“I’m going to do a great job, and then I’m going to get my needle badge, and then I’m going to show it to my father. He’s going to hold me and tell me that he’s proud of me.”
Although I’ve seen horror author Jeremy C. Shipp around on the Internet, I haven’t actually read any of his stories until I was invited to do so by a friend on Twitter.
“Camp” is my first taste of Mr. Shipp and I lread the short story and listened to the MP3 recording .
If you are interested in this short story, click the No Cover Available image to reach Jeremy C. Shipp’s page of free short stories including “Camp”.
TITLE:
CAMP
WRITER:
by Jeremy C. Shipp
GENRE:
Horror Fiction.
DESCRIPTORS:
Summer Camp, Serial Killing, Murder, Torture,
CHARACTERS
The Narrator, A young camper, one of the best young campers, who tells the story.
Nigel, The narrator’s best friend, a real rebel.
England, A camper who affects a fake English accent.
Mike, A camper — a girl with a boy’s name who is concerned that people think she’s a slut.
Kent, One of the camp counselors.
Hamilton, One of the camp counselors.
SUMMARY:
Returning to camp this year, the narrator feels confident that he is strong enough to make it this year without embarrassing himself. However, he is not the only one who has changed since last Summer. His best friend is taking his rebellion to the next level and someone in camp murders a homeless man in the dead of night.
APPEAL:
This short story takes the idylls of Summer Camp and turns it effectively on its head. You can find the text of the story along with other free short horror stories on horror author Jeremy C. Shipp’s website.
“I’m usually no good at falling asleep, but the instant I hit the mattress, I sleep like a rotting baby.”
The pace is quick and each word contributes to the overall picture although how they do sometimes doesn’t become clear until later in the story. Mr. Shipp reveals the truth little by little but even by the end not everything is exposed. In that respect it deserves a second reading so you catch all the little “clues” sprinkled throughout.
You can also find an audio recording of “Camp” by Jeremy C. Shipp at Pseudopod: the Sound of Horror. Read by George Hrab, he lends each character a particular voice making it easy to distinguish them apart. I like Nigel and England’s voices in particular.
I enjoyed this short story and I think it’s a good introduction to Mr. Shipp’s work. I definitely want to explore more.
NOTES:
Jeremy C. Shipp is the author of many short stories. Besides the free online stories available at his website, you should check out his novel Vacation
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