I was eight years old. The curtains in my bedroom slow waltzed in the evening breeze. Outside, the raucous laughter of teenagers rose like steam up to my window. I lay on my bed and thought about roasting marshmallows, singing campfire songs, and listening to scary stories. The next morning my older sister took me to the bus that would take me away from Brooklyn and my family to an Upstate camp. Tears stung my eyes as city streets morphed into hushed country roads, as the bus driver drove further from home. I exhaled, knowing I’d survive for two weeks.
Fall Contest Editor’s Pick. A number of finalists wrote about being a parent; Jeanine dove back into being a child, capturing the split feelings her young self experienced preparing for “away”—the excitement and the dread.—SB
Jeanine DeHoney's writing has appeared in anthologies, magazines and online. She is also a 2022 Honor awardee for Sleeping Bear Press’s Own Voices, Own Stories contest.