jack a bracelet to match during free time. Not quite as cool, but it was pretty neat, too. Shawn thought maybe he'd just put it in the bag and leave it as a surprise for Jack to find later, but then his hand brushed something else, and Shawn got a better idea. A much better idea. He'd leave the bracelet in a place Jack was sure to find it. Digging through Jack's bag, Shawn snatched up what he needed, grabbed his bracelet and ran out the door, his pocket jingling.
~~**
"Where's Shawn?"
"He's coming, Jack." Andrew slid into the spot next to Teal'c, grinning up at his friend. "He had to finish getting dressed."
"He's going to be late."
"He said he was sorry."
"He said it was your fault he was wet, anyways," Simon added with a grin.
"Well... true." Jack grinned and watched as the rest of his boys filled the chairs around their table, then picked one of them to be Runner. It wasn't as though the boy couldn't find his own way down to the dining room, Jack told himself. He didn't need a nursemaid.
However, it was a good fifteen minutes later before Shawn actually came into the cafeteria. He was panting, as though he'd been running full out, and as he slid into the spot they'd saved for him next to O'Neill, Jack wondered why he looked so pale.
"You okay?" Jack asked.
"Fine." He gave Jack a smile, but it wasn't the usual smile he gave the Colonel, and Jack gave him a second look, putting a hand out and running it along his cheek and forehead. A little warm and damp, but probably just from running.
"You sure?"
"Uh huh. Just hungry."
The boys handed him the serving plates of food, and Shawn loaded his plate, but Jack noticed that he barely picked at his dinner. Obviously he was preoccupied.
"Shawn?"
Shawn started and looked up, and Jack thought the reaction was an almost guilty one.
"Yeah Jack?"
"You okay, buddy?"
"I'm fine, Jack. Honest."
"Are you feeling sick?"
"No."
"You're sure?"
"Yes."
"Okay." He wasn't going to get anything out of him, Jack decided. It was obvious that Shawn's thoughts were elsewhere, but if he didn't want to share, then Jack wasn't going to push.
"Attention, Campers!"
Jack looked up with everyone else, and saw that Gary had moved to stand in the middle of the room.
"Tonight we're going to play another all camp game."
There were general sounds of approval as the kids started chattering about the kickball game and the Capture the Flag game, wondering what kind they'd be playing next. Gary didn't make them wonder long. He waited until the sounds had died down a little, and then explained the game.
"Tonight, once I release you from dinner, I want all the campers to go back to your cabins. Counselors, you won't be going with them. What you're going to do, is a soon as I tell you to, you're going to go hide in the woods. After we give you a little while to get good and hidden – and I don't mean lost – then I'm going to blow the horn again, and the campers will come find you. When you find a counselor, bring him or her to the gym, which will be base. Kind of like an odd version of Hide and Seek. Everyone knows how to play Hide and Seek, right?"
Teal'c didn't have a clue. However, the game that Gary had described didn't seem all that complicated, so the Jaffa didn't bother to ask Jack or Daniel for an explanation. He just nodded with the others.
Gary looked out the window and saw that it was getting close to twilight, meaning the sun would probably be down in half an hour or so, and darkness wouldn't be far from then. The Camp Director gestured to a box that was filled with flashlights and little whistles.
"Campers, you'll each be carrying a flashlight, and a whistle. If for some reason, you get lost. Just sit still and blow your whistle and someone will come find you. Which means you don't blow your whistle unless you want someone to come find you, understand?"
There was a general murmur of agreement, and Gary nodded, sure that there'd be no problems. They'd played this game before at other camps, after all, and had never lost a camper yet.
"Counselors, pair up with another person, although you don't have to hide together, just close by. I don't want any of you getting lost, either." The campers laughed, knowing that none of their counselors would be dumb enough to get lost. "Finish eating, and we'll start the game when the dishes are cleared."