Ms. Pine tied the strings of the pack with a tight knot. “Ok, scouts,” she said. “Who wants to carry the pack on the hike?” No one raised a hand.

“It’s an important job,” said Ms. Pine. “The pack has all the ingredients for s’mores! Marshmallows, chocolate, and graham crackers. We’ll build a campfire and roast marshmallows at the end of the hike.”

The pack was heavy, so Harper, Ivy, and Maya decided to share the load. Harper went first.

“Wow,” she said. “This really is heavy. But it’s worth it. Marshmallows are my favorite treat.”

They scouts walked for a while. Then they stopped to use the bathroom. Of course there was no real bathroom in the woods, so they had to use a tree.

"Ugh,” said Ivy. “I don’t want to do that. I don’t really have to go anyway. I’ll stay here with the pack.”

After the bathroom break, Ivy took the pack. Then Maya took a turn carrying it as they hiked up the last hill.

While they were hiking, the scouts compared the badges they’d earned. “I got my badge for community service,” said Harper. “I helped at the food pantry at Thanksgiving.”

“I got my badge for swimming,” said Ivy. “I took lessons over the winter.”

“I got my badge for knot-tying,” said Maya. “I learned how to tie all the different knots. And untie them too.”

Eventually the scouts got to the end of the hike. Maya set the pack down. Ms. Pine helped them build a campfire. But when they opened the pack to get out the ingredients for the s’mores, there were no marshmallows!

"What happened to the marshmallows?” asked Ms. Pine.

“Harper might have taken them,” said Maya. “She told us marshmallows were her favorite treat.”

“It wasn’t me,” said Harper. “Maybe it was Ivy. She stayed behind with the pack when we went to the bathroom. She was the only one who was alone with it.”

“It wasn’t me,” said Ivy. “It must have been Maya. She’s the one who knows how to untie knots.”

“Actually, scouts, I just remembered something. I forgot the marshmallows on my kitchen counter,” said Ms. Pine. “I’m so sorry!”

"That’s ok,” said Harper. “I’m just glad none of us took them. That wouldn’t be very kind.”

"Yeah,” agreed Ivy. “Sorry I thought you had done it, Maya.”

“No worries,” said Maya. “A least we can have a snack of graham crackers and chocolate!”