Page 118 - Musings 2021

11

The Death of Childhood
Isha Srivastava
2019B1A31034P

She was 12 when it happened. Unaware of what was about to happen, Amelia went into that
room that night to retrieve that ball and everything changed. One of the most significant
things about life is its unpredictability and its ability to catch us off guard, throwing
something at us we didn’t expect. Some people believe it to be fate, while some believe in
writing their own life stories. There is no right answer as to what might happen next. The
only thing you can ever be sure of is that wherever you are, it’s your present and you never
know when it will be over. Amelia was too small a kid to understand any of this. To her, all
that mattered in the world were her family, her dolls and her friends. It was summer and
Amelia was about to go to summer camp with her friends. The Camp was a two-hour drive
from Richmond, her hometown where she lived with her family. At Richmond Central
School, her teachers knew her as the shy, adorable girl with two little ponies on her head who
always carried her pink backpack with a unicorn printed on it. She had 2 best friends, her
classmate Emily at Richmond Central who was similar in all personality traits to her, and her
neighbor Ben who was the same age as her but went to a different school. The three of them
used to play together after school at Ben’s house and then Ben’s mom would drop them at
their houses. One summer, the three kids went to the Richmond Summer Camp. What they
didn’t know was that this camp was going to change their lives forever.

On Friday, 10th May 2017, Amelia, Emily and Ben were dropped at the summer camp by
their parents, who were reluctant at first to send their little children to a camp but eventually
agreed after the authorities assured them of the kids’ safety. Emotional goodbyes were
exchanged at the reception as all parents hugged their kids whom they were not going to see
for the next three weeks. Some kids were happy, some were terrified at the thought of living
without their parents for three weeks. Ms. Evelyn was the coordinator for Amelia’s class. She
was a beautiful middle-aged woman with brown eyes from which tenderness and care oozed
out. Her hands were as gentle and soft as cotton and her voice was more melodious than a
nightingale singing. She escorted Amelia and Emily to their room and Ben was escorted by
Mr. Evans, who was the male coordinator for the same class, to the boys’ wing. All the kids
were settled up in their rooms which were kept warm and cozy as the camp was held outside
the city where there were more trees and fewer buildings.

Later in the evening, all kids were escorted to the dining hall where the tables were laid with
confectionery sweets and all the foods the kids loved. They ate their food and headed back to
their respective rooms. The days began with fun filled activities that were aimed at teaching
the kids new skills. They were taught how to bake, how to cook without fire, and were
routinely supposed to call their parents and let them know that they were doing okay. They
learnt fishing, lighting bonfires, archery, and many more activities. Each week ended with a
stage show where multiple contests were held and gave the kids a chance to show their
talents. The environment at the camp was very lively and cheerful until that night when
everything changed.

It was a Saturday night and everyone was preparing for the stage show the next day. Amelia,
Emily and Ben had planned a trio juggling act and they were practicing alone near the camp

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