No Signal

Marcus held his mobile up to the cabin window. No signal. He held it near the door. Still nothing.

He tried to send a text to his mom, but it didn't send. He tried to download a game, and the little circle turned and turned, then stopped.

Bea watched him from the top bunk. “Give it up,” she said. “There’s no signal out here. That’s the whole point of camp.”

Marcus put the phone in his bag. He felt strange, like something was missing.

That night, the two of them sat outside the cabin. There was no phone and no games, just the dark trees and the sound of a river.

Bea pointed up. “Look. You can see all the stars out here. You can’t see them back home.”

Marcus looked up for a long time. He didn’t reach for his phone once.

On the last day, he got one bar of signal by the gate, and his phone filled up with texts. He read them, then put it away.

“You okay?” Bea asked.

“Yeah,” he said. “I’ll download the photos when I get home. Right now I just want to look at the stars one more time.”