Chapter Ten
Maisie woke up the following morning, excited for her date with Declan later that night, but also ready to get revenge on Derek and whoever the other snotty Littles were who’d helped him.
After getting ready for the day, she walked with Naomi and Sophia toward the cafeteria. They kept their eyes peeled, weary of another attack.
They breathed a sigh of relief when the trail curved into the large clearing that sent them straight to the center of camp. There were tons of other people around now, so the odds lowered that Derek and his gang would strike.
It wasn’t out of the realm of possibility, though, so they were still vigilant.
“Man, I want to even the score,” Maisie grumbled as they approached the mess hall.
“Me, too,” Sophia said. “That was a brand new dress! Thankfully the camp has a laundry service here, but that string is hard to scrape off once it gets stuck on something!”
“Yep,” Naomi said. “And I loved that outfit! Ugh.”
“Don’t worry. We’ll have our revenge soon,” Maisie stated. “Did you see the classes being offered today?”
“I haven’t looked yet,” Sophia replied.
“Well, along with the usual stuff like crafts and archery and all that, there’s a prank class. And you won’t believe who’s leading it! I’m going to go and get some good ideas.”
The two other Littles giggled with glee as they walked into the cafeteria. The aroma of bacon, eggs, and freshly baked biscuits filled the air, causing Maisie to smile.
Today was going to be a good day. Even if Derek Preston was at Camp Mountainville.
***
A little over an hour later, Maisie, Sophia, and Naomi all sat in the classroom that was housed inside a large, one-room log structure.
There were about thirty other Littles in there and the place looked to be at capacity. A few people were even standing against the back wall. Some sat on the floor.
Chloe strolled down the center aisle that ran between the two columns of chairs and said, “Good morning, campers!”
“Good morning, Auntie Chloe!” everyone replied.
The matronly woman smiled as she eyed the room. Her eyes seemed to linger on Maisie and her friends, but the Little couldn’t tell if that was just her imagination or not.
“Now, before we get started with this morning’s presentation,” the director said, “I want to be clear that any pranks you learn about today are not to be practiced at this camp. We love fun. That’s why we’re here. But fun does not have to include naughtiness. Just remember that pranks can and will get your bottoms paddled if they’re bad enough. Am I clear?”
“Yes, ma’am,” the group called out again.
She smiled. “Good. We had a prank last night. Silly string and water guns were used. If the perpetrators are in this room, know we have a zero policy for that type of nonsense.”
Maisie looked around and silently noted that the perpetrators were most likely not there, since Derek and his friends were nowhere to be seen.
Good. She didn’t want them ruining this.
“Okay. Now that all of that is out of the way, let me introduce our guest speaker. What better man to teach this class than him? He’s renowned the world over for his pranks, and even produces hit videos that have garnered millions of views. Please welcome the Little that needs no introduction…Eli!”
The room broke into wild applause and cheers. So overcome with being in the presence of her hero, Maisie rose to her feet, which led to the other Littles following.
Eli had a standing ovation as he walked up the aisle and took his place behind the podium.
Wearing his trademark blue shortalls with a t-shirt beneath them, not to mention a poufy diaper, and his pacifier hanging from a clip on one of the straps, Eli waved at the crowd.
“Thank you! Thank you so much!” he said warmly, smiling at the audience. Once the applause had died down and everyone had taken their seats again, he said, “I bring you goodwill and love from Mountainville.”
The Littles clapped again.
Eli started walking the length of the room’s front as he began his presentation.
“Pranks. Why are they so important? What makes them part of the Little experience? Those are questions I’ve spent a great deal of my life exploring.”
He stopped walking, looked at the crowd, and made eye contact with a few Littles scattered about the room.
“They have the power to make us laugh. To bring levity to a sometimes dark and chaotic world. And laughter is truly a wonderful thing.
“Sometimes, though, pranks have the power to do more than that. Why, it wasn’t very long ago, just last year, that pranks saved this very camp from a tyrannical director.” He held up a closed fist in triumph. “Pranks can liberate. Can make the world a better place!”
The room broke out into more applause.
Once it died down, Eli was about to speak again when a long, loud fart interrupted.
People around the room couldn’t help but snicker, though it was obvious no one wanted to be rude. Accidents happen. But still, Maisie noted, farts are funny.
“Whoa!” Eli said. He then laughed. “See, that, my friends, was a prank.” He walked down the aisle and stopped midway, pointing to a guy who was sitting in a chair three seats into the third row down. “If you’d be so kind as to reach under your chair, sir.”
The Little did and came up holding a small black box.
“That, my friends, is the Fart-O-Matic 3000. The latest invention from me and my good friend Stryker. Controlled by this.” Eli held up a small remote control.
The guy started laughing and then everyone else did, too.
“You got me!” he said.
Eli reached out, shook his hand, then handed him the remote. “That’s yours to keep. Thanks for being a good sport.”
The guy seemed happy as he held up his new toy in proud admiration.
Eli walked back up to the front of the room, faced the crowd, and smiled.
“Without further ado, friends, let’s dive into the world of pranks.
“And how to pull them off with expert skill.”
***
It was twenty minutes after the presentation ended when the last Littles, besides Maisie, Naomi, and Sophia, cleared out.
Everyone had stayed to get selfies or autographs with Eli. He didn’t seem to mind one bit, either, never appearing to be in a rush.
Maisie and the others approached him as he was gathering his things and sliding them into the backpack he’d brought.
“Eli?” she said.
He looked up and smiled. “Hi.”
There was a genuine warmth in his big, brown eyes.
“Hello. We were wondering if we could talk to you about something.”
He shoved the last of his papers into the bag, nodded, and then walked toward the front row of chairs. He grabbed some, arranged them in a semi-circle, and sat.
The women sat, too.
“We don’t want to take up too much of your time,” Maisie said.
Eli shook his head. “Don’t worry about that. I’m not in a hurry. And I can tell this is important. What’s up?”
The Littles introduced themselves and then launched into the story recounting last night’s events, along with who they suspected was behind it, with each of them rather animated as they told the tale.
“That’s a lot,” Eli said with a sympathetic nod. “I, obviously, appreciate a good prank—and a prank war—but it sounds like this was completely unprovoked.”
“It was!” Maisie said. “And I’m certain Derek was behind it. I feel bad that my friends are caught in the middle of our rivalry.”
“Don’t worry about that,” Naomi said. “I’m with you all the way.”
“Me, too!” Sophia said. “A hundred percent.”
“Thank you both,” Maisie said.
Eli was smiling thoughtfully as he watched the display. “Good friends are a treasure,” he noted. “The ones I have back in Mountainville have become family to me.”
Maisie turned her attention back to him. “What would you do in this situation?”
“Well, if I were a mature, responsible person, I would just let the camp authorities handle this.”
Everyone laughed.
“But since I’m Eli…I’d get some proof. You don’t want to retaliate against an innocent person, so it’s important to make sure you have the right people.”
“Gotcha!” Maisie said with an emphatic nod.
“Then, I’d hit back. Hard. Hard enough to put an end to this before it escalated anymore,” Eli explained. “The camp shops don’t sell water guns or silly string since both are against the rules. That means Derek and his friends brought these. Now, they didn’t know you were going to be here, but they were obviously planning to pick on someone. ”
“Hey, I didn’t think of that!” Maisie said.
“Malice aforethought,” Eli said. “Or some kind of legal term like that.” He shrugged. “All I know is they sound like bullies. And it seems like they have some payback coming.” He grinned devilishly. “I’m leaving this afternoon. I just came in to do this presentation. But…I can send some stuff to help out. Can you hold on another day?”
“You bet!” Maisie said.
“We’ll take all the help we can get,” Naomi added. “And that will give us time to try and prove it’s Derek and whoever his friends are.”
Eli stood. “Good plan. Hang tight. You’ll receive a special package tomorrow.”
“Thank you!” all three Littles said.
Eli waved it off. “Don’t mention it. Happy to help.” He started walking back to the podium but stopped and threw a glance over his shoulder. “Oh, and girls?”
“Yes, Eli?” Maisie asked on everyone’s behalf.
Eli grinned. “Hit ‘em hard. For me.”