Saturday morning, the Panthers were up at daybreak, for an early morning long run around the hills, forests, and dunes of the Lake Michigan area. Coach Van Winkle was gung-ho, wearing a red Rambo-style headband, and a survival knife, strapped to his leg. He had covered his cheeks in mud. “What’s for breakfast?” asked a bleary-eyed Hannah Niehaus. “We only eat what we find,” replied a stone-faced Van Winkle, as he reached up an snapped a nearby pine branch, then began chewing its end. “Anti-oxidants…Vitamin D,” said Van Winkle. “Rogan says that with the right diets, we can live forever,” he continued. Curious, senior captain Bryce Nisly took a branch and started chewing.
Back at the cabins, Erica Gingerich and Emily Van Winkle were knee-deep in breakfast preparation, while an alert and observant JP inspected the rations and supplies. He found several crates marked “Military Sausage: Good Through December, 2035.” “How long are we planning on being here?” asked JP. “You never know, JP, you never know,” said Emily, as she began lugging propane and kerosene tanks into a large underground storage bunker. “It’s nuclear grade,” said Van Winkle as she pounded the steel wall. “Don’t worry…we’ll be safe here.”
“The first rule in the Art of War,” said Coach Mike Van Winkle, as he sprinted his way through the forest, followed closely by a veritable tribe of feral athletes, “is to always make sure the cows are fed.” “But why,” asked a wide-eyed Daniel Thomas. “You’ll understand later today,” concluded Van Winkle, as he began a steep incline up a rocky slope. Thomas frowned, and began his own ascent of the hill, wondering what his cryptic leader meant in his words.
They hit the dunes and could see the calm beauty of the great lake in front of them. Freshmen Lanay Sommers, Hadley Premda, and Corinna Seabourn began launching themselves off of dune tops, and landing, spider-like, in the sand below. Seniors Nicholas Johnson and Zeke Gingerich began making sand-angels, laughing like children at their creations. Meanwhile, Bryce Nisly could be seen chewing on a mouthful of sand. “That’s good, Nisly,” said Van Winkle, “you’ve got to keep your proper silicon levels in stasis.” “Rogan’s orders?” mumbled Nisly. “You know it,” said Van Winkle. Nisly grinned, and continued chewing.
An hour later, the Panther runners returned to camp, and they were hungry. They began devouring the stacks of pancakes and plates of sausage prepared by the parents and Coach Emily Van Winkle. “Eat all you handle,” Van Winkle said. “We’ve got plenty more where that came from.” She glanced at JP and smiled.
After breakfast, it was time for Games at the Beach. Coach Van Winkle called the athletes together at the shore, and began articulating what was actually a very elaborate military intelligence-designed obstacle course. The boys began their test by engaging in a technical mind game called Spike Ball. Coach Van Winkle watched as the boys used a mixture of aggression and teamwork to outwit their opponents. Nearby, some of the girls conducted a physical challenge: to test the human limits of exposure to ultra-violet radiation. What looked like some teenagers enjoying the sun was really a highly-calculated experiment, the results of which would go directly to the NSA. Sophomore Brady Adams spent his time in a counter-intelligence exercise called Mine-Detection. He scoured the beach with his metal detector, and now and then found some interesting trinkets, lost to history. “Check it out,” said Brady. “It’s a penny…from 1963.” “Bring it over here,” said Coach Van Winkle. “Wave it over the base of my neck.” Brady obeyed, and as he waved the metal detector over Van Winkle’s neck, the machine began beeping loudly. “Wow! What is that?” asked Brady, amazed. “It’s an implant…origin unknown…it happened in 1963…when I was five.” “Wait a second,” said Brady, “How old are you?” His question remained unanswered as Coach Van Winkle called the athletes back together for a final test. “It’s called The Bunker,” said Van Winkle. “Using only the sand and your wits, you must construct a military quality bunker, on the shores of a lake. The parents and coaches will determine the winner.” “And the losers perish in the Apocalypse…figuratively speaking, of course,” finished Emily Van Winkle, and flashed another glance at JP, who was growing more and more concerned as the afternoon passed on. Ultimately, it was argued that, due to their consideration of School Pride and their wise use of nearby hillocks, the girls’ bunker was decided the champion.
JP decided that it was nap time, and so he retreated into his room. However, before drifting off to sleep on the wings of his favorite True Crime podcast, he scrawled the following into his diary.
“Van Winkle’s plans are escalating. Enough rations and fuel for a very long holdout. Haven’t located weapons cache yet. Still looking. Rituals appear to be a success. Recruits are following directives and are coming together. Parents appear to be on board with objectives.”
An hour later, a knock at the door awoke JP. “It’s Ponderosa time,” said Coach Mike Van Winkle. “Let’s go, the caravan is a’waitin’.” JP’s mind began to race. “Wasn’t Ponderosa an old buffet-type restaurant, that existed back in the 1990’s? Where are we,” he wondered, “Or better yet, when are we?”
The oblivious student athletes enjoyed the short drive to Ludington, Michigan and through it’s postcard perfect downtown. “It was here, in 1936,” said Emily Van Winkle, “Where Nikola Tesla built his first electro-magnetic transponder. Legend has it that he may have inadvertently opened a wormhole.” As she spoke, the Panther train pulled into what looked like a Ponderosa Steakhouse restaurant, circa 1993. They entered the restaurant and some early-career Garth Brooks was playing in the background. The waitresses directed the Panthers to a reserved section and then unveiled a classic Ponderosa buffet. Mashed potatoes. Chicken Wings. Full salad bar. Pizza. Tacos. You name it. “All you can eat?” asked freshman Triton Rhodes. “And then some,” answered Coach Mike Van Winkle, “You haven’t seen the dessert bar yet.” Triton stood, stock still, and stared, as a thin line of drool began to drip out of the corner of his mouth. “Now you understand why the cows must be fed,” Van Winkle concluded.
Fully stuffed, the Panthers got back in their cars for the short jaunt to Lake Michigan, where they would visit the famous lighthouse, and see the enormous car ferry called The Badger. The parents and athletes walked out along the pier, and posed for another team picture. Afterwards, they relaxed on the sand and viewed what was a particularly beautiful sunset. “The colors come from the isotopes,” said Emily Van Winkle, to Coach JP. “From the tests, during the Cold War,” she said. “Okay…” JP responded. “That is why we’re here,” Van Winkle continued, “for when the machines strike.”
Back at the cabins, it would soon be lights out, and everyone was eager for the rest. It had been a busy day, and a wonderful weekend, and in the morning, when the sun broke on the horizon, the world was still in order.