Swamp Cows

Ilana S.

Tribe of Benjamin

Age 11

Swamp Cows (a fictional explanation of a camp phenomenon)

As I lay flat on my bunk during (FOB) I heard a noise outside that I didn’t know how to identify. One of the rules of FOB is that you need to be quiet so I couldn’t ask any of my cabin-mates if they were hearing what I was hearing and if they knew what it was. As I focused on the sound I decided that I had to investigate and I became singularly focused on finding the answer to my quest. But before I can investigate, I have to wait 36 seconds for FOB to end.

I grab a flashlight, and a notebook and off I go and invite my cabin along with me! We start to go down the trail with that leads to the dining hall and take 13 steps and then hear a “cricket, cricket” sound.  I thought “Is that the noise?” I take my notebook out and write “A cricket-cricket noise.” I put my notebook away and off I go yet again. I take 29 steps and I see something bright, black, red and very small. I decide to pause and listen, but hear nothing. But I still take out my notebook and write “Black and red, small.” I put my notebook back I my pocket, and again, off I go. Then I walk 29 steps before I decide to listen and wait. I saw and heard something! It was big and oh my it’s a person! It is Red Sox and Beardo and Peachfuzz! I say hi to them and decide that they couldn’t be the source of the noise, then I walk 32 steps to a pond. I see and hear something else. Like a “honk.” It’s a- I don’t know so I take out my notebook and write “Honk noise, sorta brown, black, and white color with beak.” We all ran back to the cabin as fast as we could, right as it started to rain (again). I look at my notebook. It reads; “Cricket-cricket noise, black, red and small, honk noise, sorta brown, black, and white color with beak.” My cabin looked at our observations but decided that we didn’t have any new answers.

 The next day, I go to breakfast and asked Verde if he knew anything about the weird noises at camp. He said there was a legend of the swamp cows. At night, they call to lure you into the water of Camp Gilgal to swim. But I think they are bullfrogs croaking and I like legends so legends can be changed and stretched which make everything more fun!