Laura clutched her backpack straps, glancing nervously at the darkening woods around them.
Daniel, his blond hair clinging to his forehead, tried to shake water from his blue shirt.
"We can't stay here all night, Laura. My shoes are squishy,"
"I know, Daniel. But which way is home? Everything looks different now,"
Laura points to a patch of mud. "Remember those big boot prints? That could be the trail guide's. If we follow them, maybe they'll lead us back,"
Daniel nods eagerly, peering closer. "And look—there's some candy wrappers. We saw those on the way in. Let's leave marks of our own, in case we circle back,"
"If we split up, we'll get more lost. Let's stick together and keep leaving signs,"
"Good idea. If we see something familiar, we'll know we're close,"
They push forward, calling out for help every few steps, their voices echoing in the quiet woods.
Laura whispers, "That's Max, the camp dog! And I smell someone's campfire. We're close,"
Daniel grins, hope lighting his face. "Let's make noise and wave our arms if we see anyone,"
Daniel waves both arms over his head, calling out. The camp leader rushes forward, relief washing over her face as she kneels to wrap both children in a hug.
"We followed the clues and left a trail! We worked together,"
"And we didn't give up, even when we were scared,"















