4 All Aboard

Four all aboard. THE BUS WAS FILLED with a large group of laughing, screaming kids. Harris could feel the excitement.

For Zeke, the noisy bus reminded him of the sad feeling he had when he stepped onto the school bus just a few weeks earlier as the new kid at Jefferson Elementary School. But the feeling passed. This time, he had a friend at his side.

As the bus pulled out of the parking lot, Patrick, the head counselor, stood up and got everyone's attention to be quiet. "Welcome, Beaver Scouts!" he said with a big smile. "You are in for a great weekend! We'll be playing games and sports, going on an overnight camping trip in the woods, all kinds of totally cool stuff. Just sit back and relax, and we'll be there in a few hours."

Zeke looked out the window and watched the scenery change from large, family houses and shopping malls to scattered trees and farm fields. Soon, mountains came into view. BANG! A loud boom sounded and jolted the bus. It pulled over to the side of the road, then rumbled to a stop.

The driver and Patrick ran outside to investigate. A few seconds later, Patrick stuck his head back in as the driver grabbed a toolbox. "Sit tight, everybody," he said. "We have a flat tire. I'll check it out." "Oh, great!" moaned one boy. "Stuck here in the middle of nowhere!"

"What about this air pump?" Patrick asked the driver, pointing at it among the tools. The driver shook his head. "It's no good," said the driver. "There's a hole in the tire. I'll have to put on the spare tire, which will take a while. We're going to be late, I'm afraid." The two men got back on the bus to call the camp to let them know.