“You’ll get a chance to swim or canoe every day, starting tomorrow.”
Luke took over next. “Each day, you’ll also get a chance to do other camp activities like crafts, nature walks, stuff like that,” he said. “You’ll also learn detective skills from a real detective!”
A lot of the kids whistled and clapped at the word
detective
.
“You’re expected to do camp chores, too,” Luke continued.
“What kind of chores?” a girl with a long ponytail asked. “Like dishes and stuff?”
“No dishes, Jade, but you’re expected to keep your bunks neat,” Angie said. “And we sweep the cabins every day. Some of you may want to feed the chickens and collect eggs. We even have a vegetable garden, if you like getting your hands dirty. Anyway, the chores don’t take long, and you can switch around so no one gets bored.”
“When do we eat?” Josh asked, getting a laugh.
“Mealtimes are sacred around here,” Buzzy said. “Mario is the cook, and he won’t wait for latecomers. Breakfast is at eight, lunch at noon, and supperis promptly at five o’clock.”
“We eat outside on the picnic tables by the barn, unless the weather is bad,” Angie added. “If it rains, we don’t eat.”
Most of the kids went silent and stared at her.
“Are you kidding?” Josh asked.
Angie grinned. “Yes. We eat in the barn if it rains. So that’s another chore, to help carry the picnic tables inside if the weather looks bad.”
“When you’re not doing these camp things, you’ll have free time to relax, write letters home, whatever,” Luke said. “Okay, any more questions?”
“Wait, Luke,” Buzzy said. “We forgot to tell them the most important thing!”
“Oh yeah, what’s that?” Luke asked with a big grin on his face.
“The Marvelous Mystery Map!” Buzzy said. “Detective Robb will explain it all later. For now, we just want to clueyou in that there’ll be a treasure hunt with a really cool prize.”
“Awesome!” a bunch of kids yelled.
“One more thing before we head up to the barn,” Angie said. “This’ll be fun. Break up into your three cabin groups. We want each group to decide on a cabin cheer. Try to keep it under fifteen words. Later, each cabin will get to yell out their cheer. Okay, get busy. You’ve got ten minutes!”
The kids all scrambled around to sit with their cabinmates. Dink and Josh and the other six boys from Moose Cabin sat under a shady pine tree.
“This is so cool!” Hunter said. “I’ve never been to camp before!”
“Does anyone have any ideas for a cheer?” asked Billy.
“How about putting in something that rhymes with
moose
?” said Ian, one of the twins.
“Yeah, like
noose
or
goose
or
loose
,” his brother added.
“Or
juice
,” said Josh.
“Or
caboose
,” added Campbell.
“What about this?” Dink said. “HEY, I AM A MOOSE. I DRINK MY JUICE. AT NIGHT, I SLEEP IN MY CABOOSE.”
“That’s sixteen words,” Duke said.
“I have an idea,” Campbell said. “MOOSIES ROCK! MOOSIES ROLL! MOOSIES RULE!”
“I like that better than mine,” Dink said.
“Everyone else does, too,” Josh said, grinning at Dink. “Let’s take a vote. If you like Campbell’s idea, raise your hand!”
Eight hands flew into the air.
“Okay, time’s up, everyone,” Angie announced a few minutes later. “If you didn’t finish, you’ll have time to get together with your cabinmates beforesupper tonight. Now we’ll head over to the barn and the lodge so you can meet the Darbys.”
In a long, straggling line, the kids followed the three counselors back along the path.
“Did your cabin finish making a cheer?” Dink asked Ruth Rose.
“No,” Ruth Rose said. “But we have some good ideas.”
“We did our cheer,” Dink said.
“You did? Tell me!” Ruth Rose begged.
Both boys shook their heads.
“You’ll have to wait,” Josh teased.
The group went around the lodge to the barn. It was bigger than Dink had thought when he first saw it.
Luke took over next. “Each day, you’ll also get a chance to do other camp activities like crafts, nature walks, stuff like that,” he said. “You’ll also learn detective skills from a real detective!”
A lot of the kids whistled and clapped at the word
detective
.
“You’re expected to do camp chores, too,” Luke continued.
“What kind of chores?” a girl with a long ponytail asked. “Like dishes and stuff?”
“No dishes, Jade, but you’re expected to keep your bunks neat,” Angie said. “And we sweep the cabins every day. Some of you may want to feed the chickens and collect eggs. We even have a vegetable garden, if you like getting your hands dirty. Anyway, the chores don’t take long, and you can switch around so no one gets bored.”
“When do we eat?” Josh asked, getting a laugh.
“Mealtimes are sacred around here,” Buzzy said. “Mario is the cook, and he won’t wait for latecomers. Breakfast is at eight, lunch at noon, and supperis promptly at five o’clock.”
“We eat outside on the picnic tables by the barn, unless the weather is bad,” Angie added. “If it rains, we don’t eat.”
Most of the kids went silent and stared at her.
“Are you kidding?” Josh asked.
Angie grinned. “Yes. We eat in the barn if it rains. So that’s another chore, to help carry the picnic tables inside if the weather looks bad.”
“When you’re not doing these camp things, you’ll have free time to relax, write letters home, whatever,” Luke said. “Okay, any more questions?”
“Wait, Luke,” Buzzy said. “We forgot to tell them the most important thing!”
“Oh yeah, what’s that?” Luke asked with a big grin on his face.
“The Marvelous Mystery Map!” Buzzy said. “Detective Robb will explain it all later. For now, we just want to clueyou in that there’ll be a treasure hunt with a really cool prize.”
“Awesome!” a bunch of kids yelled.
“One more thing before we head up to the barn,” Angie said. “This’ll be fun. Break up into your three cabin groups. We want each group to decide on a cabin cheer. Try to keep it under fifteen words. Later, each cabin will get to yell out their cheer. Okay, get busy. You’ve got ten minutes!”
The kids all scrambled around to sit with their cabinmates. Dink and Josh and the other six boys from Moose Cabin sat under a shady pine tree.
“This is so cool!” Hunter said. “I’ve never been to camp before!”
“Does anyone have any ideas for a cheer?” asked Billy.
“How about putting in something that rhymes with
moose
?” said Ian, one of the twins.
“Yeah, like
noose
or
goose
or
loose
,” his brother added.
“Or
juice
,” said Josh.
“Or
caboose
,” added Campbell.
“What about this?” Dink said. “HEY, I AM A MOOSE. I DRINK MY JUICE. AT NIGHT, I SLEEP IN MY CABOOSE.”
“That’s sixteen words,” Duke said.
“I have an idea,” Campbell said. “MOOSIES ROCK! MOOSIES ROLL! MOOSIES RULE!”
“I like that better than mine,” Dink said.
“Everyone else does, too,” Josh said, grinning at Dink. “Let’s take a vote. If you like Campbell’s idea, raise your hand!”
Eight hands flew into the air.
“Okay, time’s up, everyone,” Angie announced a few minutes later. “If you didn’t finish, you’ll have time to get together with your cabinmates beforesupper tonight. Now we’ll head over to the barn and the lodge so you can meet the Darbys.”
In a long, straggling line, the kids followed the three counselors back along the path.
“Did your cabin finish making a cheer?” Dink asked Ruth Rose.
“No,” Ruth Rose said. “But we have some good ideas.”
“We did our cheer,” Dink said.
“You did? Tell me!” Ruth Rose begged.
Both boys shook their heads.
“You’ll have to wait,” Josh teased.
The group went around the lodge to the barn. It was bigger than Dink had thought when he first saw it.
Similar Books
