ALEXANDER MERRIE'S SIBERIAN ICE MAN On Monday of week four, we were more than halfway to our freedom. And on that Monday of week four, Camp Merrie-Seymour for Boys was struck by a torrential thunderstorm that started just before lunch. The competition that afternoon was supposed to send us down to the waters of the cold, deep, and green canoe lake for interplanetary swim relays from the muddy shores of the rec field to the floating wooden dock that was anchored in the center of the lake. The counselors decided to cancel the contest on account of the incessant lightning strikes. Most people don’t want to watch teenage campers getting electrocuted. More than half the boys at Camp Merrie-Seymour for Boys couldn’t swim anyway, but that was to be expected. There was no way to avoid participating in the relays, though; non-swimming swimmers were forced to wear bulky life vests. Even the most determined Bucky Littlejohns among us was not going to be able to drown himself.
