Salmon Cabin is Empty Again

What happens to the boys of Salmon Cabin? Writer's cramp entry 8/19/10 (Won!)

Knock Knock
“Mr. Johnson?” said the voice from the door.
“Yes Billy?” Jack replied sighing. In every group of kids there was one disturbed little boy. Most years the kids stopped with the outlandish stories after the first week. But Billy was determined. Determined to hold onto his teddy. Determined to not go anywhere dark. Determined to be the last one still awake every night, long after the other kids fell asleep.
“Eds gone Mr. Johnson.”
Determined to keep up his tall tale of other children disappearing. Jack had been hoping against hope that tonight would finally be the night Billy didn't bother him, but it had been in vain. Reaching out to his nightstand, he located his flashlight, pink for Salmon Cabin, and turned it on. Pointing it at the door he could see Billy peering through the crack, hand covering his eyes a the sudden emergence of the light, and fear evident across his face.
“Come in here Billy.” Jack said, patting the edge of his bed and unable to keep the weariness and exasperation from leaking out with his words. Being a camp counselor he needed to have patience. Sure he'd been warned that some kids would have a rough time of being away from their families for a so much of the summer. There was bound to be some bed wetting and more than a few kids crying themselves to sleep. But every night? As the scared little boy sat on the end of his bed, Jack wondered, just for a moment, could this boy be telling the truth? The thought was gone as soon as it had passed through his head. Jack's own memory told him the tale the boy was about to tell him would be false, just like the last seven nights. But he must make an effort, and let the boy tell him in the hopes he would realize the ridiculousness of the ritual they were going through. “Tell me what happened Billy.”
Billy launched into it with gusto, just like the last few nights. It seemed like it was getting easier for him every time he told it, though the fear within his eyes was always the same. “The shadow jelly with arms came from under the door again, felt along the beds where the others used to be, and then it found Ed on his bed. It swallowed him while he slept, and then his things were gone. Then it went back under the door.”
“And this Ed boy, what did he look like?” This was the only part of Billy's story that ever changed. The name of the boy, always someone imagined, who had apparently been sleeping in one of the empty beds. This time Billy didn't answer, just squeezed his hands tighter around his teddy. Maybe we are making progress! Jack dared to hope that by next week Billy would stop with these stories altogether.
Jack reached for the chart of his campers, like he did every night, showed it to Billy. Sure enough there were no boys named Ed on that list, just the twelve campers he had been assigned.
“See Billy? There's no one named Ed on this list. And that all the campers I have. Now off to bed with you, I don't want anymore stories about imaginary campers being swallowed again.”
Billy reluctantly left the room and went to bed. For his part Jack settled in and found that sleep came back to him with ease.

* * *

“Mr. Asher?”
“Come in Jack, come in.” said the thin man behind the camp administrator's desk. “How's Salmon cabin doing?”
“Most of the boys are good, but there's one boy that keeps waking me up every night with a story that a boy vanishes. Every night he wakes me, and every night it's another imaginary boy.”
“Well, there's usually a storyteller in every bunch. I'm sure he'll stop before the month is over. Besides, it's only been twelve nights, and you have, what, nine boys?”
“Eight, sir.”
“Well, that's twelve less than any other cabins have, you should be able to manage. Maybe have the boy talk to Nurse Radi. She seems to have a way of reaching the difficult ones.”
“Thank you sir, I'll bring him to her.”

* * *

“Ah, another successful summer, don't you think so Nurse Radi?” asked Mr. Asher, waving at the buses as they took away the children that had called Lake Woebegone home these last two months.
“Oh yes, a fine group of campers that was.” replied the plump woman standing beside him. “Nothing major for me to attend to all summer. I dare say I rather like these smaller groups.”
“Smaller groups do have a certain kind of charm. Though I do wish we could get enough campers out here to finally use Salmon Cabin. A shame that building has stood empty for the last four summers.”
“Yes, quite a shame. Maybe luck will smile upon us next year, and we'll have too many bodies to handle.”
“Oh, I could only imagine.” Asher said, looking out over the lake his eyes unfocused at the prospect of all the cabins being full. Turning back to his companion he said “Would you care to share a drink with me, and toast to having a full load next year?”
“Thank you for the offer Mr. Asher, but I do have a few items to attend to still. A few salmon must be prepared still for my winter stores. But after dinner I would be more than delighted to toast the camp.”
“As you wish my dear.” inclining his head in a bow, he watched Nurse Radi as she walked off. He couldn't remember ever seeing her with a fishing pole in hand, or even on the water for that matter, but then again, the woman always seemed full of surprises.