The afternoon sun blazed down on Lake Gonagro, its rays glinting off the clear water like diamonds. The boys of Cabin Seven were in the thick of their favorite camp activity—splashing around in the lake and challenging each other to increasingly daring stunts.
“Bet you can’t beat this one!” Jake hollered from the wooden dock, his tanned frame poised for a dive. With a running start, he leapt off, tucking into a perfect cannonball. Water exploded around him, sending a huge wave in all directions.
“Nice try!” Toby called from the floating platform in the middle of the lake, grinning as he slicked back his wet blond hair. “But this is how you make a splash.” He jumped high and performed an exaggerated belly flop, eliciting groans and laughter from the others.
“Way to smack yourself, Toby!” Ryan teased, paddling closer. His small, wiry frame barely made a ripple in the water. “Let me show you how it’s done!”
The youngest of the group, Ryan had always been the underdog, constantly trying to prove himself among the older boys. He swam toward the dock, climbing up with a determined expression.
“Careful, Ryan,” Danny called lazily from the shallows, where he floated on his back. “You don’t want to hurt yourself trying to outdo these clowns.”
“I’m good!” Ryan shot back, waving off the concern. “Watch this!”
With a determined sprint, he hurled himself into the air, attempting a flip. He landed awkwardly, his legs hitting the water first, and emerged coughing but grinning.
“Ten out of ten for effort,” Jake said, swimming over to clap him on the back.
“Yeah, at least you didn’t belly flop like Toby,” Danny added, earning a mock glare from the blond boy.
The afternoon passed in a blur of swimming races, breath-holding contests, and games of chicken, where Jake inevitably ended up dunking everyone else. The lake’s water was refreshing and cool, a welcome reprieve from the summer heat.
Eventually, the boys dragged themselves onto the grassy bank, dripping wet and thoroughly worn out. They flopped onto their towels in a loose circle, the late-afternoon sun warming their skin.
“That was awesome,” Jake said, leaning back on his elbows.
“Yeah,” Toby agreed, wringing water from his shirt. “But I’m starving. When’s dinner?”
“You’re always starving,” Ryan muttered, stretching out beside him. “Seriously, where do you even put it all?”
“High metabolism,” Toby replied with a smirk.
Danny, who had remained quiet for most of the banter, sat up and cracked his knuckles. “So, what’s the plan for tomorrow? Canoe races?”
“And tug-of-war,” Jake added, sitting upright with a determined look. “No way we’re losing to Cabin Five this year.”
“You’ve been saying that every year,” Ryan pointed out, laughing.
“This year’s different,” Jake shot back. “We’ve got me. And you guys… I guess.”
“Gee, thanks for the vote of confidence,” Toby said dryly, tossing a handful of grass at him.
The boys laughed and continued to banter as the sun dipped lower in the sky. None of them noticed the faint shimmer in the water behind them—a ripple of light that seemed to linger for a moment before fading away.
After a hearty dinner at the mess hall, the boys trudged back to their cabin. The small, weathered structure smelled of pine and damp clothes, the quintessential scent of summer camp. Each boy fell into their usual routine: Jake perched on the top bunk, barking out instructions for tomorrow’s activities; Toby sprawled on the floor, tossing a rubber ball in the air; Ryan rummaged through his duffel bag; and Danny sat by the window, flipping through an old comic book.
“I swear, the canoe race is ours this year,” Jake was saying. “We’ve got the perfect strategy—”
“You mean you’ve got the perfect strategy,” Toby interrupted. “The rest of us are just your paddling minions.”
Jake grinned. “Exactly.”
Ryan, meanwhile, had pulled out a shirt from his bag and was trying to put it on. He frowned as the fabric stretched uncomfortably over his shoulders. “Uh, guys? Does anyone else’s clothes feel… tight?”
“What are you talking about?” Jake asked, looking down at his own shirt. His grin faltered. “Wait… yeah, mine does too.” He tugged at the hem, which no longer reached his waistband. “What the heck?”
Toby sat up, inspecting his own sleeves. “Weird. Maybe the camp laundry shrunk them or something.”
“Or maybe you’re just getting fatter,” Jake teased, though his tone lacked its usual confidence.
“Fat?” Toby shot back, flexing his arm. “This is pure muscle, baby.”
As if on cue, the seam of his sleeve gave a loud rip. Everyone froze.
“Whoa,” Danny said, setting his comic book aside. “Did that just happen?”
Toby stared at his torn sleeve, his face a mix of shock and disbelief. “Okay, that’s not normal.”
“It’s not just him,” Ryan said, darting to the small mirror on the wall. His eyes widened as he stared at his reflection. “Guys, look at me! I’m… taller?”
The others crowded around, their jaws dropping as they took in the sight. Ryan, the smallest of the group, now stood nearly as tall as Toby. His once-loose camp shirt now clung tightly to his chest and arms.
Jake flexed his arms experimentally, his eyes widening as his biceps bulged far more than usual. “What the heck is going on?”
Danny stood up slowly, his head brushing the low ceiling beam. He ducked instinctively. “It’s all of us,” he said, his deepening voice sounding strange to his own ears. “We’re… growing.”
“The lake,” Jake muttered, pacing the small cabin. “It has to be the lake. We were in there all afternoon, and now this?”
“That’s crazy,” Toby said, though his tone wavered. He rolled his shoulders, feeling the fabric strain across his broadening back. “Stuff like this doesn’t happen in real life.”
“Well, it’s happening now,” Danny said firmly, his massive hands flexing at his sides. “The question is, what do we do about it?”
“We keep it to ourselves,” Jake said quickly, glancing around at the others. “At least for now. No need to freak anyone else out.”
Ryan raised a hand. “Uh, what if we keep growing? Like, what if we wake up tomorrow and we’re ten feet tall?”
The cabin fell silent.
“Then we deal with it,” Jake said finally, his voice firm. “But for now, let’s just… get some sleep.”
Reluctantly, the boys climbed into their bunks, the wooden frames creaking ominously under their increasing weight. Jake lay awake, staring at the dark ceiling, his mind racing.
By morning, he knew one thing for certain—this was no ordinary summer camp.
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