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My First Job
A tender story of first jobs and ritual sacrifice.
This piece appears in Work It: Quarterly Report, issue 1, and is adapted from a scene in the episode of Work It on first jobs.
Lake BlueSky Summer Camp. I spent every summer there as a kid. But I wasn’t a kid anymore. I was a Camp Counsellor now. Would Lake BlueSky still be as magical?
Work It: Quarterly Report, Issue 01
I’ll never forget my first job. I was a camp counsellor at Lake BlueSky Summer Camp. Lake BlueSky is a special place, a place where Westdale kids can swim and hike by day, eat smores by the campfire at night, and maybe even meet their first crush. I used to come here every summer as a camper. I was so much younger then.
But things had changed. I was a counsellor now. New challenges and adventures awaited me; new friends to meet and memories to make. Lake BlueSky still had a place for me. I knew it always would.
I still remember the first day of camp that year. One of the older counsellors, Janet, welcomed me. “You must be the new counsellor.”
“I am?” I replied tentatively. And then, feigning confidence. “I mean, I am!”
Janet put my mind at ease. “Look, kid. Relax. You’re going to do great.”
“I sure hope so…”
“Tell ya what. How’d you like to fill out these forms?”
I took them eagerly, just happy to have something I knew I could do. “I’d love to!”
Janet could see that I was nervous and coached me through them. “Name. Good. Address, blah blah blah. Here, this part’s important.”
She directed my attention to one checkbox in particular. I read the label back to her: “Power of attorney?”
“Just in case. Probably won’t need it.”
As I checked it off, a smile spread over my face. “You know, Janet, I’ve got a feeling this is going to be the best summer of my whole life.”
“Sure, whatever.” She looked over the form, and, satisfied, handed it to a fellow in dark robes. I didn’t catch his name.
The whole day was a blur: So many faces, so many activities. I made a note to just slow down and appreciate it, y’know?
(Top) Watching the sunset with my fellow counsellors. (Above) The sacrifice begins.
That night, Janet and her robed friend invited me to the woods for an extra special activity. They decked me out in a neat costume and everything: heavy rope; gag in my mouth.
Nudging the gag aside with my tongue, I said, “Wow, guys, is this the best summer ever or what?”
“Put the gag back on. Tight,” barked Janet. The robed figure glided over to me. That gag wasn’t going anywhere this time!
“Prepare the sacrifice to Baal,” Janet said, raising a dagger to the heavens as the robed figure chanted feverishly.
And even though I was brutally murdered and my remains never discovered, I’ll still always have a special place in my heart for Lake BlueSky Summer Camp.
