Part Two: Summer Camp

You head back to the open area, just off the water. You dump your sticks and twigs into the pile and then run to join the commotion. Every child at camp is sitting in little clusters of four and five. That initial edge has worn off, as children have found comfort in their assigned groups. Smaller kids in the groups have been taken under the protective wing of the older kids. All in all, a more upbeat atmosphere than the one at the gate earlier.

You scout out a spot for yourselves, and make a break for it before another group comes along to claim it! Joan leaves you to yourself for a few minutes as she heads off to the kitchen to get your snacks. You settle, and take in the sun and hum of conversation around you.

After a few minutes, Joan comes back with a bowl of fruit. Apples, bananas, a kiwi, a few oranges. It looks good, but your heart sinks when she doesn’t give you any chocolate.

"There you go, Rattlesnakes. Enjoy…" she waits for you to look at her and then pushes a piece of chocolate between her teeth for half a second. Her eyes move to the fruit bowl.

"See you later!" and then she’s gone. Stealthily, you lift the fruit and find a bar and a half of chocolate hidden beneath. Not much, but enough for a few pieces each.

And then you have your own time. Half an hour to digest the day so far before soccer!

You get to your spots on the pitch. You find yourself fidgeting with anticipation. Looking across the line, you see the Butterflies, equally ambitious. But you’ve already dispatched the Caterpillars. And butterflies are pretty much the same thing, aren’t they?

The whistle sounds, and you’re off. Mikey to Andy. To Mikey. Back to Morgan. Jaden jostles with the biggest kid on the Butterflies, sent to mark him, and get a few shots passed the big kid, Spud, sitting in the goal. It’s five minutes a side, so you work fast.

Andy sends one hurtling by the unfortunate child left in the Butterfly goal. It’s almost unfair. Andy’s practiced actions and a skilled foot leave the child no other option but to duck out of the way as it comes in. Mikey follows up with another one a minute later. The striker marking Jaden is screaming for his defenders to get it together. Eventually, he hurtles down the field and gets the ball for himself. He works his way through Em and Mikey, and comes up against Jaden, who jostles him again as he kicks the ball. It meets Georgie’s hands with that loud stinging sound. But he saved it! He quickly grabs it up as he recovers from the impact.

The whistle blows for the first half. The second goes much the same as the first. Even Em manages to get a few shots in on target. One manages to slip by Georgie, to the cheers of the crowd. The game is still on.

Georgie rolls it clumsily to Jaden, who passes it short to Em. She half kicks it properly and it finds it’s way to Mikey. He runs, and shoots. The post. It bounces back out into play and Andy sends it screaming home. Back of the net. It’s a win, and a warning to every other team in attendance.

The Rattlesnakes are the team to beat.

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… ole ole ole ole… ole… ole…