Out of My Heart

Melody watches from her wheelchair on the porch deck as her younger sister Penny chases fireflies with Mrs. V, a neighbor who has helped care for Melody for years. Her parents work long hours, as her mother is a nurse, and her father works in business. As Penny races about the yard to capture a firefly and put it in a jar, Mrs. V cautions her gently that no one wants to live in a jug. Melody’s mother arrives and joins the girls to enjoy the firefly show.

Melody’s wheelchair is outfitted with a communication device, a keyboard, and a small speaker, like the one Stephen Hawking uses, she likes to tell people. She types what she wants to say and the Medi-Talker, which she has named Elvira, says it for her in a “real girl’s voice” (12). Although her body “works like a piece of taffy that’s been left out in the sun” (6), her brain is sharp. She is a voracious reader, and on Fridays, Mrs. V takes the girls to the public library where Melody always checks out stacks of books.

Melody has listened in school as classmates talk about their summer plans to go to different specialty camps. Her classmates do not entirely accept her, as she is nonspeaking and uses a wheelchair, and she thinks, “The result is some serious frustration” (10). But Melody long ago decided to focus on what she can do. Melody thinks summer camps sound like fun, but she is aware of the challenges she would face.

Melody wants to ask her mother about camp, because she thinks that in a camp setting, she “can just be Melody Brooks for a few days” (17). With the help of a librarian, Melody locates a camp in Ohio only two hours away called Camp Green Glades that specializes in kids with “special needs” (19). The term itself bothers Melody—she has needs, everyone does, but they do not define her. An excited Melody shows her mother the camp website. Her mother is reluctant because the camp activities, particularly horseback riding and swimming, sound dangerous.

Diane, Melody’s mom, is certain that it is too late to find an opening in the camp, but she fills out the lengthy online application anyway. The application reveals how much the camp caters to the kids, and her mom is impressed. The camp promises one counselor to be assigned to each camper to provide one-on-one attention. Diane, with Melody watching with joy in her eyes, submits the application.

The next day, they receive word from the camp that Melody has been put on a waiting list. Melody is disappointed and finds refuge in going to her room and turning up her music. She delights in seeing colors as the music plays, and the colors calm her.

Two days later, Melody’s mother receives a surprise phone call from the camp administration: There has been a late cancellation, and Melody has been accepted. Camp starts in three days. When Melody’s dad comes home from work, the family discusses the camp and the logistics of everything they would need to prepare for Melody to attend. Melody insists she is ready and wants to go. Her parents send an email accepting the offer.

The family is thrown into a whirlwind of packing. After packing all of Melody’s clothes and toiletries, her mother adds a red dress. Melody snickers that she is not going to prom. Her mom only says, “You never know” (42). That night, Melody and her mother rock together in their favorite rocker they’ve had since Melody can remember. Rocking with her mother has always soothed her.

Before the family departs for camp, Mrs. V runs over and gives Melody four braided bracelets of different colors. “These are friendship bracelets,” she tells her through her tears. “I hope you meet lots of new people” (49). With Melody strapped securely into her power chair in the family SUV, the Brooks family heads to camp.

Melody decides that camp was a mistake as she looks out the car window. Miles of thick pine tree groves line the road and make Melody realize how alone she will be and how dangerous the woods are. Her heart beats hard and her palms get sweaty. As they pass the sign for Camp Green Glades, she wants to type out on Elvira, “[T]ake me home” (55).

Melody and her family arrive at the camp. They are directed to Melody’s cabin where she meets her counselor, Trinity. Trinity greets them with a welcoming smile. Melody loves Trinity’s gorgeously braided hair. She notices Trinity’s brace on her leg from a car accident, Trinity tells them, a few years back. Trinity tells Melody that she herself came to camp when she was Melody’s age and loved it, and now works as a counselor. She assures Melody as she helps unpack her stuff that feeling scared is normal and that as her assigned counselor, she will be with Melody for every moment.

Trinity tells Melody about the activities the camp sponsors, including horseback riding, which Melody assures her that she will not do. As her parents prepare to leave, Melody sees a bright red cardinal land on a branch right beside her. She takes it as a sign of welcome. They all hug and, “in what seemed like a blink” (67), her family is gone.

Trinity takes Melody to the camp cafeteria where she reviews all the camp’s safety protocols. Melody is more fascinated by her counselor’s stunning makeup, her elaborate hair style, her glittery jewelry, and her sweet jasmine perfume. Each camp building, Trinity tells her, will have four residents. Each unit has a team name—Melody will be with the Fiery Falcons. Trinity keeps reassuring Melody that she will love the camp—even the horses—although Melody doubts that she would ever ride a horse. “Once you feel the magic and the power of a horse, you’ll never be the same” (73), Trinity tells her. Trinity gifts Melody with a camera to help record the week.