Free Monkey Bars and Rubber Ducks by T.M. Alexander

us.’ He was joking, almost certainly.
    I didn’t say anything, and it wasn’t because I had my mouth full of sweet crumbly chocolate, it was because I understood. Tribers are meant to stick together, but that doesn’t mean they have to stay in the same room. Jonno wanted to go, and that was fine. Wherever we all are, we’re still a team. We’re still Tribe.
    ‘Hang on a sec, Jonno,’ said Bee. ‘Tribe handshake.’ She slapped down her hand and the rest of us followed.
    One, two, three. We threw our hands high in the sky.
    I had a Friday feeling. A really good one. I reckoned we all did.

Under
Canvas

All
Packed Up
    By Sunday night I was all packed up. One sleeping bag with small pillow inside, one middle-sized rucksack with all my clothes for the week including a waterproof and my wetsuit, a towel and a wash bag, one pair of wellies hung on the outside, one small rucksack for days out, everything named. Mum had given me a pep talk that covered subjects ranging from sleep problems to advice about food.
    MUM’S PEP TALK
    Homesickness
    Lots of children feel this. It’s OK to feel homesick. It may happen at night: It will pass. (This has to be the most unuseful advice ever)
    Temperature
    In the day it can vary enormously so wear layers e. g. a short-sleeved T-shirt, a long-sleeved T-shirt and a sweatshirt. Take off or put on as necessary. (Thank you, Mum. I could have worked that out.) At night, if cold, wear socks and a woolly hat. (They’re called beanies, Mum.)
    The water will be cold. (Really?) Wear your wetsuit even if other children don’t. They may not own one. (I will not be wearing a wetsuit if everyone else is in trunks. I’d rather freeze to death in my trunks.)
    Clothes
    Everything is labelled, except pants. Don’t bother reclaiming lost pants found under the groundsheet – it’s embarrassing. (Too right.)
    Safety
    Listen to the instructor carefully. All the activities are safe as long as you abide by the rules. (This is Keener, Mum. I’m a rules person. I will only disobey if absolutely necessary, and agreed with the Tribers.)
    Hygiene
    Please wash, Keener. (I am the boy that doesn’t like sticky things on my hands. Of course I will wash. Copper Pie may not.)
    Food
    Wash your hands. (See above.) Choose dishes cooked for a long time, like stews, to avoid tummy upsets. (It’s not a restaurant.)
    Bowels
    Drink plenty of water to help you go to the toilet. A change of diet can make you bunged up. (I’m embarrassed now, Mum.)
    Everything about me was ready, except me. I didn’t want to go. I’m just not the sort of kid that wants to go away for a week with school. I like holidays, but that’s different because you’re with your family. I sat on the bed and tried to give myself a Keener pep talk. It went like this: Keener, you’ll be with Tribe all week, eating, sleeping, mucking about. It’ll be good.
    I repeated it a few times and I could feel my brain starting to believe it might be true, and then Dad came in. His pep talk was quite different from Mum’s, no toilet or bathroom tips.
    DAD’S PEP TALK
    I know you’re probably feeling like you don’t want to go, but, believe me, other children will be sitting at home feeling just like you do. You will all have a good time when you get there. You might not enjoy every minute, and sometimes you might want to come home, but most of the time you’ll be busy having fun.
    Remember it’s only four days and three nights, and then you’ll be home again. You’re lucky – you’ve got four fantastic friends to keep you company. Not everyone has such close mates to rely on. So if you’re feeling a bit sad, go and find a Triber. In no time at all you’ll be back home, sitting right here on this bed, full of stories about how Tribe had a great time at camp.
    I decided to focus on Dad’s last sentence. Being back home again.
    Flo woke me up by dangling two of her homemade pompom animals over my face. It took me a few minutes to work out that I