I caught a baby shark. It was deep water fishing day at camp and something pulled on my line, so I reeled it in. Everyone on deck was surprised there was a catch, let alone that it came from a soon-to-be 4th grader, but they asked me if I wanted to keep it. I said yes. 9 year-old thought-process: we’ll need to acquire a tank. It’s going to be a tight squeeze in our 907 sq ft. apartment (a repeated number used to justify things at our house), but raising Sheila will be worth the congestion.

At 5pm, when my mother arrived to pick me up, we were both horrified to see the travel arrangements my counselors made for Sheila’s journey home: a plastic bag. My mother looked into my still-hopeful eyes and said we’d be ‘releasing’ her by the loading docks in Red Hook. Hopefully not disrupting the East River’s ecosystem too much in the process.

Takeaways: 1) Park Slope Day Camp is not for everyone. 2) The opportunities are endless if only you have an imagination and the right equipment. Sheila’s first and last photoshoot below.