Allan stood in front of the mirror in the boys' bathroom, wearing a white T-shirt and tighty-whities, brushing his teeth. He leaned in closer, studying the bruises on his face.
“Everyone in for the night?” Curtis yelled from the other room.
Mayhem exited a bathroom stall and whispered to Allan, “Not a word from you.”
Curtis then poked his head in the bathroom, “How was your first night, Allan?”
“Mmpht,” Allan nodded positively with the toothbrush shoved in his mouth, and then he joined the others in the main cabin as the boys got in bed.
Demarco stood in the center of the room, “All accounted for, Curtis. Have a good night.”
Curtis switched off the lights and left the cabin for the night. Demaro stood in a small pool of moonlight streaming in from above, and the boys were silent for the longest moment.
“The Legend of the Michigan Dogman,” Demarco introduced.
“Oh crap, here it comes,” Mayhem said, irritated.
“Well, not everyone has heard it. The Legend of the Michigan Dogman. He has the body of a man, and the head of a dog.”
Mayhem threw the pillow over his head.
“What kind of a dog was it?” Allan asked.
“I don’t know, a dog,” Demarco responded, irritated by the question.
“Like a head of a Pit Bull or a Chihuahua?” Allan asked.
“I don’t know, a dog! He was spotted by lumberjacks in the 1800s. This is definitive. A lumberjack, a real GI Joe lookin’ guy, with a beard was chopping wood one night. A light was shining from inside his cabin. He was chopping wood. He looked up, and saw a huge dog with mean eyes, growling at him. The dog’s eyes said kill, and it lunged. The lumberjack and the dog fought hard. They wrestled.”
“I’ve never seen a dog wrestle,” Mayhem yelled from under his pillow.
Demarco continued, “The man is strong, but the dog is stronger. The dog’s mouth is close to the lumberjack’s neck, and he bites him on the neck! And… just as the dog bit the lumberjack. BAM! There was a shotgun blast, and the dog was shot, and died in the arms of the lumberjack.”
“Who shot the dog?” Allan asked.
“The lumberjack’s wife. She came out with a smoking gun, in a nightie, you know the kind you can see through.”
“Oooh,” the boys gulped.
“But it was too late. The lumberjack had turned into the Michigan Dogman.”
“This story is bullshit,” said Mayhem as he came out from under his pillow.
“It’s definitive,” Demarco insisted.
“It’s bullshit.”
Smitty added, “Rumor has it, Mr. Cooper and the Michigan Dogman, the lumberjack, are one and the same.”
“Who is Mr. Cooper?” Allan asked.
“Cooper Senior or Cooper Junior?” Demarco asked.
“Cooper Junior. Cooper Senior is in a wheelchair,” Smitty answered.
“You two are the stupidest,” said Mayhem.
“Why can’t it be him, just because he’s in a wheelchair?” Demarco asked.
“Oh my god. Will you two shut up? Will you shut up?”
“Who is Mr. Cooper? Senior? Junior?” Allan was trying to keep up.
“They own the camp,” said Mayhem. Junior hates children for one thing,” said Smitty.
“Why would a guy that hates children own a summer camp in the woods?” Allan asked.
Demarco answered like it was obvious, “He has to live in the woods, cause he’s the Michigan Dogman.”
“Go to bed!” Mayhem yelled.