Summer Camp Story

Arrival

The bus jumped and rattled on the way to Qfeast Lake Camp while the campers sang their hearts out to the song 99 bottles of beer on the wall but everyone knew they lost the tune 28 bottles ago. The only campers who weren't 'singing' along were Sapphire, Maria and Victoria who were chatting. Sapphire plopped down on the empty seat behind Victoria and Maria and leaned over the back of their seat.
"I have confirmation on the dark, dark secret of Qfeast Lake! The story I heard is the story they heard! Ready to be scared out of your wits?"
"But of course! Bring it!" Maria said blowing her hair out of her face. The windows of the bus were open so wind gushes inside the bus making its own mini tornado. Sapphire launched into her oh so terrifying story.
"Okay, so, this homicidal maniac-"
"A what?" Victoria asked cupping her ear. "Sorry, can't hear you"
"It's about a homicidal maniac!" Sapphire repeated raising her voice. Trading excited looks Victoria and Maria leaned even further over the seat to listen. "I originally heard this from an old friend of mine" Sapphire began. Then she frowned when she saw that they were still straining to hear. She figured that it would have been best to unravel, her creepy tale of death in a hushed, spooky tones, but the bus was sill determined to count beer bottles backwards in song. "Maybe I should wait to tell this" she ventured, but both Maria and Victoria made sad puppy eyes.
"You can't stop now!" Maria insisted. "We will die of curiosity"
"You will not!" Sapphire said laughing. "I haven't even started yet"
"Okay, maybe we won't die but we will get really sick" Maria insisted. "Please please pretty please?" Victoria raised her eyebrows in silent request.
"All right" Sapphire relented. She paused and held up a finger. "So my friend, I don't want to mention names, used to come here too! Every year. Then, six years ago. Something terrible happened and she never came back again."
"Why not?" Maria asked her eyes wide. Beside her Victoria gestured for Sapphire to continue. Sapphire paused for dramatic effect.
"She never came back because that summer Cropsy, tried to kidnap her bunkmate and cut off her arm!"
"Ouch!" Maria cried.
"Who's Cropsy?" Victoria asked her jaw dropping. Sapphire cleared her throat.
"Cropsy. The one armed monster of Qfeast Lake. When the fog rises he-"
"Okay Campers!" Vector said into a microphone as he got to his feet and planted himself in a wide stance in the aisle. He waited for the singing to die down before he spoke again.
"Later" Sapphire said to Maria and Victoria.
"Aw!" Maria scrunched up her face. Beside her Victoria bit her lip and thumped her head on the cushioned seat. "Bookmarking this conversation" Sapphire promised and the two girls nodded.
"A lot of you already know me" Vector went on. "For those of you who don't, I'm Vector, sometimes counsellor, and for the last few years, your humble cook"
"Oh please tell us you'll be out humble counsellor this year!" Surge shouted from the back and half the bus started laughing. Sapphire, Victoria and Maria giggled. On a scale of one to ten the camp food was maximum a four. But if you think the food was bad, the weak but way to sugary bug juice was worse.
"Haha, no, I'm cooking again this year" Vector informed them. Everyone groaned. "Now that's settled, let's move along because speaking of moving along we are almost at camp!" Cheers, applause and foot stomps blared throughout the bus.
"Woohoo!" Maria and Sapphire yelled while Victoria laughed and threw her fist in the air.
"Once you get off the bus pick up your stuff and find your counsellors at your bunk." Vector checked his watch. "You have about an hour to unpack then meet by the lake for the cookout"
"Alright! Vectors not cooking today!" Surge yelled again. Everyone cheered again.
"You need to finish your story about Cropsypoo as soon as possible okay?" Maria asks with a wink. She was teasing this Cropsy's name.
"I will" Sapphire nods. "But you won't sleep tonight."
"I won't be able to sleep tonight anyway" Maria said. "We will be too busy talking after lights out"
"If we have a cooperative counsellor" Victoria reminded them. "Sometimes we actually have to follow the rules" she giggles.
"Maybe we will get one who's a heavy sleeper" Maria suggests hopefully.
"We might want a light sleeper" Sapphire said. "In case Cropsy tries to break into our bunk" The girls soon caught sight of the green sign planted on a white post that read QFEAST LAKE 1 KILOMETRE.
"Look guys! We're almost there!" Maria cries climbing over Victoria to get to the window.
"Where Cropsy will be waiting, Mwahahahaha!" Sapphire promised.