The View from Camp
Dear
Mother and Dad,
My
roommate, Syd, may be a problem. He’s so sloppy—it looks
like ten duffel bags exploded in our cabin. He whistles
real loud through this gap in his front teeth, too. Plus,
he knocked over our lamp and broke it. Syd also wears
a funny blue hat for good luck, but I don’t think it’s
working.
Love,
Bryan
Dear Mom and Pop,
My roommate, Bryan, seems kind of jumpy, like our cat when
you turn on the vacuum cleaner. He hung up a big poster
of all the constellations, so maybe he’ll teach me how
to find them. I’m sure we’ll be best buds. Guess what?
Our cabin got a brand new lamp.
Love,
Syd
Dear Mother and Dad,
Don’t worry, but today I almost drowned. We went canoeing
across the lake to have a picnic on an island. Halfway
there, Syd spotted this fish in the water and dropped
his paddle. Before it floated away, I leaned over to
grab it, then Syd leaned over, too. We tipped our canoe,
and our lunch sank into the muck on the bottom. It felt
like I was floating in a giant cup of iced tea! Everything
got soaking wet—except for Syd’s hat. The other campers
let us borrow some extra clothes, and I had to wear an
itchy purple sweatshirt. Syd picked some blueberries
for us. He’s OK, but I’m probably going to get pneumonia.
Love,
Bryan
Dear Mom and Pop,
Today I saw this enormous fish while we were canoeing.
The counselor said it might have been a northern pike.
I got a real close look before I fell in the lake. My
life jacket worked great, and I bobbed up like a cork.
The other campers shared all their clothes and food,
so I got to meet everyone. Now I have new friends from
seven different towns! I’ll write more later—I have to
help hang up our wet clothes. Bryan has been in a very
soggy mood.
Love,
Syd
Dear Mother and Dad,
Syd attracts trouble like my giant magnet grabs paper clips.
We went for a hike, and Syd stepped on a wasps’ nest.
The wasps were not happy. The counselor grabbed Syd’s
hand, and they raced down the trail. The rest of us ran
the other way. I got two blisters from running, and poor
Syd got stung twice on his face. He said his lucky hat
helped him swish most of the wasps away, but that hat
mostly brings bad luck. Now Syd has huge chipmunk cheeks.
Of course, he can still whistle, but I don’t mind anymore.
Love,
Bryan
Dear Mom and Pop,
I plan to join the cross-country team this
fall. Today I ran half a mile in about three and a half
minutes. The counselor said my legs pumped faster than
the pistons in his car engine. The wasps that were chasing
us probably helped a little. Did you know that some wasps
make their nests on the ground? Dad, will you help me train
for cross-country when I get home?
Love,
Syd
PS: I heard Bryan whistling along with me yesterday. Last night, he showed me the Big Dipper and Orion. Then we made up a new constellation and named it Wasper. We laughed so hard we got the hiccups.
Dear Mother and Dad,
Tonight we had a talent show. Syd and I tried to act out Jack
and the Beanstalk, but Syd accidentally pulled down
our rope beanstalk. Everyone laughed, and I wanted to do
a disappearing act. Then Syd started telling the campers
about our week, and he threw me his lucky hat to act out
the stories. Pretty soon, the room was roaring, and we
won first place. Maybe Syd’s hat is lucky after
all. I had it on last night, and a bunch of campers came
to visit. Syd told them I’m a pro with constellations,
and they wanted me to point them out. I never made so many
friends at one time. I didn’t even mind the mess they made
in our cabin. I can’t believe this, but I’m going to miss
Syd.
Love,
Bryan
Dear Mom and Pop,
The talent show was fantastic. Bryan really got into it,
and we won first place. I may try out for the junior-high
play next spring. The counselor told me that I’m a natural
onstage and terrific at improvising. At first, I thought
that meant yanking down ropes, but it really means making
stuff up as you go along.
Camp has been the greatest.
I was sad to start packing. When Bryan wasn’t looking,
I put my lucky hat in his bag. He really likes it now,
and I want him to have it. Besides, I’m lucky without a
hat! See you soon.
Love,
Syd
