When I was 13, I attended camp for the first time. It was a Fishing Camp, and we would go out to the water and fish. There was a lake in the camp and beautiful trees and hiking trails excited me. There was cabins with bunk beds, and some were standard hotel lodges. I felt good going to camp as a teenager. Little did I know how devious the campers would become. There was rumors of pranksters and people who would tie up new campers as some part of initiation, but I doubted it, but I would not be right.
In the spring morning of March, I was wearing my bathing suit, with a towel drapped around my shoulder. I thought that swimming would be an excellent time to cool off during free time which lasted for 2 hours. There was a olympic swimming pool with lanes, and a diving board in the main pool with more space. I chose to go to the main pool to swim along with my friends. I pushed open the gate, and went to the steps to the pool. I walked carefully down the steps into the water. The water was icy cold and it became uncomfortable for me for a while, but when I put my arms to my side, and starting swimming in a freestyle, I became accustomed to it, and it did not bother me again. It was exciting to swim, and it would get better. My friends called me over to play water volleyball. I accepted, and we ended up beating the other team 21-20 in a close match-up. After water volleyball, I took some times jumping off the diving board to the deep end. I did a couple of cannonballs, and it splattered water on some of the boys and girls watching me. They looked at me and seemed to be a bit annoyed, as they told me to stop. I ignored them, and concentrated on my final dive. I did a back flip cannonball into the water. Shortly after my final dive, free time was nearly over, so I dried off, and walked the trail back to my cabin.
Halfway along the way, I was walking down a narrow shortcut, when I heard giggling from the bushes. I did not who was giggling or why the person was giggling. I just paid no attention to it as I continued to walk. Suddenly, I felt someone grab my neck from behind. I was in shock as this happened, and tried to free myself, but it was futile. They had me in a sleeping hold, and I drifted off to a slumber. What I did not know was that after putting me to sleep, two boys and two girls had carried me by my arms and legs to an isolated area near the river. They put my back aganist a tree, and had gagged me with a piece of rag and held it in place by saran wrap and duct tape. They had tied my hands behind my back around the tree, and duct taped my legs together. When I woke up, I was in a helpless position, unable to comprehend my predicament.
The two boys and girls was a lot older then me, and asked me a basic question. Why, you a newbie, would cause trouble through your cannonballs? I refused to answer their question, and kept my mouth shut. They asked me, if I thought it was funny to do that? Again, I hesitated to answer in fear that they would use it against me. The two boys was not pleased by my responses. They ripped off more duct tape from the roll, and used it to wrap tape around my torso, around my stomach, and I was blindfolded by a night mask. In one short moment, everything around me had disappeared from sight. I got scared but did not dare tell them anything. I did hear one girl said, I think this boy needs to be taught a lesson.
My heart starting beating faster from the stress induced from the people that tied me up. Suddenly, I felt something poke me in my armpits. I hollered with pain, but did not realize that it was a stick that should not have hurt me. It was all in my mind that it was something more terrible because my eye sight was gone. They poked me with the stick for ten minutes, and then they got bored. Someone wrapped their arm around my neck, while someone else started to cut off my hair, one layer at a time. If I could speak, they would have heard me complaining about my beautiful hair. Someone else took snips of my hair using a pair of scissors. Then, after all my hair was perceived to be removed, Someone took a photograph of me. Finally, I heard foot steps of people walking away from me. Now, I became concerned. Was this some kind of initation that the kids had warned me about? Did I just become a victim because I was a newbie?
The questions raced in my mind as they continued their onslaught. Since my perception of time was lost, it could have been five minutes, five hours, or five days since they had tied me up. When I heard footsteps return to me, I was panicking. For the first time, I regretted going to camp. Then, someone told me that it was only going to get better. I did not understand if it means the torture will be more sosphiscated or it would be over soon. I found my answer when the people holding me captive removed me from the tree by cutting me loose. The blindfold was kept on, as one person grabbed my left hand, and led me to an unknown place. I did not want to resist because I thought if a cooperated, I would be peacefully released.
When we arrived at the destination, one of the people pulled my arms behind my back, and placed handcuffs on my wrists. I heard a boat arrive with its steam engines. I felt someone grab my feet, while someone else grabbed my tummy. They tossed me, and I landed hard on a wooden deck. I felt hands grabbing me, as they carried me creaking down steps. When I was let go, a couple of people grabbed me, and tied my hands above my head to a railing.
To Be Continued.