Pip and the Orange Armband

Pip the fox kit stood at the edge of the pool room, his striped towel bunched tight in his paws.

The room smelled like chlorine and echoed with splashes. Other kits already knew where to go, towels on hooks, a neat line by the ladder, and Pip didn't know any of it. He stood very still, unsure which way to step.

His tail drooped. His tummy felt tight, like a fist had closed inside it. This place is too big, he thought. I don't know where anything goes.

He tried to copy the fox kit next to him, hanging his towel on the same hook. But the hook was already full, and his towel slid to the floor. Pip's ears folded flat. He stepped back toward his dad, clutching his towel again. He wanted to just disappear.

"I don't want to swim today," Pip whispered.