Chapter 3

“In its foolish youth, the Great Owl sees only through one eye. It believes that everything it sees through its left eye is more beautiful than it is through its right. But as every good hunter knows, limping on one leg often causes a hunter to walk circles in the forest.”

Crying Shadow’s teaching on the Great Owl

Translated by Erik Livingtree

Meeting New Friends

1

Whitney could feel that the truck wasn’t traveling at the same fast pace. The roads were winding more and their speed was slower. They were getting close to the camp but, as mad as she was at Tommy, she would soon be separated from him. She would be cut off completely. For the next week, she would have to live in her dark and silent world with no reprieve.

Even more horrifying, she still wasn’t sure exactly what her dream meant. Tommy said he had the same dream but he hadn’t told her about it. He kept that from her, but he knew. Those eyes from beneath the lake were still haunting her, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that the nightmare she had was more than a dream. It was a warning.

What would happen if Tommy never came back? She would be stuck for more than a week, but that wasn’t the worst part. Tommy was the only person in her entire world. Tommy was her brother, but he was more than that. He was her eyes. He was her ears and he was the only person she have a normal conversation with without speaking with her hands. Without him, she was nothing.

She reached over until she felt Tommy’s hand. He took it, squeezing and she reached out to him. As they touched skin to skin she relaxed her mind, sought him out (which was always easier when they touched) and began the process of wrapping her mind around his. She felt the edge of his consciousness as it bumped with hers, and she let hers tear and begin to meld with his. She felt that familiar slipping feeling, like when you’re walking on ice, losing your footing and then ... she was in.

A moment later, Tommy opened his eyes, and she saw the front seat. She could see the top of Carol’s hair and she could see the curvy road as they traveled down it. Don’t go, Tommy! Please listen to me! Just tell Carol and Blake that you changed your mind!

I have to go, Whitney. I just wish you were coming with me.

The truck began to slow and Tommy looked through the side window at the sign stretching across the driveway to the entrance of the camp. Whitney noted the similarity to her dream but there was one major difference. The sign said, “Camp Tumbling Waters,” and not “Amicolola.”

Having some doubts there are we? Tommy thought to her.

The sign was different. That much was true, but everything else about what she was seeing was the same. Her dream reproduced every detail about the entrance to the camp in the same detail, down to each blade of grass growing in the center of the drive. According to the brochures that Tommy had received, “Amicolola” was the Cherokee word for “Tumbling Waters” but the fact that the sign read “Tumbling Waters” instead of “Amicolola” might mean something. She didn’t know what, but it might mean something.

Okay ... a little bit of doubt I guess, but I still don’t think you should go!

Blake chose the only handicap parking spot in the lot and pulled the truck into it. Tommy was out of the vehicle almost as soon as it stopped. He took a minute to survey everything so Whitney could get a good sense of what was around. There was a horseshoe shaped opening in the surrounding trees with two buildings separated by a stone path. Both of the buildings looked like large single story log cabins and they both had large stained signs with large lettering written with rope glued to the surface. One of them said “Quartermaster” and the other said “Office.” There was another store bought sign in between the two buildings. It was a wooden sign mounted onto two sets of stakes pounded into the ground. It said, “Check in” and it had an arrow below it pointing toward the office building.

A path led from the parking lot to the two buildings. The path ended at the parking lot, separated from the parking lot by an open gate. There was a teenage girl mannequin with a smile painted on its face and its arm in a wave. That mannequin was the camper’s greeting party.

The path between the two buildings led off toward the forest and Whitney could see two teenage girls and two teenage boys with backpacks walking away. They were heading toward the camp beyond the forest, talking about a girl off to the side of the path along the far edge of the forest line. The girl bent over to pick flowers growing along the edge. They all laughed, shook their heads, and continued walking.

Tommy walked around the front of the vehicle and approached the gateway where the path began. Whitney could sense his curiosity and anticipation about the camp and she could feel his excitement at the prospect of getting on with his adventure. He watched as the small group of teens headed off to start theirs.

The entrance of the path into the forest had a creepy foreboding look to it. There were two large willow trees growing up to either side of the path. The shape of them was full and round and the wind moved the branches forming dark gaps like empty eye sockets.

Whitney felt a chill pass through her as the group of teens approached the gaping mouth of the beastly looking entrance. The branches were swaying in a way that made it look like the mouth was chomping on them as they passed into it.

You see that, Whit? It ate them!

She didn’t share his enthusiasm. She actually felt glad that she would never have to walk that path.

Tommy went back to the truck. Blake was already at the back grabbing the gear. He reached for Whitney’s bag and Tommy stopped him. “Don’t bother,” he said. “Whit changed her mind. She’s not staying.”

Blake’s shoulders dropped and Carol spun around in her seat. “She did?” she asked, sounding relieved.

“Is she saying why?” Blake asked. He was clearly disappointed.

Tommy shook his head no. He could take the time to make up an excuse for her, but there really wasn’t any point. He grabbed his duffel bag and his suitcase and started to walk toward the open gate. Just as he reached it, a large balding man came out. He was wearing a neon orange staff shirt with what looked like a brown fishing vest over the top of it. He had the microphone to a walkie-talkie looped over his right shoulder, mounted over his right breast so he could lean and talk into it. He had a clipboard in his left arm clapped to his chest as he walked and he was looking right at them. Carol got out of the truck and stepped in next to Tommy just as the man stopped in front of him. Blake came up behind them both and reached his hand out to the camp-master.

“I don’t see her out here so I hope that this means your daughter won’t be tagging along,” he said without returning the handshake Blake offered. Blake retracted his hand and the camp-master had barely moved his lips as he spoke, which gave the impression that he was a practicing ventriloquist, but it also looked like he needed a lot more practice. His Hitler style mustache sat perched below his nose and Tommy had to hold himself back from giggling.

Tagging along? Whitney thought to Tommy. What a jerk!

“I think she may have changed her mind,” Blake answered.

“Well that’s the best news I’ve heard all day. To be quite honest with you, I have been a little more than worried about this whole situation. I’ll have you know that I fought tooth and nail against this preposterous notion of having a girl that is both blind and deaf attending this camp, but it seems that your generous contribution to the camp carried more weight than my opinion,” he said. “I mean to think ... a blind and deaf girl ... here! Silliest thing I’ve ever heard ... no offense, but I’m very relieved.”

Silly? Whitney repeated in Tommy’s head.

Tommy looked over to Blake. Blake’s nostrils were flaring and he was taking in deep and even breaths. Carol Anne’s hand went to his shoulder and began stroking. She was trying to prevent him from blowing his lid.

“You don’t think she could handle it?” Blake asked through gritted teeth.

“Tah!” he spat. “What would she really be able to accomplish here? How would she spend her days? Sitting in the cabin? Walking the trails with her brother holding her hand? Nope! She would accomplish nothing but keeping her brother from enjoying himself. Better to just let him enjoy what the camp has to offer and leave her at home where she is safe and can be attended to properly, to be quite honest with you.”

HOLDING MY FRIGGING HAND?! Who does this guy think he is? I don’t need to be ‘attended to properly!’

What Whit! Tommy thought back to her. He’s essentially just saying what you said earlier.

Oh, shut up!

It was almost as if the man thought that saying things like “to be honest with you” or “quite frankly” softened the blow of his harsh words. Did he not realize that the things he was saying were not being taken very kindly?

“She is a very capable young lady you know,” Carol inputted.

“Oh I’m sure she is,” he returned quickly. “I’m sure she is very capable under the circumstances, but this camp is for exceptional ... I’m afraid we don’t have much room for capable here.”

That’s it. I’ve had it!

The door to the S.U.V. opened. It drew the attention of everyone standing at the gate and they all watched as one of Whitney’s legs dropped down below the door of the truck, quickly followed by the other, and by the sound of the door slamming. She had her “seeing” cane in her hand and she pushed the button on the side of it. The end of it shot out and she began hopping it from side to side in front of her as she walked toward the group.

“I have a feeling that someone may have just changed their mind again,” Blake said. Pride was swelling in his voice as he said it. “I’ll go get her bags.” He left the group and headed to the back of the vehicle.

The camp-master’s right eye twitched every time Whitney’s cane tapped against the ground as she approached. The guy wasn’t enjoying the sight of her walking up to them.

Glad you could join us! Tommy thought to her.

I’m not happy about this, but NO WAY am I gonna let this prick tell me what I can and can’t do!

The camp-master stood before them, dumbfounded by the recent change of events, and not sure what to do about it. A moment before, he was getting his way and then he wasn’t. His entire face went from tan to turnip red. His eyes danced in his head, and he kept looking back and forth from Carol Anne to Blake, who was at the back of the truck pulling out Whitney’s luggage, as if he expected them to take his side and demand Whitney just go ahead and change her mind back to ‘not going’.

Blake came back, sat Whitney’s things down next to Tommy’s, and took up residence next to Whitney. He put one proud arm around her and grinned at the camp-master who was still desperately thinking of a way to change the tides back to his favor.

“It’s Margraves, right?” Carol Anne asked. The camp-master nodded with that same blank stare on his face, but didn’t say a word. “Well, Mr. Margraves, I do have one concern that your brochures don’t really answer,” she continued. Her gaze mostly fixed on the camp-master, but as she spoke she couldn’t help but to let her eyes shift to Whitney. “Umm ... it’s about the fact that the camp is...”

“Co-ed?” Margraves finished for her. “You needn’t worry about that, Mrs. Leighton. We understand the nature of our campers. Our staff is trained to identify and handle potential boy/girl issues. There will be no hanky-panky in my camp.” Margraves said the last part while looking directly at Whitney. He was still clearly perturbed but as he mentioned earlier, his opinion wasn’t necessarily the final say.

Is this creep serious? Whitney thought to Tommy. Like I’m really gonna let some guy I can’t see or hear try something with me. If someone tries, I’ll punch him in the face!

Tommy didn’t respond because he was still mesmerized by the camp-master’s way of speaking. He couldn’t help but to imagine the guy with a wooden-faced doll sitting on his arm and manipulating the dummy’s mouth as he spoke. The guy really did need to practice speaking in the mirror and see for himself how stupid not moving your lips very much when you talked looks.

“But...” Carol Anne said.

“There are no buts, Mrs. Leighton. We have never once had any of our campers get away with it and we don’t intend on shattering that record this week. It won’t happen,” he said and once again, he was looking directly at Whitney as he said it.

I don’t get it. Why do they keep looking at me? Tell them I’m not going to go around kissing guys, Tommy!

You sure about that, Whit? Sometimes I really do think you are the girls gone wild type!

Whitney lifted her cane and hit her brother in the leg with it. THWACK!

Ouch! What the hell, Whit!

Language! Whitney thought back to him.

“Why’d she do that?” Margraves asked.

Tommy gave her an annoyed look. “I think she’s getting restless just standing here,” he said. Whit, you can’t do that kind of shit in front of people, he thought to her.

Language! She thought back to him again with more emphasis.

“Well,” Margraves said. He pulled two yellow cards out of his back pocket and thrust them to Tommy. “These are your cabin assignments. I’ve put her in Alpha and you in Beta. Those are both the closest cabins to the front office and they’re also the cabins that are reserved for campers that need the most monitoring.” He handed the clipboard to Blake. “Sign here,” he said. “Then say your goodbyes. The kids can bring their own things to their cabins.”

Blake quickly scanned the release forms and signed them. He handed the clipboard back to Margraves, who took them, nodded, and headed back to the office.

The mood instantly changed with the signing of the waivers. Carol Anne turned to Tommy, wrapped her arms around him, and squeezed him tight. It was as if she were saying her last goodbye to him and not just goodbye for one week. She released him and grabbed him by the shoulders so she could look Tommy in the eye and speak to them both.

“I’m gonna miss you two so much!” she said.

“We’ll miss you too, mom,” Tommy said back

Aunt Carol, Whitney corrected.

“You be careful and watch over your sister,” Blake said.

GRRRR! I’m not a child. Tell them I don’t need to be watched like one!

“I will. I promise,” Tommy said.

WHACK! Whitney hit him in the leg again. Wimp! She thought.

Blake had a dumbfounded look on his face. “Why does she keep doing that?” he asked.

“She’s being difficult, but if she keeps it up I’m gonna wrap her cane around her neck!”

“WHACK! WHACK!” Go ahead and try it! She thought to him as she dealt two more blows to his leg.

Stop it, Whit! I gave you a shot at fighting me in the arena and you threw your sword to the mat! You had your chance!

Yeah, and you hit me how many times while I was unarmed! You deserve it!

WHACK!

“Tell her to stop that, Tommy! We paid two-hundred bucks for that thing! It’s not a damn sword!” Blake said.

Language! Whitney thought.

“I think she’s done now,” Tommy said giving Whitney an annoyed thought. “And there’s no reason to worry. I’ll keep a real close eye on her. I won’t let her go running off with any guys or anything.”

I swear to God Tommy! I’m about to break this thing over your head!

What? I’m just kidding! I fully intend on letting you run off with whatever guy you want! That way he can watch over you instead of me!

WHACK!

That’s not what I meant.

“You need to stop that young lady or I’m taking that cane away from you! That’s all I need is to have to buy another one because you broke it over your brother’s leg,” Blake said.

“It’s my fault. I keep razzing her. We’re actually both getting excited about this week and we’re having a good time.”

You’re so full of crap, Tommy. I’m not having a good time here!

Tommy ignored Whitney and extended his hand to Blake. “Thanks for letting us do this,” he said.

Blake pulled Tommy in and hugged him. “I’m proud of you, kiddo,” he said and it was clear to both of them that he was speaking to Whitney. He kept the hug short, and turned to Carol Anne. “Come on, hon. Let’s let the kids get on with it.”

Carol Anne hugged Whitney, and Blake waited for her to finish. As soon as she had, he took her by the hand and coaxed her back to the vehicle. She went with him reluctantly, looking back over her shoulder as they went, and waved. Tommy waved back and watched them as they got into the vehicle, buckled themselves in, and started the truck. Blake and Carol gave one final wave goodbye as Blake put it in reverse and backed out.

Tommy was glad to see them pulling away. It was finally time to start exploring, but Whitney wasn’t happy at all. As soon as she saw the truck’s taillights, she had to fight the urge to turn her blind body toward the truck and chase after it, sight or no sight, until she either fell on her face or got Blake to stop the truck. The taillights meant one thing to her and one thing only.

She was stuck.

2

Tommy stood in the beginning of the path staring down at their two large duffel bags, and their two bulky suitcases. They were having their first dilemma. They had too many bags for Tommy to carry by himself. He started by trying to strap the duffel bags around his shoulders and then picking up the suitcases. It was no use. They were too bulky and heavy.

Just let me help. I can at least handle one of the duffel bags.

No, you can’t. That’s not the problem anyways. If I don’t have both then the weight will be uneven and it will be even harder.

Okay. Then I will put my cane away and take one bag and a suitcase. I’ll carry mine and you can carry yours. Just walk behind me so I can see where I’m going.

“Yeah, that’s great, sis. Just walk around carrying bags and traversing a trail through the woods like nothing’s out of the ordinary. No problem!” Tommy said aloud.

“Bark me Katherine, or meow me Kat!” a bright cheery voice blurted.

Tommy spun at the sudden outburst and faced the girl from the edge of the woods. They were so caught up in their dilemma that they hadn’t realized someone approaching.

Meow me Kat? Is she an alien? Whitney thought to Tommy.

The girl was about their age. Her thick sandy-blonde hair flowed behind her. She was wearing a purple plaid shirt tied in front, and khaki jean shorts with hiking boots. The boots seemed a little out of place against the shorts and her open midriff, but the boots were only the beginning of the girl’s oddities.

She had seven or eight ostrich feathers tied to tufts of her hair so that they hung down along the back. She had flowers tucked into just about every place she could get them. They were sticking out of every pocket, tucked into her boots and laces, over her ears, and into every buttonhole. It was as if she were trying to become a human flower garden.

Tommy’s mind spun as he realized whom he just met, and he had to steady himself. Whitney, on the other hand, wasn’t amused.

God you’re a dork, she thought to him, you merely see a girl and you almost faint? Dork, dork, dork!

Kat was extending her hand to Whitney, and Whitney had a strong urge to reach her hand back to the girl. She had to remind herself that she wasn’t supposed to know that the girl was trying to shake her hand. Instead, she took her cane and whacked Tommy in the leg again.

“Ow,” he said

Quit gawking and introduce us.

I wasn’t gawking.

“She your sister, or your personal puppy trainer?”

“I’m Tommy and her name is Whitney. She has the cane because she can’t see, or hear you, but she still knows you’re here and I think she wants me to introduce you,” Tommy said.

“Really?” she asked. “Well, pull my sheepskin? Dark silence? The worst.” She shivered, shooting an empathetic glance to Whitney, wearing a confused look on her face, and then she crossed her arms. Her look became much more serious in an instant and she said, “You better not be shoveling manure into my barn.”

Tommy shook his head no defensively. “I wish I was.”

“That’s two punches right in the gutsky,” she said.

Tommy nodded, and, as they were talking, both Tommy and Whitney noticed another boy of about the same age. He was coming up from behind their new friend. He came out of the Quartermaster building and at first, he looked off toward the tree-line where Kat had been. He noticed Kat standing with Whitney and Tommy and he started walking over.