Far From Shore by Kevin Major

Author:Kevin Major
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: JUV039020
Publisher: Groundwood Books Ltd
Published: 2004-03-01T00:00:00+00:00

14

CHRIS

AT THE SUPPER table the young fellows in cabin three are threatening to slaughter me as soon as dessert is finished. All except Morrison who’s happy enough with the glory of being the only one I hadn’t suckered in.

Supper is goulash. It’s really steak I try to tell them, ground up and mixed with just a few other ingredients. That’s followed by the usual highlight of the first mealtime at camp – the naming of the staff. Each of us gets the privilege of being christened with a camp nickname, to be used by the campers for the whole time we’ll be together. From the years I can remember the same ones kept turning up, names like Flipper or Jaws for the person who does the swimming, and Mr. Chips or Woody or something for the guy who works at crafts. Rev. Wheaton asks for suggestions. They flood in from all parts of the dining hall. He clamps down on this shouting match and then they take a vote on two or three. For me, since I’m pretty average in height and weight, my hair is not blond, and I don’t have any outstanding physical features like a 10-inch nose, it’s got to have something to do with canoeing. That’s what he tells them I’ll be working at. You’d think things would stay logical like that. But one guy from cabin three shouts out “Meatballs,” another “Meathead.” Then finally “Beefbrains.” And that’s what they decide on – Beefbrains. The guys at the table all laugh like it’s the best joke they’ve heard all day. They figure they’ve paid me back.

After supper, that’s all I can hear as I’m leaving the dining hall – Beefbrains repeated over and over by every kid who comes near me. Morrison is the one who gets the biggest charge out of it because he claims he’s the one who came up with the name in the first place. For the fun he seems to be getting from it, I figure I’ll let him bug me longer than the standard fifteen seconds before threatening to give him a rough face lift. Even though he’s the most stubborn person I’ve ever run across, one thing I likes about the kid is that he’s a bit on the ball with the jokes. Not much of the stuff you’d expect from a kid that age.

I takes him out canoeing after supper. I have to do it a bit on the sly because otherwise I’d have a dozen campers down my neck complaining that they’re not getting a fair deal. We take out a 15-foot fiberglass and first I have to show him the right way to get in and lay down a few laws about keeping his weight in the center and not moving around like it’s an oil tanker or something he’s aboard. I must say, though, he catches on pretty quick, and it’s not long before he’s settled into a nice, even stroke. I throws him a few compliments.

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