Children’s Fiction
Pinny waved to his mother as the bus pulled away from Camp B’nei Ruach’s pickup spot. A grin spread across his face as it finally hit him: he was going to camp for the first time! Most of his friends had started going to camp last year, after sixth grade, but Pinny’s mother was hesitant about sending him. He didn’t know why; his friends made it sound like camp was incredible!
As they rumbled down the streets to the highway, Pinny turned away from the window and settled in his seat. He’d made up his mind that this summer, he was going to reinvent himself. In school, everyone knew Pinny as a quiet boy who enjoyed reading. Sure, he was pretty good at sports, but that wasn’t what people thought of when they thought of Pinny. But this summer was going to be different. He was going to push himself to participate in sports and other activities he didn’t really enjoy. Then he’d be part of the cool boys in his bunk!
This summer was going to be the best one yet!
#
Huffing and puffing, Pinny dragged his suitcase up the mountain to his bunkhouse. Rabbi Rosenblum, the camp director, had announced the bunks as soon as all the buses had arrived. Pinny thought the boys in his bunk looked like an interesting mix. Some of them seemed pretty cool, like Reuvy Weiss. Others, like Yossi Schwartz, looked like the type of boys Pinny was normally friends with. But this summer would be different.
“Let me help you with that!” a voice shouted. He ran over, his sneakers sending up puffs of dust. “Hi, I’m Reuvy. Are you new in camp?”
“Yes, this is my first year here,” Pinny answered.
“Nice! I’ve been here for three years already. I can show you around camp and introduce you to some of the guys I know.” Reuvy gave him a wide grin, which Pinny returned. “Come on!”
As they made their way up the mountain, Pinny thought his chest would burst open from how happy he was. With Reuvy as his first friend, he was on his way to being one of the cool kids!
#
“I’m open!” Pinny yelled across the baseball field, waving his arms wildly. It was the second week of camp, and he’d been asked to join a pick-up baseball game by Reuvy and his friends. They’d slowly started to include him in the exciting, non-camp-arranged activities they’d organized.
Last week, Reuvy had started a bunk-wide water fight. Truthfully, Pinny hated water fights. He didn’t like getting soaked, and he hated being hit by the balloons. But all the popular boys were doing it, so he did it, too. He noticed that Yossi and some of the other boys went off to a gazebo and didn’t participate. Part of him wished he’d gone with them, but he squashed that down. His plan for camp had been to get involved with the loud boys, the ones who were always front and center. That was the way to have the most fun in camp.
Pinny glanced over at the bleachers, where Yossi and a few other boys were bent over a notebook. They hadn’t wanted to play baseball, but they agreed to come support their bunk. Pinny didn’t love playing baseball, either — he’d rather play basketball, to be honest — but if he wanted to fit in, he’d have to play the sports the rest of the boys enjoyed.
As he watched, Yossi marked something off with his pencil and the group burst into laughter. Pinny ignored the quiet voice in his head that said he might have more fun with that group.
#
The third week of camp, Pinny found himself standing at the front of the camp, acting out a funny play that Reuvy had come up with. He toyed with his tzitizis, feeling his ears turn red. Pinny didn’t like being in the spotlight like this. He’d rather be sitting with the other boys in his bunk. They were using wafers to build a miniature version of the camp. It looked pretty fun.
“So, Mr. Shlumazel!” Reuvy’s voice boomed across the stage. “What are you working on today?”
There was a beat of silence, and Pinny suddenly realized that he was supposed to be Mr. Shlumazel. His cheeks heated as he stepped forward.
“I – I’m working on —” Pinny tripped over a low stool that had been left in the center of the stage and fell. Not just fell but fell right off the stage and into the laps of the division heads. He jumped up, feeling his eyes grow wet.
The dining room was silent. Pinny felt everyone staring at him. He turned on his heel and fled.
#
Pinny ran down the path to a gazebo tucked into the trees. He flung himself on a bench and hid his head in his hands. Over and over, the scene from before played in his head. He kept watching himself trip over the stool and off the stage. It was the worst moment of his life!
“You okay?”
He looked up to find Yossi standing beside him, his hands clasped behind his back. “Are you here to make fun of me?” he asked suspiciously.
“Never!” Yossi sat down beside him. “That looked really embarrassing. I’m glad it wasn’t me, and I’m sorry it happened to you.”
“It was dumb. I shouldn’t have gone up,” Pinny muttered.
“Why not? It was so cool! I could never do something like that!” Yossi exclaimed. “I hate getting up in front of everyone like that. You were really brave.”
“Thanks, I guess.” Pinny sighed. “But I was so dumb! I fell off the stage!”
Yossi waved a hand. “No one will remember by tomorrow. I’m sure there will be something even funnier that happens, especially since the play is funny. Don’t worry about it.”
“Easy for you to say,” Pinny grouched. “You’re not the one who fell on the division heads’ laps.”
“Nah, but when I left the dining room, Reuvy had pulled up Ari Gold, the sixth grade division head, to take your place,” Yossi said. “Everyone thought it was hysterical. They’ll forget you were even in the play.”
“I hope so.” Pinny tried to push the embarrassment out of his mind. “And…thanks. For coming to make sure I was okay.”
Yossi smiled. “I thought you could use a friend.”
#
The next day, Reuvy apologized to Pinny. “I thought it would be a good idea to keep doing the play,” he said. “That way, the attention wouldn’t be on you. People would only think about the skit, and not what happened in the middle.”
“Thanks,” Pinny said. He thought Reuvy probably did the right thing. Like Yossi had said, no one even remembered that he’d fallen off the stage. Reuvy’s plan had worked.
“Want to join us for a game of dodgeball?” Reuvy asked. “We’re playing against the eighth graders today.”
Pinny opened his mouth to agree, then closed it. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Yossi and a couple of other boys walking out of the bunkhouse holding a board game. It looked like Settlers of Catan, one of his favorite games. “Thanks, but…I think I’m good.”
“Maybe next time!” Reuvy flashed him a grin and ran off.
Pinny hurried after Yossi and the others. “Hey! Can I join?” he asked, feeling a little shy.
“Sure!” Yossi said.
Pinny had spent most of the summer trying to be someone he wasn’t. Maybe it was time to finally be himself.