Within an hour, the sky starting getting dark. Miranda, Lizzie, and Gordo were all huddled up together by the huge campfire. They all had sticks ready, but no one was in the mood for roasting marshmallows. Some kids started telling ghost stories, but the three of them weren't even listening.
"These ghost stories are so awful!" Gordo complained.
"Well then why don't you go up there and tell one?" Miranda asked.
"Who me?"
"Yeah you!" Lizzie encouraged, "Come on, you should!"
"Alright, alright, after this kid." After the kid was done babbling, Gordo walked to the front. "Hey everyone. Um, I'm Gordo, and this is a true story. Happened to my cousin. Ok so my cousin, Emmie, went to a summer camp, kind of like this one. This was a few years ago, she's older than me. Well early on in the day thunder started rumbling in the distance, so the camp closed all water activities. Then it started to rain, so they told the kids just to go back to their cabins. Well, Emmie went back to her cabin that she shared with two other girls. The girls played poker for candy and talked about which boys they thought were cute, and had pillowfights, you know the usual girl stuff."
"Yeah right, we're always having pillowfights," Miranda muttered to Lizzie, rolling her eyes.
"It was getting pretty late," Gordo went on, "so Emmie's bunkmates went to sleep. But Emmie couldn't sleep; the storm was just too loud. Well, pretty soon, the storm started getting worse. Lightning was flashing every few seconds and the cracks of thunder shook the cabin. All of a sudden she heard something bang her window. She just thought it was a tree. Then she heard footsteps in the mud right on the other side of the wall. The footsteps sounded like they were running, round and round the house. Then CRACK! The thunder cracked really loud and the two lights went dead. She reached for her flashlight but she couldn't find it. The footsteps were getting louder and louder, and faster and faster, like some maniac. She started hearing soft voices outside. It sounded like they were calling her name. 'Emmmm-iiiiiiie, Emmmm-ieeeee.' She thought about waking the other girls, but she didn't want to seem like baby if she was imagining it," Gordo looked over at Lizzie who was clutching onto Miranda. "She tried looking out the window, but she couldn't see anything. She just heard these footsteps. Then the footsteps slowed down. In sounded like something heavy was being dragged through the mud. Ok, so then she heard these huge knocks on the door, like POW POW POW! Emmie was really scared, but the other girls hadn't woken up. The pounding sounded again, and again. Emmie was extremely scared, but she went over to the door to see what was going on. She thought maybe someone was coming to save her. So she went to the door, swung it open, and there was bunkmate-dead-with mud all down her back." The kids started screaming. " Emmie screamed bloody murder, and a bunch of counselors came running, and her other roomate woke up. But they could never figure out who had killed the girl, or how the girl had gotten out of the cabin without Emmie even noticing. It's a true story, honest." Gordo bowed and the kids cheered. Modestly, he walked over and sat next to Lizzie. "Was that scary?"
"Omigod yes! Please tell me that wasn't a true story!" Lizzie said trembling.
Gordo leaned in close to her ear and whispered, "it wasn't true. But don't tell anyone." Lizzie shivered. She liked having Gordo near her. He made her feel safe and secure, like she was home. He was home to her.
"Good story Gordo!" Charlotte said, "Do you mind if I sit next to you?"
"No, sure, go ahead."
"I'm Charlotte."
"I'm Gordo, but you already seem to know that," he said dryly.
"Yeah. So Lizzie, and Miranda, have you seen those two brats again, what were there names? Oh right, Jenna and Jessie," Charlotte asked them.
"No, we haven't seen them. They're probably hanging out with some people they think are better than us or something," Miranda told her.
"Good I hope so, I don't want to have to do activities with them!" Charlotte exclaimed.
"Yeah me neither," Lizzie said shaking her head.
"So Gordo-" Charlotte started to say, but she was cut off by a counselor.
"Alright kiddies! Bedtime! Come on let's go!"
"Well I guess I'll see you later, Gordo," Charlotte said.
They all said their goodbyes to Gordo. "Are you going to be alright Lizzie? I didn't mean to scare you," Gordo said.
"Yeah, I'll be fine," she told him. Gordo winked at her and they went back to their cabins. Lizzie felt special that she was the only one who knew the story wasn't real. Gordo had cared that much about me to ruin the story just so I wouldn't feel scared, Lizzie thought. Lizzie walked back with Miranda and Charlotte to the cabin. She was glad she came to camp.
"These ghost stories are so awful!" Gordo complained.
"Well then why don't you go up there and tell one?" Miranda asked.
"Who me?"
"Yeah you!" Lizzie encouraged, "Come on, you should!"
"Alright, alright, after this kid." After the kid was done babbling, Gordo walked to the front. "Hey everyone. Um, I'm Gordo, and this is a true story. Happened to my cousin. Ok so my cousin, Emmie, went to a summer camp, kind of like this one. This was a few years ago, she's older than me. Well early on in the day thunder started rumbling in the distance, so the camp closed all water activities. Then it started to rain, so they told the kids just to go back to their cabins. Well, Emmie went back to her cabin that she shared with two other girls. The girls played poker for candy and talked about which boys they thought were cute, and had pillowfights, you know the usual girl stuff."
"Yeah right, we're always having pillowfights," Miranda muttered to Lizzie, rolling her eyes.
"It was getting pretty late," Gordo went on, "so Emmie's bunkmates went to sleep. But Emmie couldn't sleep; the storm was just too loud. Well, pretty soon, the storm started getting worse. Lightning was flashing every few seconds and the cracks of thunder shook the cabin. All of a sudden she heard something bang her window. She just thought it was a tree. Then she heard footsteps in the mud right on the other side of the wall. The footsteps sounded like they were running, round and round the house. Then CRACK! The thunder cracked really loud and the two lights went dead. She reached for her flashlight but she couldn't find it. The footsteps were getting louder and louder, and faster and faster, like some maniac. She started hearing soft voices outside. It sounded like they were calling her name. 'Emmmm-iiiiiiie, Emmmm-ieeeee.' She thought about waking the other girls, but she didn't want to seem like baby if she was imagining it," Gordo looked over at Lizzie who was clutching onto Miranda. "She tried looking out the window, but she couldn't see anything. She just heard these footsteps. Then the footsteps slowed down. In sounded like something heavy was being dragged through the mud. Ok, so then she heard these huge knocks on the door, like POW POW POW! Emmie was really scared, but the other girls hadn't woken up. The pounding sounded again, and again. Emmie was extremely scared, but she went over to the door to see what was going on. She thought maybe someone was coming to save her. So she went to the door, swung it open, and there was bunkmate-dead-with mud all down her back." The kids started screaming. " Emmie screamed bloody murder, and a bunch of counselors came running, and her other roomate woke up. But they could never figure out who had killed the girl, or how the girl had gotten out of the cabin without Emmie even noticing. It's a true story, honest." Gordo bowed and the kids cheered. Modestly, he walked over and sat next to Lizzie. "Was that scary?"
"Omigod yes! Please tell me that wasn't a true story!" Lizzie said trembling.
Gordo leaned in close to her ear and whispered, "it wasn't true. But don't tell anyone." Lizzie shivered. She liked having Gordo near her. He made her feel safe and secure, like she was home. He was home to her.
"Good story Gordo!" Charlotte said, "Do you mind if I sit next to you?"
"No, sure, go ahead."
"I'm Charlotte."
"I'm Gordo, but you already seem to know that," he said dryly.
"Yeah. So Lizzie, and Miranda, have you seen those two brats again, what were there names? Oh right, Jenna and Jessie," Charlotte asked them.
"No, we haven't seen them. They're probably hanging out with some people they think are better than us or something," Miranda told her.
"Good I hope so, I don't want to have to do activities with them!" Charlotte exclaimed.
"Yeah me neither," Lizzie said shaking her head.
"So Gordo-" Charlotte started to say, but she was cut off by a counselor.
"Alright kiddies! Bedtime! Come on let's go!"
"Well I guess I'll see you later, Gordo," Charlotte said.
They all said their goodbyes to Gordo. "Are you going to be alright Lizzie? I didn't mean to scare you," Gordo said.
"Yeah, I'll be fine," she told him. Gordo winked at her and they went back to their cabins. Lizzie felt special that she was the only one who knew the story wasn't real. Gordo had cared that much about me to ruin the story just so I wouldn't feel scared, Lizzie thought. Lizzie walked back with Miranda and Charlotte to the cabin. She was glad she came to camp.