"Who wants to smoke weed?" asked Ben sitting cross legged on his bunk, a goofy grin on his face.
Seven young teenage boys stopped what they were doing and stared at Ben. A dim bulb hung from the middle of the one room cabin. Bugs swarmed around it. Cool air from the dark night outside trickled into the smelly, stifling cabin which stood in complete disarray.
Dirty socks littered the floor. Sam, DJ, and Mike were mid pillow fight with the stuffing of Mike's pillow floating in the air. Huck, Augie and Henry were wrestling over a can of bug spray that everyone thought smelled bad. Both Huck's sleeping bag and bunk mattress had migrated in the scuffle to the floor. Bill sat on his top bunk eating candy, wrappers littered his bed and the floor below him.
"You snuck weed into camp?" Bill asked in disbelief.
Ben's eyes danced mischievously as he reached into his duffle bag. He slowly pulled out a dry erase maker.
"No," said Ben, "but we can get high on this." He pulled off the cap and took a long sniff from the tip of the marker. "Ahh..." he moaned.
Bill rolled his eyes and lay back on his bunk unwrapping another candybar. Sam, DJ, and Mike resumed their pillow fight. Huck however, in possession of the bug spray (his bug spray) at last, came over to consider Ben's offer.
"That's bullshit," he declared, grabbing the marker from Ben and taking a long whiff himself then throwing it back at Ben.
Then Huck handed his bug pray to Augie, his best friend.
"Will you guard this for me while I go to the bathroom?"
"Sure."
"Do you swear on your life you won't give it to anyone else?"
"Yes."
"On your family's life?"
"Yes."
Huck left the cabin and there was a moment of silence. The pillow fight had subsided. Augie sat on his bunk holding Huck's bug spray.
"Hey Augie?" asked Mike, "Did you know Sam has a deformed little toe?"
"No," replied Augie, "let me see."
"No," replied Sam firmly.
"Aw come on man," begged Augie. Several other boys made noises indicating interest and gathered round. Finally Sam relented.
"Ok, you can see it but you have to give me the bug spray," said Sam.
Augie handed over the spray and Sam shoved his foot in Augie's face to show off his toe. Once the onlookers were satisfied, Sam stood, leaned back and hucked the bug spray with all his strength out the window into the pitch black forest outside.
It was at this moment that Huck returned from the bathroom.
"You swore on your family's life!"
Huck grabbed a stick lying near the door and chased Augie around the room with it. He swung and it missed Augie–well it almost missed Augie. Augie howled as the stick whacked against his little toe. He collapsed on the floor in exaggerated distress. The boys giggled at the irony and gathered around him in a circle.
"Give me the marker!" said Augie "I need to get high."
Ben sprang from his bed to aid his wounded friend. Augie took five long sniffs from the marker and relaxed, moaning theatrically.
"Do you feel anything?" asked Ben.
