HOLLIS MCCALISTER SUMMER CAMP

by Keith McCloud

  I say, “Thank God, this is the nastiest stuff I have ever smelled.”

  Then Trevor says, “Here is a towel, Hollis, that you can dry off with, but you might want to stand under the outdoor shower right there and wash that pig shit off of you.”

  “Wait, what do you mean, wash it off? I thought it had to stay on me so the Wasioux could not smell my rare blood type? That is what you guys have been telling me, so why would I wash it off? Doesn’t that defeat the purpose of what it is for?” I say.

  “Well, that could be true, I guess. I see why you would say that, or actually ask that,” Stella says.

  For some reason they are just laughing and laughing at me. Max is growling at them. She is not happy with them. They are just laughing so loud. Heck, Trevor is laughing so hard that he has tears coming out of his eyes. I say, “Okay, tell me the truth, what’s going on? Is this taking a bath in pig shit really true? Does it really keep the Wasioux from smelling my blood, or is this all made up?”

  Anita Kay says, “It is made up. This is a tradition that the village people like to do to any newcomers. We like to see if you are trustworthy and we can get you to do whatever it takes to help out the village. It’s a horrible tradition, but you have to admit it is a funny tradition. I am sorry that we did this to you. I did not want to because you are so nice, but if we hadn’t done this to you then you would have had to do it in front of the whole village at the community center and we did not want that to happen to you. That’s even more embarrassing than doing it in front of just us. We have to report back to them and let them know that you did this. They will believe us since they trust us and it’s three of us telling them you did it already. Plus in the village the tub is so big and it’s like five feet deep. They want you to swim around in it and they want you to stay in it longer. This really shows them that if you can do this, you can really be trusted. I am sorry, we couldn’t let you know or you might not have done it and then we would have had to tell everyone and then they would have had you come to them. I am sorry about that, Hollis. We will stop laughing at you, I promise.”

  “So all of us newcomers are the butt of the village’s jokes. What about the Wasioux smelling my blood? Now they will be able to and I will not even be able to get close to them to find Cody. All of our plans are now not any good. How did Cody even last very long over there before they smelled his blood and locked him up?” I ask.

  “Don’t worry, Hollis, and I also am sorry that we did this to you. We have a pill that you can take every day. The pill has vervain in it and it’s herbal. This will help if they happen to bite you, or if you cut yourself they at first will not be able to taste your blood, or smell it because they will taste the vervain first. Now if they do continue to drain your blood they would start tasting your rare blood. This is to protect you at first. Cody thought that the pills were great, but he would forget to take them daily and then on the full moon, instead of coming back to the house and locking himself in with us, he decided to stay there with the Wasioux because he wanted to watch them on a full moon, but he had forgotten he had not been taking his pills and when his Wasioux buddy bit him he continued to let him and that’s when he tasted the rare blood. They had to pull his Wasioux buddy off of him because it tasted so great to them that he could have drained him and killed him. They then had to give him some blood. Sandy witnessed this through a window. Since she is not of age she, like us, has to be locked in a room so that she will be safe. They actually can’t control themselves on a full moon. All they want to do is feed and feed and feed. They get crazy and even crazier when they start feeding. They become so strong. You cannot fight them at that time. They can jump from the ground right up into a tree. They can jump right up onto the roof of the buildings and they run really fast. You cannot outrun them. They are like superhumans. They are deadly. So it is very important you take your pill every day and you go through our process. You cannot be there on a full moon. You have to be locked up like the rest of us to be safe. So please get under that shower because you don’t want that pig shit and pig slop to dry on you. There is some soap over there by the shower. Even though the shower is outdoors there it is blocked off for privacy. Trevor brought you some clothes out to change into. Trevor will also show you how the shower works. The handles get a little tricky. We wouldn’t want you burning yourself,” Stella says.

  “Yes, come on, Hollis, I will show you how this shower works. I am also sorry we made you do this, but we thought this way would be better. I will get you some water so you can take your pill this morning. Also I will get you something to snack on since you threw up some of your food you had for breakfast. Maybe some crackers and a Danish or two. Nothing heavenly, but something to put back in your stomach,” Trevor says.

  “I understand, everyone: if I had to do this, then yes, I would have only wanted to do it in front of you guys and not in front of the whole village. Now I know why Max was growling and barking, she new that this was a joke and she didn’t want me to get into the tub. Let’s go over to the shower, Trevor, so you can show me how it works. Also thank you for getting me some water and getting me some food to eat. That did take a lot out of me. I was nervous and then I threw up mostly what I ate from this morning, so some food will help me. I will need my energy for training today. Are there any more crazy village traditions that I need to know about? If so, you guys can go ahead and tell me so we can get it out of the way and then get back to concentrating on our plan and that is to rescue Cody before the double moon,” I say.

  “No, there are not any more village traditions and we don’t have anything else to do to you to embarrass you. I agree we need to now focus on our task at hand. I also agree with you and Trevor on getting you some food back into your system. We can’t have you passing out during training,” Stella says.

  Trevor and I then walk over to the shower area. It is blocked off for privacy and it has a little place to change clothes without anyone seeing you. Trevor hands me some clothes in that little area, folded up. We then walk into the shower area and he shows me that the handles for the shower are backwards. Cold is hot, and hot is cold. He then leaves and goes inside and then I take a shower and then get ready and go back into the training area. Trevor comes outside, bringing me a plate of different things to eat and my water and my pill.

  “This is much appreciated. Thank you for getting me this food. I know this will help,” I say. I then eat the food and take my new daily pill.

  “Are there any side effects from this pill that I should know about?” I ask.

  “The only thing it does is give you some energy. You might like having the extra boost every day. You might want to take them every morning before you get started. That’s why we couldn’t understand why Cody would forget to take them. It helped him during training,” Stella says.

  “Okay then, I could use all the energy I can get at this point and if it helps me with my mental state that will be an extra plus. So what training are we going to start with first today?” I ask.

  “I think we will start with weapons first this morning and then some mental testing, and then we will finish off with combat training,” Stella says.

  “Well, let’s hope during combat training Trevor doesn’t kick my butt too badly. I have never ever been in a fight before. I could use some self-defense training. This will help me deal with Jimmy Stewart when he starts trying to bother me as he likes to do. He likes to do anything to me so that he can embarrass me in front of everyone. He gets a big charge out of that. So if I can stand up to him, that will help him stop bothering me. No, I don’t want to learn to beat up people, but I would like to be able to defend myself,” I say.

  “We understand. When I am done you will be able to defend yourself and you will be able to beat some Wasioux butt. So you haven’t ever been in a fight before? If someone would have punched you, would you have just let them hit you?” Trevor says.

  “No, I would have tried at least to protect my face. I would have stuck my arms up
. I have seen on TV or watched movies that people protect themselves when they are in a fight. So I have seen what to do, I just never have had to do it before. I have never put myself into that situation. Even though Jimmy Stewart does things to me all the time like a bully, he has never tried to fight me or hit me. He just likes to embarrass me all the time,” I say.

  “Okay, at least you have seen something so now it is my job to teach you what you’ve seen. I just got to make sure I don’t hurt you at first. You will get better, I guarantee you that,” Trevor says. “Alright, Hollis, are you ready to get the weapons part of training going again? Now you do not even have to think about ever sitting in pig shit anymore. Now you can just concentrate on your training,” Stella says.

  “I am ready and yes, I am so happy we do not have to do that pig shit stuff anymore.”

  “Okay then, let’s officially get this training day started. Look around and you can see the targets everywhere. Also you can see the wind is blowing outside here because some of the targets are blowing in the wind. So we will be concentrating on the crossbow and the knives that you liked yesterday. We now need to focus on perfection. You have mastered both of the weapons and you have really mastered the crossbow, so we will need to focus more on the knives. Those are the weapons they cannot see. Those are the easiest to carry around and nobody even thinks you would have them in your pockets. So the crossbow is right over on the table and we will start with the non-moving ones first: I just want you to get used to the wind. That’s why we do this outside to learn to deal with the wind,” Stella says.

  We all walk over to the table that has the crossbow on it. Then everybody, including Max, stands back behind me at a table. I pick up the crossbow and the wind is blowing pretty well. It is a pretty strong crosswind, so much so that the shirt I have on is blowing in the wind. Since I have just learned how to shoot a crossbow at summer camp, I haven’t ever had to shoot one with it being windy. I am aiming it, but I can feel the wind blowing, and blowing my arms. So I try to hold it tighter and then I shoot and the arrow flies really fast and hits the target. I can see that I did not hit the bull’s-eye.

  “Let’s look at the target. I can see it’s not a bull’s-eye, but you did hit the target,” Stella says.

  We all then walk over to look at the target. Yep, I have missed the bull’s-eye. I wasn’t even close to hitting the bull’s-eye. I did hit the target, but outside of the bull’s-eye area. “I will have to adjust for the wind. It threw me off: also to shoot the first arrow for the day didn’t help,” I say.

  “Yes, you had a couple factors and that was the first shot for the day. Wind is always a factor and yes, just picking up the crossbow for the day and shooting it with no practice will most all the time mess up your first shot. You have to adjust for that, because if we get into a fight with the Wasioux, then you will not have any practice time and mentally you need to prepare yourself that it could happen at any time and you will have no practice time. You have to plan for the wind and plan for that first shot,” Trevor says.

  “Trevor is right, we can give these excuses now, but when it’s live action, there will be no excuses and it could mean a matter of life and death. Okay then, let’s shoot another arrow,” Stella says.

  So we go back over and they stand behind me and I pick up the crossbow. This time, I aim and move the crossbow a little to the right since the arrow hits over to the left. I am trying to make up for the wind. I aim and shoot. Across the room it goes and it hits the target and looks like the bull’s-eye.

  “Let’s check it out. It looks to me like you hit the bull’s-eye this time. Yep, you hit the bull’s-eye. Very good adjustment. What did you do different this time?” Trevor says.

  “I moved the crossbow a little. Since I moved the aim more to the right it adjusted for the wind. I just need to make sure and check if the wind is blowing. Which direction the wind is blowing is how I need to adjust the aim of the crossbow. It seemed to make a big difference. So for throwing the knives, will the wind throw off the knives also?” I ask.

  “It depends on how much wind is blowing. The knives are heavier than the arrows and the arrows are longer and thin, so it doesn’t take much wind to throw it off. Just a small amount of wind will blow the arrow all over the place. I don’t think the knives will need to be adjusted any,” Trevor says.

  “Okay, let’s have you shoot at some moving targets. Reminder: you still need to adjust for the wind and also the moving targets. You have five moving targets to hit. So we will need to stand over there and then you need to start here, but you see the yellow-painted line through the grass? That’s what you need to follow. That will at least for these five targets shooting practices keep you on track. The targets will be moving down that side of the training area. So you will need to move down the yellow line and shoot at the targets. Easy stuff,” Stella says.

  “Sounds good to me,” I reply. They move out of the way and I pick up the crossbow and get a few arrows and put them in the arrow bag. I then hear the start of the moving targets. I am all set and ready to go. The targets are moving now. I take aim at the first one and shoot: it hits the target. Then I move quickly over to the next one: I aim and shoot. It also hits the target. I then run faster to the next target because they are getting faster now. I hurry, aim and shoot and bam, it hits the target. I am running down the yellow line and I stop, aim and shoot. I then run faster to the next target because man, it is moving fast. I aim and then shoot and bam, again it hits the target. Boy, I am out of breath now from all that running and then stopping and then shooting.

  “From what I can see you did pretty good. You hurried when the targets got faster. You stopped just long enough to set your body and then you took your shot. So let’s check the targets. The first one you hit the bull’s-eye right dead in the middle. The second one, again you hit dead in the middle of the target. Let’s see the third one. Very good, you hit right in the middle of the bull’s-eye. The fourth one you did the same thing and hit the middle of the bull’s-eye. So let’s see how the last one was. The last one was going very fast and you had to run fast to the target area and then you had to hurry and stop and hurry and aim and shoot. Wow, you hit the bull’s-eye. You are just barely off from the middle of the bull’s-eye. Dang, you did very well with every target you had, and you hit the bull’s-eye. The crossbow is for sure your choice of a weapon. I am so impressed with your crossbow skills,” Trevor says.

  “I agree with Trevor. You are very impressive with that crossbow. I still think you have been doing this a lot. I can’t believe you only shot a crossbow by doing it at summer camp, and this recent summer camp at that. I just can’t believe that. You are too good. I am very happy that you are very good. This is an advantage for us. They will not think for one minute that you can shoot the crossbow, or at least think you can even shoot it. They are going to get a big surprise. You are getting better with the knives and they will not expect that either,” Stella says.

  “We will have the element of surprise. We just have to make sure nothing happens to you until we can get Cody out of there. And of course afterwards once we do get him out of there. Now let’s throw a couple knives and then get ready for the battle between you and me,” Trevor says.

  “Wait, are you wanting to hurt me? I thought you just said you wanted to keep me safe and now you are saying we are going to battle,” I say.

  “I mean I am going to teach you how to fight. When Stella said that we need to keep you safe she meant by not letting the Wasioux capture you or kill you. That’s what we are going to keep you safe from: from getting caught and getting killed. Me training you to fight and hurting you a little not on purpose is not the same. I am training you to also protect yourself. So let’s concentrate on throwing the knives. We have to teach you how to cut with the knives also, and not just throw the knives. So let’s come over to the knife table and get your knife and throw a couple at the target. Then I will show you how to cut with the knife,” Trevor says.

 
; “Sounds good. I just got a little confused. Thanks for explaining it to me. I was wondering when you guys were going to show me how to actually use the knives. I am hoping I never need to use them in that way, but I at least need to know how to use them. Throwing them will be great, but learning to use them is going to be even better,” I say.

  “I agree with Trevor, we do need to show you how to use the knives and not just throw them. Throwing them is just as important, though. So let’s not lose sight of that. So you have your two knives right there. You need to stand right there and hit the target and then we will turn on a couple of the moving ones. We want to make them so fast. We just want you to be able to throw the knives and cut with them, but we want to focus on your main talent and that is the crossbow. Again the knives, we don’t need perfection: we have Trevor for that with the knives, and you are our superstar with the crossbow,” Stella says.

  “I am ready to hit the target with the knives and then let you guys show me how to cut with them,” I say.

  So I walk over to the knives and pick up the first one and set it in my hand, then flip the blade around and aim and then throw it. I hits right on the target - looks to be just outside the bull’s-eye. I move to the next target. I flip the blade around into my hand and then aim and throw it. Looks right outside the bull’s-eye again. I am okay with that because I am hitting the target and I am close to that bull’s-eye.

  “Well, yesterday you had never thrown a knife and today you are just off from hitting the bull’s-eye. Just amazing: again you impressed, and a nerd at that. This is coming from the master of throwing knives. Before I know it you will be beating me at throwing knives. Well, I am sure that is not going to happen, ha!” Trevor says.

  “Okay, let’s throw a couple of the knives at a couple moving targets. We will only do a couple. Most likely if we are in a fight you won’t be throwing the knives across a room, you most likely will be using the crossbow and Trevor will be throwing the knives. Anita Kay and myself will be fighting them. We both know how to fight pretty well. I will also have a crossbow and Anita Kay loves to use knives,” Stella says. We go back to the table with knives on it. I put a couple knives in my pocket. I get in position and the targets start to move. I move up to the target that I want to throw at. They are moving but not that fast. I get a knife out of my pocket and then open it and get the blade in my hand. I aim and then throw it at the target. Bam, I hit the target. I hurry to move over to the next target that is moving and I get the knife out of my pocket and open it, put the blade in my hand and aim and throw it. I hit it and this target was even faster.