6.21 @ 1:26 (story by Jill inspired by Jennifer's image)

 

Jenn gave me this photo on June 25, 2021, as my prompt for the week. The beads in the pan reminded me of camp and the thought of kids sitting crosslegged around the pan sorting them or playing a game. Jenn just told me that they are actually blueberries from her yard. Now that I know that, they do look like blueberries to me, but that thought had never dawned on me until she let me know. haha. I wrote this when I still believed that they were beads, so this is what the photo inspired ...

6.21 @ 1:26

    “No, that’s not the rules!” I could hear Miranda whining from several feet away and braced myself for what I knew was coming next. “Anita!” 

    There it was. 

    Two weeks into this gig as day-camp counselor, and I already had all the kids pegged—well, at least the annoying kids.

    I walked over to where Miranda was sitting on the cement with two other girls. “What’s up, Miranda?” I said.

    “Tina doesn’t remember the rules. She’s not playing the right way.”

    “I am so!” Tina said and wiped some sweat off her forehead. Even in the shade it felt like 100 degrees. Didn’t help that there was no breeze. Even the trees looked like they were from a painting.

    “What're you talking about, Miranda? Explain yourself a little more, please.”

    “Remember when you told us how you used to play that bead game when you were our age?”

    I looked up for a second, “I don’t think that was me,” I said. “Maybe it was Jenna?” I looked around the pavilion and saw Jenna chatting with some campers about 20 feet away. “I’ll go ask her,” I said. 

    “It doesn’t matter,” Tina said. “We can make up our own rules and play something else. It doesn’t have to be the same game.”

    Miranda’s face was red—either from the heat or her temper, I wasn’t sure which.

    “Miranda, come with me. We’ll see what Jenna remembers.” I smiled at Tina—seemed like she needed a break from Miranda. 

    She rolled her eyes at me and wiped her brow again. “What day do we get to go swimming again?

    “Thursday,” I said. “If it doesn’t rain,” I added.

    “Why can’t it be Monday?” She said. 

    “I know. I wish,” I said. This was going to be a long summer.

    Miranda followed me over to Jenna who seemed to be having the same sort of discussion with a group of boys.

    When she finished talking to them, she looked up at me. 

    “Okay, so,” I started. “Miranda remembers some rules to a game with beads. Was that from you?”

    She laughed. “Yep. What do you need, Miranda?”

    I sat on the picnic table bench as they walked back to Miranda’s group. I could hear Miranda say, “Okay, so Tina isn’t going with what you said.”

    Miranda’s voice trailed off as they got further away, and I mentally ran through all the reasons why I had thought this was going to be a fun way to spend my summer. Then I mentally added up all the days until I could head back to college.

    Looking at my watch, I wondered if the battery had died. How could it only be June 21st at 1:26 p.m.?

—Jill Morse (written July 2, 2021)