Applewhites at Wit's End by Stephanie S. Tolan Page A

about?”
    â€œThe blue twin and the possum that got killded on the road. She wants to make a funeral for it. She really, really wants to. Can she do that? It would make her feel better.”
    â€œHow do you know all this?”
    â€œShe was crying on the porch of Dogwood Cottage during rest time.”
    â€œWhere was Cordelia?”
    â€œWith everybody else learning walkie-talkies.”
    â€œCinnamon should have been in her room. The campers are supposed to have their feet on their bunks for rest time.”
    Destiny shook his head. “She didn’t want her sister to see her crying. But I saw her. So I went to see what was the matter. The possum was the matter.”
    Amazing, Jake thought. He would have to tell Lucille about the possum funeral. Maybe Harley, who had so far had only dead bugs to photograph, could take pictures of the deceased. And the funeral too, for that matter.
    They had reached the pond now, where the campers, in swimsuits, were all lined up on the dock. Archie was out on the diving platform, a whistle on a lanyard around his neck. Q and David were jostling each other, threatening to throw each other off, while the others did their best to stay out of their way.
    Dragonflies buzzed purposefully back and forth across the water, changing direction suddenly, occasionally having what appeared to be a dogfight near the reeds on the far side of the pond. Hal and Cordelia, looking even more stunning than usual in her swimsuit, were stationed on the ramp, cutting off the only route of escape should a camper decide not to participate. Ginger, at the back of the line, had her arms folded across her chest and held her head in an unmistakable attitude of defiance, but clearly the only way she could avoid going into the water would be to jump off the dock sideways and brave the muck.
    Archie blew the whistle. “Okay, we’ll do this one at a time,” he called to them. “Q, you’ll dive—or jump—in, swim over here and touch the platform, then swim back to the ladder and climb out. As soon as he’s up on the dock, Samantha, you dive in and do the same thing. And so on. When everybody has swum from the dock to the platform and back, we’ll have free swim. Got that?”
    â€œWhen do I gets to go in?” Destiny asked Jake. “I’m hot!”
    â€œMe, too. But not till free swim. You have to put on your life jacket first.”
    â€œ They don’t gots life jackets,” Destiny said.
    â€œThey know how to swim.”
    â€œI do too! Paddle and kick. Paddle and kick!”
    â€œOkay, Q,” Archie called. “When I whistle, you go.”
    Q crouched as if for a racing dive, and when Archie blew the whistle again, he launched himself into the water.
    â€œSee, Jake? Paddle with your arms and kick with your feet,” Destiny said. “I can do that!”
    One after the other, the campers dived in, swam to the platform, returned, and took their places at the end of the line until only Ginger was left, standing next to the ladder, her arms still folded. Harley had already climbed out of the water, and the rest of the campers were standing behind her on the dock, waiting to be allowed to go in again. Destiny wasn’t the only one who wanted to get into the water.
    Archie whistled. Ginger didn’t move. “Come ahead,” he called.
    Jake could feel the sun getting hotter and hotter on his shoulders.
    â€œI wanna swim!” Destiny said. He kicked off his flip-flops and picked up his life jacket. “I said , I wanna swim!”
    Jake buckled him into his jacket. “Just wait. As soon as Ginger goes, everybody can swim.”
    â€œShe’s not going,” Destiny protested. “I told you she wouldn’t. You go, Jake. She’ll get in if you do, I betcha.”
    Jake shook his head. “Let Archie handle it.”
    Destiny suddenly ran toward the dock, pointing into the sky. “Look, look,