whistles, don’t they?” Amos said.
The man was short and about as wide as he was tall. He had white hair, chubby cheeks, and could have passed for Santa Claus. Except for the shorts.
“Attention, campers!” He tapped his knife on the table until everyone quieted down. “Attention! I am your camp director, Mr. Wiggleston. Iwould like to take this time to personally welcome each and every one of you to Camp Gitchee Goomee. Before you are dismissed this evening, I have a few short announcements.”
Mr. Wiggleston took a deep breath, and the middle button popped off his shirt.
“First, we must all take note of the posted schedules. This is how we know we are in the right place at the right time. If you have kitchen duty, be sure to show up five minutes early for your assignment. Remember our camp motto—A busy camper is a happy camper.”
Amos put his head down on the table. “We have KP? You didn’t tell me we had to wash dishes!”
Dunc put his finger to his lips. “Shh. The man is trying to talk.”
“Some of you new campers may not have heard about our end-of-camp party.”
A loud squeal came from the girls’ side.
Mr. Wiggleston cleared his throat. “It is a camp tradition to use the money made at the concession stand from the previous year’s camp, to host the next camp’s farewell party.”
Another loud squeal.
“However, a word of warning. In order to attend the party, you can have no more than ten demerits …”
“As fast as they hand out demerits around here, they won’t have to worry about having a party,” Amos whispered.
“… so work hard, play hard, and enjoy your stay here at Camp Gitchee Goomee. Now, except for those of you with kitchen duty, you are dismissed.”
“I feel sorry for the poor guys who have kitchen duty tonight,” Amos said. “Look at this mess.”
Dunc looked down at the floor. “I don’t know how to tell you this.…”
Amos stared at him. “Oh, man! Are you serious? You mean we have KP the
first
night?”
“Look at it this way, Amos. After tonight, we’ve got a full week until it’s our turn again.”
“I can’t wait.”
The kitchen was full of boys from cabin seven. The leader seemed to be a short, chunky kid who had been to camp before.
“Hiya. I’m Toby Gillis. Your job assignmentis on that wall over there. When you find it, I can tell you the fastest way to get it over with.”
Amos read the assignment. “Garbage. We’re garbage.”
Toby laughed. “Everyone has their problems.”
He showed them how to tie off the sacks and where to take them. “Be sure you put the lids on tight, so the animals can’t get to it.”
There were ten sacks in all. The garbage cans were located down a little hill inside a fence. The sacks were stuffed as full as possible, and they were heavy. Between them, Dunc and Amos could carry only one at a time.
“At least we didn’t have to wash dishes,” Dunc said.
Amos tried to get a better grip on his end of the sack. “No. We got the much classier job of hauling everyone’s gross, smelly leftovers a half-mile to the garbage cans. We can hardly see where we’re going.”
“It could be worse.”
Suddenly the end Amos was holding burst under the pressure. Food and trash exploded all over him.
Green stuff dripped down his face. Pieces of tomato and other, unidentifiable, vegetables clung to his ears, nose, and clothing.
Amos wiped some of the slime off with his sleeve. “Would this qualify as worse?”
Dunc just shook his head.
It took longer to pick up the loose garbage than it did to carry all the rest of the sacks down the hill.
Amos fell to his knees. “I’m tired. This is the last one. Let’s sit down a minute.”
“We can’t. It’s getting late.” Dunc tried to pull him up. “Somebody might wonder what’s taking so long. We better get back—wait, someone’s coming. Duck behind the cans.”
Footsteps walked up to the trash cans. There was the sound of a lid opening and
The man was short and about as wide as he was tall. He had white hair, chubby cheeks, and could have passed for Santa Claus. Except for the shorts.
“Attention, campers!” He tapped his knife on the table until everyone quieted down. “Attention! I am your camp director, Mr. Wiggleston. Iwould like to take this time to personally welcome each and every one of you to Camp Gitchee Goomee. Before you are dismissed this evening, I have a few short announcements.”
Mr. Wiggleston took a deep breath, and the middle button popped off his shirt.
“First, we must all take note of the posted schedules. This is how we know we are in the right place at the right time. If you have kitchen duty, be sure to show up five minutes early for your assignment. Remember our camp motto—A busy camper is a happy camper.”
Amos put his head down on the table. “We have KP? You didn’t tell me we had to wash dishes!”
Dunc put his finger to his lips. “Shh. The man is trying to talk.”
“Some of you new campers may not have heard about our end-of-camp party.”
A loud squeal came from the girls’ side.
Mr. Wiggleston cleared his throat. “It is a camp tradition to use the money made at the concession stand from the previous year’s camp, to host the next camp’s farewell party.”
Another loud squeal.
“However, a word of warning. In order to attend the party, you can have no more than ten demerits …”
“As fast as they hand out demerits around here, they won’t have to worry about having a party,” Amos whispered.
“… so work hard, play hard, and enjoy your stay here at Camp Gitchee Goomee. Now, except for those of you with kitchen duty, you are dismissed.”
“I feel sorry for the poor guys who have kitchen duty tonight,” Amos said. “Look at this mess.”
Dunc looked down at the floor. “I don’t know how to tell you this.…”
Amos stared at him. “Oh, man! Are you serious? You mean we have KP the
first
night?”
“Look at it this way, Amos. After tonight, we’ve got a full week until it’s our turn again.”
“I can’t wait.”
The kitchen was full of boys from cabin seven. The leader seemed to be a short, chunky kid who had been to camp before.
“Hiya. I’m Toby Gillis. Your job assignmentis on that wall over there. When you find it, I can tell you the fastest way to get it over with.”
Amos read the assignment. “Garbage. We’re garbage.”
Toby laughed. “Everyone has their problems.”
He showed them how to tie off the sacks and where to take them. “Be sure you put the lids on tight, so the animals can’t get to it.”
There were ten sacks in all. The garbage cans were located down a little hill inside a fence. The sacks were stuffed as full as possible, and they were heavy. Between them, Dunc and Amos could carry only one at a time.
“At least we didn’t have to wash dishes,” Dunc said.
Amos tried to get a better grip on his end of the sack. “No. We got the much classier job of hauling everyone’s gross, smelly leftovers a half-mile to the garbage cans. We can hardly see where we’re going.”
“It could be worse.”
Suddenly the end Amos was holding burst under the pressure. Food and trash exploded all over him.
Green stuff dripped down his face. Pieces of tomato and other, unidentifiable, vegetables clung to his ears, nose, and clothing.
Amos wiped some of the slime off with his sleeve. “Would this qualify as worse?”
Dunc just shook his head.
It took longer to pick up the loose garbage than it did to carry all the rest of the sacks down the hill.
Amos fell to his knees. “I’m tired. This is the last one. Let’s sit down a minute.”
“We can’t. It’s getting late.” Dunc tried to pull him up. “Somebody might wonder what’s taking so long. We better get back—wait, someone’s coming. Duck behind the cans.”
Footsteps walked up to the trash cans. There was the sound of a lid opening and
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