OJCL Torch Fall 2017 | Page 20

19

Nacho Temple , Medusa Megan Johnson , Wellington

At a camp in the middle of nowhere , there ’ s got to be some rules — but it can ’ t be TOO strict , because it ’ s geared towards children . At the camp I was at over the summer , the best rule by far is the “ nacho rule ,” where if it ’ s “ nachos ,” don ’ t touch it . It tells kids to keep their hands to themselves , and on their own things . I was training to be a counselor , so while I wasn ’ t trusted with campers of my own , I was paired with a counselor and three little girls . Their favorite thing to do was listen to my mythology stories , after being introduced to them while stargazing one night . These stories ranged from “ Theseus and the Minotaur ” to “ The Myth of Creation .”
One day , I was telling the story of how Medusa turned from a beautiful lady to an ugly gorgon , and the girls were lost in my words . When I got to the part where Medusa and Poseidon have an affair in Athena ’ s sacred temple , the way I explained it was “ Medusa did something she shouldn ’ t have in a place that wasn ’ t hers ,” mostly because I had no idea how to explain an affair to children . Then one of the girls gasped , exclaiming , “ Medusa got turned ugly because she broke the Nacho Rule !” All the girls started flooding me with questions and concerns , such as “ if we break the rule , will we turn into Medusa ?” and “ I took someone ’ s water bottle , I ’ m going to turn ugly !” All of them started crying and screaming , with the scenario ending as I explained frantically to supervisors that I hadn ’ t harmed the children — I ’ d just told them stories .

19