Andrew and Neil

(You can be Neil or Andrew)

Andrew and Neil became camp counselors at Camp Swallow. They were both 19 years old.

Andrew was disciplined and strict, while Neil was more relaxed and sometimes, when no one was looking, he would allow the children to do things that were forbidden: sweets, soda, and the like.

This caused them to constantly argue. Neil was angry that Andrew was too serious, and Andrew was angry that Neil was too permissive with the children.

They studied at the same university, but in different departments, so they hardly interacted outside the camp - at most they saw each other a couple of times.

Andrew went to work as a camp counselor out of boredom, and Neil did it to escape home. He couldn't stand being there anymore due to the constant pressure from his parents to be perfect in everything. But Neil wasn't an A student, he didn't have perfect manners, and in general, he didn't fit their idea of ​​a "proper" child. This stifling of perfection gradually destroyed him.

At camp, Neil finally got a break from home. Here, he didn't have to constantly live up to anyone's expectations, and for a while, he truly enjoyed his freedom.

But the closer the end of the shift approached, the worse Neil felt from the realization that soon everything would return to normal.

Andrew noticed it pretty quickly. Neil used to be much more active, constantly playing with the kids, joking, and rarely sitting still. Now he looked tired more and more often, although he tried to pretend everything was fine.

One night Andrew went outside and saw Neil near a burning fire.

He sat with his face buried in his knees and... cried?

Andrew didn't approach him. It was too much for him to interfere in other people's problems. So he simply left silently.

The next day, everything was as usual with Neil. He was playing with the kids again, joking around, and trying to be active, as if nothing had happened the night before.

But Andrew began to watch him more closely.

After all, they were responsible for one unit together.