Walk Worthy

Buddy Norman spends nearly all his time indoors, lost in the pages of his favorite comic book, The Galactic Escapades of Captain Spiff, imagining himself as a fumbling first officer aboard the captain's starship. His dad worries that Buddy hasn't been outside since last winter, and he offers two choices: help their neighbor Mr. Handelman with his gardening, or join the Trail Life troop that meets at Whit's End. Buddy is terrified of Mr. Handelman, a one-armed veteran he imagines as a scary movie villain, so the choice seems easy. His dad sweetens the deal with a promise: once Buddy hikes a hundred miles with the troop, the two of them will take a father-son trip to Canyonlands National Park, where Buddy's beloved old sci-fi movies were filmed.

At his first meeting, Buddy is surprised to find Jay Smouse, who is only there because his mom said it was either Trail Life or the Marines. Eugene Meltsner, the acting troop master, welcomes Buddy, and the trailmen recite their oath: to serve God and country, respect authority, care for creation, and treat others as they want to be treated. Eugene tells Buddy he may recite it once he truly understands it. With its uniforms, flags, and oath, the troop reminds Buddy of Captain Spiff's Galactic Justice Corps, and in his daydreams the captain himself urges him on: "Do or do not. There is no think." Buddy throws himself into troop life. Over the following weeks he learns knots, paints park benches, and grows from barely walking eight blocks to leading fifteen-mile hikes. He even starts taking out the trash without being asked, telling his amazed dad that service is a Trail Life value and that the troop's motto is "Walk worthy."

Then Jay gives Buddy a surprising thank-you gift for saving him from sitting in a bucket of Eugene's paint: the newest Captain Spiff issue, weeks before it goes on sale. Jay cheerfully explains that Mr. Mezzo's comic shop has a rickety back door, and he has been helping himself to unreleased comics from the storage room. Buddy protests that it's stealing and against the oath they recite every week, but Jay shrugs it off, insisting the oath is "just a bunch of words to make kids feel good about themselves." Nobody follows it all the time, Jay argues, so why try? Buddy hesitates, then takes the comic book anyway.

The doubt eats at him. Even his daydreams sour: he reminds an imaginary Captain Spiff of the time the captain himself broke the oath, then walks out of his own fantasy. Buddy quits Trail Life, telling his dad the hikes and camping are fine, but the oath goes too far, since no one can live up to it. His dad admits that nobody keeps the oath perfectly. But he explains that the oath exists to build character, and character grows the same way Buddy's hiking legs did, through practice, small steps, and getting back up after every failure. Best of all, God never gives up on us; we are the only ones who give up. Buddy decides to keep trying, but first he asks his dad to drive him somewhere: the comic book shop.

Behind the counter, to Buddy's shock, is Mr. Handelman, filling in while his old friend Mr. Mezzo is away at a comic convention. It turns out the "scary" neighbor has loved comics, including Captain Spiff, since he was a boy. Buddy returns the unreleased issue, admits how he got it, offers to pay for it, and says he'll accept whatever punishment is fair. Mr. Handelman is impressed, saying he doesn't meet many kids who own up to their mistakes. When Buddy warns him about the broken back-door lock, Mr. Handelman reveals he has already rigged a trap that locks the storage room if anyone sneaks in from the alley, and something is rattling around back there right now. Inside they find Jay, comic books stuffed under his shirt, claiming to be a boy named Mortimer who was chasing a raccoon. When his story falls apart, Jay tries to pin the whole scheme on Buddy, but Mr. Handelman knows better and mentions calling the police, telling Buddy he is free to go. Buddy refuses to leave, saying he can't abandon Jay and will share whatever punishment Jay gets. Moved by that, Mr. Handelman offers to let Jay off on one condition: he must promise to keep going to Trail Life, with Buddy showing him how to be a good trailman. As the boys hurry off to catch the end of their meeting, Buddy asks if he can help with the gardening after all, and Mr. Handelman happily accepts.

That summer, Buddy and his dad finally stand in Canyonlands National Park, on the very spot where Captain Spiff's most famous scene was filmed. Buddy, now full of outdoor wisdom, explains the fragile desert soil, and then calmly informs his dad that the plant he's touching is poisonous, just as the itching begins.