The Packed Bag

Ages 12-15

Yaffa puts a page divider in her sketchbook before the class trip.

That spread is for the garden at the final stop. She brings a green pencil just for it.

At the first stop, the class sits beside a row of old buildings. Yaffa draws a roof and one narrow doorway.

Her drawing fills half the page.

Before they leave, the teacher folds the route sheet.

"We are going back after this stop."

Yaffa puts her pencil in its case.

There are no more long walks today.

She opens the sketchbook to the garden spread. Its divider lies flat between two clean pages.

Around her, classmates are putting their things away.

Yaffa closes the sketchbook. She keeps it on her lap for the ride back.

At home, she opens it on the table.

The roof and doorway are on the first page. Behind them, the garden spread is blank.

She picks up the green pencil, then puts it beside the case.

With an ordinary pencil, she writes the name of the first stop beneath the little roof.

She moves the divider from the blank spread to that drawing and closes the book.