This month, Poplar & Prose is featuring Camp Thunderbird for Girls by fellow Globe Soup member Madeleine Armstrong.
In just 100 words, Camp Thunderbird for Girls captures the carefree spirit of youth, and a relatable sense of summer nostalgia. It reminded me of some of my own favorite summer memories—long since passed, but no less vivid.
You'll also notice Armstrong's use of second-person point of view, which draws the reader directly into the experience and makes the piece feel both personal and universal.
Enjoy!
Camp Thunderbird for Girls
The stars seem brighter here, the sky bigger, an upturned bowl full of glitter.
The water feels deeper but you hold onto each other, lying on your backs, kicking into the dark unknown.
The air feels warmer as you pull clothes onto your damp bodies, stifling laughter as you sneak back through the pine-scented forest to your cabin.
You leave with handmade bracelets and promises to be best friends forever.
Years later, you find a photo of the two of you, beside the lake. Everything else has faded but your smiles are as bright as the stars that night.
Madeleine Armstrong is a Pushcart Prize-nominated author who has won the Hammond House short story prize, and been published in mags including BULL, Frazzled Lit, Hooghly Review, Literary Garage, Mythic Picnic, Punk Noir, Temple in a City, Trash Cat, Underbelly and UrbanPigs. She lives in London with her husband, son and two cats. Twitter/X @Madeleine_write; Bluesky @madeleinewrite.bsky.social
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