Scout Camp Mystery by Leslie Langtry

Author:Leslie Langtry
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: humor, short story, dark humor, novella, beach read, short mystery
Publisher: Gemma Halliday Publishing

* * *

The girls were quieter as they painted, and Kelly asked me to look around outside to see if there were showers or even a water pump where we could wash off these kids. We weren't scheduled for another shower—our one time had been at the pool the day before.

However, things were getting desperate. In the hot and humid afternoon, the girls were sticking to their chairs, the tables, and the paintbrushes in their hands. Their hair had turned into stiff, gluey spikes and ropy dreads. It was all getting a little too Lord of the Flies for our comfort.

I was just starting to think we could dunk them in the lake, when I stumbled upon the water pump. I flipped the handle up and pumped a few times and was rewarded with ice cold water, gushing like Niagara Falls.

It felt so good that I sat down on the ground and splashed it all over me, removing the arts and crafts part of the day from my skin. The clothes were hopeless. Cleaning them would require removing them, and I was pretty sure we wouldn't be allowed to walk around camp naked.

Once I felt reasonably clean, I shut the pump off and, for a moment, looked out over the lake. Getting my bearings, I realized that we weren't far from the Ghost Badger Bridge. Whatever was going to happen would occur tonight. What was it?

"Isn't it sublime?" Venus said behind me, and I jumped.

"The lake? Yeah. It's lovely," I mumbled.

She turned on the pump to fill a large bucket. When done, she shut it off and stared out at the water once again.

"I'm so glad your troop is having fun. It's so important to introduce art at this age, don't you think?" Venus grinned dreamily at me.

I nodded. "Of course. I just wish it wasn't so sticky…" I felt a little guilty, so I changed track. "…outside. We, um, could've set up easels and painted or something."

Venus nodded, "That would be nice, wouldn't it?" She just stood there—smiling. It was awkward.

"Hey," I said, trying to fill up the silence. "Isn't that haunted bridge over there?"

"Yes. I'd like to paint that this summer. They frown on us driving through camp when we're off. But, fortunately, there's a hidden road that connects the stables to the other side of that bridge." She leaned toward me conspiratorially. "But don't tell anyone." And with a wink, she was gone.

"Merry!" Kelly shouted. "We're almost done." The tone in her voice really said get back here now.

I hurried back to the building, dreading what I would find. At least I could report that we had a place to wash up.

The horses were done. I've seen a lot of weird things in my life. Like that time in Peru when I met a guinea pig the size of a small dog that could count to fourteen. Or the real live witch doctor in Cameroon who'd trained a monkey to shave him and cut his hair. But I wasn't prepared for this.

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