July 27, 2003
Ten Cent Shower - Part 25
Brian looked crestfallen. “I almost had it.”
Emma rubbed his shoulder.
“You did have it, kiddo. You had every piece. Which is why you’re the Professor.” He looked relieved, but still in pain. “Anybody got a pen?” The guys looked at each other blankly.
“All the pens ran out a long time ago, babe. Someone might have a pencil, but I don’t know who,” said Bob.
“Oh come on! We’re this close and we’re going to be stuck here for lack of a writing implement?” Emma cried.
“We could get back to my cabin…” began Brian.
“Absolutely not!” interrupted Emma. “I can practically see the end of this nightmarish day and I’m not going back into camp just to get caught by the toddlers of doom.”
They all thought quietly for a moment until Gregg spoke.
“Bri, can you show us how to ride this thing?” he asked. Brian looked surprised.
“Well yeah. But I thought you didn’t like to surf the white wall.”
“Got to,” Gregg shrugged.
Brian struggled to his feet and instructed them each how to hold their extremities in order to be carried along by the tingling current.
“Where do you want to go?” he asked.
“To the farthest edge,” answered Emma. She was concentrating on the map, already trying to associate dates with locations and figure out what kind of calculation would be needed when she finally did get something to write with.
The surfed the wall until Brian called out for them to drop their legs and jump out. It was near Anna’s cabin, but far enough that she wouldn’t have noticed them had she been home. Gregg whispered something to Bob and he took off at a run for a spot in front of Anna’s cabin. He was back in a minute, holding out something black to Emma.
“A little charcoal pencil for my best lady,” he said with a bow.
Emma started writing on the back of the paper. The other three watched as numbers and vectors were drawn onto the map. She mumbled to herself every few minutes and at one point she examined the readout on her watch with studious care.
“…Barb in 68, then the Harlan family over here…”
After 30 minutes, she held the paper away from her face and frowned.
“I think that’s it,” she said finally. “I think I’ve got the spot where the opening will be in exactly three minutes. Are you coming?”
Bob answered affirmatively right away, but the two other boys were quiet.
“What? What is it?” she demanded, already standing up to leave. “We’ve got to move now!”
“It’s just strange to be suddenly…” started Brian.
“Leaving,” finished Gregg.
“Our parents probably think we’re dead. They won’t know what to make of us. We haven’t changed at all.”
Emma could understand their concern, but she wasn’t going to miss her first real chance to leave in the last several hours.
“Are you going to find out by staying here?” she asked quietly. Brian stood up and Gregg followed. Bob was already jumping from foot to foot with excitement.
“Yeah! We’re outta here!” he shouted, with no regard for disturbing furies anymore.