Camp Lore - 41. Chapter 41

“Exactly what happened?” I asked, after they’d given me a rough idea.

“We told you,” Paul said.

“No. I only know that Brian’s handcuffed out there – like Dan was on the basketball court.”

“Less well dressed.”

“Not half as well.”

And everyone laughed.

“Poor Brian,” I said.

“He asked for it,’ Jim insisted. “Practically begged.”

“I know,” I admitted. “And he probably deserved it. And if he’d been sober, he probably would’ve helped.”

“He won’t be sober for a long time.”

“So what happened?” I repeated.

“The details?’

“Yeah – as long as we’re waiting.”

“Well, you know what led up to this.”

“With Laura?”

“Yeah – everyone knows that.”

“And you know what happened here.”

I nodded.

“And then we took him to the boat.”

“Two of us did – Dan and me,” Jim said. “So we didn’t get any attention.”

“Or as little as we could.”

“We carried him between us.”

“Arms over our shoulders.”

“He could kinda walk.”

“Like a big puppet.”

“A big dumb one.”

“And if anyone stopped us.”

“If anyone asked.”

“We were gonna say we were sobering him up.”

“Trying to.”

“Helping.”

“We had it all planned.”

“Except no one asked.”

“And we got him to the boat.”

“Without anyone seeing us.”

“Mostly by scooting along the trees.”

“Paul and I followed in a canoe,” Steve added.

“Maybe ten minutes later.”

“We had to take a rowboat,” Jim put in. “‘Cause all we needed was Brian tipping the canoe.”

“And Tyler, too,” Nate cracked.

“What?”

“It’s history, James.”

“Bleh.”

“A canoe would’ve been quieter,” Dan admitted.

“But the island’s not far.”

“Maybe a hundred and fifty feet.”

“Yards.”

“Yeah.”

“You can row there in five minutes.”

“Or swim.”

“Guys do it all the time.”

“Have for years.”

“‘Specially the life guards.”

“Showing off.”

“Or betting how fast they can get there.”

“And back.”

“And the island’s small.”

“Maybe forty-by-sixty.”

“It’s bigger than that.”

“Yards.”

“That makes sense.”

“And we weren’t gonna take him far.”

“The place is all trees.”

“And who’d d want to get lost?”

“Or lose him?”

“Plus it was dark.”

“Very dark.”

“No moon.”

“And all those trees.”

“And we couldn’t use our lights.”

“‘Cause you could see them from the waterfront.”

“Or even the HQ.”

“Where there were counselors hanging out.”

“On kid duty.”

“And we didn’t wanna get caught.”

“So we picked the nearest tree.”

“And propped him against it.”

“And pulled off his clothes.”

“No, we tried – the first time.”

‘He fell to the ground.”

“More like rolled.”

“More liked flopped again.”

“He was still out of it.”

“Probably had no idea where he was.”

“Or what we were doing.”

“What was being done to him.”

“It’d be so cool to be there when he woke up.”

“But who’d want to wait?”

“And take that risk?”

“So we pulled off his clothes.”

“By that time Steve and I were there,” Paul added. “So we helped.”

“Then the three of us held him against the tree.”

“While Dan put on the handcuffs.”

“Which wasn’t easy in the dark.”

“You kept missing,” Steve remembered, laughing.

“Even though the first one was on my side.”

“Then he passed the second cuff to me.”

“After Paul looped the chain over a branch.”

“A very strong one.”

“Maybe arm’s length above his head.”

“And Jim locked the second cuff.”

“Then we all stood there and laughed.”

“Quietly.”

“‘Cause sound carries, too.”

“Even across the lake.”

“Well, part of it.”

“A very small part.”

“Let’s not talk about small parts.”

“Anyway, that’s where he is.”

“Sleeping against a tree.”

“A big one.”

“With a sturdy trunk.”

“And a solid branch.”

“And he’s not getting outta there.”

“Without help.”

“He’s going nowhere.”

“But he’s safe.”

“No danger.”

“He’s fine.”

“And we can find him in a minute.”

“Easy.”

“The tree’s just across from the HQ.”

“Almost on the water.”

“Ten minutes if we left now.”

“Less.”

“You’re sure?” I asked.

“Oh, yeah.”

“And you’re sure he’s okay?”

“Maybe a little cold.”

“Nah – it’s still in the sixties.”

“But there’s a breeze.”

“I’ll bet he’s sleeps through it.”

“Might even sober him up.”

“Sure wish we had a picture.”

“I told you – that’s blackmail.”

“Not fair at all.”

“But funny.”

“Yeah.”

“And real cool.”