By Harriet Darling

Frankie got a hundred on his spelling test just before vacation. But he had some work to do on his state capitals. He brought his geography book home but he didn’t have time to think about schoolwork when his family all piled into the car.

Corky, Frankie’s best friend, sat beside him in the back seat. Frankie was eight last month so he sat beside the window without a booster seat. Beside the other window was little Nancy, who had to sit in a car seat because she was only five years old. Corky was almost two.

At the park, Dad asked a ranger for a map to where they would camp. When the car stopped, Frankie pulled the door open and Corky jumped out and ran toward the trees. Before Dad could stop him, Frankie was chasing the dog. He was quickly lost in the big forest.

Frankie was usually good at finding his way home. But he hadn’t seen much of the campsite before Corky took off. So he wasn’t sure he and his buddy could get back before dinner. He really didn’t want to miss Mom’s chocolate pudding.

When he caught Corky, Frankie knew they had to find their way back to the car. Frankie and Corky ran between two people who were running. They stopped and asked if they could help him.

“I think I’m lost,” he said, and Corky woofed. “Do you know where my family is?”

They shook their heads, but they had a map. They told Frankie how to get to the camp area and he listened very carefully. But when they jogged away, he forgot what they said.

Then he saw a teenage girl sitting under a tree. She said her name was Angie but she didn’t know where his family was. She agreed to walk with him to the edge of the woods. When they found the road, he looked all around but didn’t see Dad’s car. He held Corky’s collar and waved goodbye to Angie as she walked back into the woods.

Frankie and his dog walked along the path beside the forest. They met a short bald man coming the other way. The man grinned at Frankie and asked, “What do you need, my young friend?”

Frankie asked the man where his family was, but Corky barked at the man and he ran off before answering.

How would he find his family again? Frankie sat down under a tree. He saw Corky sniff at a bush near him, and suddenly he had an idea. He should let Corky find his family. Dogs were good at smelling people, Frankie knew.

He asked Corky, “Where’s Nancy?” and Corky ran off. Frankie hurried along after him and it wasn’t long at all before Corky was jumping up to slurp little Nancy’s grinning chocolaty face.

Mom said, “I’m glad you got back in time for dinner, Frankie. Do you want whipped cream on your chocolate pudding?”