I wake up to the lights and the beeping and groggily go into the elevator and into the main room. Everyone is there and they all say good morning to me.
Morning everyone, I say waking up fully.
Susan picks me up to go onto the table and then the oatmeal drops onto the table in a small pile for me and a large pile for Susan.
We all eat silently and then a loud beeping occurs.
Everyone goes into a line to stand at attention so I do too.
Monger enters on his jetpack and says, At ease Monsters. Now we have us a situation. There is a monster on the loose in Connecticut.
Connecticut? I think, Oh please God don t be at camp.
Monger continues, A monsters is terrorizing a summer camp.
Please don t be Camp Woodstock I think.
Monger finishes, Paulankey, it is at Camp Woodstock; we know that you went there for the last 6 summers and it is necessary that you are the leader on this mission. You may have been here for only three days but you are the expert and besides it is a creature you would know about.
I reply, What?
You will know soon enough, Monger explains, We will be going on the plane-jet because I feel that I need to further clarify the situation. Insecto will follow and then regroup at Camp
Monger I have in my room some supplies I need for camp, I say, Can I go get them?
Sure but be quick, Monger replies.
I rush up to my room go to my bureau, get my red camp bandanna, put it on like a do-rag and then get my camouflage hat and put it on top of it. Next I grab my camp dog tags of how many years I ve gone and then my camp map and photo scrapbook I keep in my bookshelf. Lastly, I get a bag and put the photos and map in it and put on the dog tags.
I go back down and see everyone waiting and as soon as they see me, I say in a low tone, Let s do this thing. Camp is the best part of my childhood and no stinking monster will destroy it.
We leave the main room by the same room that I went through for my orientation on my first day here. In front of us at the abyss is a huge plane that can fit all of us except Insecto who would fly to the area. Susan can even fit in there.
We start to go up and then once we reach the opening in the ceiling, we zoom off and fly with Insecto flying behind us.
Monger informs us more, The pond at Camp Woodstock has been polluted into for so long, it has obtained mutation properties. A large snapping turtle had eaten all of the pollution as the fish are scarce and it has changed into a monster. It was spotted by a few counselors getting ready for the summer camp to begin.
Wait Monger, I quickly interrupt, Did you say snapping turtle?
Monger replies, Yes I did why?
I reply, Do you have any photos of it?
Monger takes out a button and a side of the plane becomes a screen and I see a photo of a large monster humanoid featured turtle with a white mark on its right shoulder.
Oh my God, I say rummaging through my photo album, That white mark is on only one turtle in the entire pond of Camp Woodstock. I take out a photo of a regular turtle. And that turtle is named Oscar. This is bad.
Then his name shall be O scary, Monger replies, Why is it bad Paulankey?
I reply, Oscar s name is misleading, This photo I took was when Oscar was up the small stream leading into the pond. Oscar was laying eggs! Oscar is a girl turtle!
Dr. Cockroach chimes in, Of course! O scary is attacking because she is protecting a new nest of eggs! If those eggs hatch
Monger finishes, Camp will have to be closed while we round up all of the babies! And today being a Sunday, you monsters have one week to catch her before the campers start arriving for the summer camp.
We can t let that happen! I respond, Now there are a few rules for you guys at Camp, Link, you ll have to tell Insecto when we get there. Link, there is something about the pond, there are a lot of fishing hooks lost in there so you ll have to be careful. Bob, don t eat anything without my permission! Everything at camp is important! Dr. Cockroach, you can invent what ever you want but keep the explosions and destruction at a little to none. Susan, you have to be very careful because some of the trees are very old. Link; tell Insecto that she can eat a few trees only across the lake from the boat house. As nobody really actually goes over there often.
We reached camp and as soon as the doors opened I saw a few familiar faces, some of the counselors from my camping experience were there and were fixing the Program lodge that had a collapsed wall! As we approached them they saw me and gasped. Monger informed them we were here to help with the situation and he left.
They asked if it was really me and I said it was, they brought us into the program lodge and Susan and Insecto stayed outside but were peeking in through the windows. I took out my map of camp, put it on the table and asked them where they had seen Oscar.
Oscar had been seen at the fishing docks, the waterfront, the middle of the lake, in front of the Roskin Lodge and on Witches Trail.
Alright, we ll need the rest of the day to get ready for tomorrow and then at 10:00 AM tomorrow, we ll go all out and catch her. I say in a commanding tone. Dr. Cockroach, you go to the boathouse and trick out the old camp motorboat so we can catch her and go all Jaws movie fishing boat on it. Bob and Susan, you two need to go and get the large old ice fridge from behind the old Dining hall right here on the map, we ll need it to contain her. Bring it to Dr. Cockroach for a tune up. Link, you go on lookout for Oscar and you can go right out to the waterfront with a few of the counselors. I ll be going with Insecto to find a place for her to sleep for the night. Ok?
Everyone says yes and departs for their tasks. Susan and Bob successfully get the ice box fridge to Dr. Cockroach who gets the boat tricked out. Link keeps a lookout and soon everything is ready. And the sun starts to set. The counselors go to their cabins. I tell Link that he can go into the swamp next to the New Dining Hall. Dr. Cockroach decides to sleep in the old Dining Hall and is really tinkering with the old supplies for more tech for tomorrow. Bob decides to sleep in the new dining hall after promising no midnight snacks. Insecto sleeps standing up at the Upper Athletics Field.
I brought Susan over to the bell tower.
Hey Susan, I ask her, Do you want to ring the bell for lights out?
Sure Paul, She says smiling and then she rings it and the whole camp s lights go out, Thanks
You re welcome, I reply to her.
Susan is to sleep in the Arts and Crafts Barn and has her legs sticking out. I decide to sleep in the most recent place I was at last year at camp, Roskin Lodge.
I couldn t sleep so I went out and lit a fire at the fire pit next to the lodge. It is about midnight when I hear a rustle from behind. It was Susan.
Paul, why are you out here? She asks, Shouldn t you be sleeping for tomorrow?
I can t, I reply, You see, the first day of Camp every year we have an opening ceremony and bonfire and so I lit one. Plus, I always whenever I m here, have a night where I sleep out under the stars and just star gaze. Do you wanna join me?
Sure Paul, She says smiling with the little fire light, she doesn t see the blushing. She lays down and I go over to her head and lay down, next to her.
Hey Susan, I say to her, Do people still look at you the same way when you are monster?
Well, she starts, At first there are a few weird lookers but once you save something everyone looks at you just like before any changes.
Thanks, I reply.
Wow this is beautiful, She says, There are no city lights and the sky is crystal clear. No wonder Camp Woodstock is so great.
Thanks, I say and then I start to yawn and then she yawns as if the yawn was contagious, Well goodnight Susan.
Goodnight Paul, she says and she leans over and lightly kisses me on the head and I could ve sworn my face was tomato red.
Alright so tomorrow is when everything goes down, I think to my self as I drift off with the stars overhead twinkling.
--End Chapter 10--