Intangible Treasure

Fox felt a bit angry about the situation in which he found himself; a kid he didn’t know was accusing him of something he didn’t do. Not only that, he was citing the camp rules, which would have Fox coughing up a dollar bill as a penalty for the crime for which he had been accused.

It had been almost a full week at the little church camp to which Fox and his brother had been sent. They were the only two their age in their tiny rural church, so they had been sent along with the children of a church with a larger congregation. As such, they were outcasts – and church children were just as cruel and cliquish as any other variety. The two boy kept to themselves, but had no beefs with any of the other campers, essentially maintaining a neutral stance regarding practically all they had experienced.

The camp itself was pleasant and far from the noise and nocturnal lights of the city. An arboreal wall surrounded the camp and cabins on all sides, encapsulating the little camp in a world unto itself. The rules were simple, and the schedule was consistent and regimented. Life was different than that which one would expect at home, but was not uncomfortable. However, one particular rule stood out on the list: Never litter or allow littering; for this command was the only one with a promise attached – anyone caught littering would forfeit a dollar to the individual who could catch him in the act and prove it to be so.

This turned many of the younger children into little hunters, spying desperately for anyone who might be so unfortunate as to drop a bit of waste within their immediate vicinity. The older kids seemed less affected by the councilors’ gutless attempt to turn them against each other, but were nonetheless inclined to search for offenders with their peripheral vision whenever they found themselves a bit short of change for one of the mess hall vending machines. As a result, the camp was clean – almost spotless – at all times, day and night.

Fox and his brother enjoyed fishing, capture the flag, and various other competitions of skill; making a point to best their many rivals whenever possible. The counselors eventually became aware of the nature of the two boys’ stay at the camp, learning that they were the only attendees from their church and that even their bunkmates did not know them or anything about them. They took pity on the brothers and began to show them a bit of extra attention when the two of them showed themselves capable of holding their own in competitions with churches having much larger teams of children. They won dodge ball, they won swimming races, they won trivia games, tug of war, eating contests…the pair often facing opposing teams double or triple their number.

The days passed without incident, but it became apparent as the camping drew to a close, that some of the campers from larger schools felt a bit slighted by the prowess of the brothers from the countryside. This became apparent with the increasing ease with which Fox or his brother might receive insult from certain of the other campers. It seemed as if a few of the other children could be agitated to wrath by the slightest lapse in etiquette; a situation which irritated young Fox intensely. Nevertheless, the grossly outnumbered pair were compelled to adapt in order maintain a peaceful environment, a few times smilingly accepting slights which might normally have sparked an altercation.

In the end, it was the rule that seemed the best way to get someone at the little camp. To simultaneously embarrass someone, lower the counselors’ opinion of them, and deprive them of their money. It had the potential to be used as a potent and rather profitable weapon, were one so inclined.

Fox had just swallowed the last of his diet Dr. Pepper and set the can on the rough surface of the weathered picnic table from which he had been watching his brother play basketball with several other kids. Fox had no use for sports and often avoided them whenever doing so was an option. When the game was finished, his brother called him from the court and Fox stood from his seat as if to walk over to him. At the fall of his first step, a young boy appeared behind him, swiping he can from the table, “Ha! You owe me a dollar!”

“No I don’t,” Fox retorted irritably, “I just now set that down, that’s not littering – its right where I was sitting,”

“Sure, sure,” The boy replied with notable sarcasm, “You were walking away. You’re just acting like that ‘cause you got caught,” the young accuser rushed off in the direction of the nearest counselor without another word.

Fox watched him, appalled to silence. He recognized the boy as one of those during his stay who seemed impossible to please, always having some reason to treat Fox and some of the less popular campers with obvious distain.

Fox walked hurriedly to the counselor, encountering an accusation already in progress.

“Is this true?” the old man asked the approaching defendant, “This young man says he caught you littering,”

“That’s a lie,” Fox stated calmly, “This kid took my Coke can right off the table where I was sitting,”

“He was walking away,”

“I just stood up and you swiped it right out from under me!”

“I did not!”

Fox glared briefly at his accuser, then turned to his judge, “I know the rule, sir – why would I leave a can on the table for this jerk to pick up? The trash can is right there, why would I risk a dollar by leaving the can there?”

The counselor seemed effected by clarity of the defendant’s logic, but the rule was the rule and it was already clear that discounting the other child’s accusation would only appear as favoritism to the other campers, “Is that so?”

“On my honor,” Fox assured, “Absolutely,”

The other boy had not ceased to deny Fox’s every word, “I caught him fair and square,” he repeated, “This litterbug owes me a buck – there’s not point in arguing about it,” he held up the can, “This is the proof,”

The counselor took the empty vessel and took a deep breath, “Okay, okay, I guess you’re right. The rule is the rule,”

Fox’s confident expression dissolved into a look of disbelief. The other kid won?

The old man reached into his back pocket and drew out his own wallet, withdrawing a single dollar bill, which he handed to Fox’s accuser, “There,” he said, “That is that. I’ll settle-up with Fox latter, now run along. Let’s not have any more fighting,”

The selfish little boy snatched the dollar, seeming momentarily confused, but wasting no time in shooting Fox a victorious grin before pocketing the bill and trotting away.

Fox merely stared at the counselor, not quite sure what to expect.

The old deacon turned to him and smiled, “You’re free to go, son. Don’t worry about that just now,”

“But?”

“I have been watching you,” he said, almost proudly, “I have seen you pick up litter yourself, but rather than come to me like that boy did, you just tossed it in the trashcan. You’re a strong one. You and your brother both, but not just strong in the arms and legs – you’ve got some spiritual strength too. I’ve been here a while and I have not seen many kids who would obey the rules and then go out of their way to do the right thing without being asked or seeking a profit,”

Fox smiled and looked at his shoes.

“To tell the truth,” the counselor continued, “I was surprised that boy was accusing you like that, because it really looked like you had done what he said,”

Fox looked up.

The old man smiled, “But you swore on our honor that you didn’t,”

“That’s why you gave him the dollar out of you own pocket?” Fox was incredulous.

“I did it cause I believed you when you said that,” the counselor replied, tossing the can into the trashcan, “‘on your honor’ your pretty young to talk like that, but from what I have seen, you seem to have some idea what honor means – that’s why I gave that boy a dollar. Reputation is a powerful thing,”

The child had nothing profound to say to the old man at the time; he merely thanked the counselor and rushed off to meet his brother a few dozen meters away. He never met him again, never even thinking to ask his name, but Fox would carry that last phrase with him for years.

Here the main character of the story experiences an event that acts to reinforce his developing chivalric, warrior ethos. At this point in his life, he has begun to adapt to his rural life and has added several of his rough, US Marine stepfather’s philosophies to his own knightly ideals. It is also at this point that the concept of budo begins to take root in his mind.