The Handoff

The Handoff 10

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This work is intended for ADULTS ONLY. It may contain depictions of sexual activity involving minors. If you are not of a legal age in your locality to view such material or if such material does not appeal to you, do not read further, and do not save this story.
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The Handoff 10

By CaptainJ

As usual, Jenny was gone from the bed when Tommy and Petra woke that Wednesday morning and Tommy found himself getting kissed to wake him fully. “You were terrific last night little guy,” she offered in between kisses. “Your dick might be small, but you’re learning how to use it well and I’m happy about that.”

“I don’t get that part Petra, I mean how can something so small give you pleasure. Don’t you want a bigger one?”

“Yes well, bigger would be much nicer, but for now yours will do. Tommy girls are kind of elastic down there, we stretch when necessary to accommodate when that’s necessary. But we are normally in a contracted state until penetrated. Your big enough that I can feel you inside me and more importantly, your little body rubs my clit when we fuck, so that gives me extra stimulation, enough that I can enjoy it and I know you enjoy it. So until you grow up more, we’ll be fine in that regard. Besides your little hands and mouth send me over the top every time, so you can always help me that way, but I don’t want you denied feeling a warm pussy or mouth around your cock either.”

“So it’s really something you’re doing for my benefit not yours... Petra how about if when we make love, that I always lick and finger you afterwards, so I’m sure you get what you need. I’d love to do that for you and besides that would clean up the mess I’d made...”

“You’d actually do that? Lick your own cum from me? Tommy I’ve never heard a boy offer that before!”

“In a heartbeat, if it makes sure my Amazon get’s the best cum possible. Petra, girls give boys blowjobs all the time, so it can’t taste that bad, so if will make sure you’re a happy girl I’ll do it, no reservations here.”

“Deal and just the thought of it makes me happy little guy!”

“So shower? We’re both funky and today’s a medicine day for me...”

“Right you are, let’s get too it!”

****

After lunch a fleet of canoes left the camp and headed West along the shore for their overnight campout. Some had 3 people per canoe, two campers (a girl and a boy) plus a C.I.T., other only had two and they were accompanied by a single motorboat with one of the waterfront staff in it as a ‘safety’ boat should one of the canoes capsize. They were about a mile from the camp when they were intercepted by two canoes from the boys camp coming to check out the girls. To their disappointment most of the canoes contained a boy and they yelled slurs at the ‘pussy boys’ who attended the girls camp. When the motorboat pulled alongside them however things changed. “Alright you guys get back to your side of the lake where you belong!” Judy the waterfront instructor yelled at them, “you’re in enough trouble as it is!”

“What? You don’t even know who we are?” one of the boy yelled back.

“Really? Canoes #16 and #20, I know you had to sign them out, so there’s a list at your camp with your names on it. Want me to go check that list and advise your camp director about your behavior? I will you know...”

“Hey Judy!” Shawna yelled, “Just force them to shore and we can let them know what a canoe paddle feels like on their little butts! I’m sure we’ll have lots of volunteers to give them a few whacks each to teach them how to behave!”

“Good idea Shawna! Well boys what will it be? You leave my group alone or I’ll force you to shore and let my kids all have a two handed paddle to teach you some manners?”

“We’re out of here, you bitches are crazy!” one of the boys replied and they started paddling like crazy to get away to the sound of laughter from 40 kids.

****

Arriving at the campsite, they pulled the boats onto the shore and turned them upside down and the girls each grabbed a small bag with their clothes (the boys all being naked didn’t have one) proceeded up the bank to the camp. There was a small wooden building which held all their supplies and what to Tommy looked like a small forest of small tents. Most looked like they’d hold 4 people but there were three tents that were smaller and were obviously for 2 people each. Petra got everyone together and then turned them over to Shawna. “OK the larger tents are for four campers each, so pair off and you girls pick your tent-mates, two girls and two boys per tent. These two smaller ones are for the C.I.T.’s and Petra and Tommy will have the last one. Drop your bags in a tent and then line up at the storage shed and I’ll pass out sleeping bags, pillows and lanterns for each tent. Then we’ll get started on dinner.”

Petra and Tommy went to their tent and she just threw her bag through the flap. Tommy looked inside and saw there were two vinyl covered foam mattresses inside on a canvas ground cloth. Following Petra and Shawna, they went and unlocked the building and the Black girl started passing out bedrolls, pillows and small LED lamps which would hang on a hook inside the tents. Tommy took two bedrolls, two pillows and a lantern and put them in their tent. Once all the bedding was outside, she grabbed a huge cast iron kettle, cutting boards and several knives and put them a picnic table just outside the storage shed. Next came several boxes of vegetables and a cooler with meat inside and a milk crate full of gallon size bottles of water. Meanwhile Amy oversaw the distribution of the bedding and lamps, while Cathy started a fire in the fire pit and directed a dozen kids to go gather more firewood from the surrounding area. Shawna drafted a half dozen more to start cleaning the vegetables and chopping them into chunks and throwing the chopped up potatoes, carrots, celery, onions and meat into the huge kettle. Shawna opened a restaurant size can of crushed tomatoes and dumped it in the pot and said “It’s stew for dinner folks, so do a good job, you’ll be eating the results!” she admonished as she then added water and spices to the pot. Tommy looked inside the storage building and was surprised it was much bigger than he’d thought. There was a refrigerator, freezer and shelves extending back probably 30 or 40 feet. From the front it had looked like a typical backyard storage shed, but it was much longer extending back into the trees, he hadn’t noticed how long it was. “They replenish the supplies every other day,” Shawna explained “so everything we’ll need is already here and we don’t have to bring it by boat.” Then pointed out the typical tools on one wall of axes, saws, first aid kits and racks of boxes with disposable plates, bowls and plastic silverware. “Grab that big paddle like stirrer if you would Tommy, we’ll need it once we set up the kettle on the fire.”

Meanwhile Amy and Amanda were going from tent to tent to make sure they were properly staked and that the tent ropes were adjusted correctly so they wouldn’t fall down if it got windy or a rain storm passed through during the night. By the time Amy was done, she helped Petra and Shawna hang the kettle on a tripod over the fire and once Shawna was sure it was hanging properly, they all backed off and took a break.

“We can relax for awhile,” Shawna advised, “it’ll take that about 4 hours to cook before it’s ready, it’ll need stirred once in a while but that’s all. Once it gets close to done, we’ll break out the bread, butter, plates, bowls and spoons and a big ladle to serve it with.”

Cathy and Amanda volunteered to look after the stew and the camp, so Shawna and Amy who it turned out was well versed in botany, broke the group in half and led them on nature hikes through the trails adjacent to the campsite, each taking half the group by different routes with agreement to meet back at the campsite near dinner time.

Wrapping her arm around his neck and pulling him back against her body, Petra quietly asked. “Want to learn about trees and plants or stay here and relax Tommy?”

Looking up at her where his head barely reached her chin said, “I vote for relax. Canoeing 5 miles turned out to be work for this little guy. I’m not used to that.”

“How about we just go down by the lake and sit together then Tommy and watch the scenery.”

“Works for me,” he replied as she took him by the hand and led him back towards the boats. “We’ll be down by the boats if you need us girls,” she called out to Cathy and Amanda who just waved in acknowledgement.

Down by the lake, they found a big rock to sit on and Petra sat on it and then patted the area between her spread legs and guided him to sit between them and wrapped him in a loose hug as she rested her chin on his shoulder. “This is nice,” he murmured and gave her a little kiss on her cheek.

“I like it too buddy, especially the company. I’ve always liked this spot but never had anyone to share it with. Are you sore from all that paddling? I know it’s not something you’re used to...”

“I’m fine Petra, well as long as I don’t have to do any heavy lifting. I used muscles I’m not used to using if you know what I mean.”

“I know exactly what you mean Tommy, I felt the same way the first time I canoed here. I’m just surprised all our kids are so perky after the trip, I know some of them have to be sore also.” She replied.

“Probably but most of them are city kids and this is a big adventure to them, so they just disregard any discomfort and don’t want to miss out on anything. I suspect most of them have never slept in a tent before, let alone out in ‘wild’ if you can call this well groomed campsite ‘wild’.” He said with a <giggle>

“And has Tommy slept out in the ‘wild’ before?” she replied with a chuckle.

“Yeah a few times, but we had to tote everything with us and it degenerated into lots of work in the end, not like here where everything you need is already here and ready for use. The worst was a weekend where it rained all weekend, cold, wet, mud and a leaky tent! It sucked! That was my brief experience as a boy scout; but I gave that up when all the other kids got big and I didn’t and they took to the sport of picking on me and a couple other small boys.”

“So you have camped for real then?”

“Yeah bugs, snakes, rocks under your bed and crappy weather, what fun!”

<giggle> “Well I can’t guarantee we won’t get rained on, but here the beds are comfortable and we’ve got 40 kids to do the work while we supervise. That’s my kind of camping!”

“I take it Shawna has done this frequently? She’s too organized for it to be a first time thing...”

“Yep, she’s part of the ‘Pioneering’ staff and one of them always accompanies each group here, she’s probably done this a hundred times. I know she was here twice last week with different groups.”

“Well that makes sense then, it’s all routine for her. So what’s on for after dinner anything special?” he asked.

“The usual, campfire, hot chocolate, maybe some singing and/or storytelling, then bedtime for our tired campers. Up early in the morning, fix breakfast, and after we put the supplies away, canoe our way back to the main camp and hopefully be there for lunch because the next group will want the boats just after lunch.”

“What’s for breakfast? Hot or cold?”

“Hot and usually as greasy and unhealthy as you can get. Scrambled eggs, hash browns, bacon or sausage, bread or rolls, coffee for those of us who need it and milk for the non-coffee drinkers. All that’s cooked on a huge 6 burner propane cook stove we’ll have to move outside this evening.”

“We could do that before dinner, just get the girls to give us a hand if it’s that big. Then it’ll be already for use and we won’t have to mess with it in the dark.” He suggested.

“Good idea... we’ll do that. And yes it’s that big, about 8 feet long and all metal and uses two propane tanks to fuel it.”

With a sigh, he leaned back more against her and snuggled in tighter against her body, then his hands gently traced up and down along her calves, and he felt her thighs close in tighter around him. “Comfy?” she asked.

“Very,” was the murmured reply. “I could take a nap right now I’m so comfortable...”

“Then just close your eyes and sleep Tommy, I’ll be right here making sure no one bothers you.” Was the quiet reply followed by a kiss on the side of his head.

“You really wouldn’t mind?”

“No honey, not at all. That you can fall asleep wrapped in my arms makes me very happy that you trust me enough to let yourself do it.”

“That’s easy Petra, I love you and trust you totally with me...”

“Then sleep little guy, I’ll keep you safe...”

“Thanks... “ he replied with a yawn and she soon felt his body relax even more as he dropped off.

****

“Wake up Tommy, it’s almost 4:30.” She said into his ear as she massaged his shoulders.

“Do I have to?”

“Yes it was your idea to drag that big cook stove out before dinner so we need to do it now, or it will have to be after dinner.”

“OK then give me a second,” he said as he rubbed his eyes to clear them. “You make a wonderful pillow, did you know that?” he said as he turned inside her legs and giving her a big kiss. “Thanks for being so good to me Petra...”

“No thanks needed Tommy, I love you and I’ll always take care of you when you’re with me.” She replied before returning his kiss.

“Love you too,” then slowly got up and helped her up once he was standing.

Once back in the campsite, Tommy walked over and looked down in the big pot. “Looks good and smells good too!”

“Girls, Tommy suggested and I agree that we drag that big cook stove out before dinner so it’s ready for tomorrow morning and we don’t have to mess with it this evening. It’s big and awkward and a little heavy so how about you two giving us a hand with it.” Petra suggested.

“No problem Petra and you’re right better to do it now when we can see what we’re doing,” Amanda replied.

It took some careful maneuvering, but they got it out of the shed and the girls were adjusting the legs so it was level, while Petra and Tommy carried out the tanks and hoses. That is, Petra carried the tanks one in each hand and Tommy the hoses following her. She hooked it all up quickly with the quick disconnects and lit a burner on each side to make sure it was working correctly, before turning it off and closing the tank valves. “All done and ready to use!” she pronounced.

“Our kids should be back soon, how close it that stew ready for serving?” she asked.

“Amanda and I tasted it a little while ago and I’d say it’s ready when we are. It could use a little more salt though to my taste.” Cathy replied.

“Good, then we’ll get the rest of the stuff we’ll need and we can serve as soon as they’re back and wash up. As for salt, they can add more if they want same with pepper. Everyone has their own preferences when it comes to seasonings. So paper plates, bowls, spoons, a few knives for the butter and some paper napkins! Two of those big bags of rolls and we’ll be ready when they get here! Oh and grab a couple gallons of that premixed Ice tea and paper cups too, we’ll hold off on the milk until they get here.”

“What’s for desert?” Amanda asked.

“Ice cream in the freezer, but we won’t get that out until we’re ready to serve it. There’s supposed to be some toppings too to make Sundaes if they want to do that.”

It wasn’t long before Shawna showed up with her group and saw they had things ready, “Oh good you’ve got it all organized and ready.”

“We just need to move the kettle off the fire over here where we can serve it. So have your kids wash up then line up for dinner. Shawna, I’ll need you to give me a hand moving that big pot over here, so grab a pair of hot gloves.” Petra directed.

“You heard her kids, wash up at the spigot over there and then line up at the end of the table for your food.” Shawna ordered. “There’s liquid soap over there beside it and paper towels but make sure those paper towels end up in the trash can not on the ground!” Shawna admonished.

The two big girls moved the pot onto the end of the table while Cathy ran in and got the big serving ladle and they set up a serving line. Each kid got a plate, bowl, a ladle of stew, two rolls, spoons and a cup for their drink. Ice tea was already on the table and Tommy brought out gallon jugs of milk and put them and the butter and knives on the tables also, followed by two sets of salt and pepper shakers on each table. Once started the kids moved quickly through the line and about half way through the first batch the second arrived and were directed to the spigot to wash up. In short order everyone was served and Tommy looked in the pot and saw quite a bit left. “There’s seconds for anyone who wants them,” he announced then filled his own bowl and headed to sit with Petra.

By the time the last who wanted them got seconds, the pot was empty and Shawna dumped water in the pot and put it back on the fire to heat while Amy and Cathy started serving ice cream to the hord. When everyone was finished all the paper products were gathered and thrown in the fire, only the plastic spoons and knives needed to be placed in a trash bag to go back to the camp. Four campers were detailed to wash up the pot, stirrer, ladle and ice cream scoops, everything else was disposable, and left over drinks and ice cream were put back in the freezer or fridge. “All done for now,” Shawna announced as she plopped on the ground to sit with Petra and Tommy. Everyone took a rest for the next couple of hours or played games if so inclined.

“Petra said you do this a couple times per week, is that right Shawna?” Tommy asked.

“Yeah but this group was a lot easier than the ones I had last week. I’m beginning to love Puericil kids, both the boys and girls never argue, they just do what I tell them. I swear one group last week was all pampered little princesses afraid to get their hands dirty doing any type of work at all. They expected me and their counselors and C.I.T.’s to do everything for them. Well they got a rude awakening I can tell you!”

“So what happened?” he asked.

“We had stew that time just like tonight, we do that a lot, because it’s an easy one pot meal that doesn’t take a lot of work or skill to make. Anyway, I just pointed into the pot and said, “See that raw meat and raw vegetables? Unless you want to eat it just as it is now, it needs heat; hear requires fire; fire requires wood. Those few twigs you brought back won’t last 15 minutes. So either go get me some firewood and lots of it or that’s your dinner right there! And you’ll be getting cold when the sun goes down and we’re supposed to have a campfire. The choice is yours ladies. I don’t mind missing a meal, do you?”

Tommy laughed as she described it and Petra chuckled along with him.

“So the little princesses scurried off and finally came back with enough wood to cook dinner but not enough for an evening campfire, so I sent them out again, and told them no dinner for them if I didn’t have enough wood for later. They grumbled and whined but they went out and we got through the evening without further problems, especially when their counselors told them to make up their beds. We showed them how, but refused to in anyway do it for them. I guess they finally figured out that camping wasn’t the same as staying in a hotel with servants. By the way, thanks for setting up the cook stove, I’ll fix the hot chocolate on it rather than the camp fire, it’s a lot easier using the stove.”

“Any chance of getting a small pot of coffee in addition to the hot chocolate?” Tommy asked.

“Sure no problem, I’ve got a small old fashion percolator stashed in the shed, I prefer coffee myself Tommy so I’m make it for both of us.” She replied.

“Are they changing your schedule on these campouts now that you’re assigned with us?” Petra asked.

“Yes and the other C.I.T.’s in Pioneering aren’t happy about it either. I’ll still have to do one of these a week, but one of them will have to pick up the coverage, so one of them will have to do 3 each week and rotate it around as to who has the extra one. Mrs. Butterfield just told them it was more important that I spend time with the Puericil group than do a campout so they didn’t argue. Believe me if I could only do them with Puericil kids it would be like heaven to me.”

“OK well fair warning, we change out half our group this weekend and the other half will change out the following weekend and we’ll be up to full capacity of 24 boys and 24 girls as of Sunday. As least full as far as the housing we have available this summer. Jenny said they’re already planning on adding another cabin for next summer which would add another 12 boy and 12 girls each week.” Petra advised.

“I don’t see that as a problem Petra, these kids are so well behaved you could double the numbers and it wouldn’t be a problem. I mean really each boy has an individual supervisor and the girls all listen to us and make sure that both of them do what we want. And all of them are a tight nit group and look out for each other. What could be easier than that? I’ll be truthful, when I first heard about the boys being here I was kind of leery about it. But seeing how well behaved and nice these boys are, well I wish we had more of them!”

“My thoughts exactly Shawna, although I had experience with Puericil boys before from school and helping Jenny with her older brother, I still wondered how it would be received here at camp. But once I saw it in action, I actually prefer working with these kids over the general campers. Like you said they’re all well behaved and nice to be around. So I’m all for expanding the program here.” Petra responded.

****

The C.I.T.’s showed the kids how to make up their beds and all of them broke up to do that, then when they returned as it got darker, they found Shawna had built up the fire and had hot chocolate ready for them. Amanda led the kids in a few songs mostly sung in the key of ‘off’ but with enthusiasm. Tommy was getting a little cold from the cool night air, and Petra just opened her legs and sat him between them and held him against her to keep him warm. Once the younger girls saw her do that, they all had their boys tucked into their bodies and all of them seemed happy to sit that way. Finally, Amy told a scary story and at the end, bedtime was announced and they all went to their tents without a single complaint.

“Well that was the easiest ever,” Shawna mumbled.

“What?” Petra asked.

“No one argued about going to bed! God I love these Puericil kids!” she replied grinning.

“Well Tommy and I still need to make up our beds, so we’ll see you all in the morning,” Petra announced then helped Tommy up and with an arm around him, led him to their tent.

Once there, she shoved the two mattresses together and took one bedroll and opened it out on top of the two mattresses. “These are designed so they can be zipped together into a single big bedroll and that’s what we’re doing,” she explained grinning. “Then I can keep Tommy close and both of us will be nice and warm all night,” and gave him a quick hug and kiss.

“No arguments from me on that one,” he replied

Once the bed was made, she flipped it open and motioned him under the covers. He didn’t hesitate but gave a sigh when he was inside it. She quickly stripped naked and joined him and pulled him against her. “Your feet are cold!” she complained.

“So’s my butt from sitting on that grass,” he replied.

“I’ll just have to get you all warmed up then,” she replied as she kissed him thoroughly while her hands massaged his behind. “Do you like this kind of camping better than the boy scouts?” she asked as her hands now roamed his body.

“Definitely better than the scouts!” as he took a nipple into his mouth and gave it his attention.

Tommy woke sometime during the night as a light rain fell on the canvas tent. Seeing that he and the bed were still dry, he just rolled over and snuggled into Petra again and went back to sleep..

****

When Petra woke him in the morning the first thing he noticed was the chill in the air, it was not only cold but very damp too. “Petra it rained last night and it’s too cold to be running around out there naked!”

Opening the tent flap, she saw a heavy fog like mist and felt the damp cold on her arms. “You’re right Tommy you boys need something to wear at least until the sun breaks through. Dig in my bag, the shirt I wore yesterday is in there. Put it on, it will at least give you something to retain body heat.” Petra proceeded down the line of tents telling the girls to give the boys the shirts they’d worn the day before and if they had anything else that would half way fit them like extra shorts, give them to the boys too. When she came back to the tent she found Tommy inside with her shirt on and just had to giggle when she saw him. “It fits more like a dress!”

“Yeah well, if anyone doubted our size difference, this sure proves it!” he replied as the shirt tail was clear down to his knees and the short sleeve arms were at his elbows. “But I’m not complaining, it’ll be a lot warmer than being naked!”

Outside he saw the kids lining up for food and the 4 C.I.T.’s were manning the cook stove and had to smile when he saw the other boys. Since almost all the girls were bigger than the boys, the girls t-shirts all were long on the boys, even the smallest shirt extended below the boy’s butts and some to mid thigh. At least one boy seemed to have gotten a pair of shorts, but since he had to keep pulling them up, they were obviously way too big.

It was a conversation between Shawna and one of the girls that got his attention next. “Excuse me, may I have my eggs over easy please?” the girl asked.

“Sorry sweetie that’s not possible,” Shawna replied, then waving her spatula around asked, “Do you see any egg shells around me?” and when the girl looked and then shook her head ‘no’; Shawna held up a plastic bag full of yellow goo. “These are the eggs honey and they come five dozen to the bag already mixed up for scrambled or omelets. The good news it they’re real eggs and not those tasteless powdered ones, the bad news is we don’t have time for omelets with 40 people so it’s scrambled or none, your choice. These are the same eggs we get in the dining hall everyday!”

“OK sorry Shawna, I didn’t know they came that way... scrambled I guess because I’m hungry,” the girl replied smiling.

“No problem honey, now here you go,” she said as she put a big scoop of eggs on the girl’s plate, “Amanda has your potatoes and Amy’s got the sausages, just hold out your plate and we’ll have it full in no time at all!” and smiled back at the smaller girl.

Tommy walked behind the girls cooking and saw they had a production line working. Each had two huge skillets and Shawna was continuously transferring cooked eggs from her left hand skillet into the one on the right and serving from the right hand one. As soon as she, dumped one pan into the other, she’d pour more raw eggs into the one on the left and stir them as they cooked, the one on the right was on a low flame, just enough to keep its contents warm. Amanda was doing the same with two pans of potatoes and Amy was cooking link sausages using the same method. At the end of the line, Cathy gave each kid a cup of hot chocolate and told them rolls were on the tables. “Sorry no toast, we don’t have any way to make it in large quantity.”

Tommy saw Shawna’s small coffee pot on the back of the stove and got a cup from Cathy before snagging the pot and pouring himself a cup from the pot. <giggle> “Nice dress there Tommy!” Amy said when she saw him. “We should have you boys do a fashion show for us...” <giggle>.

“Hey it’s warmer than being naked in this cold fog or mist or whatever you call it, that’s all I care about right now.” Was his still somewhat sleepy reply.

“No problem, just teasing a little,” the girl replied grinning at him.

Tommy and Petra were sitting at one of the tables watching the progress of the kids getting their breakfasts as the two sipped hot coffee when he noticed Billy an Jeff sitting together and both shaking badly. “Problem, Petra, look at those two boys! They’re shaking so bad they can’t even keep the food on their forks!” he said getting up and moving in their direction. Coming up behind the two youngest boys, he took Billy and Petra took Jeff, reaching over he took the fork from him then pulled the small boy onto his lap and wrapped his arms around him. “Sherry go get two cups of hot chocolate quickly!” he ordered and then turned to the boy on his lap. “Easy Billy we’ll get you warmed up, you’re way to cold.” When the girl returned, he force fed the boy to drink all of the hot liquid. Looking up at the girl he asked, “Sherry do you have any other clothes left? Anything at all, we need to get these two boys warmer or they’ll get sick on us!”

Sherry didn’t have anything but Cathy had a light jacket and Shawna a windbreaker, soon both boys were wrapped in the additional clothing and had fresh plates of hot food in front of them plus fresh cups of hot chocolate. “Now eat that hot food Billy and the hot drink too, I don’t want you to get sick from being too cold.” He softly instructed the boy on his lap. Billy’s hand still trembled when he reached for the fork, so Tommy took the fork, stabbed a sausage and held it in front of Billy mouth. “EAT!” he ordered, and when the boy had it in his mouth, held the cup in front of him.

“I’m not a baby Tommy, I can feed myself,” Billy whispered blushing when he noticed kids watching him.

“Until you stop shaking enough to actually do that Billy then I’m going to hold you and feed you if I have too. You need this hot food inside you to get your body temperature up. Now drink and when I feel you stop trembling so much I’ll let you feed yourself. We all know you’re not a baby and I’m just helping you do what you can’t at the minute.”

Tommy looked over at Petra and she was doing exactly the same things as he was but with Jeff who seemed more relaxed about her feeding him. After a few more minutes and Billy finishing the drink before Sherry went to get another refill. Billy finally settled down. “Are you going to be ok now?” he quietly asked, “If not I’ll hold you as long as necessary. You’re my friend Billy and you had me really worried when I saw you shaking so badly.”

Looking up at him Billy responded, “Thanks for helping me Tommy I was really, really cold and just couldn’t stop shaking. I... I think I’ll be ok now, this jacket really helps... You’re the best friend I could have you’re always helping me...”

“That’s what friends do for each other Billy, they worry about each other and take good care of their friends. Now if you think you can feed yourself, I’ll put you down and let you eat on your own, ok?”

“Yeah... Thanks again Tommy...” the boy replied as he reached up and hugged Tommy, before Tommy lifted him from his lap and put him on the bench seat to continue eating.

Getting up he saw Petra had returned Jeff to his seat and the boy was feeding himself. “He going to be ok?” he asked nodding his head towards the other boy.

“He’ll be fine now that his core temperature is back up closer to normal.” She replied.

“OK well Billy’s better now too, so how about you and I get some food ourselves?” he asked.

“Agreed and we need to find a solution to this for future campouts!” she replied.

Once they had their food and were eating, Tommy just looked at her and said, “The solution is easy Petra, every one of these boys has 2 t-shirts, 2 pair of shorts and a jacket or windbreaker back at the cabins. It was on our list of what we were to bring to camp with us. We just need to let the boys bring a set of clothes and a jacket with them on the sleepovers. Heck I was cold last night at the campfire and having just a shirt and shorts on would have made me feel a lot better. This campsite is right near the water and that means fog is normal in the early mornings so that’s cold and damp. The boys need clothes here at least until the sun dissipates the fog and can warm them. We need a change in the rules on clothes for boys when coming here and a little more flexibility overall if the weather turns chilly.”

“Right! I’ll talk to Jenny and the Director when we get back to the main camp. There’s no reason the boys can’t have clothes here away from the main camp, there’s no one here but our group. I agree on more flexibility back there too. You were frozen at the dining hall when you got caught in that storm last week.” She replied.

When everyone was done with breakfast, everything cleaned up and all the equipment returned to the storage shed, they headed back to the canoes. Fog still lay heavy over the water and the air was damp so Petra made a ‘command’ decision. “OK boys keep the clothes you’ve got on, and put your lifejackets over them. It’s still too cold and damp for you boys to be naked. The fogs too heavy for our safety boat to come to us, so we’ll stay close to the shoreline and close together as we paddle back. Stay with our group of boats, I don’t want anyone getting out of sight of at least two other boats. Everyone understand?”

“Shawna, take the lead canoe, C.I.T.’s I want your canoes on the water side of our little fleet so none move away from the shoreline. Tommy and I will take the last canoe to make sure we don’t lose anyone by falling behind.”

Getting agreement from everyone, the boats were soon in the water and moving mostly single file along the shoreline back towards the main camp. It wasn’t until about a half a mile from the camp waterfront before the fog lifted and the sun finally broke through. It was 11:15 when Petra and Tommy beached their canoe and found Jenny, Kristen and Judy waiting on the shore.

“You’re the last one Petra?” Kristen asked and got a nod from the bigger girl. “Good I was getting worried when Judy told me about the heavy fog and that she couldn’t see even a boat length ahead so we couldn’t send the safety boat out to you.”

“I just had them stay mostly single file with Shawna in the lead, the C.I.T.’s keeping them in line, me following and we stayed close to shore. It was slower but we didn’t lose any.” Petra advised.

“Good plan Petra, I’d have done it the same way,” Judy replied with a nod of approval.

<giggle> “Nice dress there Tommy are you making a fashion statement?” Kristen said laughing.

“Yeah, Yeah laugh it up! But it kept me from getting sick this morning. It was cold and damp when we got up this morning, too cold for us boys to be naked so Petra had the girls give the boys the shirts the girls wore yesterday and any other clothes the boy could wear, to help keep the chill off. Even with that two of our youngest had a bad case of the chills. We need to talk about that Jenny, we need to modify the clothes rules some.” He replied.

“We will Tommy,” Jenny replied, then with a grin said, “But Kirsten has a point, Petra’s shirt sure fits you more like a dress.”

“Hey what can I say? She’s big, I’m small and this is what you get when I wear her clothes?” he said with a shrug of his shoulders.

****

Jenny walked back with Tommy and Petra to the cabin area. “I sent the rest back to the cabins to have a shower and clean up for lunch,” she advised, “you two could probably use one too.”

“A hot shower would feel really good about now,” Tommy replied, “I’ve been cold all morning until the sun finally broke through the fog on the lake.”

“Agreed,” Petra added, “And I had more clothes on than he did...”

“Then both of you go get clean and warm and we’ll talk at lunch. I’ll meet you in the dining hall.” Jenny replied.

Before going into their own cabin, Tommy led them to Cabin #4 and ducked inside. He found all the boys in the showers, with the girls supervising and walked over to Sherry and Debbie. Pointing to their boys, he said, “Make sure those two get a really hot shower girls, they were on the verge of hypothermia this morning until we forced hot drink and food into them to get their body temps up. They had me really worried.”

“I know Tommy, they had me worried too, but I didn’t know what to do for them,” Debbie replied, then gave him a hug. “Fortunately you and Petra knew what to do to help them. Thanks for doing that both of you.” She said with a smile, then gave Petra a hug too. Tommy didn’t miss that Sherry seemed less concerned about Billy’s health than Debbie was about Jeff.

Once he was assured that the boys were being taken care of they went back to their own cabin and were both quickly in the shower together. While they were quickly washing each other, he looked up and Petra and asked, “Is it just my perception or did it seem to you that Sherry wasn’t very concerned that Billy had that problem this morning? She’s definitely not as close to him as the other girls are with their boys, at least it looks that way to me.”

“I caught that too Tommy, Debbie was really worried about Jeff, but Sherry just kind of let it slide... and I noticed the same thing about her in general, she’s there with him, but not actively taking care of him.”

“I think I’ll talk to Jenny about that too, something is off with her and I don’t understand it. It’s like, she’s just with him because she has to be and doesn’t really want to be involved. It’s been like that ever since back at the bus when they first arrived. Other than letting him sleep with her, she’s kind of standoffish if you get my meaning.”

“Then you really need to make sure Jenny knows about it.” Petra advised.

****

At lunch Petra and Tommy explained about how cold the boys were both at the campfire the evening before but especially that morning. “Jenny all the boys have t-shirts, shorts and some kind of jackets with them it was on the list of stuff for us to bring. There’s no reason they can’t take some clothes with them on these sleepovers where we know it’ll be damp and cooler than here in the main camp.” He explained. “We need an exemption for boys wearing clothes at least when they go on these campouts.”

“I don’t see a problem with that Tommy and they did have the boys bring some clothes for cool weather, so next time, we’ll just have them take a set and their jackets with them.” Jenny replied.

“OK on another topic,” he started then explained his observations about Sherry and Billy. “I’d like to get Billy alone for a short talk to see what he thinks about it. You or Petra might want to talk to Sherry and find out what she’s thinking too, then we can compare notes and see what’s going on and if there’s a fix for it. I’m just not comfortable about how they’re interacting at the moment.”

“I could pull her aside this afternoon if that helps,” Petra offered “and leave Billy with you Tommy in our cabin? Will that work?”

“Good I’d rather get this resolved as soon as possible,” Jenny advised.

****

As lunch ended, Petra got Sherry and just said “let’s take a walk together,” while Tommy got Billy and took him back to their cabin.

“Feeling better Billy? You had me really worried this morning.” Tommy asked as they walked.

“Yeah Tommy and I really appreciate you helping me I was just so cold...”

“I could see that buddy, so I just had to help,” he replied wrapping an arm around the slightly smaller boy. “We’re going back to our cabin while Petra wanted to talk with Sherry, it’ll give me a chance to talk to you and find out how you’re doing. Is that ok with you?”

“Sure Tommy I love spending time with you.”

When they got to the cabin, Tommy sat on the couch and Billy hesitated standing before him. “Umm Tommy could you hold me while we talk... like you did this morning? It... well it felt really nice when you held me... even if I didn’t like why you needed to do that...”

Smiling, Tommy just reached out, took Billy by the hand and pulled him onto his lap sitting sideways across it and held him with his left arm, while gently holding by the hip with his right, giving it a little pat, then looked directly into the boy’s eyes and said, “Like this Billy? I don’t know about you but it feels nice to me...”

“Yeah like this Tommy, if feels really good to me... Sherry doesn’t hold me very much... except in bed at night and well I get a little jealous when the other girls hold their boys...”

“What’s with that Billy, how could she not want to hold a nice little guy like you? Any idea on what’s going on with her?” he asked hoping a direct route would get to the heart of the problem.

“OK well you know she was assigned to me just before we came here, and well we didn’t know each other at all...”

“You didn’t know each other? How did that happen?”

“I’m not sure... I think the doctor who put me on Puericil might have suggested her to my mom... but she won’t be my supervisor this next year, because we go to different schools... so I’ll have to have a different girl...”

“So she’s just with you here at camp then and not long term right?”

“Yeah but I don’t know who my new supervisor will be... She’s ok, but I don’t think she wanted to be a supervisor for a boy like me... so she just does what she has to, but doesn’t want to get close with me like the other girls do with their boys since it’s just here at camp.”

“OK well that explains why you two aren’t as close as the other kids. Yes I did notice that about you and her. So, you’re going to be here another week and a half. What can I do to make things better for you, any ideas?”

“The only thing I can think of is putting a different girl in charge of me, someone who wants to do it and would be with me longer...” the boy replied.

“Is there anyone here in camp that you know, hopefully one you go to school with who you’d like to be in charge of you?” Tommy asked.

“Just one, but I don’t know if she’d want to do it. It seems like a lot of work for the girls. I really like her, we’ve gone to school together since first grade and always got along ok. Is there really a chance of changing girls?”

“There’s a chance, but the girl would have to agree. So who is this girl you ‘really’ like?” he said grinning and tickling the boy’s ribs a little.

<giggle>”Stop that Tommy, I’m really ticklish and I hate it! OK, OK I’ll tell you! Her name’s Alexandra Cooper and she’s in that other swimming class, the one right after the one I’m in. But everyone calls her ‘Alex’ she’s really cute and really smart and yeah I really like her.”

“OK I know which girl you’re talking about and she’s a really cute and nice girl. So would you mind if I talk to her and ask her about becoming your supervisor. You’re right in that it takes a lot of time and effort on the girl’s part to be a supervisor for you boys, and even though she might like you a lot she might not want to make that kind of commitment, so it has to be her choice. And if she didn’t want to, it wouldn’t be anything against you and you two could still be good friends. Would that be ok with you?”

“Would you please? If Alex could supervise me here, maybe she’ll want to do it at school too and that would be a lot better than Sherry...”

“Of course I will Billy but no guarantee’s here, it’s up to Alex whether she’s willing to take on the job, not me or anyone else. And I’ll have to talk to Jenny and probably the Camp Director too to get approval for the switch, even if Alex is willing to do it. So it may take a day or two before we’ll know for sure.”

“So you’ll really talk to Alex for me? That would be great!”

“Billy I said I’d do it and I’d never lie to you. I want my little brother happy and if getting you a new supervisor makes you happy then I’ll give it my best shot. You’ll just need to be patient while I see if we can get it done. So little guy, anything else giving you problems or concerns that I might be able to help with?”

That started a general discussion over the next 20 minutes between the boys about the camp in general and Billy’s feeling about his experiences there. Tommy just gently held the boy who became more open and relaxed as they talked. They only stopped when Petra and Sherry showed up at the cabin door and found them with Tommy once again tickling Billy’s ribs as the younger boy laughed and squirmed on his lap.

“That looks like fun, can I tickle him too?” Petra said grinning at them.

“NO!” Billy yelled in reply. “Tommy doing it is bad enough I don’t want anyone tickling me!”

“OK I’ll stop, now hop up and go with Sherry I think you’ve got a class this afternoon you’re supposed to go to right?”

“Yeah we’re supposed to go with Shawna and learn about rock climbing,” Billy replied, “That kinda scares me...”

“Don’t worry about it, she’ll make sure you’re safe doing it Billy she wouldn’t let you get hurt.” Tommy assured him as he helped the boy up onto his feet.

“I know, she’s really nice,” Billy replied, “but it’s still scary, I’m a little afraid of heights...”

“Just do what she tells you and you’ll be fine, I’m sure of it!” Tommy replied smiling.

****

Once the younger kids were gone, Petra plopped down beside Tommy and patting his leg just said “you first.”

“Short version; they didn’t know each other at all before coming here; don’t go to the same school, she was assigned at the last minute possibly on the recommendation of his doctor who knew she was coming here; she won’t be his supervisor beyond here at camp and doesn’t want to get too close since it’s short term; and he doesn’t think she wanted to do it at all but got drafted to do it.”

“Same summary from her side and thinks the only good part is having him cuddle with her at night. So solution?”

“There’s a girl here that he does go to school with and has known since first grade, they’re friendly if not close friends and he’d prefer her to be his supervisor. He hopes if she takes over here, she’ll be his supervisor at school too and he really likes her, so is willing to do anything to make her want to do it.”

“That’s better than I got, Sherry had no suggestions at all. So who is this girl?”

“Alexandra Cooper, who goes by the nickname ‘Alex’ and she’s in one of the swim classes I teach, nice girl and if she’s willing, she’d be really good for him.”

“Then we need to go find Alex and see what she thinks about taking on a Puericil boy.”

“Agreed!”

****

As they walked to the camp office to find out where to find Alex, he turned to her and asked, “Just out of curiosity, who’s been running your Archery range while you’ve been gone yesterday and today?”

“Oh one of the Sr. Counselors is a competitive archery shooter and she’s been covering it. To be honest she’s probably more qualified to teach archery than I am, but doesn’t want to be tied down at the range as much as I am.”

Checking in the office they found out that Alex’s group was supposed to be in the Computer Lab and headed over there and stepped inside. Susan saw them and walked over to them, “Hi Tommy, Petra, what brings you two to my little domain?” she greeted them smiling.

“Hi Susan, just a problem we’re trying to solve and think that one of the girls here might be the solution we’re looking for. Could we talk to Alexandra Cooper in private for a few minutes? Alex if she can’t help herself, might have some ideas we could use.” He offered.

“Sure, just go in my office and I’ll get her and send her in,” Susan replied.

They went in the office and a couple of minutes later the young girl came in and saw Tommy and ran across the room and gave him a hug. “Tommy! Susan said someone wanted to talk to me but not who? What’s going on?”

Smiling and moving her back by the shoulders he gave her a little pat on the shoulder before responding. “Hi Alex, nice to see you too. Have a seat, oh, this is Petra Cochran, she’s in charge of the Archery range but is also a Sr. Counselor for the Puericil Camp group. We’ve got a minor problem and hoped you might be able to help us solve it.”

“Hi Petra, nice to meet you,” and shook the big girl’s hand, then turned back to Tommy as she dropped into a chair beside the desk. “So what’s this problem I can help with?” almost bouncing in excitement.

“OK I’ll just come right to the point, I understand you know a boy named Billy Simpson? He says he knows you from school?”

“Billy yes of course I know him, we’ve gone to school together like forever. He’s a really nice boy and we sometimes help each other study. I was surprised when I saw him at the swimming pool, he’s in the class before mine... I really like him. Did he tell you I’ve babysat him a few times? So Billy needs help of some kind?”

‘This is going even better than I hoped!’ Tommy thought to himself as he grinned at Petra. Then explained about Billy having a temporary girl supervising him and that the girl really didn’t want to do it at all. He then explained about what girl supervisor do and are responsible for with regard to the boy assigned to them. “OK the short version, is Billy and the girl in charge of him aren’t happy and we’re looking for another girl to take over as his supervisor. Billy suggested you as someone he’d prefer looking after him if you’re willing. He actually hoped you might be his supervisor at school and not just here at camp. What do you think about it? It’s a 24/7 commitment here at camp, he’d have to be with you all the time, except when you need to use the bathroom or shower, then someone else would take him until you’re done. Are you interested in helping him?”

“That’s a silly question! Of course I want to help Billy! He’s one of my best friends and I really like him. He’s never been a problem at all when I babysat him and I don’t see this as much different than being his babysitter right? So sure I’d love to do it and it would be even better if we were together at school. So how do we make this happen?”

“We’re glad to hear that Alex,” Petra offered, “as to how, we need to get approval for the switch from Jenny Crawford, the Assistant Director for Camp Puericil and Mrs. Butterfield the Camp Director, but assuming they approve, and I’m sure they will. It’s just a matter of you and the other girl switching places housing wise. You’re both the same age so she’d have been in your group anyway. To be honest I don’t see anything that would stop this from happening by tomorrow at the latest. We’d much rather have Billy supervised by someone who wants to do it and you seem like the perfect person to do that. Hopefully we’ll have an answer for you by dinner this evening.”

“That’s great! I really want to do this for my friend. So I’d be part of your group from then on, do everything with you guys and Billy. I’d love that! All the boys I’ve seen in that group seem really nice, just like Billy and I want to help my best friend,” she excitedly replied.

“Wonderful Alex, so we’ll go talk to Jenny and the Director and hopefully let you know at dinner. If it all works out, you can hopefully move over to our part of the camp this evening.” Tommy said with a smile.

“Ok well when we leave here, I’ll go pack up my stuff, because I really want to help Billy and I’ll be ready to move as soon as you tell me it’s been ok’d.” then stood and gave each of the older kids a hug and all but bounced her way out of the office.

“That was easy,” Petra mumbled.

“Better than I’d even hoped for...” Tommy replied, “Let’s go see the powers that be and get it approved!”

****

At headquarters again they found both Jenny and Mrs. Butterfield were there and a quick meeting was called where Tommy and Petra explained what they’d discovered and Alex’s willingness to take over as Billy’s Puericil supervisor. “In short, Sherry doesn’t want to do it, never did actually, and Alex is eager to help her best friend. Given that they go to school together and she’s been his babysitter in the past, I think she the perfect candidate for supervising Billy,” Tommy summarized.

“I see no reason to delay the switch, let’s do it this evening after dinner,” the Director ruled and got nods of agreement from all the kids. “This sounds like an excellent solution to a problem that should never have happened to begin with. Petra, Tommy thank you both for identifying the problem and finding an excellent solution. Let’s make it happen!” she woman said with a smile.

Petra went to notify the two girls they’d be moving and to trade their camp shirts, since Alex would need the Puericil Supervisor shirts and Sherry would need regular camp shirts and both were about the same size, it would just be a simple trade. Sherry would also need to pack her belongings to be moved after dinner.

Tommy and Jenny remained behind with the Director at her urging, when Petra left. Leaning over her desk, she smiled at the small boy. “Tommy this is exactly why I want you involved deeply with our Puericil Camp program. It was YOU who identified the problem and sought a solution. It was YOUR insight as to how the camper/supervisor interactions between this Sherry and Billy weren’t working and that boy’s trust in you to be totally honest about what was happening with the two of them and why. That insight and concern for all the kids in the program both boys and girls are why I want you involved as long as I can get you to do it. Neither Jenny nor Petra noticed the problem until you brought it up and they had to think about what they’d observed. That’s a resource we need and want available to make this program work! Without your observations we’d have continued with two unhappy kids forced together and neither wanting it. Good job Tommy!”

****

After dinner the C.I.T.’s helped the two girls move their things as the switch was made and just the look on Billy’s face when Alex carried her bag into the cabin and the two of them giving each other an immediate hug and kiss as they greeted each other, brought unshed tears to his eyes and made it all worthwhile.

That night Billy crawled into bed with his best friend and both were very happy about it.

(End of File)