Zombie Summer

Maya was officially a zombie. Three weeks of summer camp counselor duty, supervising twenty hyped-up nine-year-olds, and she'd perfected the dead-eyed stare. Her usually vibrant curly hair hung in a frizzy, defeated ponytail.

"You look rough," said Jake, the only other counselor under forty. He was currently untangling a massive knot of rope.

"I feel like I'm running on caffeine and pure survival instinct," Maya groaned, wiping sweat from her forehead. "Why did I think this would be a good summer job?"

Jake held up the rope he'd been fighting with. "Check it out—I finally figured it out. We're building a human pyramid for the talent show tomorrow. The kids are obsessed."

Maya stared at him. "A pyramid. You want chaotic nine-year-olds to form a pyramid. This will end in tears. Probably mine."

"It'll be fine!" Jake's optimism was annoying. Especially with those perfect beach waves that somehow looked good even in 90-degree humidity. "Besides, it'll be hilarious. Parents love that stuff."

The next day, Maya stood before thirty sets of parents, her heart pounding like she'd just been caught cheating on a math test. The kids had been practicing all morning—some more enthusiastically than others.

"Okay, remember what we talked about!" Maya called out, her voice cracking. "Strong bases, careful climbing—"

Then she saw it. A thick black cable snaking across the grass, right through their pyramid formation zone. The sound system cable. Nobody had noticed it.

"WAIT!" she screamed, but it was too late.

The pyramid rose. The middle wobbled. Little Leo, who'd been vibrating with energy all day, caught his sneaker on the cable.

The pyramid collapsed like Jenga in an earthquake. Kids tumbled, laughter erupted, and the massive speaker stack toppled with a crash that echoed through the whole camp.

Dead silence. Then parents started laughing.

Maya's face burned. She wanted to disappear. But then Jake grabbed her hand.

"Watch," he whispered.

The kids were already climbing back up, giggling, covered in grass stains. Leo was beaming, proud of his spectacular fail.

"Again! Again!" they chanted.

Maya started laughing too. Her hair escaped its ponytail, wild and free. For the first time all summer, the zombie feeling faded. Maybe this wasn't so bad after all.

"Alright, round two," she called out, grinning. "But we're moving that cable first."