It was a dull morning with a deep fog unlike any other, for a fog like this had not been seen for years. Most of the children thought nothing of it but it had a much deeper meaning far beyond anyone’s guess.
On the bus, there was much merriment and laughter. One student took notice of this fog and thought there was more to it. This child’s name was Francesco. He was worried. The Weather Channel called for sunny skies and temperatures in the mid 70s but this fog looked like it led to below zero temperatures.
When the school bus arrived at Camp Letts, it was sunny and clear and hard to imagine there was fog earlier that morning. There was no talk of it, as if it had not been seen. Francesco knew something was wrong but he also pretended it never happened. In fact, he thought maybe he was just imagining things, which turned out to be a big mistake. Francesco and his friends Cole, Ian, and Max went to the canoeing station first and paddled a canoe out into the bay. Francesco saw the deep fog again. He pointed it out but his friends said, “Just a morning fog. Happens a lot.” Francesco thought differently. He thought something with more meaning than just a morning fog, something huge.
Francesco was scared of the fog because when he was three years old, his father died sailing with many friends on a day that started with a fog like this. That day had started with this type of fog. Then the skies cleared and it was a gorgeous day until a sudden rain started to pour down. Thunder could be heard, lightning could be seen, and the huge, never-ending waves threw a temper tantrum. At the end of the storm, his mother and a few others lived but Francesco’s father and many other people went overboard and drowned. No bodies were ever found.
As time passed throughout the day, Francesco gradually forgot about the fog. During free time, after all of the activity stations at Camp Letts were complete, a light rain started. No one really cared, but, during free time, while the kids were playing soccer and volleyball, the rain began to pour down. Thunder could be heard and lightning could be seen. The storm became fierce within the first five minutes. A tree was uprooted and fell. Everyone hurried to the cabins. When they reached the cabin, the door could hardly stay closed. The wind was violent and people screamed and even cried because they were so scared. The storm lasted all night and everyone had trouble sleeping. Everyone lay still in their bunks listening to the storm. Every now and then, a tree would fall. Francesco was freaking out. Inside, he thought he would die like his father, even though there was no sea to drown in. Francesco was so scared he couldn’t hear the shrieks of the other kids; he was so deep in his thoughts of horror.
The storm seemed as if it would never end. When they thought it was over, Francesco stepped outside. As he opened the door, the storm picked up again and lightning nearly struck him. The teachers shouted at him to come in, but, the last thing Francesco heard was the bang of thunder.
He fell on the ground unconscious, seeing images of his father at sea while he was drowning.
When Francesco woke up, he was strapped to a stretcher in the hospital with nurses all around him. He saw his mother crying. Francesco asked, “Mother, why are you crying?” She replied, “In the storm, your leg was severally broken by a tree trunk that fell on you.”
As soon as Francesco heard this, he screeched in disbelief until the nurse lifted up the blanket and he saw, with shock, a giant cast on his leg. Francesco silently cried, wishing this didn’t happen and he hadn’t run out the door. If he had stayed in the cabin, this wouldn’t have happened; but, he’d had a vision the cabin was the same boat his father had fallen off.
Sixth grader Dylan Callahan, Central Middle School, Anne Arundel County, enjoys playing basketball and soccer and is a blue belt in karate.