Chapter Five - Summer Camp of the Grange
When Emily reached the Borders of Scotland - looking like death warmed up due from lack of sleep - she checked in to a Bed and Breakfast for the time being and after freshening up, she called Mr. Radcliffe. Emily noticed, from taking a quick peak at the back of the book previously during a red traffic light, that there were specific dates and locations noted down. Emily had a feeling she had to go to these locations. Funny, the first location was Ruby's old house. That was now scored off. The second date - step two - involved a camp. Camp of the Grange (Grangers). Emily could remember that camp. What a good camp. She enjoyed herself that summer of 2001 - one year after the wild and unforgetable millennium.
"Hello?"
"Hello, where are you?" Emily rushed into the small, narrow bathroom and fixed her dark russet and messy bun.
"I'm still in Essex, darling. Visiting a friend of mine, like I said. I might not be back until a week Friday. I'm so sorry... Will you cope seven days without me at the least?"
"Seven days?" Emily pondered. That would give her time to wade through the puzzle of Ruby's memoirs and visit the other locations. "Yeah, yeah. Sure I'll cope. I'm gonna have to though, aren't I?"
"Awk, don't. I feel guilty already... I'm sure you'll -"
"Cope? Of course I will. It's me we're talking about, ahem. I'd be able to cope with anything"" Lie. For sure she wouldn't be able to cope without Mr. Radcliffe if anything were to ever happen to him."I'll see you in seven days, OK? And... and tell that friend of yours that I said hello, whoever he is!"
"Bye, darling. I love you!"
"Bye!"
"Seven days!"
"Yes. Seven days, Alex." Emily replied, locking her room door. "Um, are you still there?"
"I was waiting for you to hang up?"
"Seriously now! How old are we? No you hang up sweetie, no you hang up pumpkin. No you hang up kitten whiskers. No you -"
"Good bye, Emmy!" Mr. Radcliffe laughed into the phone. After Emily heard the memorable voice state that 'the other person has cleared', she put her phone into the back pocket of her cream chinos.
After loading her suitcase into the boot of her Vauxhall, she began driving towards SCG - Summer Camp of the Grange. She arrived late at night, which was good. Her exhaustion was weighing her down, and so she decided to book into yet again another B&B and look at the Camp tomorrow morning - which she did.
Emily eat her breakfast quickly, and without uttering a word, she departed away from the B&B and drove a mile down the countryside towards the camp - getting over irritated with the constant speed bumps.
Kids screaming, laughing, playing etc were all Emily could hear. Once she had parked, picking up Ruby's red book, she could instantly smell the grange. The stench of horses, barley and manure was overwhelming, but Emily noted to herself how she had missed that distinct smell. Taking in the memories of all the summer's she spent at this camp as a child, she made her way through the welcome sign that had a colourful banner stuck to it saying. 'Welcome Grangers!'.
Fields of grass covered in heather surrounded the long, small cabins and huts. The big cabin, which Emily understood was where people checked in and also eat their meals, hadn't altered much; it was still decorated with welcoming and sunny signs; still with the same old 'No Food Fights' sign on the main door next to the fire exit symbol.
"Can I help you?" someone asked. Emily, who was in the middle of reaching for the wooden doors, turned around; only to face a small, old man with big, red, ruddy cheeks that smeared across his entire, moderately wrinkled face.
"Yes, well, I was wondering if I'd be able to take a look around your camp. Who is it I speak to about being approved to have access around the premises?"
"Me, of course. I'm Stanley Hogg, the main Granger of SCG. Why, may I enquire, are you interested in browsing around my camp?" his smile grew wider and wider with each word he pronounced. Emily was beginning to think that perhaps his cheeks were about to tear.
"I'm a journalist, you see, and I'm presently writing a column on the facilities within the Summer Camps throughout Scotland. You've been pinned for an inspection. Don't fret, it's nothing big. All I'll be doing is taking a walk around the area, analysing everything with my upmost awareness. I should be done no later than 1 o' clock, three hours from now. Is that OK?"
The old man, who had now heaved his chest forward, nodded his head. For a moment, Emily thought that maybe she had insulted him, and suddenly she began to feel awkward. But then he beamed another bright, red smile in reassurance that Emily never insulted him.
"Of course, by all means! All the children are in the main cabin having their breakfast as we speak - some were a little late on getting up this s'morning, (tut tut) - but everywhere else will be remote until 12 o' clock which is when activities start. I don't need to show you about," he laughed. "So, farewell, and make yourself at home, Granger Clark!" he winked, obviously remembering Emily from her days at the camp, then marched past her and entered the chaos that filled the dinner hall.
Emily sighed and walked around the cabins. Once she was out of sight of the human contact, she made her way down the heathery, and surprisingly dry, fields. She crossed a bridge which overshadowed a remote river bank. Emily knew where to go. On the front page, where it said, 'SCG 2001', there was a note squeezed in beside the numbers. 'The Meadow'. Emily made her way through the trees and after a few memorable steps past a pond, she came across the meadow. The meadow looked more radiant than ever. It was warm out, the sun was hiding behind the broken bracken of the trees. Emily hoisted herself against a wide, un-billowing tree and opened up the book. As she read the first few lines, she could immediately picture every single detail as if it were truly happening in front of her - all over again.
"Would you dance if I asked you to dance?"
"I hate camp! Why do we need to go to camp?" I grumbled, slouching back on the backseat of mum's car.
"Would you cry if you saw me crying?"
"Aw, come on Rubz! You used to love camp!" Mum barked over the radio.
"Would you tremble if I touched your lips?"
I couldn't believe mum was actually sending me to camp when I was fifteen years old. Being caged within a summer camp for six weeks, almost the entire summer, would have sounded appealing to me back in first year. Others my age were hanging out by the lake district back home, not going to summer camps for ten year olds.
"Now would you die for the one you love?"
"Maybe I enjoyed camp when I was like, what, ten or something?" I stretched forward and took my bottle of water out of the pouch from the back of the front driver’s seat. Emily still remained to sing along to the radio, fluttering her eyelids and acting as if she was Jennifer Love Hewitt from in the music video Hero.
"You'll enjoy it. It's been renovated and everything. I heard from your Aunt Chrystal that they've refurbished the music room. You like singing, don't you, Ruby?"
"I CAN BE YOUR HERO BABY!"
"Emily!" I slapped her across her head, spamming her forehead. She popped her eyes out at me and for a second she remained to appear shocked, but once I shot her a smug smile in triumph, she began attacking me. Of course, I retaliated and of course, I won. Like always.
"You two! Stop it or I'll turn this car around!" Mum looked back curtly at us, grimacing.
Ooh, plan. If I pushed mum over the edge, then I thought maybe mum would actually walk the walk and drive us back home. What were the chances? Slim. In fact, too slim.
"Now behave! We're there,"
I sighed in defeat. "Hallelujah!"
"Am I in too deep? Have I lost my mind? Well I don't care you're here tonight..."
"No, seriously. Halle - friggin' - lujah we're here because her singing is NOT something to be tolerated!" I quickly rushed out of the car, slamming the door shut.
We were at the Borders of Scotland. The camp was as always: a cautioned, full with joy, hazarding zone, concealed with children dragging suitcase from cabin to cabin, some holding hands towards the main cabin where we checked in and ate our meals. A group on the left field adjacent form the girls and boys cabins' were preparing their bow and arrows for some archery lessons.
"Behave yourselves! Remember to phone or write, either way. Kiss for mum?" My face flushed and I looked around, searching for witnesses. Emily pushed me to the side, and collected our suitcases from the boot. I stumbled towards mums' rolled down window and quickly pecked her on her cheek. Obviously, it wasn't enough, for before I could resist, mum grasped my body, banging my head off the top of the car door, and smothered me with her big kisses and tight embraces.
Fighting for my life, almost literally because I couldn't breathe, I finally managed to pull away from mum with the use of all my dying strength.
"I'll miss you! And you too Emmy!"
"I'll miss you as well Victoria! We'll write, won't we Rubz?"
"Meh. Quick, make a run for it Emily whilst we still have the chance!" I took my suitcase from her and gradually we reached the main cabin. After we checked in and was shown to our hut, my suitcase floundered down by the door and plunged against the bed, making a deflating noise in the process. This was going to be a long summer.
Emily sat on the corner of the bottom bunk bed and touched my shoulder, whispering, "I can kiss away the pain..."
Ooh God, a long summer which I was not particularly looking forward too.
* * *
Now that I think of it, the camp, altogether, wasn't as bad I remembered. It was tolerable. 'Campers' mostly did practical activities, which consisted of things like swimming, cycle rides, canoeing, hiking, orienteering, but most importantly, horse riding. It was just an average summer camp. Emily and I soon figured out that we bunked with three other girls who we did not know but liked. One was a girl from China, and she told the best stories I had ever listened to - and that was saying something.
"My little brother, Dai-Geming, got sent on a quest into the Mountains of Mount Emai for a tribal ritual. He was only supposed to be gone for three days but it took him double that to get back because he says that the spirit of Yi commanded my brother to enslave him. Funny thing is, I followed him," Laing started laughing, and said, "All I did was make some loud sounds, commands and play with the shadows of the fire. Poor boy was scared and ran into a cave. I got home the next morning. Six days later he came storming in my father's house, butt-naked, saying that Yi told him to strip of his clothes and walk over cinders in protest against the remaining sun. Believe me, it was funnier at the time because my father had a feeling that maybe Dai-Geming crossed the great wall of China or something... You had to be there! I give off a great Yi impression." All us girls were confused at first with her story, but we found her imagery fascinating and we asked her to tell us more Chinese tales up until the early hours of the next morning. It was the most fun I had seen Emily have with another person in almost a year. Sometimes I wondered if she thought the same of me.
However, it was during a horse ride, two weeks into the summer, when I noticed Emily started to act all weird and edgy around me. We were riding alone, bear-back through the meadow we often sat in. The meadow was down behind the camp, over the bridge and behind the rivulets. It was nice out, again, and we had been enjoying ourselves all morning, until suddenly Emily halted her charcoal and white pampa horse, and looked down blankly at her phone. I halted my chestnut horse next to hers, asking, "Whose that texting?"
Emily took hold of her reins, flipping her thumb below the bottom one, and said, "I need to make a call. Meet back at the cabin soon," then she rushed off, leaving me and the horse I was riding alone in the meadow. Well, I told myself, I didn't have a call to make, and so me and the horse Fido began to race the wind; cantering through the meadow. It wasn't until the two of us were gasping and dehydrating when I stopped for a breather. I trotted over behind a tall, wide tree and sat on the horse beneath the shade.
Hearing the sound of a car making its way down the track, I shaded my eyes with my palm against my forehead - blocking out the rays of the sun - and stared through the broken up trees, over at the big orange jeep which was gently driving towards the camp. I grabbed the reins in fright and froze. I knew that car. It was Dr. King-of-all-Asses (Dr. Andre's) car. Why, I choked, was he down at the borders?
My question irritated me for the remainder of my week. I told Emily about it, but she just shrugged my shoulders and said maybe he was coming to drop off a child of his. Dr. Andre had kids? Surely not, he was so young. Well, I estimated his age to be mid-twenties - late twenties at a push. 28, maybe?
"Maybe he fancied an evening at The Grange," Emily suggested.
"Down by the borders? There's plenty of granges up north, aren't there?"
"Yeah... Anyhow, let’s go canoeing!" Emily jumped up and down like a child and dragged me out of our cabin. Laing and the two other girls followed us towards the lake behind the meadow, where a group of others were gathering.
"Grangers, you all need to collect your wet suits and helmets first before you go with your buddy to get your paddle and canoe," The main Grander directed everyone into a small paddock, where we were issued with our equipment. "Once you're already, guys, go to the pier where you'll meet your canoe instructer... And be nice, you've all been privileged by being his first ever class... Bleugh! Good luck to him, now that I think of it." The man shook his head and ushered us forward.
Emily and I whispered to each other whilst we prepared ourselves. Walking like penguins in single file towards the pier, we made a bet on who was going to fall out their canoe first.
"It'll be you Emmy, don't even start me with your crap! You always fall out of stuff, you're too clumsy," I kicked Emily's heels, who was in front of me, and she tripped.
"Argh! I will kill you and I will make it look like a freakin' accident, Ruby!"
"Ooh, I'm scared! Come on then Wemmily; show me your moves in that wet suit of yours!" I stopped on the stop. Emily, in slow motion, turned around and stared at me. We were like the two wild combatants, getting ready to terminate eachother. DUN, DUN, DUNNNN!" I teased.
"OH MY GOD! YOU ARE GETTING IT!" Emily kicked me in the stomach, and her big massive foot winded me.
Before I caught my breath, someone started giving us instructions.
"Get your canoe and assemble orderly at the tip of the pier. Those who fall, and can’t swim, will be left for dead."
Dr. Andre?
"Girls! How old are you two? Wobble those penguin backsides of yours to a single canoe!"
I looked up and stared at Dr. Andre who was wearing a light blue and charcoal wet suit, with a navy blue life-jacket attached to him. His blonde, almost white hair looked longer than the last time I saw him. His memorable Greek accent made him sound like an actor intoning an intense film, giving me goose bumps. I hadn't seen him in two years. My subjects were never near the science department - therefore I had no reason whatsoever to intervene with him. Pity, really. I enjoyed being graced with his presence. Not! He was an ass to me in first year when he substituted my science class, thus he will always be an ass to me. Him and his annoying hyena laugh. Grr! And do get my freakin' started on that cheeky grin of his!
"To those who don't know how to canoe, please, listen up. I will not be repeating myself, thank you."
"I can't understand him. He speaks funny," complained Laing. To be honest, that was a little unnecessary because same could have been said about her.
* * *
"Alright ladies, now that you've all FINALLY got into your canoe, listen up more carefully," Dr. Andre walked to the tip of the pier, where Emily, I and the others were balancing ourselves in about ten, single canoe paddles. "We're going to be canoeing downstream, with simple strokes...You! With the brown, pleated hair! Keep your balance near the centreline or else you will fall! If you act rambunctious then you will get wet! God forbid you should get your hair wet."
Dr. Andre clicked his fingers to Emily which caught her attention I, for once, remained silent and listened to Dr. Andre give out his orders.
"Now, I feel that I should tell you amateurs some basics about the different directions of canoeing. First, there's the pry paddle - that's turning swift corners when in a rush to avoid an upcoming disaster. The back paddle, well, need I say more? It's going backwards for those amongst you who are simple headed. Ah, ha, ha..." he analysed all our straight, expressionless faces, then stated, "You need to master your strokes, OK? If you perform any poorly executed strokes then," Dr. Andre effortlessly, and within half the time it took us girls to do it, sat down in his green canoe boat. "Don’t blame the canoe itself. I've seen it happen countless times before due to inadequate navigation skills. Anyways, enough of the whole teacher/lecturer thing. Yawn, yawn! Let's get down to some business and start canoeing!"
"Yey!!" most girls shouted, some sarcastically.
"First, we'll do the forward sweep stroke. It's very simple, just do this," he grabbed his paddle blade and gently started to brush it against the water. "It's pretty straight forward."
"Sir?"
"Call me Leo, we're not in school now Miss Clark. What is it? Oi! Be careful you girls! Laing, gentle strokes or else you'll propel the canoe in the complet-ely wrong direction. Geez you women!"
I giggled under my breath, and after preforming an impressive forward stroke, I steered myself slowly next to Emily, who was next to Laing and another random girl.
"It's easy once you get the hang of it," muttered Laing. "I did it back home with father. He taught me how to do it. It's all in the arms, he said to me,"
"I think you will find it's all in the mind, Miss Iyo. The mind." Dr. Andre, who he asked us to direct him by the use of his first name - Leo - flowed along with the river, passing Emily and I too.
"The miiiiiiiiiind, Rubz, THE MIND!" Emily laughed from next to me. The sun, which had turned all our faces clammy looking, suppressed Emily from my view and I thought that maybe it was being drawn to Dr. Andre like a magnet of some kind. Like how he was beginning to always draw my eyes to him.
"Don't Laing, you're not allowed to do backstrokes right now," I said to her, but she ignored me and started sailing backwards.
"Oh my God!" groaned Emily.
"Laing, what are you doin'? Paddle forward. Use the J stroke or something!" I shouted. Laing, with her tongue wagging out in concentration, ignored me again. I watched her squash her hips to the left, but it was that manoeuvre that caused her face to shriek up into an expression which I fought out to be pain.
"My feet are stuck! Sir! My feet are stuck under the deck!" Panic struck everyone for a moment. All eyes turned to Dr. Andre, who groaned in frustration, and began to pry paddle his canoe boat.
I, taking matters into my own hands, turned my canoe boat left, next to Laing. I rose up, steadily, keeping my balance low, and outstretched my arms to her. My boat collided against Laing's. I thought that at first I wasn't going to fall, but when I heard Dr. Andre shout at me to sit back down, and so I lost all sense of thought and before I knew it I was being drenched within a submerging lake of around 30 feet deep.
I couldn't make out much of the voices that were being screamed in terror, only Dr. Andre's accent. He was insisting the girls to canoe to the side of the river and climb ashore onto the grass. I was never a swimmer, so for a ridiculous second I thought that perhaps I was going to die, due to the fact that my life-jacket had been so miraculously unstrapped. But thankfully I didn't die, for one moment I was drowning, and the next I was getting mouth to mouth from a teacher who taught at my school.
When I properly came through, I was aided to my bed with the help of Emily and Laing.
I didn't go to dinner that evening; I had a severe and extremely irritating fever. I informed Emily that I would still go horse riding with her tomorrow, if she went on without me to dinner. She did go, eventually, which gave me time alone to think of an excuse to make up for my embarrassment. Though my skin looked somewhat paler now, inside I was beaming an uncontrollable red due to my degrading drowning scenario.
"Miss Ander-sone?" the voice was followed by a knock on my door. In the distance it took me to cover the floor from my bed to the huts' door, Dr. Andre repeated his knocks.
"Yes, sir?"
"I thought it best if I checked on you; make sure you are OK, Miss Ander-sone?"
"We're not in school, call me Ruby. But yeah, I'm fine, just a little cold." Dr. Andre looked different. His smug attitude was gone and was replaced by a pitiful one. I looked into his blue eyes, hoping for some pathetic reason to see them glint, but they never. His messy, blonde hair looked more untouched than ever. He looked so tired. I didn't like this new look of his. I hoped it wouldn't stay long. "I thought so, so I brought you some hot, chocolate milk with a melted flake," he held out a steaming mug to me. I took it from him, and thanked him. "It used to help me when I was cold."
No shit.
"Thank you, sir..." Sheepishly, I looked behind him and saw that a few others were making their way out of the main cabin and heading to bed. "Well, I, uhh, best hit the hay - keep my body temperature up, you know. Thanks for the milk,"
"My pleasure. Say, I heard Emily mutter to me that you were going on a ride tomorrow down by the track."
"Did you?"
"Yes, I did. When... when I thought you swallowed too much water and drowned, and I began to perform the mouth to mouth resuscitation, she screamed, 'I won the bet!" but she then said that you better not die because you were supposed to be going on a horse ride with her. I guessed that she didn't want to go herself. What a lovely friend you have there."
"Yeah, that's Emily Clark for you."
"Maybe I could join you and your friend tomorrow for the ride, huh? I mean, I got to teach you canoeing, and so I find it only fair that you teach me how to horse ride?"
"Its basic stuff, for those who are not simple headed." I repeated a few of the words he said earlier, which caused Dr. Andre to grin.
"Basic, yes."
"Hm... Do you know where the meadow is, sir?"
"I do. It's past the bottom field and beyond the banks and rivulets, no?"
"There. If you saddle up, I'll meet you there. Surely you know how to," I stopped and coughed, then asked, "Saddle a horse?"
"We'll see, we'll see."
"We'll see indeed. Night sir," I never waited for a response, I just quickly closed the door and tamed my hyperventilating. The look on his face when I said yes. That look will honestly live on with me forever and forever, until I'm all old and wrinkly, and have to gum my food down due to my lack of teeth.