Trial by Campfire

Trial by Campfire is the eight one-shot of "A Day in the Life of the Gal Pals". In it, Lincoln and the Gals go on a camping trip with Beatrix, and a few new friends made in middle school, all of them being tested to see if they're worth being members of the group. Little do they realize that something scary is about to happen/

## Synopsis

"While out at the store with his mother, one afternoon; Lincoln runs into a familiar face. Eager to reconnect with this friend; he invites her to join him on a camping trip he, his new school friends and the Gal Pals plan on having in the coming weekend. But there is more to this campout than just eating marshmallows, singing and having fun.

Upon learning that the five newbies wish to join their group, Carol and the others offer each of them a little test to see if they're worthy of becoming part of the pack; telling a scary story. If they are able to tell one that will *really* leave the crew scared, they're in. But will Linc's old friend and his *new* friends be able to think of such stories?"

## Plot

Lincoln and his mother Rita are grocery shopping for camping snacks. At the market, the former runs into Beatrix Yates, who is all too happy to see him again. They catch each other up on their lives so far, leading to Beatrix learning about a camping trip Lincoln is going on with the Gal Pals, making her feel left out. Learning this, Lincoln decides to invite her on the camping trip, though she'd need permission from her parents, Bumper and Jancey.

The weekend has arrived, and Carol Pingrey is driving her van along the streets, the other Gal Pals members and Lincoln riding along with her. They are going to Camp Bluebell for their camping trip, having had negative experiences regarding Scratchy Bottom Campgrounds. Carol points out that the up-and-coming members of the group might already be at Camp Bluebell, with Lincoln being thankful for Carol's decision to let them join in, though Becky Carter adds in that they must prove their worthiness of joining the group by going through an "initiation", worrying Lincoln about the possibility of them doing questionable things. The van reaches the entrance, where Officers Jennifer Higgins, Zoey Simmons, and Gabriella Campos are along with the newcomers, and some of the Yates family.

At the entrance, the eldest Gals get acquainted with Eloise "Ellie" Higgins, Tonya and Omar "Big O" Simmons(who had a growth spurt making the 12-year-old look as tall as high-schoolers), Dolores Campos, and Beatrix. During that, they and Lincoln also get acquainted with the officers' partners before they and the officers themselves depart, leaving everyone to go into Camp Bluebell and set up their site.

After setting up the tents, the sun is setting, which is perfect for the Gal Pals to put something forth. Carol tells the newcomers to help Lincoln bring extra stuff from her van to the site, and they do so. Upon returning, the girls have stylized themselves to resemble the Illuminati, and they're confused about it. Carol tells them the reason for the camping trip, which is to see if they're worth joining the group by passing a test as part of the initiation, which is clarified by Cici to be nothing questionable. Becky clarifies that the requirements for being one of the Gal Pals involve the member being reliable, loyal, spiritually strong, and fun.

The challenge is to tell a scary story. If the story is scary enough to scare the Gal Pals, or entertaining enough, then the newcomers are bound to become members. Ellie is the first to tell a story, which is about a crazy axeman during the Old West named Booker, who would become Booker the Butcher upon inviting people into his cabin for dinner and use his ax to slaughter them and throw them in a basement. He would go on a rampage and kill his son, the wife making her escape and alerting nearby townsfolk about Booker's sadism. The cabin still exists, but must not be neared as long as Booker and the souls he murdered are waiting.

Tonya and Omar get Lincoln and the Gals to sing a song with them known as "The Ballad of Sara Berry", which is about the title girl killing other candidates to become the prom queen, only for a one-legged Julie Jenkins to report her to the police, locking her up in an asylum. Dolores's story is about a Spanish bogeyman known as the Cucuy, and Beatrix's story is about Jimmy Simpkins learning that his hard drive was erased. The story has failed to impress *anyone*, but Carol was willing to give her a second chance, the other members clarifying the requirements for the scary story. With this in mind, she tells a story about a being known as the Headless Coachman.

The story dates back to London on a misty autumn night during the age of Queen Victoria when one of the coachmen accepts a woman's request for a ride around London, said woman having lost her cocker spaniel earlier. During the trek, she offers her scarf to the coachman since they're in a cold environment, and he wraps it around his neck. She gets him to help her search for it in the woods, though it would get foggier and darker the further they went, obscuring the coachman's view. Barking sounds would be heard, surprising the woman, causing her to convince the coachman to near where the sounds are coming from. It gets darker and foggier, yet the barkings increase in volume. The puppy would be seen, and then followed. During the chase, the coachman would near London once again, only for a highwayman to scare them off the path to where the puppy still is, the woman going crazy and making the coachman go faster than he has been going so far, setting him, and his horse, in a state of fear. The pursuit would leave an end of the scarf flapping in the air, no one noticing low branches hanging from the trees, and the scarf snatching onto one of them, leading to the creation of... The Headless Coachman!

Beatrix tells everyone that since the story became a thing, it has been passed down throughout continual generations over around two centuries and that an idea exists that the coachman's ghoul still wonders the world in the present day. She lists four signs that would symbolize the ghoul's approach. The first regards a thick mist rolling over the land, the second being the sounds of a cocker spaniel barking, the third is the sound of carriage wheels running across a path, and the last being mad cackling. Any and/or all of these events happening will lead to the haunted carriage showing up being driven by the headless coachman. The story freaks everyone out. Every one of the newcomers has passed the test. Later that night, as everyone is getting ready to turn in for the night, a thick mist rolls over the landscape, giving them the impression that there might actually be a headless coachman after all. They shrug it off and try to get their shuteye after telling and listen to scary stories.

Later that night, Kat uses the restroom, only to hear the sound of a dog barking upon walking out. She believes at first that pranks are being pulled to spook the newcomers, and walks back to the campsite for answers. Upon returning, she finds the Gals in a state of fear, excluding the newcomers. They all deduce that no one is pulling any pranks. As if things couldn't get any worse, barks are heard again, along with carriage wheels rolling on pavement, which only instills more fear among them. Then finally, mad cackling is heard, which does the trick and sets everyone in a state of panic, except the newcomers of course, who get everyone's attention and motivate them with the courage they'll need to take the allegedly-existing Headless Coachman down.

Laughing is heard again, and the coachman arrives, the Gal Pals and newcomers, and Lincoln, all holding their own, they encircle the carriage causing a reaction from the horse to toss the coachman out of the carriage, with the newcomers detaining him and calling Officer Simmons while the others are holding on to the carriage. The coachman is defeated, and revealed to be Flip thanks to the fog disappearing. The police arrive, and deduce that the cheapskate purchased a trenchcoat for five dollars and stole a carriage instead of spending twenty-five on a bus ride. He was also looking at cocker spaniel videos that got laughs out of him, which explains the dog barks and the laughter. Flip is taken into custody with the charges of health violations, terrifying a private camping trip, and stealing a carriage. The Gals and newcomers celebrate and continue their camping trip.

The next morning, at Lynn's Table, the newcomers, having proven their worthiness, are "knighted" by Carol. Eloise, Tonya, Omar, Dolores, and Beatrix are now offical members of the group. Honored, everyone celebrates, and Beatrix suggests another camping trip, with Dana adding that it should be somewhere in the backyard of one of the households owned by Gal Pals members.