Olly decided he wasn’t going to enjoy Camp when his rucksack tried to kill him.
He had got a lift with his friend Jack, who’d been before. Jack’s dad pulled into the car park and Jack leapt out to go and report to one of the leaders. Olly got out more slowly while Jack’s dad popped the boot open. Olly grabbed his rucksack, and pulled.
It didn’t budge but Olly almost fell over.
“It’s heavy,” he protested.
“Well, there is a lot in it,” Jack’s dad replied. He lifted it out. “I couldn’t believe everything they told Jack to bring. Sleeping bag, climbing boots, running shoes, towels, umpteen changes of clothes … didn’t you notice when you packed?”
“My dad did it,” Olly said.
“Oh, right.” Jack’s dad helped Olly get the rucksack onto his back. Olly almost fell over again. “It’s a shame both your parents had to work this weekend. They do work hard, don’t they?”
“I suppose,” Olly muttered. They had said the Camp was a treat to make up for it. He would have rather just stayed at home alone, but apparently he wasn’t old enough yet. Home had everything he needed. Food, television and no one else around.
Jack came running back.
“We have to check in together. Then we’ll find out who we’re in a tent with.” His big smile said he was so looking forward to this.
“Well, I’ll see you in a couple of days, then.” Jack got a hug from his dad. Olly got a friendly pat on the shoulder. “Enjoy yourselves!”
Olly watched the car drive off. Then he turned and glumly followed Jack.
The leader was a smiling woman with a clipboard. She took their names, and then called another boy over.
“This is Omar,” she said. “We’re putting everyone into threes, and you’re sharing a tent together.”
“Hi, Omar,” Jack said happily. “Pleased to meet you. I’m Jack and this is my friend Olly.”
“Sure,” Omar said. He smiled back, but he was already turning away like he was impatient to get on. “I found where we get the tents from,” he called over his shoulder. “Let’s go!”
“Wow, he’s keen, isn’t he?” Jack commented as they set off after him.
So, that’s two of them, Olly thought to himself.
They were given their tent and equipment in a huge bag that was so heavy all three had to carry it between them to a spot on the campsite.
Then they had to put it up.
It wasn’t a modern pop-up tent, where you threw it onto the ground and it shot up like magic. Nothing so easy.
“Okay,” Omar said. “I’ve done this before. We have to fit these together so they stand up, then we hang the canvas on the frame. So we just have to find the bits that go together.”
They started to rummage through the pile of poles. Olly soon found a couple that seemed to fit, and it looked like Omar had a couple that would screw into the ones he had. Olly put his poles down so that Omar could use them when he was ready, and looked through the pile to see which other ones went together.
“Come on!” Omar said impatiently after a moment.
Olly looked up. “What?”
“Pass them over!” Omar pointed at the poles Olly had put down. “I’ve got a whole lot that fit here – I just need those ones.”
“I was about to pass them to you,” Olly said. Omar got up to fetch them, rolling his eyes and muttering under his breath.
After that they had to put the frame over the groundsheet, then drag the canvas over the whole thing and tie it on. Finally, they had to hammer pegs into the ground and attach guy ropes to them, to make sure the tent didn’t blow away in the wind.
“Okay,” Omar said, “I know how to do the ropes.”
Jack and Olly looked at each other.
“You hammer in the pegs, then attach the ropes and tighten them, don’t you?” Jack asked.
Omar shook his head.
“Nope. It’s better than that. You make the ropes as tight as possible while you hammer the peg in. That way the peg makes them even tighter. So all three of us will have to do each rope – two of us pull and one of us hammers.”
So Olly put the first peg through a loop at the end of the first guy rope, while Jack and Omar pulled. Olly gave the peg a thwack with a rubber mallet.
The mallet bounced back and almost hit him in the eye. The peg didn’t budge.
“Whoa!” he shouted.
“You okay?” Jack asked.
Olly tried again, but still the peg wouldn’t go in.
“The ground’s too hard!” he moaned.
“I’ll do it.” Omar grabbed the mallet from Olly before he could say anything. Olly took Omar’s place and pulled on the rope with Jack. Omar shifted the peg just a little to the left and hammered it in no problem. Olly turned an embarrassed red.
“You were over a stone,” Omar said scornfully. “Let’s get the others done. Only five more to go …”
Omar kept the mallet to do the rest.
When all the tents were up, one of the leaders walked into the middle of the campsite and blew on a whistle.
“Okay, everyone, now we’re all here, let’s head to the meeting place.”
“Time to move!” Omar exclaimed. He hurried straight off, gesturing at the other two to follow. Jack started to move, then realised Olly was lagging behind.
“Coming?” he asked. He did a little dance to show he really wanted to go.
“Yeah,” Olly muttered. “Coming.”
He followed them with his hands in his pockets, dragging his feet slowly.