They won’t hurt us
There’s a summer camp where I’ve spent a whole life of which I have no recollection.
We drive past it and I notice a police car. Mum pulls in, to try and see whats going on, for I was set to spend another summer of vacant memories. Half of the camp structures are closed off. We ask the officers what’s happening, they don’t turn us away, but they say they are gone.
My mother asks who, but I suddenly remember. The people who used to live here, the nature people of the lower half of the camp. We’d play together at day time, but hide inside the main house and lock all doors at night.
But now we don’t have to anymore.
Camp starts and we set up our sleeping bags in the attic as usual. The camp leader chooses me and another girl to go and set up flowers, lilies to be exact, on the highest part of the nature people’s play ground: the treehouse’s balcony
“It’s night time” the girl points out.
The camp leader says they are gone and there’s nothing to worry about.
We leave, we don’t question why it must be done now, we take the flowers and march to our funeral. Or at least that’s what I think. The girl isn’t afraid. She trusts him.
I try to as well. She drops some of her flowers and I stop to pick them up, but only gather a few when I feel someone watching me. The others stay behind as I run after the girl.
We start setting up, she shows me how to do it properly.
“What is the point of this?” I don’t ask.
But then she looks up and screams. There’s someone, a living shadow staring at us from inside the treehouse.
She’s frozen in place but I’m not. I was expecting this. I drop my flowers and run, not looking back. I’m not sure if she’s following me or if he got to her.
No one questions me when I return alone, or asks me where she is. They knew.
I go to sleep, but not for long. I’m soon woken up by the camp leader, a man with hazel eyes, long hair whose strands are made of blades of dying grass. I’m standing in a crowd of people with scales of auburn leaves coating their skin. He hands me a bouquet of fingers, each nail painted black and I think of the girl. I’m paired up with another and told to set off to decorate the main house.
The humans are gone, they won’t hurt us.