Shy said his goodbyes to the rest of the boys, and was about to head over to where his father waited. Portia appeared out of nowhere. She put a piece of paper in his hand, hugged him, gave him another quick peck on the cheek, smiled, and ran off.
***
Shy looked out the rear window of his dad's truck as they pulled away on the gravel road that he had stumbled out onto eight weeks earlier. They had done it. They won! Now he was sure he could return next year. Several of the boys confirmed that they too would be back. Daniel's parents even agreed. Shy would miss his new friends, the goodbyes all seemed to happen so fast, but he felt better knowing he would see many of them again the next summer. He would keep in touch. Claire, of course he would see again the next day probably. She would come over and they would rehash the events of the entire summer.
He wondered again about Gust's fate, and was sad he hadn't appeared to say goodbye. He was a gruff old man though, probably just didn't like all the mushy stuff. Shy would keep his watch safe for him. He had grown to like the watch. Shy made a mental note to himself to make sure he set up an email address so he could email Tad and try to get in contact with Gust.
As he watched the camp disappear through the rear window, his vision blurred a little, and snapped in his head like popcorn. There climbing over the lip of the river gorge poured black clad goblins! They began to run after the truck! His thoughts immediately slammed back to the days adventures.
The box!
He still had the box! His happiness over winning had made him forget to get rid of the box. He scrambled to unzip his bag and felt for the hard edges of the box he knew was still in his pillow case. It was. He looked back out the window and saw the Glamour protected black goblins drop back. They could not catch the truck.
"What'cha doing bud?" His dad asked.
"I… I think I forgot something…" Shy mumbled while his brain scrambled to take in all the implications of still having the box.
"What?" He pressed on the brakes. "Do we need to go back? What did you forget?"
"Noooo… no Dad. Keep going." Shy panicked and looked back out the window. There was nothing in sight now. "Just keep going… It was just something I found. I was gonna leave it there. No big deal…" He tried to pacify his dad.
His dad looked at Shy quizzically. "You seem to really have changed this summer. You seem more confident."
Shy nodded quietly in response.
"Good. Use that to stand up to those bullies in school then this year."
Shy nodded again. "I'm gonna take a nap Dad, OK?"
"Sure bud."
Shy closed his eyes, but didn't sleep. It was a long ride home. He worked through his thoughts about the box and his worries. By the time they passed the Twin Cities, he had decided he would just hide the box until next summer, and then return it right away when he got back to camp.
Chapter Seventeen:
Epilogue
Shy hugged his big Newfie, Shep, and climbed onto the bus. When he climbed into his seat with Claire, she smiled at him and immediately began instructing him on Mrs. Nelson, his sixth grade teacher this year. Unfortunately for Shy, Claire had had Mrs. Nelson last year, and thus had tons of wisdom to pass his way. He looked out the window as the bus pulled away, and could see Shep sitting as usual… waiting. He would be in that same spot when the bus dropped Shy off after school. Shy often wondered if the dog sat there all day.
When they arrived at school, they piled out of the bus and Claire smiled at him and went off her separate way. He felt like he got many more smiles from Claire since the summer adventures… and since the development of his friendship with Portia. It was just friendship wasn't it? He pushed that thought down into his gut. He didn't need more butterflies than the first day already would bring.
He rounded the corner and ran directly into Crutch. The big bully had two of his cronies with him.
"There you are. We have some unfinished business."
He poked Shy in the chest. Shy, however, had made some other decisions on the way home from camp. He wasn't going to put up with this anymore. He didn't back down from the finger. He stood his ground. Shy might have seen a hint of surprise in Crutch's eyes, but the bully simply turned the poke into a push. Shy went down.
As he stood, he heard a brief tinkle of bells. Swiftly he looked around, searching for the source.
"I'm right here psycho." Crutch moved in to push Shy again.
Shy thought he saw movement in the shadows of a stand of trees, over Crutch's shoulder. He strained to see, but the bigger boy moved into his way. Shy took a step to the side, still looking at the trees, and Crutch grabbed his left arm.
Shy didn't even think twice. He was so focused on the possibility of fey in the shadows; it was like someone else's arm came up swinging and solidly thudded into Crutch's jaw. The broad bully went down onto the sidewalk. His two cronies rushed up to his aid, but circled away from Shy. Shy didn't even notice. He was staring at the single sylphon perched on the roof of the school. The little pixie was pointing at the shadows, a grim look on her beautiful face…
The End
Camp Lac Igam
Book 1
The Fossegrimen Folly
Shy's Map
Guide to pronunciations
Fossegrimen - fah see grim en
Lac Igam - Laak ee gaam
Nisse - niss see
Huldra - hull drah
Sylphon - sill fawn
About the author:
Mike Almich has lived his entire life in Minnesota, and loves to spend time on the North Shore of Lake Superior, the setting for his Camp Lac Igam series. He is a happily married fortysomething father of three loving, exuberant, rambunctious, and often tiring, children. Their household is further complicated by three dogs, a bearded dragon, and during the warm months, salamanders and snakes. Mike enjoys reading in general and in particular, the fantasy genre. He is also passionate about football, and has found coaching his young sons to be immensely rewarding. He is currently an apprentice of writing on trains, a pontificator on the wonders of teenage daughters, and a Manager of the Institution of Marriage.
Look for Camp Lac Igam - Book 2 by Michael J Almich coming soon at Smashwords.com
Connect with Mike Online:
Michael Almich's blog: http://michaelalmich.blogspot.com/.
Twitter: http://twitter.com/Michael_Almich
Facebook: http://facebook.com/mikealmich
Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/MichaelAlmich
Email: [email protected]
The Fossegrimen Folly Page 25
