excerpt
trooped out of the dining hall. Torgerson talked with the counselors
for a few minutes, then walked up the path to Thompson’s
cabin. He sat on the porch and looked out over the lake, sorting
through the feelings the evening had stirred. He got a blanket to
wrap himself in and sat until the sky darkened and the stars
emerged. One by one, the cabin lights went out. Giggles and
shouts floated on the air, then the voices trailed away and the only
sounds came out of the forest, rustlings of the breeze and small animals,
distant calls. An owl, Torgerson said to himself, I haven’t
heard an owl in years, haven’t been in the woods at night in years,
don’t know why. At midnight, he went inside, undressed to his
underwear, washed at the basin and, shivering, got into Thompson’s
cot. His feet pushed the bedding out and he got up to find
another blanket to cover them. He expected to lie awake for hours,
but dozed off within minutes.
Torgerson woke to a sound on the porch, then the door scraped
slowly open. He made out a small form in the doorway, backlit by
moonlight.
“They scared me,” Dwayne Elwood Mortensen sobbed. “They
told scary stories. Can I sleep with you?”
Torgerson’s heart began to pound.
“Don’t you have a counselor in your cabin?” he said.
“He’s the one who scared me. I don’t like him. He scared me
before and Mr. Thompson let me sleep here.”
“Dwayne, I…”
Torgerson was thinking furiously. He breathed deeply.
“I’m scared,” the boy said. He was sniffling. Torgerson throbbed
with each heartbeat. He took another long breath.
“Well, Dwayne, tell you what. You just hold on a minute, and
we’ll get you fixed up.” In his mind he cursed himself for shaking
and wondered at the calm in his voice.
Torgerson retrieved his trousers from the back of the chair and
pulled them on. He wiped beads of sweat from his brow and
straightened the bedding.
“Okay, it’s all ready for you. Come on.”
Libros Libertad 