David holds clean simple paper trail map while Holly points toward red ribbon marker on tree beside safe woodland path.

The Muddy Map

School Readers · Level 11

David and Holly join a trail game at school camp. Their map shows the way to three markers. David holds it while Holly reads the first clue. They find a red marker by a tree.

David crouches to lift paper map from shallow muddy puddle by corner while Holly looks concerned.

At the next bend, David drops the map. It lands in a muddy puddle. He picks it up by one corner. “Oh no! Part of the path is covered,” he says.

Holly gently wipes muddy paper map with cloth, David beside her near red ribbon tree, next-turn detail still obscured.

Holly wipes off some mud with a cloth. They can see the tree on the map, but not the next turn. “We should not guess,” she says. They walk back to the red marker.

David and Holly show muddy map to Mr Kent at red ribbon tree.

Their camp leader, Mr Kent, is waiting there. They show him the muddy map. “I have a dry copy,” he says. He helps them find the place they reached.

Holly holds clean map inside transparent sleeve while David points along marked path, two other simple coloured ribbon markers visible farther along path.

Holly puts the dry map in a clear sleeve. David holds it with both hands. They follow the marked path and find the last two markers. The map stays clean.

At camp finish beside picnic table David and Holly hand clean sleeved map and muddy paper to Mr Kent.

At the finish, they give both maps to Mr Kent. “We did not need to guess,” says David. “We needed a map we could read,” says Holly. They smile, glad they finished the trail.

The Muddy Map

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