Short Stories

Round Eleven - A Camp Story

The moonlight that filled the campsite was soon added to by firelight, the trio of friends setting up their sleeping bags beside it. "The moon's really bright out here in the woods." Kyle noticed as he laid down on top of his covers. "Quiet too. Makes you think places like the city don't exist." He chuckled to himself, turning his head to his sister and her boyfriend as they lay down beside each other. "You two love birds want a glass of Dragonette Tears?" He asked, breaking out the bottle of the caramel-colored liquid.

"No, thank you, Kyle." Jenny said, showing off her temperature controlled thermos of hot chocolate. "Little chilly out. I figured I'd warm up this way."

"Fair enough." Kyle let his gaze travel back to the dim, crystal stars that were faintly lighting up the black, forever-reaching sky. 

"Well, we're out here and it's not that late yet. How about a couple of campfire stories?" Austin sat down on top of his sleeping bag, signalling for Jenny to sit beside him. As she sat beside him, Kyle was sitting himself up. "Who wants to start?" Austin asked, wrapping a crimson blanket around himself and Jenny. 

"I guess I will." Kyle yawned and poured a tiny glass of his Dragonette Tear drink. He held up the glass in front of his face, staring thoughtfully at it. "A long time ago, in ancient times, there was little boy who lived in a small village. His parents warned him to never go near the Dragon River, for they feared he would slip and fall in. He had followed their rule and camped on the outskirts of the forest that bordered the river. One day, as he was camping at night, he heard a sharp cry coming from the river's edge. The boy edged closely to see what it was without getting too close to the river. That was when he saw the little dragonette, caught in a fisher's net. He'd heard that those creatures brought fortune to those who committed good deeds. He figured that if he helped the dragonette, he would bring fortune and honor for his family. He ignored his parents' warning and went to help it. He cut the dragonette loose, but it was scared and accidentally pushed the boy into the Dragon River. The dragonette wept for over its poor deed and from then on, anyone who saw a dragonette would cry for the lost life of the little boy.

"I thought we were doing horror stories, but heck, that was great!" Jenny smiled, at the brink of tears. "To think, you got all that from the name of a drink."

"Yeah, well..." Kyle shrugged. "How about you guys?"

"I'm gonna go horror this time, okay?" Austin lit up. Jenny and Kyle nodded in anticipation, practically ready to be afraid. "A long ways a way, there is a creature lurking in the shadows. It's gnashing teeth sharpened perfectly to rip through the bones of its victims. A group of young friends went camping in the same woods that it lurked. They were having a grand ol' time, drinking and laughing, but were too far under the influence to notice the creature stalking them at the tree line. They never realized it was there until it was too late. One of the three friends were dragged off into the woods. The other two were shocked into sobriety and ran until their legs gave out at a gas station five miles away. They never saw their friend again. Dun dun DUN!" The eerie glow from the fire made Austin's facial features overshadow with creepiness. Jenny practically felt chills running up and down her spine as she stared at her boyfriend. 

"Wow. I forgot how edgy you were." She giggled, messing his hair up with an unsteady hand. Austin chuckled, knowing full-well how much he scared his girlfriend. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders reassuringly. "Alright, my turn. I don't think my stories are that good though."

"Don't worry about it, Jenny. They're just stories." Kyle smiled, giving her a thumb's up.

"Okay... There was a kid named Billy and he loved to play out in the woods by his backyard. There was this certain area that was a five minute walk from his home and it had an ancient playground. He met his friend Jace there everyday and they would play for hours. One day, his mother made him stay inside because it was too cold out. When Billy went to bed that night, he found Jace staring at him icily through his frosted window. He opened the window and tried to explain to his friend that his mother wouldn't let him outside. Jace just stood there and never shivered from the below zero temperatures despite his light clothing. 'Never go back.' Jace whispered, his pale face suddenly disappearing into the snowy night. Billy never went to the playground and never saw Jace ever again."