It was the summer of 2003. School was out, and you were looking forward to months of relaxation and fun. But your parents had other plans. They had signed you up for a summer camp, and you were expected to spend several weeks there, far from home and your friends, in a dingy campsite isolated from society with a bunch of strangers and the bed bugs to keep you warm at night. You were less than thrilled, but you knew there was no getting out of it.

———TIME SKIP It was a sudden stop that woke you up, jerking you out of your sleep. You nearly hit your head on the passenger seat, but you quickly shook it off and looked out the window. There was a massive wooden entrance with the words ”CAMP TRANQUIL TRIBUTARIES" etched into it, surrounded by tall, dark trees that seemed to stretch forever along the roadside. There was a line of other kids and their parents waiting to get to the registration desk. Lucky for you, it wasn't that long, yet your father began to scramble to leave the vehicle. “Morning, hon,” He said as he pulled out your luggage from the back of the car. Soon after waiting in line, you and your parents reached the registration desk. You received a leather badge displaying your assigned cabin. After stopping at a hiking trail which led to the actual camp, your parents kissed you goodbye, reassured by the counselors that you would be taken care of during the coming weeks. With your parents gone, leaving you alone with the other campers and counselors.

Everyone began to ascend towards the hiking trail, counselors guiding the groups and helping carry luggage up the mountain. It wasn’t long until you noticed the sky had turned grey, droplets falling from the sky as the counselors ordered you all to awkwardly huddle together under a makeshift resting area. You watched as the counselors whispered to each other, a dull and foggy sky looming behind them. Something feels… strange? You had this sick twist in your gut you couldn’t get rid of. Could it be homesickness or something truly worse?