Camp Walden - Denmark, ME

Sand Pond

I've been at Camp Walden since June 10th. I'm staying busy, working hard and having fun. I found a little time last week to write a short story about camp. Hope you enjoy...

The Legend of Billy Hunter

Alexandra was attending Camp Walden for the first time. She was 14. In her free time, she loved to walk along the shores of Sand Pond looking for driftwood and anything else to use in Arts and Crafts. One day, while walking along the shore of a cove, she saw a young boy in a canoe.

She yelled out to him, “What’s your name?”

“Billy Hunter,” was the reply.

“What are you doing?”

“I’m fishing. I fish every day during the summer.”

“Where do you live?”

“On the other side of the pond.”

“How old are you?”

“I’m 15.”

Alexandra walked back to camp thinking of Billy Hunter. She came back the next day at the same time and Billy was in the cove in his canoe. They talked again. Alexandra would shout from shore and Billy would reply from his canoe. This continued for a few more days and they became friends. A week after their first meeting, Alexandra brought a gift she had made for Billy.

“Billy, come to shore. I have something for you.”

“What is it?” he asked.

“It’s a gift for you.”

Billy paddled his canoe to shore as Alexandra anxiously awaited his arrival. It was their first face-to-face meeting. She had removed the hooks from old fishing lures, threaded them with a leather string and fashioned a necklace for Billy. Billy beached his canoe and walked toward Alexandra. She stood on her tiptoes and put the necklace around Billy’s neck. Billy looked down, cradled the necklace in his hand and marveled at his gift.

“This is the coolest thing I’ve ever gotten!” He exclaimed.

“I found these lures along the shoreline,” she informed him. “I thought you’d like it.”

“I like it very much,” Billy replied.

There was an awkward silence. Then, Billy leaned over and kissed Alexandra on the cheek. She blushed and shyly dropped her head.

“Well,” said Billy, “it looks like it’s going to storm. I’ve got to get home.”

“Will I see you tomorrow?” she asked.

“Yes, you will.” Billy answered.

Alexandra watched from shore as Billy paddled toward the other side of the pond. Storm clouds moved in and the skies turned dark. The wind began to whistle across the pond and the water became choppy. By now, Billy was halfway across the lake, but he was beginning to struggle. The storm was too intense. His canoe began to rock as it fought to reach the other side. The canoe then took on water and tipped over, throwing Billy into the pond. Alexandra screamed and ran toward camp to get help.

They spotted Billy’s overturned canoe from shore, but could not see him. Billy died and his body was never found. Alexandra cried every day for the rest of camp.

The next year, Alexandra returned to camp. The first week was stormy and it reminded her of Billy, but she held back her tears. The weather improved and she began swimming daily. She would dive from the dock and swim out to the floating platforms. She would dive from the diving board, splash with her friends and hurtle herself down the slide into the cool, refreshing water of Sand Pond. And each day, as she ended her swim, she would begin the short swim from the platforms back to the dock. But, halfway back, her legs would get heavy and she would struggle to stay above water. She would fight and fight for about 15 seconds, then her legs would lighten and she would continue on to the dock.

This happened for 3 days in a row and it always happened at the same time - at the end of her swim as she was swimming back to the dock. At the end of the fourth day, she stood anxiously on the edge of the platform wondering if her struggles would continue yet another day. She was nervous as she dove from the platform and swam toward the dock. Halfway there, her legs, once again, began to feel heavy. This time, however, she refused to struggle. She was determined to discover the cause.

As the heaviness ensued, she dipped her head below the surface of the water. Her screams could be heard from under the water. There, suspended under water, was Billy grasping and tugging at her legs, trying desperately to get to the surface to breathe life once more. For 15 seconds his face was riddled with terror. Then, he gently released his grip on her legs and sank slowly to the bottom of Sand Pond; his face now tortured with sadness as he descended into the murky depths.

Alexandra never swam in Sand Pond again.

Somewhere, between the floating platforms and the dock...