“What’s wrong? Are you okay? You look like you’ve just seen a ghost.”
I think, No just an angel, but I say, “I’m okay, just too much coffee before I ate. I’ll be fine.”
Seth says a quick prayer, and starts wolfing down his doughnuts. I feel guilty because I forgot to say grace, so I silently ask for forgiveness and then say a quick thanks.
I start thinking of some other questions I need to ask Zadok. Am I the only one at camp who knows what he is? Are there others like me that I can talk to? Can I talk to people about him, people who can’t see him? My mind is racing.
“Megan, did you bring sunscreen? I forgot mine,” Seth says.
He pops the top on his soda and takes a big slurp.
“Yeah, I have plenty.”
Carrie looks at Seth in wonderment and says, “How much sugar can one person inhale? Six doughnuts and a Coke.”
“I’m eating light today ‘cause of swimming, don’t want to be weighed down.”
Carrie looks at me, “He’s kidding right?”
I shrug my shoulders, not really sure.
Seth swivels around looking for Robby. He spies him talking to a cute blonde a couple tables behind us. Seth asks, “Who is Robby talking to?”
“I think her name is Paige,” I vaguely remember her from last year. She had seemed kind of shy.
Mr. Z. walks up to our table and says, “Good morning Carrie, Megan, Seth,” looking at Seth he asks, “Can you check and make sure your kids know where they’re going after chapel? I’m going to borrow Megan and get the preservers out for swim today.”
“Okay, see you soon,” Seth gives my hand a quick squeeze under the table before he gets up.
Zadok and I head out the door together toward the boathouse. It’s slightly chilly out and I wish I had a jacket.
“I thought you might have some questions for me.”
I nod my head yes and think of where to start. “Is there anybody else here at camp who knows who you are?”
“No. Not currently. I’m sent wherever God wants, whenever He wants.”
“Is there anybody I can talk to if,” Zadok looks at me, “when”, Zadok nods his head with approval glad I had caught my slip up, “things start to happen with these bad angels?”
“Pray,” Zadok answers.
“No,” I say thinking he’s misunderstanding me.
“I understand what you mean,” Zadok says, “Just because you can see angels doesn’t mean that you get any special way to deal with them. Just like when Jesus walked the earth and the devil came to visit him. He didn’t call on us to help. He came here to fulfill his role as a Holy sacrifice.
“You have the same defense He used. God’s word. If you need saving, use His word, the Bible. If that doesn’t work, leave it up to Him. You can’t fight an angel on your own anyway. Angels are stronger, faster, and smarter than you. We move between the earthly realm and the spiritual. “You, however, are bound by the rules of earth. The devil and his demons are not. For now, you are trapped here. Earth is in the hands of the prince of this world, the devil. Remember the devil can’t harm or kill you without God’s permission. Keep that in mind.”
We reach the boathouse. Zadok pauses and looks out at the lake. Zadok looks serious, concerned. He continues, “If God allows the evil angels to hurt you, it is only to make you stronger.” We enter the boathouse.
“Look, if you tell other humans you see angels, most of them are going to think you’re a kook. Others will become so fascinated with the spiritual realm they will be distracted from their salvation. There are very, very few who can handle the knowledge of spiritual forces and not be distracted from their Creator. You must be very selective of who you share this knowledge with.”
I can’t think. All my other questions have evaporated along with the morning chill. The sun is shining as Zadok loads up my arms with preservers. We carry them down to the beach. They smell slightly moldy. There is nothing like the smell of mold to bring you back down to earth.
“Don’t worry, be happy,” Zadok chuckles at his joke and I do too.
“You still haven’t asked me the most important question, but that will come later.”
“The most important thing?” I can tell I have some serious thinking to do, besides my relationship with Seth.
The chapel bell begins to ring. “Are you going?” I ask.
“Of course. Even though it’s only a shadow of Heaven, it’s where I feel most at home when I’m here on Earth. Remember, I live to worship,” We walk in silence to the chapel.
I ‘m still trying to absorb my new reality and what it means. I do feel I am living in a shadow, that the meaning is obscured. I’m missing something.
As we enter, Zadok repeats, “Don’t worry, be happy.”
I let the joy rise in my heart as the worship service starts.
After chapel, Seth and I along with Mr. Z. and Jackson, one of the older teens I don’t know that well, head down to the beach. Jackson gather’s everyone around and explains the rules for a swim and run race. Mr. Z. climbs up the lifeguard tower. Seth is assigned to watch the boys and I–the girls. This should be a piece of cake.
The water is chilly and takes my breath away; so I do what I’ve always done, take a deep breath and go under all the way. There is a swim platform only about twenty-five feet out in the lake; the kids start to swim toward it.
Seth, a fast swimmer, is already up on the platform with most of the boys and one or two of the girls. I stay in the shallows watching and constantly counting bobbing heads. Jackson is further up on the beach tying flags on a string for the relay teams to rip off as they come up on shore and race across the sand.
I hear a scream, “Let go!” one of the girls who is more than halfway to the platform goes under. All I see is bubbles. Zadok and Seth yell simultaneously. Seth dives in, while I grab a preserver and start swimming to the last location of the bubbles. Time slows down. The drag from the preserver is worse than in practice. Seth has reached the bubbles and goes under looking for the little girl. I’m almost at the bubbles, just two or three feet away. Oh God, please let us find her. Let her be okay.
Seth surfaces, “I can’t find her!” he screams.
I hear panic in his voice. He takes three quick breaths and goes under again. I do the same. Jackson has reached us. I can vaguely hear his muffled voice as I go under. Opening my eyes, I swim for the bottom. The lake water is murky and long tendrils of seaweed caress and tug at my legs and arms. I look to my left and see a flash of pink. I also see a horrible black image tangling her in the seaweed. Her struggles entangle her arms, keeping her down. While I swim towards her I see she’s screaming underwater. Her mouth and eyes wide open in sheer fright. She swallows the lake water, fighting frantically, trying to rip herself free. The girl is drowning before my eyes. My heart races as I kick hard trying to reach her in time. Suddenly, Seth swims past me. We rip at the seaweed and push the girl toward the surface. With powerful strokes, Seth grabs her and pulls the little girl up through the water. I follow them to the surface. I look down below us and see a dark shadowy hand reaching toward us. I start to panic hoping the preserver is nearby. Seeing the shadow so close as I’m running out of air is frightening. When my face breaks through the water, I see my preserver floating a few feet away. I grab it and pass it to Jackson who pulls it over the little girl’s head. Seth and Jackson start for the platform. It’s closer than the shore. The girl isn’t conscious. I feel a tug on my leg and I go under. I frantically kick at the presence, praying for help from above. It lets go and I break through the surface and swim for the platform. I’ve never swum faster in my life.
I look over my shoulder to the beach and see Zadok on the shore, and then he’s gone. I look back to the platform and there he is. He helps pull the girl out and Seth and Jackson pull themselves up. I struggle up onto the platform by myself. Watching for any sign of the watery shadow. I’m shaking from my encounter, no one notices as all eyes are on the little girl
who almost drown. I scan the lake one more time to make sure no one else is going under. Everyone is up on the beach, the platform, or in the shallows no deeper than their knees.
Zadok rolls the girl on her side, then quickly on her tummy to get as much water out as possible. “Get the boat,” he says to Jackson. Jackson dives back in the water and with long strokes he makes good time to the shore. Zadok rolls her onto her back. He checks her mouth for obstructions. We start CPR. He breathes into her mouth while I do chest compressions. Almost immediately, she starts to cough up water and breathe.
She starts to cry, gagging and coughing up the last of the fluid in her lungs.
“It’s okay, sweetie, you’re okay, we’re getting the boat,” I say.
I look at her legs. They are covered with scratch marks. I’ve never seen seaweed cause marks like that on anyone before. Whatever was down there was real. I shudder.
The other kids start talking. Seth takes charge of them. Jackson pulls up in the boat as I talk to her and try to calm her down.
Zadok picks up the girl and steps into the boat to take her to shore. I hear her say, “The seaweed kept pulling me under. Like it was trying to kill me. Don‘t make me get in the water!”
As they pull away, all the talk on the platform is about the near drowning. No one mentions seeing a dark presence in the water. I keep scanning the surface, but the angle of the sun makes it almost impossible to look more than a foot down. In the commotion, I guess I’m the only one to notice Mr. Z.’s sudden appearance on the platform and the fact that except for where Mr. Z. touched the girl, his clothes are dry. Most of the kids swim to shore. I’m too afraid to get in the water. The kids assume I’m too tired after the rescue. I keep looking at the lake. I think I see a dark shadow hanging out near the far shore. I wait for someone to bring the boat to get me. When I get back to shore, I’m spooked. An unseen danger is watching and hunting. How far will it go to hurt me and is there anything besides prayer that I can do to stop it?
***
Later that evening, after dinner, I’m excused from KP duty because of what happened during swim. I go to the bathroom and head for a stall. As I’m locking the door, I hear someone else run in and go to a stall down from mine. I hear a gag followed by the sound of puking. I ask, “Are you okay?” Whoever it is, doesn’t answer and then I hear footsteps leaving. Strange.
I find Seth at his cabin and we walk to “our place”. He holds out his hand for me to step down onto the dock and we sit. Seth puts his arm around my shoulder and I rest my head on his.
“I’m so glad that girl’s okay,” he says.
“You saved her life,” I hug him.
“Wow, you think, ‘what would I do if something like that happens’ but you never really think it’s going to happen, ya know?”
“Yeah, you’re a hero and you’re my hero,” I say.
“I’m going to write my parents and tell them what happened. I’ve never written them a letter from camp before. They’ll probably pass out from shock,” Seth laughs.
I wonder if I should tell him about the dark presence pulling the girl under and then grabbing at me. If I do, will he believe me? I decide not to risk it. I change the subject.
“Are you going to tell them about us?”
“I don’t have to Meg, they read all my texts; they know we like each other. My dad did talk to me about treating you right and I will. You’re my girl now,” Seth raises his eyebrows in a villainous way.
Pebbles start hitting us in the head, landing on the dock and in the water. We look up and there’s Robby, “Had to stop it before you two start getting too romantic. Oh Seth, Oh Megan.” Robby adds some kissing noises for extra effect.
I laugh and find some stray pebbles on the dock to start pelting him. Seth jumps up and goes to tackle Robby. “Look man, we’ve only got six more days and then it’s back to long distance. Let me have some time with my girl.”
“Hey, don’t get mad at me, Mr. Z. sent me down to get you guys for the campfire. He told me where to find you.”
“Have you guys noticed anything different about Mr. Z?” I ask as we start to walk back to the camp. Seth takes my hand.
“No. Except that he’s onto you two,” Robby says.
Seth says, “No, why?”
“Nothing. You’re right. He’s just keeping a closer eye on us,” I can’t tell Robby or Seth what I know.
I was hoping they had seen Zadok today disappearing from the beach, then reappearing on the swim platform in his dry clothes. Or the dark presence in the water, or the mysterious scratch marks on the girl’s legs. But nobody noticed, except me.
I was looking forward to having more time alone with Seth tonight, but I don’t think Zadok is going to let that happen. I’ m not sure if that’s the human role he’s playing or if it’s from a spiritual order. I should be trying to figure out the question I’m supposed to ask, and figuring out how to deal with the evil forces, but all I really want right now is more time with Seth. I feel safe around him. Is that so wrong? I know it’s not. It’s normal. I can’t be expected to be more than what I am. I don’t want to deal with other realm things. I just want to be in the here and now. I’m a teenager, what can I possibly do to help God and his angels? Why don’t they just do what needs to be done? I wrack my brain for an answer. What can I possibly do to help… Now I feel like an idiot. That must be the question. Okay, Zadok, now I know what I need to ask. Then maybe you can leave Seth and me alone with what little time we have left and maybe you can work on getting rid of the evil without having me involved.
***
I was right. Seth and I are not left alone for one minute at the campfire or after. Everyone wants to hear the story of how Casey (I found out her name) almost drowned. I head back to the cabin with my girls ready for a restless night of wondering if the thing will leave me alone. I jump at every little noise and spend too much time scanning the woods from my window. The moon hides behind clouds for most of the night leaving me to wonder in pitch black darkness. I ask for protection every time I jolt awake. The night seems to drag on forever.
***
The bugle wakes us up again. I have my question ready for Zadok when I can get him alone again. It’s day three so only five more are left to spend with Seth. I gather my stuff and head for the showers, yawning along the way. Back at the counselors’ lounge, I run into Carrie again and we wait for the guys. Robby and Seth show up a few minutes later. Robby joins us for breakfast.
I notice Carrie seems to have taken more care with her appearance. I even see a hint of lip-gloss. She tosses her pigtails and asks, “Hey, Robby do you know where I can go to get more arrows for archery? The kids lost quite a few in the trees, and I’m not tall enough to reach them.”
“I’ll help you get them down,” Robby says taking the bait, “I can show you where Mr. Timmons keeps the extra supplies too.”
“Would, you? Thanks,” Carrie says practically batting her eyelashes.
I just about fall off the bench in amazement. Carrie does so like Robby. I remember her climbing trees last year showing off her skill to everyone. Nobody could climb higher than she could. Seth and I give each other a look, while Carrie and Robby discuss some of the finer points of archery. Robby’s always so busy looking for the next joke that he doesn’t always notice the obvious.
“Hi Robby.” It’s Paige the pretty girl Robby talked to at breakfast yesterday.
“Oh, hi Paige,” Robby says, he looks back to Carrie and says, “Ah, Carrie, have you met Paige?”
“No. Hi. Would you like to sit with us?” Carries voice doesn’t sound that friendly.
“Sure,” Paige sits right next to Robby. Carrie and Robby keep talking trying to include Paige in the conversation, but they soon forget about her.
Seth and I talk about our cabin kids. We’re just enjoying each other’s company while we can. “Let’s sit in chapel together, my kids on one side and yours on the other. They can’t stop us from worshiping together,” Se
th says. I agree.
All the coffee I drank goes through me so I head over to the rest room before chapel starts.
While in the stall, I hear someone run into the stall next to mine. I see pink sneakers, then I hear a gag and retching. “Are you okay?” I ask. I don’t get an answer and the next thing I know, pink sneaks is running out of the bathroom. Déjà-vu.
I don’t think “pink sneaks” is sick. It’s happened twice now, after meals. I’m thinking someone’s bulimic. I remember watching a show on girls with eating disorders. One girl would go and throw up after a meal so she wouldn’t gain any weight. I think “pink sneaks” has the same problem, but first I have to find out who she is. Another problem that I don’t need. Don’t I have enough to deal with? I guess not. For a minute I think I’ll just ignore it. It’s none of my business. Then my conscience asks, If you don’t try to help the girl, who will? Maybe no one else knows. I sigh. I have to at least try to find out who it is and help her. It’s time to play detective.
I walk over to the chapel. Seth and my Venus girls have saved a place for me. My group is sitting near the back row. I look for “pink sneaks” as I walk down the center aisle but I only see one girl wearing pink shoes and she looks too small. She must be sitting up near the front. I’ll have to wait until after chapel to continue my search.
As we leave the chapel, my Venus girls distract me. By the time I look for “pink sneaks” most of the kids are out the door. I catch a glimpse of a blonde girl with shoulder length hair who is wearing pink shoes running towards the archery area. I catch Carrie on her way to the range and ask her, “Carrie, there’s a blonde girl in your next class who’s wearing pink sneakers; they’re really cute, can you ask her where she got them?”
“Sure, see you at lunch,” she says.
I catch up to Seth walking to the beach.
“Hey handsome, you can rescue me today.”
“From what a ‘Venus flytrap?’” Seth says. I lightly put my hand on his chest, stopping him.
“If I find a snake in my cabin kind sir, will you come and get it out?” I ask Seth, doing my best imitation of a damsel in distress.
“Yes, fair maiden, I will rescue you from the fierce legless dragon, slay him, skin him, and turn him into a fashionable belt as a reminder of the day your true love rescued you from the clutches of the slithery serpent.”