儿童英语读物 The Summer Camp Mystery CHAPTER 3 Monster Rock

Just as Booth Pines guided the passenger ferry across the water, the fog lifted. Grandfather Alden had been right. Up ahead, a very pretty sight appeared: Claw Island sparkled in the water.



From the boat, the Aldens could see cozy 1 wooden buildings tucked into groves 2 of tall pine trees. A flagpole rose above the large main building.



Jessie grabbed Henry’s arm. “The island is so close. I wonder if we could swim between Dark Harbor and Claw Island. After all, we just passed our lifesaving test at the Greenfield Pool.”



“You’re not allowed,” Zach Pines told Jessie. “There are strong currents between the island and Dark Harbor. You could get sucked out to sea.”



When some of the younger children heard this, they moved closer to Henry and Jessie.



“Oh, I was just wondering, that’s all,” Jessie said. She turned to some of the younger children. “My counselor 3 manual said the swimming lessons are given on the bay side of the island. The water is warm and calm there — like a lake.”



“Look, a whale!” Benny cried. He pointed 4 to something wide, smooth, and gray off in the water not too far from Claw Island.



The campers swiveled around to see the whale.



“That’s Monster Rock, not a whale,” Lizzie Pines informed Benny. “When it gets dark, the rock can turn into a monster that comes out of the water. Sometimes we even find giant footprints in the sand.”



“Goodness, this isn’t the time for that old made-up tale, Lizzie!” Ginny said when she noticed the worried looks of some of the new campers. “Actually, children, that’s Seal Rock. Often, if the sun is out and the tide is low, seals climb onto the rock to sun themselves.”



With the fog and Monster Rock behind them and Camp Seagull in front of them, the campers had a hard time sitting still. Camp was about to begin!



Onshore, a circle of campers who had arrived earlier stood around the flagpole. Behind them a group of teenagers and young adults waved their Senior and Junior Counselor caps at everyone on the ferry.



“Welcome, Seagulls!” the flagpole crowd yelled out. “Give us a seagull squawk!”



The new campers weren’t sure what to do.



“Go ahead,” Ginny urged everyone.



“Crawk! Crawk!” the campers screamed out like a flock of seagulls about to land on Claw Island.



“The camp is so pretty,” Violet said when she stepped onto the dock. “Evergreen Lodge 5 looks just the way I pictured — with porches and big windows looking out on the bay.”



“You know,” Benny said, “Claw Island doesn’t look a bit like a scary lobster 6 claw.”



“That’s only on a map, Benny,” Violet said, laughing. “Or if you’re a bird looking down.”



Ginny waved the campers toward the flagpole group. “There’s my husband, Rich.”



Rich and Ginny Gullen wore identical CAMP SEAGULL DIRECTOR shirts and nearly identical friendly smiles.



“Greetings,” Rich began. “Welcome to Camp Seagull. Hope you had a smooth ride over. Ginny and I are happy to welcome you to our first season as directors of Camp Seagull. The camp has been around since Ginny and I grew up in Dark Harbor. Both of us worked here when we weren’t much older than most of you.”



Ginny looked around at the campers. “I know some of your parents were once campers here. We’ve kept up many of the traditions the Pines family started in the past. And we’ve added a few of our own.”



The Aldens noticed Mr. Pines and his children didn’t seem in a hurry to join the group.



“Is Mr. Pines related to the family that owned the camp?” Jessie asked Kim in a whisper.



“Yes,” Kim whispered back. “But he doesn’t mention it. His family had to give up the camp. Now he has to work for Rich and Ginny. They changed everything from before.”



“Do you still have Dress Your Favorite Fruit Night?” a girl camper asked Rich.



Rich grinned. “At Camp Seagull we even dress up vegetables! Our campers last session voted to have a Dress Your Favorite Vegetable Night. We’ve added new activities like that. But it’s still the same special place it’s always been. Now Ginny will tell you all about the Camp Seagull Olympics.”



“Okay, campers. Let’s start by lining 7 up,” Ginny began. She picked up a big blue bowl. “Come and choose a surprise from this bowl.”



Benny tried to peek 8 over the rim 9 of the bowl. “Is it a snack?”



Ginny held the bowl out for Benny. “You’ll see.”



Benny reached in. “It’s a little dolphin.” He showed Violet the small plastic animal.



“I picked a seal,” she said.



“I got a dolphin,” Jessie said after her turn. “So did Henry.”



When the bowl was empty, Ginny looked around at all the campers. “During your stay, you’ll either be on a dolphin or a seal team, depending on the animal you chose. Half our cabins are Dolphin cabins, and half are Seal cabins. Even day campers have a cabin to spend time in during the day. As for you overnight campers, after our first Flag Ceremony, Mr. Pines will move your trunks and duffels to your cabins.”



“Except yours,” Zach muttered before stepping away from Henry.



Ginny waited for the campers to settle down. “Here’s how our Olympics work. Dolphins and Seals try to get points for our activities and events, as well as for doing good things around camp.”



“Like making our beds, right?” a girl around Benny’s age asked. “My brother told me. And not screaming at the ferry horn. Only I did ’cause I forgot.”



“And shooting a gazillion baskets in basketball,” another boy added. “When my dad was a camper, his team won the Olympics. He was a good basketball player a long time ago.



“Up until this year, my groups won every single year,” Kim announced. “I’ve been playing soccer and basketball since I was little. I won lots of points in the Camp Seagull Olympics. But not this year.”



“How come?” one of the new campers wanted to know.



“I was a Junior Counselor for the Dolphins last session,” Kim answered bitterly. “But we lost. Sports don’t count as much anymore. The Olympics are way harder to win now.”



“No fair,” said the boy with the basketball player dad.



Ginny waited for the campers to quiet down. “Well, Rich and I did make a few changes in the Olympics. We wanted to make it easier for all campers to earn points, even those who aren’t sports stars. So now campers think up new activities together that everyone can be good at — even if you don’t play a sport.”



“Like not talking too much, right?” Benny asked. “That’s what my brother, Henry, told me. Only I talk a lot, so the Dolphins might not win for that.”



Ginny tried not to laugh, but she couldn’t help it. “Well, Benny, maybe you’ll win the Make Somebody Laugh Award. Last session, the Seals thought up that activity.”



Ginny held up a blue notebook. “In here, you’ll find a list of fun Olympic activities from last session. You’ll also get to add new ones when you go to your cabins later. Your counselor will make a list of all your ideas. Then each cabin will choose the one idea that best pulls the whole camp together and give it to me or Rich for our Big Idea Medal.”



Rich continued where Ginny left off. “This medal is worth a hundred points to the winning side. Now we will officially begin camp with our first Camp Seagull Flag Ceremony.”



The next thing the campers heard was a scratchy sound that filled the air. The campers covered their ears as the loud notes of a bugle 10 blared out from a tape recorder.



“Hear ye! Hear ye, campers!” Rich called out over the loudspeaker. “Sorry we don’t have a live bugler 11 yet. We will when Henry Alden’s bugle arrives with his trunk. What you just heard is the famous Camp Seagull bugle recording 12. Our new Junior Counselor Henry Alden will conduct the Flag Ceremony this session.”



Henry stepped forward with the American flag and the Camp Seagull flag. As he had learned to do in the Scouts 13, Henry carefully unfolded the flags and fastened them to the ropes. As he guided the flags slowly up the pole, the campers watched in silence.



When both flags reached the top, Rich started the bugle tape again. The whole camp broke into a cheer.



“Let Camp Seagull begin!” Rich cried out over the cheers and the last notes of the crackling bugle tape.



The campers gave the Camp Seagull cheer. “Crawk! Crawk!” they all cried.



“Crawk! Crawk!” a seagull answered from its perch 14 on the top of the flagpole.



After the Flag Ceremony, Ginny assigned each counselor to a group of campers.



“Let’s find Violet,” Henry suggested to Jessie and Benny. “I want to wish her luck before we go to our cabins.”



They found Violet sitting cross-legged on the ground a few feet away from Kim Waters. Kim had a clipboard in front of her. She was speaking with her campers one by one.



When she saw her family, Violet scrambled 15 to her feet. “My group is getting ready to go to our cabin,” Violet said.



“I wish you were on the Dolphin team,” Benny said. “Aldens like to stay together.”



Violet’s eyes darkened. “I know. At least you’ll be with Henry. And I’ll be near Jessie’s cabin. Birch — that’s the name of our cabin — is only two cabins away from hers. Maybe we can visit back and forth 16.”



Jessie hugged Violet. “We’ll all see one another at activities and meals, though not overnight.”



“Violet Alden!” Kim yelled out. “Over here with the Seals. We have to get to Birch Cabin — on the double!”



Violet gave Jessie one last hug. “ ’Bye. See you at dinner,” she said.



Kim blew her whistle again. “The Seals sit together at meals,” she told her campers. “Now what we’re going to do is come up with the best Big Idea in the whole camp. This session, the Seals are going to win the Olympics. No matter what.”



“Why is Kim so grouchy 17?” Benny asked. “I’m glad I’m a Dolphin.”



“Maybe Kim wanted to be in the Dolphins again,” Jessie guessed. “Well, time to go to our cabins with our campers. See you later, Benny. ’Bye, Henry.”