Card Night...A Short Story

 Time For A Challenge!

This week those who provided the picture and the required words for their weekly writing challenge called this combination of picture and words scary--not "Boo!" scary, but difficult scary.

They're right.

It's an interesting picture, especially considering the chosen words. Then again, things should be challenging. And if you're in for a challenge, here are the rules:

1) Use the photo and five required words in your story.
2) Keep your word count 500 words or less.
3) You have until next Tuesday night to link up your post.
4) Add your story (Blue Link) at Leanne's, Debb's or Tena's websites.

5) Have fun, don’t stress, let those creative juices flow.

This week's mandatory words are:

Party

Locust

Evil

Altar

Guilt

All right, here we go!

Card Night

The girls arranged their sleeping bags in a circle then they all sat cross-legged on the floor creating a human circle inside the one made of cotton and nylon. They'd been waiting for this night ever since their parents signed them up for Girl's Camp--the first night of camp otherwise known as Card Night.

Card Night was decade's old. It began when the mother's mothers of the current crop of teenagers gathered at Camp Walliwakka in upstate Wisconsin and card battles between the girls were not only epic, but would span generations. Each girl came knowing family honor was at stake.

"So, who's up for a party?" Lisa Ambrose said to her fellow campers once they knew the leaders were all asleep. The leaders were, of course, not asleep, but were on the cabin's main floor drinking coffee and swapping tales of when they themselves attended Camp Walliwakka. Technically, card games were not quite banned, but were discouraged as some parents thought they could usher in an evil influence.

"It's not like we're sacrificing babies on an alter! It's just a card game!" Jenny Smith, another camper said at the first-day orientation when the subject of card games was presented. The instructor smiled at Jenny and responded with a wink, "We know that most times card games are innocent enough and we're not here to guilt you all into following the rules. It's a suggestion that we believe will help make your time with us at Camp Walliwakka as good as it can be."

The girls played a couple of rounds hoping their laughing wouldn't wake the non-sleeping leaders. When Jenny's turn came to deal the cards she waited until all eyes were on her, then she quietly said, "What do you all say we shake things up a bit?"

"What?" most of the girls said.

"What do you mean?" Lisa said.

"Oh, I'm talking about a little game my mom taught me."

"No way!" Mary Sampson said. "My mom told me about some of the games your mom played when they were here."

"Come on, Mary!" Jenny said. "It's just a card game. What's going to happen?"

"All right," Mary relented. "What's it called?"

Jenny looked each girl in the eye and whispered, "It's called Locust Plague." She spent the next five minutes explaining the rules. Just before they began, she said, "Oh, and the last thing--we need to turn off all the lights. We play this by candlelight."

The girls obeyed and only a single flame illuminated the faces; the ceiling came alive with dancing shadows of card players. The cards were dealt and the the game began, each turn the apprehension level in the cabin loft increased. Some of the girls became more than a little nervous.

As the game progressed the leaders were silent, waiting for the exact moment to make their plan come to fruition. They saw the lights go out and the candle lit. Now was their time to act.

Word Count: 500