The group headed off to change for dinner in the Dining Hall. Leonard hoped it would be something good. He was really hungry. He could hear the crew that was on kp duty having fun up in the Dining Hall getting the tables ready.
Greg and he hurried to change out of their wet clothes and into jeans and clean shirts for dinner. Melly had headed off to her cabin. They had agreed to sit together at dinner. Campers were encouraged to mingle and sit at any table they wanted but they liked sitting together because they didn’t get to be together most of the day and they still got to eat with 5 other people this way.
Leonard and Greg followed their noses up to the Dining Hall and lined up for flag lowering with the rest of their cabin. ‘Thank heaven it wasn’t their turn to be color guard tonight’. Leonard was too tired to remember all the rules, he thought. “I’m glad we have it later in the week.’ The camp flag came down and then the national flag as the campers stood quietly with their hands over their hearts. Blue Sky let each cabin go separately up to the Dining Hall so that it didn’t explode at once in the rush. Greg and Leonard hurried up the stairs to a table in the back and saved a seat for Melly. Leonard snuck a look at the Menu board at the front of the Hall. Fried Chicken and yeastie beasties! Yum! That made the memory of being pushed in the lake by an otter that laughed at him recede and made his stomach rumble. Soon the tables were full and the meal served by the kids doing kp. Time to eat!
****
Dinner was over and everyone was doing their dinner dishes at the table. Everyone took turns doing the dishes after every meal. Two buckets were brought to every table. One camper scraped the leftover food from the plates into the trash. One washed, one camper rinsed and one camper stacked the dishes in a basket for dipping in the kitchen into a sterilizing bath. This happened after almost every meal unless it was a cookout and by now the campers were pros at getting it done quickly but tonight something was a wee bit different. When the buckets had been brought to the tables the soapy water was in each bucket was a different colour. Leonard’s table had gotten a bucket with suds that were blue. Greg looked at Leonard with one eyebrow raised and shrugged and started to wash. Leonard was going to rinse and Melly was going to stack. Something strange started to happen. A large blue bubble started to rise out of the bucket and Greg backed up quickly. All around them at the different tables huge bubbles were rising out of the tubs and floating to the doors. Someone ran to the Dining Hall doors and threw them open and the bubbles went floating slowly out the doors and down the hill.
The whole camp was following the bubbles as they floated towards the campfire circle. Even the staff seemed mystified by the event and they followed too. Down the hill and around the circle the kaleidoscope of huge bubbles went and the campers and staff made their way into the circle and sat down. What on earth was happening?
They heard a laugh and everyone turned to see a strange man (?) standing there. He was short and carried a flute and was dressed all in green. He swept his hat off and bowed low to Blue Sky and Oak. “Merry Meet campers! Do you know who I am?”
By now Blue Sky and Oak had moved up to the visitor and were laughing. “It’s always exciting when you visit. We never know how you will arrive. Would you please introduce yourself to our campers?” said Oak.
“If these shadows have offended…” started the visitor.
“In plain English,” interrupted Blue Sky with a laugh. “They may not be ready for Midsummer Night yet, that’s next week’s all camp activity.”
The visitor looked amused at being interrupted.
“I, Robin Goodfellow, Keeper of the Greenwood, also known as Puck, am at your service, good gentles.” He said with another sweeping bow. “I bid you welcome to this fleeting summer world and good joy in it.”
The campers goggled at Puck and erupted in questions and laughter. Leonard, Greg and Melly looked at each other and mouthed, “Puck????” at each other in surprise. This camp was getting more interesting all the time but how on earth or the heavens, had Puck gotten here to their mountains. He was half the world away from where he belonged. Leonard knew there was a good story here!
Leonard - a boy and his wand 