thought. Just excited.
“Now watch where you’re walking,” Nick said. “We’ll catch hell if someone gets hurt, and they won’t let us do it again.”
“Maybe we can do it
every
night,” Benny said, thrilled by the idea.
They started walking single file along a footpath near the shore. Nick was in the lead, with Julie close behind him. The twins followed Julie. With hoods up, their hair was out of sight, so Benny couldn’t tell which was which.
Looking over his shoulder toward the clearing, he saw the glow of the campfire. He wished Karen had come along. It would be a lot more fun with Karen, even if she was a grown-up.
He took his flashlight from a pocket of his parka, and turned it on. The beam lit up the red jeans and sneakers of the girl in front of him. He shined it into the trees to his left. The weird, lurching shadows made him nervous. He swung his light down across the path, over pale rocks along the shore, and onto the water. The surface of the lake was rough from the wind. He swept the beam back and forthover the waves. He made curlicues. It was fun at first. Then he thought, What if a hand reaches up out of the water and nobody sees it but me? That’s stupid, he told himself. But the image of a dead pale hand rising out of the murky lake wouldn’t go away and he began to feel certain he would see it if he kept watching. His skin was prickly with goose bumps. He turned off the flashlight.
“Doreeeen,” Julie called in an eerie voice. “Audreeey! Come on, everybody.”
Nick took up the call. Then the high voices of the twins joined in. With a shrug, Benny started calling out, too. Their voices rose, mingling with the noise of the wind.
Somebody’ll hear, Benny thought. But he kept on shouting, unwilling to be the only silent one of the group. Besides, he told himself, there’s nobody around to hear us. Nobody we know about. He glanced over his shoulder, but saw only darkness behind him.
He began to wish he weren’t last in line. It’d get him first. Nobody would even know. He’d yell his head off, but with all the others calling for Doreen and Audrey, they wouldn’t even hear him. It’d drag him away and…
Benny jerked his foot back, but it was too late. The girl yelped and stumbled forward, leaving her sneaker behind. She crashed into the other twin, and they both fell sprawling. “Jeez, I’m sorry!” he blurted.
“Get off me!” snapped the one on the bottom, pushing at her sister.
Benny picked up the shoe.
“What happened?” Nick asked. “You okay?” He and Julie helped the girls to their feet.
“I tripped,” said the girl Benny had stepped on. She had to be Heather.
“I stepped on her,” Benny admitted.
“Four-eyes!” Rose snapped.
“You klutz!” Julie said. “Goddamn it!”
“I’m sorry.”
“Jesus, why don’t you watch where you’re going?”
His throat felt tight. He fought to keep himself from crying as he handed the shoe to Heather. “I’m awfully sorry.”
“It’s okay,” she told him. “It doesn’t hurt much.”
“Stupid jerk.”
“That’s enough, Rose,” Nick said. “It was just an accident. You both all right?”
The girls nodded. Heather put on her shoe.
“Okay, let’s get going.”
“Don’t walk so close,” Julie warned Benny.
“Maybe I’ll just go back to camp.”
“Good idea. Why don’t you?”
Turning away, he looked down the dark trail. They were near the end of the lake. There was no sign of the campsite.
Someone tugged the sleeve of his parka. “Come on,” said a girl’s voice. “It’s all right.” He looked around, and saw one of the twins behind him.
“I’m sorry I stepped on you,” he mumbled.
She smiled up at him. “That’s okay. Don’t go back, okay?”
“I guess not,” he said. “Thank you.”
They started walking again. Benny grimaced as he noticed that Heather was limping. He was careful to stay well behind her until the narrow path curved upward and vanished in the rocks at
“Now watch where you’re walking,” Nick said. “We’ll catch hell if someone gets hurt, and they won’t let us do it again.”
“Maybe we can do it
every
night,” Benny said, thrilled by the idea.
They started walking single file along a footpath near the shore. Nick was in the lead, with Julie close behind him. The twins followed Julie. With hoods up, their hair was out of sight, so Benny couldn’t tell which was which.
Looking over his shoulder toward the clearing, he saw the glow of the campfire. He wished Karen had come along. It would be a lot more fun with Karen, even if she was a grown-up.
He took his flashlight from a pocket of his parka, and turned it on. The beam lit up the red jeans and sneakers of the girl in front of him. He shined it into the trees to his left. The weird, lurching shadows made him nervous. He swung his light down across the path, over pale rocks along the shore, and onto the water. The surface of the lake was rough from the wind. He swept the beam back and forthover the waves. He made curlicues. It was fun at first. Then he thought, What if a hand reaches up out of the water and nobody sees it but me? That’s stupid, he told himself. But the image of a dead pale hand rising out of the murky lake wouldn’t go away and he began to feel certain he would see it if he kept watching. His skin was prickly with goose bumps. He turned off the flashlight.
“Doreeeen,” Julie called in an eerie voice. “Audreeey! Come on, everybody.”
Nick took up the call. Then the high voices of the twins joined in. With a shrug, Benny started calling out, too. Their voices rose, mingling with the noise of the wind.
Somebody’ll hear, Benny thought. But he kept on shouting, unwilling to be the only silent one of the group. Besides, he told himself, there’s nobody around to hear us. Nobody we know about. He glanced over his shoulder, but saw only darkness behind him.
He began to wish he weren’t last in line. It’d get him first. Nobody would even know. He’d yell his head off, but with all the others calling for Doreen and Audrey, they wouldn’t even hear him. It’d drag him away and…
Benny jerked his foot back, but it was too late. The girl yelped and stumbled forward, leaving her sneaker behind. She crashed into the other twin, and they both fell sprawling. “Jeez, I’m sorry!” he blurted.
“Get off me!” snapped the one on the bottom, pushing at her sister.
Benny picked up the shoe.
“What happened?” Nick asked. “You okay?” He and Julie helped the girls to their feet.
“I tripped,” said the girl Benny had stepped on. She had to be Heather.
“I stepped on her,” Benny admitted.
“Four-eyes!” Rose snapped.
“You klutz!” Julie said. “Goddamn it!”
“I’m sorry.”
“Jesus, why don’t you watch where you’re going?”
His throat felt tight. He fought to keep himself from crying as he handed the shoe to Heather. “I’m awfully sorry.”
“It’s okay,” she told him. “It doesn’t hurt much.”
“Stupid jerk.”
“That’s enough, Rose,” Nick said. “It was just an accident. You both all right?”
The girls nodded. Heather put on her shoe.
“Okay, let’s get going.”
“Don’t walk so close,” Julie warned Benny.
“Maybe I’ll just go back to camp.”
“Good idea. Why don’t you?”
Turning away, he looked down the dark trail. They were near the end of the lake. There was no sign of the campsite.
Someone tugged the sleeve of his parka. “Come on,” said a girl’s voice. “It’s all right.” He looked around, and saw one of the twins behind him.
“I’m sorry I stepped on you,” he mumbled.
She smiled up at him. “That’s okay. Don’t go back, okay?”
“I guess not,” he said. “Thank you.”
They started walking again. Benny grimaced as he noticed that Heather was limping. He was careful to stay well behind her until the narrow path curved upward and vanished in the rocks at
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