Marigold

Written By: Jessica Gonzalez

Narrated By: Julie Gonzalo

After years of disuse, the summer camp cabin Marigold is slated for demolition. But before that happens, she has one more visit to look forward to from the now-grown women who used to call her their home away from home during their childhood summers -- and they're going to give her a send-off to remember.

Collection Two: “A Traveler’s Guide”: Stories about Space, Time & Other Worlds

Episode #: Ten

Release Date: Tuesday, August 27th

Est. Runtime: » 36 Min

Standout Lines:

"But these grown up children would never let something as cold and impersonal as a wrecking ball take her to the ground. No, they’ll do it themselves."

“This relationship is transactional, you should know that by now,” Audrey quips. Then she addresses Lady, whose tongue has lolled out the side of her mouth and now rests on the floor. “But not ours. I would die for you. You hear me? Die.” Lady sneezes.

From the Author:

This story started as flash fiction, originally written for the #flashfictionmagic hashtag on Instagram (you can see the original post here). When I sat down to think about the theme of time travel and other worlds, I knew I wanted to expand it into a short story.

I went to the same summer camp for several years when I was a kid – first as a camper, and then as I got older, as a counselor. I don’t have fond memories of my time as a camper there. What I remember is being made fun of for not being strong enough to pull the bowstring all the way back in archery lessons. My thighs chafing from walking around in a damp bathing suit for hours before being allowed to change into dry clothes. Feeling insecure about my body for the first time in the communal showers where there was very little privacy.

But then, as a high-schooler, my friends signed up to be camp counselors, and I wasn’t about to let them hang out without me, so I signed up, too. My memories of that place as a counselor couldn’t be more different from the ones I had as a camper. Tumbling off a banana boat and into the cool water of the lake, screaming when the algae-slick grass at the bottom touched my feet. Playing Manhunt with the other counselors after dark, when the campers were asleep. Lying in the grass at midnight and looking up to see the Milky Way for the first time. Rescuing and rehabilitating a baby rabbit that had been abandoned.

Years later, when my friends and I talked about our time at that camp, they all remembered something completely different about it. A first kiss, a swimming lesson, a late-night conversation, a photograph. Even though we had all been at the same place, at the same time, our memories of it made it seem like we had all been at entirely different summer camps. We’d been together, but in our own worlds. Those are core memories for me, and even though life took us all in different directions after that, we’ll always have that place in common.

That’s what this story is about - except instead of writing from the point of view of the campers or counselors, I wanted to write it from the point of view of the place itself. The place that had been so many different things for so many different people over the years. I know what I remember, and I know what my friends remember…but if I were to ask the summer camp, what would she remember?

— Jessica