2Away At Summer Camp
Lucas Hill looked at the station in front of him as he took his suitcase down the stairs. The students of Springfield Drive Secondary were going on a camping trip for a fortnight, meaning that he can spend time together with his friends. Placing his suitcase onto the train, Lucas sat down next to Robin McCormack. "Hi Lucas" Robin chirped happily as Lucas leaned against Robin's shoulder. That is typical of Lucas, always an airhead. Mind you, he is a Libra, Robin thought as Lucas dozed off, his head against Robin's side. Okay, I am being used as a pillow for my friend, which is great. Moments later, Lucas felt something against his neck. Waking up, he saw his cousin Harold Rivers holding up an iced water bottle, a hint of mischief in his dark blue eyes. "Harold!" Lucas squealed, surprised that his cousin could think of an ingenious way to wake him up. A tit for tat, in a prank war. Be prepared Harold Felix Rivers. Lucas thought as he plotted his revenge.
As the train arrived in the village of Cononley, the kids and teens made their way to the camp site, all carrying their suitcases. After careful instructions from the chaperone on safety rules it was time for the tents to be put up by the kids. As Lucas and Harold carried their items to the site they heard furious muttering. "Can't believe I challenged Todd to a foot race, yet he beat me" the complainer's voice got louder as the duo approached. Kneeling on the ground, a platinum-haired boy with pale skin was hammering angrily at a stake. "Oh, hi Lucas, hi Harold. Yeah, I challenged Todd Rawlinson to a foot race, with the loser having to put up both the winner's and his own tent. This is not my tent, it is Todd's. He is over there with Isambard and Keanu" He waved towards a red-haired boy, a brunette, and a blond-haired boy with wavy hair. "Yeah, I'm baffled as to how Todd managed to beat me in a foot race."
"Yeah, you'd better Achilles Molyneux" The brunette retorted.
"Isambard isn't going to let me live it down, isn't he?" Achilles asked Lucas.
"Guess so. But then you can point out the time his school uniform was ruined by mud. He hates it when you bring that up." Lucas suggested. With that, Harold and Lucas waved goodbye to their friend as they began to put their tents up.
After Lucas and Harold finished putting the tents, the boys joined Achilles, Robin, and Xavier Pilkington as the five walked up Pinhaw Beacon. From the hill, Harold saw the hills and mountains of the Pennines in the distance; he wondered if he could see Winter Hill as well as he could from Islington. Alas, he could not. Dejected, Harold picked up a wrap and started eating it as the boys started their picnic. As the boys ate their picnic, they began talking amongst themselves. Harold noticed a patch of stinging nettles, spotting the flowers on the plant. Wisely, he decided against the harvesting of the nettles for food. It is a little bit too early to use the plant for fabric, Harold thought as Lucas spotted a large brown feather with grey bands. As the boys made their way back to camp Lucas picked the feather up, smirking as he did so. Finally, revenge. I am going to wait until you are asleep Harold.
Making his way through the dark, Lucas felt the quill of the feather between his forefinger and thumb as he made his way to Harold's tent. Stretched out on the floor, half his body in the bag, pyjama top rolled up to his ribcage, head resting on his arms, was Harold. Inching closer, being careful not to wake his cousin up, Lucas carefully placed the feather on Harold's stomach, arranging it so that the tip of the feather was just above his navel. Making sure the feather was in place and that his cousin did not stir, Lucas slipped out of Harold's tent and back into his own tent.
Waking up, Harold felt something on his stomach. Looking down, he saw there was a feather on his abdomen. Picking it up, he frowned. Whoever put it on me must have sneaked in. Getting dressed into an olive-green T-Shirt, grey shorts, dark green knee-high socks, and a pair of black trainers. Putting the feather into his suitcase, Harold left his tent. Sitting down at the table, he spotted Lucas Hill and walked up to his cousin. "Lucas, did you put the feather on me last night?"
"What?" Lucas spluttered in shock.
"Was it you that put the feather on my stomach?"
"Yes. As payback for you putting a bottle of iced water on my neck."
"So, we were having a prank war?"
"Yes. Although I would not have hold it against you, my dear Harold" Lucas quipped as he slung one arm around his cousin's shoulders while placing one hand on his chest, feeling the beating of his heart, before giving him a hug. Harold blinked, before he walked over to Robin McCormack.
"Good morning, Robin" Harold chirped as he sat down next to his friend.
"Morning Harold. What was you and Lucas arguing about?" Robin asked, brown eyes looking at the stocky pre-teen.
"Well, Lucas decided to put a feather on me while I was asleep. It was revenge after I woke him up with an ice-cold bottle."
"I see. So, what shall we do today?" Robin asked. Harold pondered as he looked around the picnic area before glancing at his friend. "I would like to go for a walk" he replied. After breakfast, the two boys set off on their walk. A kingfisher flittered into the reeds on the side of a stream, the sound of birdsong echoing from the trees. Finding a place beside the stream, the boys sat cross-legged on the grass. A slight breeze drifted through the grass as Robin stretched out and laid down on the ground as a hawk flew overhead, silhouetted against the pastel blue sky. Robin wondered if the hawk was going to hunt on the surrounding moorland and fields. Sitting back up, Robin lightly patted Harold's shoulder before making a flower crown out of daisies. Pulling out the peridot studded horseshoe charm attached to a cord from under his shirt, Harold closed his eyes. There was something magical about sitting by the river, with your friend, the only sounds being that of nature and birdsong. It was tranquil, and as Harold opened his eyes, he was reminded of the landscape painters during the Romantic era. He felt something on top of his head and realised that the object was the flower crown. Robin filled a small perfume bottle with water and a handful of crushed and dried flowers before squirting the scented water on Harold's forehead and chest. "Now I dub you king of the flower field" Robin announced, his fingers brushing the horseshoe charm resting against the latter's heart. Withdrawing his hands, Robin brushed his hair out of his eyes and smiled before spotting his twin sister Amber approach. He noticed that Harold was blushing and wondered if his friend has a crush on his sister. Noticing this, Harold looked away, embarrassed by the fact Robin noticed the red on his cheeks. "Hi Amber" he stuttered, feeling his cheeks cool down. The girl smiled as she noticed the crown on Harold's head. "Shall I go and find a stick for you" Amber asked before leaving. "I think she wants me to knight you, Robin" Harold chortled, before hearing a squeal from a pool. Running to the pool, he saw that on a tire attached to a rope tied to a tree, was Achilles. The boy yelled as he dived into the deep pool.
After the platinum-haired went for a dip in the pool, he and Harold made their way to where Robin and Amber were. Amber was holding a stick, and she passed it to Harold, still wearing the flower crown. Holding the stick, he tapped Robin's shoulders. "I knight ye Sir Robin of Buttercup" Harold announced, before a laugh in the distance echoed. A young girl with blonde hair in pigtails emerged from the bushes. "Matisha, why don't you find Neil Green instead" Harold said to the girl.
"Neil's gone off with Stuart, and I'm left here" Matisha complained. "But seriously, you are almost thirteen and you are pretending to be a king of the flowers. You are just behaving like a kid" The girl sneered before storming off. Looking dejected, Harold sat on a log before Janey Mather emerged with Carolina Mason.
"I wouldn't worry about Matisha; she is quite possessive at the moment" Janey said in a kindly voice as Carolina sat beside her friend.
Two weeks later, and Harold woke up. Getting into a blue T-Shirt and khaki trousers, he slipped on his black trainers before walking out of the tent.
"Good morning, Harold" Todd greeted the raven-haired as Lucas handed him a parcel. Harold stared at the object in his hands in shock. "Happy Birthday" Lucas said.
"What?"
"It's August 5th, isn't it?"
"Yeah, it is. Cannot believe that camp will be over in two days" Harold said.
"I know. It has gone fast has not it" Lucas replied.
"That is true. But as people said, time flies when you are having fun."
"True, Harold"
"Let's hope nothing else happens tonight" Harold finished as he and Lucas had their breakfast.
Climbing up the hill, Harold could see Winter Hill in the distance. A patch of grey on the slope of the hill. Could be Bolton or Chorley, he thought. Above him, a hawk flew, its wings silhouetted against the sky. The yearning of adventure and exploration burned like a flame in his chest, and Harold wished he were the hawk, flying through the clouds. Sighing, he walked down the hill.
As the sun set Elizabeth Adlington, a smirk on her face as she spotted a small girl. Approaching the girl, Elizabeth shoved her into the pool, Matisha letting out a loud help as she ended up in the water.
"What's going on?" Achilles asked as he looked out of his tent. By a tree, looking tense, stood Janey Mather. "Matisha!" Janey yelled, a look of concern in her brown eyes. Running out of the tent, he saw that there was a girl, aged around eleven, struggling in the water. Panic rose in his chest, his heart pounding in fear as everyone else reached the bank. "Lucas! Get Xavier and Achilles here." A voice yelled. Standing by the stream was Harold, his blue eyes filled with determination. "Xavier. Remove that swing now" Harold commanded, as Xavier untied the rope on the branch of an oak tree. The tire fell to the ground as Achilles went to untangle the rope from the tire. "Got the tire? Good. Throw it in the water" Harold said as he began to take off his shirt. Achilles obeyed, and the tire landed, bobbing on the surface. The platinum-haired boy saw Harold pass a cord to Lucas, as he tied the rope around his waist. "I've got this." Harold told the boys that assisted him, as a crowd began to gather round. Taking a deep breath, Harold waded into the water before leaning forward and went under the surface.
The rush of adrenaline surged through Harold's veins as he looked for Matisha. Seeing a small figure in the deep of the stream made him panic. Oh no, please don't, Harold thought as he swam closer to the figure. Grabbing her wrist, he pulled Matisha upwards to where the tire bobbed. Pushing her onto the tire, he untied the rope on his waist and tied it to the raft. "I'm fine, just pull her in" Harold yelled as he swam his way back to shore. As he reached the shore he laid onto the ground, still pumped with the adrenaline that flowed through him. Matisha flopped onto Harold's chest as she resisted Janey's efforts to pull her away. She is in shock, Harold realised, I cannot calm myself down or her. "Janey, I'm going to try to calm Matisha down." Harold explained as he closed his eyes before starting to hum to himself. It is working, Harold thought as he felt his body start to relax; Matisha is no longer in shock. With his heartrate now normal, Harold opened his eyes. "Better?" Harold asked Matisha after she woke up. Looking at him with baby blue eyes, Matisha muttered "Yeah, I'm sorry for my rudeness."
"It's okay, Matisha" Harold whispered. "I forgive you for being rude to me."
"You do?"
Harold nodded; his eyes turned towards Janey. As Janey grabbed her sister's hand she turned to Harold and asked, "How did you manage to calm her down?"
"That's for me to know and you to find out" Harold answered, tapping the front of his nose as he and the other kids went to bed.
Waking up to the sun's rays hitting him, Harold looked at the tent. The camping trip was ending, and it had been an eventful two weeks. Getting out of his pyjamas, he put on a blue T-Shirt and grey trousers, before putting the pyjamas into the suitcase. Making sure he had not left anything behind, Harold placed the suitcase out of his tent as he took it down. Putting it in the bag, Harold picked the items up as he walked towards Lucas. "Have you still got the feather?" Lucas asked.
"Yes. I am thinking about sewing it on a hat though." Harold chirped, winking at his cousin as the chaperone made sure the kids are on the platform as the train pulled in. Getting onboard the train, Harold placed his bags on the rack before sitting by the window seat.
"So, Lucas, how was the trip?" Bethany Hill asked her son as the two sat in the car. Lucas stared before answering "It was fun, though I did prank Harold and took part in a rescue mission."
"Well, it sounds like you had a lot of fun, and I bet you are looking forward to Harold spending a week with us." Bethany told her children as they headed home.
I had been struggling with this one for quite a while, but I decided to finish it off. This is a direct sequel to The Disco. Notably, this story reveals Harold's birthday to be August 5th. It was a struggle to get this story finished. Hopefully Night Owl won't take as long.
Edit 6/2/2025: How many times do I have to tell you that I am not interested in Commissions?