“Come on, Cindy.”
“Not tonight,” Cindy said. “I have to get back to my cabin. I have those girls to take care of.”
“You still haven’t taken care of me,” Chip said.
“It’ll give you something to look forward to,” she said. “Anticipation is always the best part anyway.”
“I can think of a better part,” Chip said, but she was already skipping away, laughing. Chip sighed, and Martin listened as he opened the cabin door quietly and crept across the floor, the floorboards creaking.
He wondered if Joan was still awake, lying in her bed looking up at the ceiling, too. Tomorrow he would write to his mother and see his new friends again. He would see Joan again. Maybe Bible camp was going to be fun after all.
CHAPTER EIGHT
“There’s something not quite Christian about it,” Father Tony said. He sat back in his chair and looked up to where his Bible sat on the shelf. “I can’t put my finger on why exactly, but it doesn’t seem right for a couple of young ladies to be out there in the middle of the night, obsessing over their telescopes.”
Melissa didn’t say anything, but she squeezed Joan’s hand a bit. Joan and Courtney were watching her nervously. Melissa didn’t like that word, obsessing. They could see her back straighten a bit, and that was a bad sign. Sherri-Lynn, their cabin’s counsellor, nodded in agreement with Tony and patted Courtney’s shoulder.
“I know you girls are probably mad at me for ratting you out,” Sherri-Lynn said, “but I was worried about you last night. It’s my job to make sure you’re safe, and I didn’t know where you were. What if one of you were hurt?”
“It’s not dangerous,” Melissa said. “And we didn’t think you’d let us if we asked.”
“Well,” Sherri-Lynn said. “That’s not really up to me.” She looked at Tony, and he nodded at her.
“I just don’t like the idea,” Tony said. “This is camping! We’re supposed to leave all our gadgets behind. No cell phones or video games! Just good times with friends out in the woods.”
“This comet has been brightening,” Melissa said, “and soon it might even be visible to the naked eye. It’s so perfect out here in the middle of nowhere. There’s no ambient light. These are really good conditions for observation. And we can’t watch it because of a rule that doesn’t even make sense.” She realized how loud her voice had gotten and tried to bring herself under control. “Even just an hour. Just one hour a night would be enough.”
“Your parents didn’t send you here to look up at the stars,” the priest said. “You’re here to make friends and learn about the Bible. There’s a reason we don’t call it ‘science camp,’ you know?” He laughed. “I know it seems unfair to you now, but there’ll be plenty of time for you to look through your binoculars when you go home. We’re here to teach you about the Lord our saviour.”
“God made comets,” Joan said quietly. “He made stars and galaxies and he made comets. And he made them beautiful. Why would he have made them so beautiful if he didn’t want us to enjoy them?”
Melissa and Courtney looked at Joan, and then back at Tony. He seemed to be considering her words.
“You aren’t wrong,” Tony said to Joan after a moment. “That’s very well put. Very well put. What was your name again?”
“Joan,” she said.
“I wish I could say yes, Joan,” Tony said, “and you do make a very good point. But there are practical considerations here, too. We don’t have enough counsellors to spare. We were already short-staffed before one of them had a family emergency last night. We need Sherri-Lynn to stay with the campers in her cabin, and we can’t very well have you three girls out wandering the night by yourselves. It’s important that we know where everyone is at all times.” He smiled. “We have a responsibility to your parents, after all.”
Margaret turned ten years old just three weeks
“Not tonight,” Cindy said. “I have to get back to my cabin. I have those girls to take care of.”
“You still haven’t taken care of me,” Chip said.
“It’ll give you something to look forward to,” she said. “Anticipation is always the best part anyway.”
“I can think of a better part,” Chip said, but she was already skipping away, laughing. Chip sighed, and Martin listened as he opened the cabin door quietly and crept across the floor, the floorboards creaking.
He wondered if Joan was still awake, lying in her bed looking up at the ceiling, too. Tomorrow he would write to his mother and see his new friends again. He would see Joan again. Maybe Bible camp was going to be fun after all.
CHAPTER EIGHT
“There’s something not quite Christian about it,” Father Tony said. He sat back in his chair and looked up to where his Bible sat on the shelf. “I can’t put my finger on why exactly, but it doesn’t seem right for a couple of young ladies to be out there in the middle of the night, obsessing over their telescopes.”
Melissa didn’t say anything, but she squeezed Joan’s hand a bit. Joan and Courtney were watching her nervously. Melissa didn’t like that word, obsessing. They could see her back straighten a bit, and that was a bad sign. Sherri-Lynn, their cabin’s counsellor, nodded in agreement with Tony and patted Courtney’s shoulder.
“I know you girls are probably mad at me for ratting you out,” Sherri-Lynn said, “but I was worried about you last night. It’s my job to make sure you’re safe, and I didn’t know where you were. What if one of you were hurt?”
“It’s not dangerous,” Melissa said. “And we didn’t think you’d let us if we asked.”
“Well,” Sherri-Lynn said. “That’s not really up to me.” She looked at Tony, and he nodded at her.
“I just don’t like the idea,” Tony said. “This is camping! We’re supposed to leave all our gadgets behind. No cell phones or video games! Just good times with friends out in the woods.”
“This comet has been brightening,” Melissa said, “and soon it might even be visible to the naked eye. It’s so perfect out here in the middle of nowhere. There’s no ambient light. These are really good conditions for observation. And we can’t watch it because of a rule that doesn’t even make sense.” She realized how loud her voice had gotten and tried to bring herself under control. “Even just an hour. Just one hour a night would be enough.”
“Your parents didn’t send you here to look up at the stars,” the priest said. “You’re here to make friends and learn about the Bible. There’s a reason we don’t call it ‘science camp,’ you know?” He laughed. “I know it seems unfair to you now, but there’ll be plenty of time for you to look through your binoculars when you go home. We’re here to teach you about the Lord our saviour.”
“God made comets,” Joan said quietly. “He made stars and galaxies and he made comets. And he made them beautiful. Why would he have made them so beautiful if he didn’t want us to enjoy them?”
Melissa and Courtney looked at Joan, and then back at Tony. He seemed to be considering her words.
“You aren’t wrong,” Tony said to Joan after a moment. “That’s very well put. Very well put. What was your name again?”
“Joan,” she said.
“I wish I could say yes, Joan,” Tony said, “and you do make a very good point. But there are practical considerations here, too. We don’t have enough counsellors to spare. We were already short-staffed before one of them had a family emergency last night. We need Sherri-Lynn to stay with the campers in her cabin, and we can’t very well have you three girls out wandering the night by yourselves. It’s important that we know where everyone is at all times.” He smiled. “We have a responsibility to your parents, after all.”
Margaret turned ten years old just three weeks
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