Chapter 1: Welcome Wagon

Juergen looked at the other two gentlemen seated at the table, before turning his attention back to the trio of Frauen, wives, that had just burst into their sanctuary.

“Juergen! We demand to be a part of this. This is OUR new country. We cannot let the old ways control us. It is not just the boys, and you men, that are affected by this repressive place. It is we too, our kin, our daughters. Not just the boys. We are all affected”

Juergen looked at Erik, shrugging, as if to say “Who can control a woman”, but noticed that he, along with Gunter, were staring a bit sheepishly at the stern, almost scowling faces of their spouses.

The three families had settled in this part of northern California, and though they had soon been joined in their valley by many other settlers, these three, Von Braun, Werner, and Schmidt had remained central to the running of their slice of the state. Having escaped the madness of the Kaiser, and his dreams of expansion, they had all come to make a better life. Not just for them, but for their families, their friends, and those that would come after.

“Yes, yes ... ok, sit sit you three ... it is hard, yes, to change. Women ... making policy ... it is hard ... but yes, you make your point ... sit sit...” he said, eager to calm everyone down. Last night Elsa had harangued him, again, about some of the strange restrictions the repressive American law seemed to put on them and their families, demanding that they do something. He had grunted something noncommittal, but her words had stuck with him. He had gotten the other two leaders together, and they were just considering what might be feasible, when their female contingent had shown up.

“Yes, everyone ready? Yes ... now, as I was saying ... I thought maybe would could build a camp ... here ... and use it to teach and preserve our way of life ... down through the generations...”

Becca held her suitcase in one hand, looking up at the imposing archway. “Camp Jugen something” it said, some of the letters were a bit faded. She thought it might be German or Dutch, she was not sure. Not being the strongest of students, she had never taken any language course, but she was pretty sure it was foreign ... It was not a word in English she had ever heard, that much she knew. Their reply to her text announcing her arrival simply told her that someone would be down to take her into the camp, and to go ahead and let her Lyft driver leave since no cars were allowed on the grounds. Taking her suitcase to the small side gate, she set it down, parking her purse next to it as she leaned against the wooden post, waiting. Dressed appropriately (she hoped) for her summer camp adventure, her cotton shirt and jean shorts were comfortable, and her light zip up sweatshirt kept the slight chill of the morning air from making her cold. Long black hair piled around her shoulders and partway down her back as she looked around the wooded drive curiously. It was all so different from the city. The air was filled with the strong scent of pine and the sounds of wind in the treetop - oddly reminding her of the sounds of traffic on the highway near her house.

She almost missed spotting the girl coming down the dirt drive, only turning to look that way when she detected a soft crunching. Seeing her host, she moved to pick up her suitcase and purse, the soft crunch of her feet on the dirt matching the more distant sounds she had heard (the approaching footsteps of her greeter).

“Welcome, you must be Becca! They sent me to fetch you. Sorry, it’s a bit out of the ordinary, no grand reception or anything. You see, most campers arrive on Monday, but I understand this was a bit last minute. You are going to love it here, I am sure! I’m Gwen, by the way, and I head up one of the cabins ... Let me get you to the camp office, and we will get you sorted right quick!” Opening the chain around the gate with a key hanging on a chain around her neck, Gwen opened the gate far enough for Becca to step through, before closing the gate again, and locking the chain back in place. Turning, taking the heavy suitcase from the younger girl peremptorily, she headed off up the drive “Here, let me help you ... you’ve had a bit of a drive this morning, coming all the way from Berkeley was it?”

Becca let the cascade of words wash over her as she made her way up the drive, following alongside Gwen, checking her out surreptitiously. Her more mature form, encased in a camp logo emblazoned t-shirt, moved easily and confidently, carrying her charge’s suitcase. Becca was surprised that the older girl wore a skirt, albeit a casual one, rather than shorts. It seemed a bit incongruous. Gwen’s hair, pulled back in a ponytail, bounced from side to side as the two made their way up the drive, approaching a large building, made out of rough hewn logs and other natural materials.

Setting Becca’s suitcase along the wall just to the right of the door, Gwen opened up the screen door and beckoned the new girl to follow her inside. Leading the way into the interior, Gwen ignored the common room chaos, and strode down a short hallway, stopping at an open door bedecked with a sign ‘Office’. Knocking on the wood, she darted her head in, then led the two of them into the small office, greeting the man standing up from behind the desk. “Chris, here’s our late arrival, Becca! I’ll be out in the common room, and can take her to her cabin once you have her all sorted.” With a smile, she turned back to the slightly bewildered new camper “Becca, Chris here is in charge this term, and he will give you a brief orientation -- so glad to have met you!”. As she left, she dashed a smile over her shoulder at Chris before closing the door behind her, and leaving Becca alone with the camp counselor.

Becca looked at Chris, a bit nervously. Not that there was anything inherently disturbing about the young man, but she was feeling a bit like a fish out of water, and, well, he was rather tall and good looking. A bit much for a young teen like herself. Still, she sat down on the chair he motioned to, perching on the edge of the seat

“So glad you had no trouble getting here. Last year, we had someone miss a whole term when their transportation fell through, and they were unable to get here from their home state on the east coast. You had far less to distance travel, of course, but still, glad you are here!” Chris sat and looked at the girl carefully. She was from one of the approved families, of course, but he knew nothing about her. This was her first year at JugendNackt, or ‘Camp J’ as it had come to be called, and with the last minute request, the normal research and preparation had not been done. Still, if she was on the list, then her parents were obviously ready for her to embrace the healthy lifestyle of their forefathers, and break free from the repressive ideas even the nominally progressive state of California in these United States tended to espouse. In his fifth year at the camp, Chris had grown to love the evolution the campers went through. He was just a bit uncertain due to the rush rush nature of Becca’s acceptance. She had missed a lot of the first week’s slower paced introduction into the much freer atmosphere the camp, and the philosophy of its founders. Still, they all had decreed that this was an acceptable adjustment, and since she’d be filling in the spot recently vacated in one of the cabins, it was a bit fortuitous.

Taking a look at the briefly filled out application that he had been given, Chris paused. Brief as it was, the admissions officer (Brooke, who was in her fourth year on the job, seemed to have a knack for getting the right information so that every camper got the best start possible) had decided that Becca would be a good fit for Hassen. Common for most new campers that did not have older brothers or sisters that had gone to camp, placing neophytes in Hassen helped to ensure a more gradual introduction. Sometimes the younger siblings of experienced campers wanted to start in one of the other cabins, though in most cases, they rotated through all five cabins the first two years before settling on their favorites in the final year or so, assuming they were sent to the camp the maximum four years (five in cases of new cabin leaders).

“Well, Ms. Braun, I am sure you parents told you all about the camp. Your family Von Braun helped start the camp, so I’m sure you are going to have an enjoyable summer! Now, since it was a bit of a rush, we did not have time for the usual preparation, and we don’t have the uniform ready - you will have to go have Brook measure you and get you set up. Um, until then, did you bring any skirts? They are required for all female campers...” He looked at her curiously, worried for a moment that perhaps Becca had not been properly guided by her parents.

“Um, it’s just my Mom now, and, well, she just said camp was one of the most wonderful things she’d ever done ... though I don’t think it was here. Dad, I think, went here and said it was his summers here that made him grow up and catch the eye of my mother...” Becca looked down briefly, sad, remembering the loss of her father and the hole it had left in their lives for a while. “But ... that was years ago now ... it’s fine ... please ... don’t’” she said, sensing Chris’s intent to share some meaningless words of comfort over the loss of her parent.

Pausing for a moment, looking up at the concerned face of the head counselor, Becca smiled “I am looking forward to it, of course, this is so much better than going to stay with one of the ladies from my Mom’s church. But, um, I did not know about the skirts ... but if they are going to give me one, do I need one of my own?”

Catching himself, settling back, sensing the young girl’s insistence on maintaining her composure, Chris nodded, smiling at the idea of staying with some scary old ladies. “Well, some of the girls like to have something besides the camp skirts for the weekends, and some evening activities, but, yes, the camp skirt will suffice for all purposes ... but ... we do have some skirts in the lost and found, I think we can find you a couple that you can wear, not only until you get your uniform, but you can keep and use them for a change from Camp J Blue --” he added with a smile, getting up from behind the desk. “Come, let’s go see what we can find ... then you can get changed quick and we will go find Brook”.

Ten minutes later, the two were crossing the courtyard in front of the main cabin, and heading down a narrow gravel path. “Let’s drop off your things, then go find Brook and get you outfitted. I think everyone is out on their morning activity, so will have to wait to meet your cabin leader and bunk mates...” Chris was watching the new girl out of the corner of his eye. He had an odd feeling that they might have missed something with this girl. Her mother did not seem to have prepared her at all, hopefully she was aware of the long history of Camp JugendNackt, and their purpose. The girl did seem open and pleasant, and not put off too much by her change of clothing. He shook his head remembering her insistence on going through the whole pile twice before deciding on the two skirts she chose. Both were the opposite of frilly, being functional, and made with durable fabric, one was a dark grey (which Becca was wearing now), and the other was an almost burnt orange color.

Carrying her small purse and the orange skirt, Becca looked around curiously. Everything here was so different than her concrete and lawn covered suburban neighborhood. She had tried to carry her own suitcase, but with a simple grab, the Camp leader had taken her suitcase in tow. The scent of pine was strong here, and as they crested a small hill, she spied a cabin dead ahead, down at the bottom of a small incline.

“That will be your new home, at least for the first term. As I am sure you will find out, each cabin is slightly different, and most of our campers rotate through most if not all, before settling in with their favorite, often becoming cabin leaders and such. “ Chris raised his hand and pointed down the hill to the cabin as he spoke, the two of them rapidly approaching the main cabin door. Over the head of the door was an old wooden sign. Becca could not quite make it out, it did not look like any word she knew “Hassen?” she asked as they entered.

“Oh, yes, one of the original signs! We leave up there, sort of adding to the atmosphere! I believe it’s German for ‘Rabbit’, or close enough for us these days!” the camp leader explained as he placed her bag next to a small cot in the corner. “I’m not sure where they are going to put you, but we can leave your stuff here, by Harold’s desk, until they get back from activity. We should have you all measured by then, and at that time you can meet your cabin mates, mostly girls this year I think, and you can dive right into the afternoon activities if you like ... how’s that sound?”

Looking around the room, rows of cots lined up neatly, and an open area with a couple of couches were the main things that drew Becca’s attention as she followed Chris over to the leader’s cot. “Sure, um, let me stick this in my suitcase, probably stick out like a sore thumb carrying a purse around here!’ she said, opening the zipper and stuffing her purse inside. It’s not like she had any money, not really, just her strictly limited debit card and a few personal items. Nothing she needed today. Turning to smile in readiness, she nervously played with the hem of her skirt, not used to wearing one all that much.