Ann Martin - Mary Anne And Camp

my eyes and started smiling immediately. No matter what else happened during the day, the sun was shining. It was a sign, I decided, that Camp BSC was going to be a success.

Dad and Sharon left, wishing us luck, and Claudia arrived with a last minute load of art supplies, which she hustled out to the assortment of tables we'd set up by the barn. We'd lined the tables with cups filled with colored pencils and crayons and paper for everyone to draw on. That was going to be the first activity of the morning for the kids, until everybody had arrived and settled in. We'd even decided to have a theme for the kids to draw. Today, the first day, we'd suggested that they draw their favorite circus animal.

Logan showed up next on his bicycle (he looks very handsome on a bicycle), followed by Mal and Jessi, along with four more Pikes and one more Ramsey.

Dawn, who'd been hovering by the front door with me, gave Logan a friendly punch on the shoulder, Kristy-style, and said, "I think I'll go check out those circus animals." She grinned at me, gave me an exaggerated wink, and then grinned even more as I felt myself start to blush.

But I was glad to have a minute alone with Logan to say hello, which is about all we got to say, because more clients arrived, via Kristy,

in her grandmother's car, the Pink Clinker.

I whipped out my roll book again and checked off the names as more and more people showed up. Jamie Newton arrived and announced that he had to go to the bathroom, and Logan said, "See you later," to me and held his hand out to Jamie. "This way," he told Jamie.

"Nineteen, twenty," I counted off the names and made sure that everyone I'd checked off had actually arrived. Two people to go.

And there they were: Bobby and Alicia Gianelli.

Bobby saw all the activity at the tables and took off at once, shouting, " 'Bye, Mom!" over his shoulder.

Alicia, who had just turned four, stood holding her mother's hand, and she reached with her other hand and locked it in place on her mother's wrist.

"Hi, Mrs. Gianelli. Hi, Alicia,” I said, checking off the last two names. I put the roll book away and said, "Welcome to Camp BSC."

"Hi, Mary Anne. It looks like a lot of fun, doesn't it, honey?" Mrs. Gianelli said to Alicia. Alicia didn't answer. She just stared up at her mother with big brown eyes.

"Do you know what a circus is, Alicia?" I asked.

Alicia shifted her gaze from her mother to me. She nodded.

"We're drawing our favorite circus animals today. You want to come with me and help me? I can't make up my mind. An elephant? Do you like elephants?"

"Camels," said Alicia.

"Camels? Camels could be in a circus," I said.

Alicia let go of her mother's hand. I reached out and took Alicia's hand in my own. "Camels would look very good in circus costumes. And you know what, Alicia? See Claudia over there? Claudia is an artist and I bet she could think of some great camel costumes."

We started walking toward the tables, but we hadn't gone three steps before Alicia twisted around. "Mommy!" she said in a panicked voice. "Mommy, don't go!"

"Would you like to see the tables and some of the artwork?" I said. "We'll have juice a little later this morning. And we have a surprise announcement this afternoon for all the campers."

I was talking as much to Alicia as to Mrs. Gianelli and Mrs. Gianelli did the same, exclaiming over how much fun everything sounded and laughing at some of the funny hat drawings Claudia came up with for Alicia's

camel. Alicia seemed to enjoy it, but I noticed that she kept making eye contact with her mother.

Poor Alicia, I thought. She's afraid to be separated from her mother. "It's okay, Alicia," I said. "Camp BSC is going to be lots and lots of fun."

Then Kristy said to me, "Everybody's here. Let's let them color for a little longer, then move on to the next activity.… Hi, Mrs. Gianelli. You should see the lion Bobby drew for his circus animal. You will, I guess, because everyone's going to bring their drawings home at the end of the day."

"I suppose I can go now," said Mrs. Gianelli in an undertone.

Kristy looked surprised. "Sure!"

Claudia said, turning so that Alicia couldn't hear her, "I think she's fine now. Don't worry."

Mrs. Gianelli left. I watched her go. "Poor Alicia," I said softly. "It must be so scary to be a little kid and have to be left on her own like this."

"But it's not like Alicia doesn't know us," Claudia said practically. "And it's not like it's the first time her mother has ever left her with one of us."

Alicia had raised her head from her coloring project and was watching her mom's car pull

away. I saw her look down the table toward where her brother Bobby was sitting. Then she bent her head over her coloring again.

I reached out and gave her shoulder a gentle, reassuring pat.

Then Jamie Newton's piece of paper blew away somehow and I ran to help him catch it and forgot about Alicia for the time being.

I forgot about Alicia until we decided to make an excursion to the park, right after the mid-morning juice (during which, miraculously, no major juice mishaps occurred).

Everyone was instantly excited about the field trip to the park. "Cool," shouted Haley, signing rapidly to her brother Matt. (Matt is deaf. We've all learned some sign language, but none of us can talk with our hands at top speed the way Haley and Matt do.)

"Monkey bars, monkey bars, all the way up to Mars," sang Vanessa Pike. Marilyn Arnold giggled and added, "Swing high, swing low, to the park we go!"

That set everybody off. We paired the kids into buddies and divided the buddies among us, and set off amid some of the most awful poetry you've ever heard.

All except Alicia. I saw Hannie Papadakis, who'd been paired with Alicia, say, "Come on, Alicia."

"No," I heard a firm, small voice say and I

turned to see Alicia standing. by the table where she'd been coloring. Her arms were folded. Her face was turning red.

Mal, who was nearest, turned to her. "Alicia? Don't you want to go to the park?"

"The park, the trees, if you please," I heard Vanessa calling out up ahead.

"No." Alicia's tone was firm, but her voice also sounded a bit shaky. Up ahead, I saw Kristy look back and then slow down. The whole "park train" did the same.

Mal said to her group of campers, which included Karen and Nancy, "Wait a minute." I nodded at the twins, Marilyn and Carolyn, who were standing nearby with Becca and Charlotte, and said, "Hold up, you guys."

I went back to join Mal, who had squatted down beside Alicia. "Alicia, is something wrong?" Mal said. "Do you need to go to the bathroom first?"

"No," said Alicia for the third time. She looked at me. "I have to stay here," she said.

"But don't you want to go to the park?" Mal said. "It'll be fun. We can ..."

Whatever Mal had been going to say was lost in a truly amazing howl as Alicia opened her mouth and squeezed her eyes shut and began to cry.

"Alicia! What's wrong?"

"Not the park. I cannnn't,” was what we heard.

"Are you afraid of something in the park?" asked Mal.

Alicia shook her head. She kept crying.

"Shhhh," I said. "You don't have to go to the park if you don't want to. Shhhh." I grabbed one of the paper napkins I'd stuck in the pocket of my shorts (a good baby-sitter is always prepared) and used the napkin as a tissue. I wiped the tears from Alicia's cheeks.