By AlphaMetal
Day 7, Evening – The Last Night at the Campground
The four boys were back in the dormitory at parade rest at the ends of their cots, in their prison scrubs and barefoot as usual. They all knew this was the last day and that the week of training was coming to an end. One more night shackled to their cots and then they would go home with their Masters in the morning.
As the boys stood by their cots the Commander motioned to the slave, who left the room and returned carrying the clothes the Colonel had worn when he first arrived at the camp: a pair of jeans and a blue t-shirt with “U.S.N.A.” in gold letters.
The slave handed the Colonel’s jeans, t-shirt, underwear, and socks to the Commander, who in turn handed them to the Colonel and nodded. The Colonel slipped off his prison scrubs and boxers and got dressed in his old clothes as the boys watched. Cody hadn’t paid attention to the writing on the Colonel’s t-shirt that first day but when he looked at the gold letters — U.S.N.A. — it hit him: “United States Naval Academy. The man had gone Annapolis. He’s isn’t in the Army, he’s in the Navy.”
The “Colonel” was dressed in his own clothes but Cody noticed that he was standing in his socks; his sneakers had not been returned to him.
Continue reading Training Week at the Campground: A Novel – Part 14
