It was a nice story, frightening enough, and it held the boys’ attention. The second story was about a mysterious creature that was eerily similar to Bigfoot. His legend was that for decades he had roamed around Lake Marlo stealing food from campers and in general terrorizing the place.
After three ghost tales, the boys were sufficiently spooked and the Major ordered lights out. They hustled to their tents, zipped up the doors tight, turned off their flashlights, and nestled snugly into their sleeping bags. As the night became quiet, they waited nervously for ghosts and savage animals to attack. The Major walked around quietly, smiling at the sounds of the whispered conversations as they trailed off and his tired men fell asleep.
The night passed without incident. At sunrise, the Major and the dads staggered from their tents, stretched and shook off the stiffness of a night on the ground, and began making coffee as loudly as possible. Slowly, the Scouts appeared, most of them still in the uniforms they’d slept in. Cooking fires were built and breakfast was soon under way.
The Major asked Woody to help him gather firewood, and they hiked to a secluded area not far from the campsite. The Major pointed to a spot on a boulder and they sat down. He said, “Look, Woody, I’m not sure you know it, but I do a lot of volunteer work in Youth Court, and I’m aware of your case. Do you mind talking about it?”
“No, sir, I guess not,” Woody replied.
“Often Judge Pendergrast will ask me to review a case and try to help the family. I have not looked at your file but I understand there are some serious charges. You want to tell me about it?”
“Sure.” The truth was that Woody, like every other Scout, would trust the Major with anything. So Woody told the story of the “armed robbery.” And the beer drinking. The Major listened thoughtfully without passing judgment.
When Woody finished, the Major said, “Sounds like you were hanging out with the wrong crowd.”
“It wasn’t a crowd, and my brother Tony did nothing wrong. We had no idea what Garth was up to. It’s just so unfair.”
“It sounds unfair. And Tony will tell the same story?”
“It’s not a story, Major, it’s the truth.”
“Okay. What is Garth’s version?”
“I’m not sure. I haven’t talked to him lately, but the night we were arrested he told the police that the water pistol was mine. A total lie. He thinks that if I go along with his lie, then we’ll all get off light because I’m only thirteen. Plus, he’s got a big-time lawyer now so who knows what they’ll say.”
“And your lawyer is Rodney Wall?”
“Yes, sir. I’m not sure he believes us. I wish we could get another lawyer but we can’t afford one.”
“I know Rodney Wall. We’ve worked a couple of cases together.”
“Is he a good lawyer?”
“He’s new on the job, been there only about a year. Got a lot to learn but he’ll be okay. I can talk to him. Would you like for me to ask the judge if I can help with your case?”
“Sure, Major. That would be great.”
“Judge Pendergrast is a good man who has a knack for finding the truth. Things will work out, Woody.”
“Thanks. I need some help. Me and Tony.”
“Now, about this drinking. I don’t like it one bit. You’re much too young and it will only lead to more trouble.”
“It’s no big deal, really. Sometimes Tony and I will sneak a beer out of the fridge, but we really don’t have the money for it.”
“Are you smoking pot?”
“No, sir.”
“Is Tony?”
“Probably, but never around me.”
“Your parents are divorced?”
“Yes, sir. My dad lives in the county but we don’t see much of him. M
y mom is remarried to a guy who’s okay, but he does construction out of town and we don’t see much of him. She works two jobs, sometimes three.”
“So there’s not much supervision at home.”
“No, sir.”
The Major slowly got to his feet and paced around, deep in thought. He said, “Let’s deal with the drinking first. It’s against the law and I want it stopped. Okay?”
“Yes, sir. No problem. I don’t even like the taste of it.”
“Beer and alcohol can only lead to trouble, especially for a teenager. You’re promising me right now that it won’t happen again?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Good. I’ll make sure the judge understands this. And no more missing school, okay?”
“Okay.”
“No drinking, no skipping, and hit the books hard. I’ll check with your teachers and monitor your progress. Judge Pendergrast will want to know how you’re doing. If I’m on the case, Woody, I expect a lot of improvement. You’re too young and too smart to fall through the cracks. Understood?”
“Yes, sir.”
“I’ll speak to your mother. Mind if I have a little chat with Tony? I suspect he’s not a positive influence these days.”
“He’s a good guy, Major. We’ve seen the inside of the jail and we don’t want to go back there.”
“Good. Maybe this little brush with the law will be a good thing.”
“You ever been arrested, Major?”
“No.”
“It’s no fun. I can still feel the handcuffs clamping on my wrists. I can still see the cops frowning at me, still see their angry faces, still smell the nasty jail. The whole thing was scary because you have no control over anything and you don’t know what will happen next.” Woody bit his lip as his eyes watered and he began shaking.
The Major walked over and put a hand on his shoulder. “It’s going to be okay, Woody.”
The troop returned to civilization late Sunday afternoon. As the bus entered Strattenburg, the boys were silent. They were exhausted but also in a somber mood. The returns were always like that. The planning, the anticipation, the sheer fun of being in the woods for the weekend—it all came crashing down as they reentered the real world and life returned to normal. Tomorrow meant school! It was hard to believe. It seemed cruel.