WRITERS' CORNER discussion

Felicity, Ryan


"What kind of name is F anyways? At least you can-spell it." A chorus of laughter followed . F shook his head trying to dispel the image. The memory was a sharp stabbing pain near his heart. He had thought going by his first initials not only would be easier to spell but also would hide his embarrassment over his actual name. What were his parents thinking of naming him that anyways? No one at this camp was going to find out The shameful secret.

according to the brochure his parents had showed him , rainbow ridge was a camp for mentally and physically disabled teenagers.His parents argued that being around people with struggles similar to his would be good for him. After his latest encounter with the schools bully he had to agree that getting away would be a good idea. Putting his attention back on the camps Director he focused on the guidelines for being at rainbow Ridge. The boys cabin where he was staying was near the lake. The girls Cabin was by the counselors To reduce the chances of nighttime fratnerzatio. once the guidelines were thoroughly discussed A pretty girl stood up and took The directors place. With a smile she started "my n– Name is am– Amber and I used to be a cam – camper
Now, I a– am A counselor. Her stutter was pronounced though her words were slow and clear. She emphasize each one with hand motions . She explained that the boys cabin was named ELoHi Cherokee word for earth and the girls cabin was named unole The Cherokee word for air. When she was done explaining the schedule for the rest of the day, finish the rest of the welcolme ceremony, have Free time where campers could explore their new living quarters dinner and a get to know you session. cheers and excited cat calls erupted F smiled and shook his head

everyone else seemed way more enthusiastic to be here than he did. After the excited murmurs died down The camp director stood at the front of the room again. He spoke in a booming voice. "I'm so glad that everyone is so happy to be here."he then pointed out the guys counselors and the girls counselors, which included Amber the girl who had just spoken A few minutes ago. The room then broke up into two groups and followed their own counselors. At F's Count there were 12 male campers and 12 female campers with six counselors for each.as he watched the female campers line up he noticed a pretty girl at the back of the line staring at her feet

When F made it to his new home for the next week, his bags were already there on a bottom bunk.all around him people swaped names and where they were from. F noticed that most lived near him.ashe started putting his bag in one of the cubbyholes he heard someone say hello from behind him. Turning around he saw a blond headed boy in a wheelchair smiling at him. "Hi my name is Sam what is yours."The boy held out a fist to bump. After tapping knuckles F smiled and says "People call me F is nice to meet you". Sam grinned and asked "so what are you in for." F raised a questioning eyebrow. At his Look Sam explained "your disability." F Paused not sure he wanted to share his problem. Then decided everyone here had something to deal with so what could it hurt."I have severe form of dyslexia. My parents thought it would be a good idea to be around kids with challenges worse than mine" F turned a deep Scarlet as he wondered if he stuck his foot in his mouth. Sam just nodded and smiled. "I was paralyzed by a virus when I was little. Now that that's out-of-the-way would you like to see the lake?" Relieved that he hadnt offended him, F nodded and followed him outside

They ended up on a concrete walkway that F hadn't noticed. The walkway crisscrossed the entire camp. But hadn't really noticed. Thought had gone into designing this place. As they drew closer to a giant lake in the middle of the camp F saw a huge tree with a large branch with a rope swing hanging over the water.around the lake there were chairs sunk deep in the wet sand where The occupants could wet their feet in the cool water. At least F assumed it was cool."That is wherepeople who can't swim or those who are paralyzed but still want to be a part of the fun can sit. And that," Sam pointed to the rope swing."Is where you lucky dogs get us jump in the water."Sam told him about his childhood and his love for us. Then there was the day he woke up and was unable to move. Running a high fever Sam's mother rushed him to the hospital where they learned he had a rare virus which led to his paralysis. In return F told him about his family the