The flies buzzed against the windows, desperately struggling to gain entry. A musty aroma lingered in the air, and the floors were warped from use. The wretched, wooden bunk beds contained scrawny mattresses, and the wood was splintering from age. Mildew hung from the shower curtain, and dirt embraced the toilet seat. I had never expected my cabin at camp to be quite this decrepit!

When I first pushed open the screen door and entered this hovel, my first thought was, Get me out of here!! I only hoped that this thought would change. Spiders sidled slowly up and down the aisles of the cabin, hoping not to be recognized. The sound of rodents scratching beneath the floor made a vibration throughout the cabin. The corners of the windowsills were cluttered with cobwebs as if the windows had not been opened in years. I was sure that bats were resting up in the rafters on the ceiling and spiders and insects of all kinds were nestling in the cracks of the walls. The drawers where we were supposed to keep our clothes were full of dust and bore an odor reminiscent of a horse's stable. Dim light bulbs dangled from the ceiling on very thin strings. The floor creaked as it was walked upon. Walking on the mixture of sand and dirt on the floor was like walking on a sanded and salted road. A sliver of sunshine leaked in through an open window near the ceiling, but the rest of the cabin was dark. The bathroom door creaked as it was opened, and shampoo lay splattered on the floor, looking like it had been there for a few months. A spider aimlessly scurried around in the sink, trying to escape the drain. A cluster of hair lay on the shower drain, which was loose in its socket. Water dripped from the shower head, which was embedded with mold.

This certainly wasn't your everyday cabin! I slumped down onto my lumpy bed. Oh well, it was only another eight weeks!!n