I see myself in the Observatory, gazing through the eye of the massive telescope.

All the planets, stars, and galaxies are open to me, almost as if I could touch them. Where
once I saw the black void of space, a kaleidoscope of color has replaced it. I am absorbed
in the wonders of the universe, and know I can soon reach them.
The scene changes. I now see myself at a chalkboard, frantically scribbling down
equations for a theorem of light-speed travel. I feel a sense of victory as I know I’m
reaching the end, where everything fits together. I finish the theorem… I’m acclaimed as
a hero…
That’s when I wake up.
My name is Josiah Smith, but everyone calls me Joe. Yeah, it’s not all that
exciting of a name, but I was born with it and it’s the one I’m gonna keep. I’m an outcast
from society, and I dream of somehow proving myself to the world.
Fact of the matter is, I’m a genius. I have an IQ of about one and a half times my
town’s average, but unfortunately, that isn’t really saying a lot. My parents were hoping
for an ordinary kid. I guess I let them down.
At least my school has a chance of going to the Observatory instead of doing
Algebra Negative Four. Math class is way below my level, which is why I teach myself at
home with my textbooks, pad and paper, and personal telescope. After a really stressful
day, I just go up here to my room and hold my stuffed rabbit. I’m a wimp, and I know it.
Strangely, Mom and Dad aren’t at breakfast when I climb down the ladder to the
house Commons area. Our house has a central Commons, which holds the dining table,
couch, and other necessities, and several ladders leading to the other rooms. In my
opinion it looks like a stable with a notably high roof, but I’ve grown up with it this way
and I like it. I guess Dad’s probably at an early business meeting, and Mom’s taken my
little sister Brianna to school.
I sit down at the table, gulp down my porridge, and meander over to the couch. I
lie there for a few minutes and then sluggishly put on my winter coats. Bracing myself, I
step out the front door.
Zamboni Cliffs, Northern Minnesota, so named because of the old snowplow
driver who accidentally iced the streets over; he later became leader of the force. It snows
twelve months a year up here, and on a warm day it can get up to a full degree. The
‘garden’ is white, the roofs are white, the grass is white, and the homes are mostly green.
With the lack of green anything else, the Homeowners’ Misassociation decided green
paint would have to suffice.
Zamboni Cliffs is a small village, with only four streets: Polar Place, Sleet Street,
Blizzard Boulevard, and Walrus Way. I live midway down Walrus Way, which is kind of
weird because of all the semi-aquatic wildlife it was named for.
Our town is like a giant ‘plus’ sign, with the four streets branching off at right
angles from a central Town Square. All the big decisions for the entire town happen
there. The Observatory is also stationed at the center of town. That’s where the
astronomer, Steve Falconing, works.
The street slopes downward towards the Town Square, so I decided to pack my
sled to shake things up a bit. To my surprise, across the street, it looks like Robert and
Bobert have had the same idea.
Robert and Bobert are identical twins, each with yellow hair, freckles, glasses,
and enough jackets on that they probably don’t even need their sleds to go down- they
just need to trip. They’re both very fun-loving and zany, and I kinda like them.
“Hey, guys!” I shout across the snow-filled street. “Wanna go sledding?”
“You betcha, Joe!” Robert calls back. “We’ve been waiting to try this!”
With much effort, we meet in the middle of the street. Just for a challenge, we
decide to race each other. Bobert calls the start.
“Three… two… um… what comes next?” Bobert asks us, puzzled.
“One!” Robert and I shout together.
“One… Go!” Bobert finishes.
And we’re off. I reckon that the street has a slope of about thirty degrees, so we
get going very fast, very quickly. The twins brought their boat sleds, and I brought my
speed sled. It’s a very lightweight thing, and both the handles broke long ago, but it’s
served me well and I’m not getting rid of it.
But wait- it looks like Robert had the good sense to ice down the bottom of his
sled. Combined with the natural slipperiness of the road itself, it’s a formidable
combination. Robert and I are neck-to-neck at the front, leaving poor Bobert behind. But
if I know Bobert, he’s got a few tricks up his sleeve.
Boing! I look behind me and Bobert isn’t there. Turning back to my front, Bobert
is about three meters ahead of us, packing up his compact trampoline jump system. Man,
I wish I had one of those.
Bobert isn’t a very good driver, however, and Robert and I easily catch up to him.
By this time we’re reaching the City Square, when suddenly…
“Watch out! There’s a zamboni!” I call out in alarm. I had almost forgotten- its
Monday, and every Monday the Zamboni Force is sent out to make ice conditions more
favorable for sled traffic. These things are huge, and if we’re not careful, we could wind
up as ice on the pavement.
Bobert and I steer clear to the other side, but Robert isn’t so lucky. He gets swept
into the zamboni’s path, and I try to pull him out in vain.
“Robert! No!” I shout. For a moment I’m afraid he will be lost, but then I gain
confidence again. Robert always thinks of something.
It looks like the force made a mistake that could work out in Robert’s favor- this
is a Sleet Street vehicle, and there’s a ramp in front to counteract the sleet. As I watch,
Robert climbs up the ramp to the top of the zamboni. I have no idea what’s going to
happen to him next, but I have to turn my attention back to the front because we’re only a
few more meters away from the Town Square.
Suddenly I lose control of my sled. I knew I should have brought a Bobert Boat
instead! Just as I wonder what’s going to happen next, I hear a high-pitched sound and
see a shadow growing over Bobert and myself.
Wham! Robert crashes into both our sleds, sending all three of us flying into a
snowbank. Our heads pop out from the snowbank and we all start laughing like a trio of
maniacs.
When my eyes adjust, I realize we’ve landed in the Zamboni Cliffs Town Square.
This is where all the important stuff happens. Some important buildings include the Town
Hall, the Observatory *sigh*, the Library, the Bank, the Clock Tower, and the school.
Also, there are four handy ski lifts at Ski Lift Junction leading to the tops of the four
streets, so we can sled back down to where we need to go on the streets.
Our school is a building that rivals the Town Hall in size, which isn’t really
saying much. There’s a jacket and entrance area, and then a long corridor with twelve
rooms branching off, one for each grade. At the end of the hallway is the staff area, and
no student knows what happens there.
I walk into the seventh grade classroom, followed by the twins. It is a dull and
square classroom, with gray paint on the walls and black ashes in the fireplace. Gray is
present everywhere in the room because the teacher, Mrs. Frostbite, thinks it boosts
productivity. She is a jerk.
Mrs. Frostbite bangs her ever-present gavel five times, which means that school
started fifteen minutes ago and we’re all late. This happens every single day.
“Okay, maggots, GET TO YOUR DESKS!” she hollers in that shrill voice of
hers. “Today we will be going in depth into the equation 1+1. You will be required to
show your work, and your solution must have a minimum of five thousand steps. Each of
these steps will be a page long. This will be due TOMORROW.”
This, or something like it, also happens every day. To make matters worse, if we
go to the bathroom at all (which Mrs. Frostbite counts as ‘lazy’) we have to stay five
minutes after school. These five minutes are timed by a broken watch.
Mrs. Frostbite continues, “If you fail to do your work, you’ll have to scrub my
dishes for a whole week. You will also--“ She breaks off, because there is a man standing
in the doorway.
Steve Falconing himself, master of the observatory, has come to visit us today. He
is the person in the whole town I admire the most. He is a genius, and he is also very nice
and friendly. He also has the coolest gadgetry in the whole world.
“So, what’s Mrs. Frostbite got to nag you about today?” he jokes. “No matter.
Your principal has handed the seventh grade class over to me for the day. And as your
instructor, I pronounce that we’re going on a field trip to the Observatory.”
A cheer erupts from the class, with the exception of Mrs. Frostbite. She bangs her
gavel three times, which is code for “Blah.” She never likes to hand over control to
anyone else, especially not someone who actually does something worthwhile.
I’ve never actually been to the observatory- I’ve only imagined how it looks.
Now, I’m finally going to get the chance to see it for myself. I’m so excited!
Leaving Mrs. Frostbite behind, we all go back to the front of the school and put
on our coats, snowpants, and boots again. As we’re finishing up, I think I hear an echo of
a gavel banging back down the hall. One gavel bang translates to one gavel bang, which
is a measure of frustration.
We walk outside to find a snowstorm rolling in from Blizzard Boulevard.
Blizzard Boulevard is known for its wind tunnels, and since it snows here virtually 24/7,
the name is quite fitting. The street can be a pain to live on, but it can also make sledding
much more fun than normal if you have a tailwind.
Trudging over to the observatory, Mr. Falconing takes out a ring of keys and
opens the top lock. Then he takes out another ring and opens the lock directly below it.
Then he takes out yet another ring and opens the lock below that. Looking up and down
the door, I realize that there are fifteen locks in all.
“Excuse me sir,” I ask. “Why are there so many keyholes?
“A little mechanical trick of mine,” he says, grinning. “There’s some priceless
stuff in here, and I don’t want anyone getting in without permission. Only one of these
locks is the real one, but it changes every time the door opens, and even I don’t know
which one it is right now.”
“Why not keep all the rings on one keychain?”
“Added security. And anyway, the manufacturer of these things made them fuse
shut after a time. Ah, here we go,” he says, opening the door.
As is to be expected in any Zamboni Cliffs building larger than one room, the first
thing we see as we walk in is a jacket claim. It’s a small area, and I don’t think Mr.
Falconing was counting on many visitors when he built this thing. The main jacket claim
is actually a steel conveyor belt on the left side, such as you might find in an airport,
popping out bins with the names of people in our class on them. When that person’s gear
is put in, the bin is drawn back into the machine and another person’s bin pops out.
I take off my gear and put it in the Joe bin when it pops out of the machine, and
then stand on the right wall waiting for the rest to finish up. While I’m doing that, I
admire the architecture and design of a building. This thing looks like it could withstand
an earthquake, blizzard, flood (do we even have floods here?), and tornado, all happening
at once. Directly across from the door is a winding staircase that looks like it’s made out
of gold, and I would bet anything that it leads to the Observatory’s main room. The
Observatory, as far as I know, is shaped somewhat like a plant I’ve heard about once
called a ‘mushroom.’ The stem is the jacket claim and golden staircase, and the cap is the
main observation room.
After we all finish putting away our coats and start up the golden staircase, Robert
asks me, “So, whaddya think?”
“I think this is phenomenal already!” I reply. “I just hope that the main room is as
interesting.”
“You ain’t seen nothing yet,” Mr. Falconing chuckles. At the top of the winding
staircase, there is a black door with what looks like a ship’s wheel on it. There are several
warning labels on the door as well, and I can’t help but wonder if it was reused from
something else. Mr. Falconing turns the ship’s wheel to the left, then to the right, and
then back to the left again. The door opens with a pneumatic hiss.
I’m awestruck by the massive hemispherical room we step into. In the very center
of the room is a telescope even bigger than the one in my dream. The eyepiece is about
four centimeters across, but the main lens is almost four meters in diameter. There are
about seven sections to the telescope, and if not for the lens in each one, it would look
like it was retractable.
Near the telescope is a star chart listing all the constellations in the sky. There is
also a chalkboard very near with several algebraic and calculus expressions on it that not
even I can understand. Other objects of interest are scattered throughout the room, such
as a computer the size of a locker bay, a giant Newton’s Cradle, a projector and screen,
windows covering every square inch of the walls, a few random cannons that it looks like
you could fit a person into, and a portal labeled “Experiment Room” on the floor.
“Okay kids, have at it,” Mr. Falconing says cheerfully. “Just don’t move the
primary telescope, write on the chalkboard, or fool around with the projector. Basically,
just use common sense- you all are capable of that, right? Good.”
The next few hours pass in a blur as I experiment with virtually everything in the
room. Even though it isn’t nighttime, I can see the Crab Nebula in almost perfect detail
through the primary telescope. I also figure out several properties of the Newton’s
Cradle, such as when one of the spheres is made heavier than the others. Looking at the
Cradle and other experiments around the room, such as a pendulum attached to a
pendulum, I discover an equation that could change science forever: F=ma.
I’m about to head over to the secondary telescope when Mr. Falconing pulls me
aside. “Say, you seem like a bright young spark, and I’m thinking about installing an
improved snow deflector. You wanna come down to the Experiment Room and check it
out?”
“Would I ever!” I say excitedly.
“Okay, then. Down the hatch!” he replies. “Now, if only I can remember the
combination…”
“There’s another one for the Experiment Room? Why, if the only people who can
get in have already been let into the Observatory itself?”
“Extra backup. And anyway, this stuff down here isn’t just priceless, it’s
dangerous. Not all this stuff has to do with the stars.”
“But this is an observatory!”
“For the most part. It’s also a laboratory. Ah, here we go,” he says, propping the
portal open.
I can hardly believe my eyes as I step out into the rectangular corridor. Strangely
shaped beakers are located on tables throughout the room, filled with multicolored
chemicals of virtually every hue. Bookshelves are on the left wall spaced between the
experiment tables, filled with the secrets of chemistry. The right wall is mainly composed
of metal doors, and crimson and tan are everywhere in the room.
Just as I walk out onto the tan floor, I hear a scuffling noise behind me. It sounds
like two people are fighting over something.
“Stop shoving, we agreed I was going in first!”
“You agreed, I wanted to go in first as well!”
“Get out of the way!”
“You get out of the way!”
I turn to the astronomer, who just shrugs. Just as I’m about to ask what’s going
on, Robert and Bobert appear out of nowhere with a pop! Mr. Falconing shakes his head,
then starts laughing.
“You found my experimental Invisible Invisibility Device! I was wondering
where that had gotten to. How did you do it?”
“Simple, really,” Bobert says modestly. “Robert loaded me into a cannon- pointed
virtually flat, mind you- and fired me off. I just kept my arm brushing the carpet for fun
until I hit upon a box neither of us could see. Robert pressed the button—“
“—and we became invisible!” Robert finishes. “We thought it would be fun to
surprise you two, so here we are!”
“Jolly well done, boys!” Mr. Falconing says. “You can keep that thing if you
want. I’ve no real use for it.”
“Wow, thanks!” Bobert says appreciatively.
“Okay now! I think you kids should pop on over to the third room on the right.
I’ve got something to show you there!”
Bobert, thinking ‘pop over’ meant that we should make a pop noise as we went
over, presses the button. Suddenly I can’t see myself or the twins anymore, but Mr.
Falconing is still in plain sight. We move quickly to the crimson metal door labeled
‘I.V.P.P.’ Robert tries to go in, but appears to get randomly thrown back against the wall,
crashing into one of the bookcases and causing several books to fall off the shelves.
“Silly kids, you have to be visible to go in here. Let’s try this again when the
invisibility field wears off,” Mr. Falconing says, picking up the books.
Thirty-five seconds later, Robert, Bobert, and I pop back into the visible
spectrum. We try the door again, and this time it lets us through.
Strange crimson vats are scattered randomly throughout the whole room. Dials
that look like pressure gauges line the walls, marked in tape with labels like ‘Heat
Reception’ and ‘Watts per Hour.’ At the back of the room is a red curtain with a
yellowish rope next to it, such as you might find in a circus or on stage. Another thing I
find of interest in the square room is a big red button on a metal square.
“What exactly is this place?” I ask curiously.
“I measure the weather here, and at night, I collect stellar energy to power the
machine that is located behind this red curtain. Behold!” he says, drawing the curtain
back with the rope.
The machine he was referring to is a pot, on a stove, with a myriad of popcorn
seeds in it.
“This room is the Increased Velocity Popcorn Popper, and by pressing this big red
button, I can channel the stellar energy I’ve collected into this stove, making popcorn for
all of us instantly. Anyone hungry?” he asks, pressing the button.
Due to the huge amount of energy put into them, the popcorn seeds pop
extraordinarily quickly, filling up the pot at virtually the speed of light. It’s a phenomenal
sight to behold, and I can’t help but wonder how long it took to prepare all of this.
There’s only one problem.
Mr. Falconing forgot to put the lid on.
“RUN!” I shout. The four of us make a dash for the door, followed immediately
by the rising wall of popcorn. Mr. Falconing, Robert, and I make it out, but Bobert isn’t
so lucky. He gets swallowed up entirely by the popcorn, but that’s probably not a
problem considering his appetite. Even so, I’m a little anxious.
We have to close the door before it gets to us too, but Bobert gets trapped inside.
It seems that he’s doomed until, as I watch, he starts eating like crazy. Exercising his jaw
muscle to the max, he tunnels his way to the cat flap, opens the hatch, and forces his way
through.
“Have I gained weight?” he asks, and we all start laughing. Bobert will eat
anything.
“Okay, gang, let’s try the next room,” Mr. Falconing calls cheerfully. “Now, as
soon as all that popcorn can be cleaned up by either the janitor or Bobert, I can work on
slowing that thing down. It’s probably going to take a while, though.”
“No, it won’t,” I say. “If I know Bobert, he’ll suck up food like a vaccum when
it’s offered to him. Trust me, I’ve had him over.”
We walk over to the next steel door down, this one labeled S.T.A. I’m about to
open it when I accidentally press the invisibility button.
“Dang. Do you have to be visible to go through this door, too?” I ask Mr.
Falconing dejectedly.
“Actually, you need to be invisible. That’s why I haven’t made many adjustments
as of late. Would you mind pressing the button again?”
I do as he asks and we all turn invisible. As we walk through the door, I ask,
“How does the door know whether the person walking through is invisible or not?”
“That would be your teacher, Mrs. Frostbite. Somehow she gained access to the
Experiment Room and installed a blocker. Don’t ask me how, I don’t know.”
“Wow, she’s evil.”
“She’s my mother-in-law. What did you expect?” he says as we go in the S.T.A.
room.
A complicated machine is spread out across all four walls. It looks like a giant
marble ramp, and it also gives the appearance of being one-use. The machine converges
onto a wooden platform in the center of the room. On top of the platform is a random
toaster, and on the side is another big red button. Mr. Falconing presses the button, and
the machine starts to do its thing.
A red ball comes out of what looks like an elevated mousehole in the wall, falls
down several ramps, and then lands on a single domino on a ledge. The domino falls over
the ledge and starts a whole chain moving and falling over. The last domino falls over
another ledge and tips a scale ever so slightly. On the other end of the scale is another red
ball, which starts rolling down its own ramp. This kookiness happens throughout the
machine, until the end when a pulley is activated and a weight drops onto the toaster’s
handle.
Thirty seconds later, we all get toast.
“The Simplified Toaster Activator,” Mr. Falconing remarks. “It’s a thing of
beauty, and I’m sure everyone will want one. The only downside is that it can be
somewhat hard to set up again, but no matter.”
Robert, Bobert, and I get a striking sense of déjà vu, as evidenced when Bobert
says, “I’m getting a striking sense of déjà vu.” A few months ago, Robert had tried
something like this to sharpen his pencils more quickly, but the woodpecker wouldn’t
cooperate. Apparently some Rube guy came up with this thing.
After we finish our toast, I ask, “What about that improved snow deflector
thingy? That was the reason you brought me down here in the first place.”
“Thank you, Joe, I’d almost forgot,” Mr. Falconing says, standing up and
snapping his fingers. “To the Deflector Room! – Ouch,” he continues, bumping into the
invisibility lock.
I press the button and make the four of us invisible again. Unseen, we walk down
the corridor to the crimson door at the end of the hallway, which has a door that’s already
open a crack.
“Is it safe to go in? I don’t want to get thrown back against the wall again,”
Robert asks tentatively.
“No worries! I caught your teacher in here just as she was preparing to do this
door. She never finished placing the lock in, but whenever more than one person goes in
at a time, something very random always happens to one person.
Sure enough, we pass through the door without much difficulty, apart from
Bobert’s hair randomly standing up. This room is significantly less cluttered than the
other two we visited, with only one object in it- a crystal display at the back.
“I didn’t actually create the Deflector v2.0 myself, I got it from another inventor
who lives on Polar Place,” Mr. Falconing explains. “He gave me this after he developed a
Deflector v2.5, used only by him. Thing is, this deflector is activated by five Crystal
Snowflakes,” he says, gesturing to the five snowflake-shaped dents in the crystal, “but
I’ve not been able to find them- they’ve been scattered about the town.
“Actually, I did have one, but it was confiscated by the Town Bank and is in a
vault somewhere. The others are hidden on the streets, one snowflake per.”
“I can’t leave the Observatory- I don’t want to risk your teacher breaking in here
and messing everything up. “Would you three be willing to go out and find them for
me?”
“I’m in,” I say without hesitation.
“Me too,” Robert puts in.
“Me three,” Bobert finishes.
“Alright then! In a way that somewhat reminds me of a cliché old movie, each
snowflake has a clue to the whereabouts of the next one printed on it. Go seek out the old
inventor on Polar Place- his shop is known as ‘Old Inventor’s Old Inventions.’ He might
be able to lead the three of you to the first snowflake.
“Good luck to the three of you,” Mr. Falconing salutes. “Bring the five
snowflakes back to the Observatory as soon as you can.”
“Will do! Come on, guys, let’s go,” I say to Robert and Bobert. As we’re getting
ready to leave, the town clock sounds the time.
DONG. DONG. DEE. DAP. DIT-DIT-DIT.
2:48. School’s over for the day.
We go down the hallway, back into the Observatory’s main room, through the
black door, down the golden staircase, and back out to the coat claim. The rest of the
class seems to have already left for home. I take my gear from the Joe bin, put it on, and
step out the door.
“I forgot, where did we put our sleds?” I ask.
“Maybe they’re still in that snowbank we landed in when we came down. Let’s
check it out,” Robert suggests.
As it turns out, the sleds are still there, but not exactly in perfect condition.
Robert’s and Bobert’s boats are okay, but my speed sled is now completely destroyed-
that is, more completely destroyed than it was in the morning.
“You need a new sled,” Bobert notes.
As we’re walking over to Sleet Street to find a sled shop, I hear a voice behind me
saying excitedly, “Hi, Joe!” I turn around to see my little sister Brianna looking happily
up at me.
“Hi, Brianna. What are you doing here?” I ask, feeling a tad sheepish.
“Mom heard that you need a new sled and said that I could ask if I could go with
you. Can I come? Pleeeease?” Brianna begs.
“Well… okay. Just… stay out of trouble, alright?”
“Yay! I will, Joe!” she says, excitedly zipping in circles around me. I roll my
eyes.
Sleet Street is the least fun street for sledding, because most of the snow has
turned to sleet on it. Fortunately, the Zamboni Force gave it a runthrough this morning, so
it’s a bit better today. The four of us hike up the sidewalk to a store named ‘Noggin’s
Toboggans’ and go inside.
The store is a square, green room, with pictures of toboggans everywhere on the
walls. Several have been modified to be steerable, and they all look extremely fast. At the
front of the room is a desk, and behind the desk is the shopkeeper, Mr. Noggin.
 “So, what can I get you kids today?” Mr. Noggin asks. “Steering or speed? One-
person or two-person? Wooden or metal? You name the toboggan, I have it.”
I look carefully at the toboggan pictures on the wall. One of them catches my eye,
a metal one with enough space in it for Brianna and myself. It has a rope in front to steer
and is labeled as a ‘v2.0 sled’, much to my interest.
“I’ll take the SI-590 v2.0,” I say, reading the label.
“Sounds good, kid. That’ll be twenty-five Snowbucks.”
“Deal.” I search around in my pocket for my wallet, take out a twenty-five
Snowbuck note, and hand it to the cashier.
“You’ve made a wise decision, kid. the SI-590 v2.0 will last you a lifetime.”
“Why is it called that, anyway?”
“Don’t ask me, ask the SI guys. Their factory is far out of town, about a day’s
hike. Have a nice day!” he calls.
We step back outside onto Sleet Street and decide to sled down to the Town
Square, then immediately take the ski lift to Polar Place. Brianna gets in the back of my
toboggan and we set off.
“So, what are we doing, anyway?” Brianna asks.
“We’re trying to find five Crystal Snowflakes to activate a snow deflector. Mr.
Falconing has a hunch that the first one is on Polar Place,” I reply as we walk over to the
very center of town, Ski Lift Junction.
Ski Lift Junction is like an indigo- colored, massively enlarged round table,
supported by four poles. Four systems of chairs run day in and day out, never stopping. I
make sure that I’m going on the ski lift marked with a polar bear, then hop on.
“Brianna, you should buckle in,” I point out. “These things can be kinda
dangerous.”
Before my eyes, the ground quickly zooms away. The Observatory, which once
appeared monumental in size, now seems infinitesimal in comparison. I can see the
entirety of Polar Place below me, and consider making a map when our quest is all said
and done. I feel like I’m more than a thousand feet up in the air, viewing this from the
sky. I’ve been on the ski lifts before, but this is one thing where every time is like the first
time. The chair jostles me back and forth as I move along its course. When we finally
reach the street’s summit, I step off the ride and duck to avoid being hit by the next chair
in line. The others do the same.
Fortunately for the four of us, Robert had the good sense to grab a map of Polar
Place back at the Junction. Bobert tries to figure it out.
“One goes to Frozen Frisbees, two goes to No Brrrglars Aloud, three goes to
Snowflakes Unlimited, four goes to…”
Bobert insists on reading all the building names and their corresponding numbers
aloud, until he gets to Old Inventor’s Old Inventions. That one he accidentally skips, until
Robert points it out to him. It turns out that to find the building, all we needed to do was
look to our left. We’re all grateful for that, because Polar Place is very cold and we don’t
want to stay out here any longer than we have to.
Due to the little yellow bell on the top of the door, we hear a ringing sound when
we go into the building. What strikes me first is this building’s similarity to Noggin’s
Toboggans, with the same green walls and wooden desk at the front. The only two
differences I can see are the storekeeper behind the desk, and the fact that there are
blueprints of inventions on the wall instead of toboggan pictures.
“What can I do for you kids?” the Old Inventor asks in a creaky voice.
“We’re looking for a Crystal Snowflake to activate the Deflector v2.0. Steve
Falconing sent us,” I explain.
“A Crystal Snowflake, eh? Let me think… Oh, here it is! I had almost forgotten
about it. I’d love to give it to you kids, but I need some proof that the astronomer actually
sent you first.”
“You want proof? Watch this!” Robert says, pressing the invisibility button.
Suddenly it appears none of us are there anymore, not even the inventor.
“Whee, this is fun!” Brianna giggles, spinning around in circles.
“Ho, ho, ho! Very well done, boys,” the Old Inventor says as we pop back into
sight one minute later. “Yes, I can see that you do indeed deserve the first Crystal
Snowflake. Here you go, kids.”
As the inventor hands the Snowflake over, I can’t help but marvel at its
architecture. It seems to be made out of pure quartz, and were it shrunken down a bit, I
could easily mistake it for a real snowflake. Like Mr. Falconing said, there is an
inscription carved into the snowflake:

The Puzzlemaster holds the key,

To answer this next mystery.
To help the machine gain all its power,
Look for the Puzzler’s Puzzling Tower.

How puzzling, I think.

“If you need anything else at any time, just pop on over to my store and I’ll see
what I can do for you. Happy collecting!” he waves as we walk out the door.
Because this is Polar Place and not Blizzard Boulevard or Walrus Way, we decide
to take the ski lift back to the Town Square. It doesn’t really save time, but at least we
don’t stay too long in the cold temperatures. Before we know it, we’re all back in Ski Lift
Junction.
Brianna grabs a map of Sleet Street to look at for fun, and immediately notices a
building marked ‘Puzzling Tower.’ It’s near the top of the street, so we decide to take the
ski lift again.
Later, at the top of the street, we have nowhere near as much trouble finding the
Puzzling Tower as we had with Old Inventor’s Old Inventions. The tower looms above
all the other buildings on the street, and I reckon it’s about five stories high. The tower is
made out of stone, and it looks like someone transported it here from the Middle Ages.
Bobert cranks open the drawbridge and we all step inside.
The main lobby is a comfy-looking room, with vintage sofas and everything. In a
squareish space at the back of the room, there is a fireplace, a coffee table, and several
medieval chairs and sofas. On both sides of the lounging space are what look like tunnel
entrances, one labeled “Easy level” and the other labeled “Medium Level.” Directly to
the left of the entrance is a similar entrance, this one with a closed wooden door. It is
labeled “Return.”
The main tunnel entrance we’re interested in is the one to the right of the
doorway, labeled “Snowflake Level.” There is a small stand by the entrance that has a
picture of a Crystal Snowflake on it. We step into the tunnel entrance, which turns out to
be an elevator, and the wooden doors close.
“Going up!” Brianna says excitedly, bouncing up and down.
The elevator dings at the second floor. This is a square, torch-lit room, much
smaller than the lobby and with hardly any light. A booming, ominous voice comes out
of the blackness.
“Welcome, four brave contestants! You have entered the Puzzling Tower. If you
should succeed, you will gain the Crystal Snowflake.
“Your first question: What do you get when you cross a frog and a mouse?”
I guess first. “Fly flavored cheese?”
“WRONG! Next contestant!”
Brianna guesses, bewildered. “A frog with big ears and long teeth and a tail and
fur?”
“WRONG! Next contestant!”
Robert guesses. “Brianna’s guess with whiskers?”
“WRONG! Final contestant!”
Bobert guesses. “Um… a tadpole covered with fur?”
“COR-RECT! You may proceed to the next elevator!” the voice booms
triumphantly. A wooden door identical to that on the previous elevator opens on the other
side of the room, and we all go in.
The elevator takes us up to the third floor, which is identical to the second one.
There are the same torches, the same stone walls, the same darkness, and the same voice
out of nowhere. I can’t really see why we had to go up.
“Question number two: A boy bet a thousand Snowbucks that he could hold his
head underwater for half an hour without scuba gear or a snorkel. He succeeded and won
the money. How?”
Bobert ‘guesses.’ “Um… um… um?”
“WRONG! Next contestant!”
I guess. “He collected the money in the afterlife?”
“WRONG!” Next contestant!”
Brianna guesses. “He poofed out his cheeks real big!”
“WRONG! Final contestant!”
Robert guesses. “He put a glass of water on his head instead of submerging it?”
“COR-RECT!” Proceed to the next elevator!” the voice booms.
We go across to the elevator and go up to the third floor. This chamber is also
exactly the same as the other two, and we hear the same voice yet again.
“Final question! What is thirty-five to the r power times sixty-seven to the n
power divided by ninety-nine minus eighty-seven to the c power time five hundred and
sixty-four to the ninth power?”
Brianna guesses. “A headache?”
“WRONG! Next contestant!”
Robert guesses. “Just to be safe here, is it forty-two?”
“WRONG! Next contestant!”
Bobert guesses. “A weird number?”
“Not the answer I’m looking for! Final contestant!”
I blurt something out, well knowing that this all depends on me. “Five z plus
two!”
“COR-RECT!” Proceed to the final elevator!”
All of us are really happy that we passed every puzzle, except for Brianna, who
has her head down moping, which is strange for her.
“What’s the problem?” I ask gently.
“I never got one right! I’m sad,” Brianna sniffs.
“Don’t worry, you’ll get your chance! I don’t think the Puzzlemaster will let us
off that easy,” I say unreassuringly as the elevator dings.
This time, the room we step out into is completely different from the other three.
It’s made completely out of white marble, and is as spacious as the lobby. If the castle
were actually in the middle ages, this would be the throne room. There is an ornate-
looking throne on the right, and suspended on the left wall is the Crystal Snowflake.
In the middle of the room is the Puzzlemaster himself. He is a man of great
height, and looks somewhat like a circus clown. His nose is very large, and he has yellow
whiskers and hair. He wears a black bowler cap with a yellow bow on it. He wears an
orange shirt, blue suspenders, and brown, mud-stained boots. At the moment he is talking
to a family of four who just came out of the Easy elevator.
“You are hereby promoted to fully fledged puzzlers. Congratulations!” he says
proudly, handing each of them a certificate. As they head into the return elevator, the
Puzzlemaster turns to us in surprise.
“My, my, you’ve beaten the Snowflake level! I’ve not had that happen in years!
So, now, I guess I have to give you that Crystal Snowflake you kids are always after.
“Well, you won’t have it! I’ve grown very attached to the thing, and I’m not
giving it over to anyone. Especially not a trio of tough-looking boys.”
“What?!” I stammer, bewildered. “We came all this way just to go out in defeat?”
“You’ll have to! I deny you your prize!” the Puzzlemaster proclaims madly,
crossing his arms.
I feel really dejected for a moment, but then I regain confidence again and come
up with a plan. I whisper in my little sister’s ear.
“Brianna, you have to go up there. Use all your five-year-old charms- see if you
can persuade the Puzzlemaster to give you the Snowflake.”
“Will do!” she beams.
Brianna toddles up to the Puzzlemaster, who looks at her with surprise.
Apparently he was paying so much attention to myself and the twins that he never even
noticed her standing there before.
“Please, Mr. Puzzle, can I have the Crystal Snowflake? Pleeeease?” she begs,
staring up at him with her big blue eyes.
“Well… I don’t know…”
“Pleeeease?” Brianna begs again.
After a moment of silent struggling, the Puzzlemaster says, “Oh, all right. Just…
be careful with it, okay?”
“Yay! I will, Mr. Puzzle!” she says, as the Puzzlemaster climbs up a ladder,
unhooks the Crystal Snowflake, and gives it to Brianna. He then comes up to us as well.
“Well, you did beat my tower, so now I have to give you all certificates now. You
are hereby promoted to fully fledged puzzlers. Congratulations!” he grumbles, handing us
all Certificates of Merit.
 “Oh, and you’ll be in need of a bag to carry all those snowflakes. Here, take my
red one, I’ve no use for it,” he says, handing me the bag.
“Wow, thanks!” I say appreciatively, putting both Crystal Snowflakes into the
bag.
“Go, take the Return elevator back down to the Lobby. Out! Out!” he shouts. We
all step in the elevator.
“So, what does the second Snowflake say, anyway?” Robert asks me.
“Lemme check,” I say, taking it out of the bag. “Ah, here it is.

“An animal’s street now holds this next flake.

No food can claim it, not even a cake.
Perfect for sledding, as you’ve already seen,
Just don’t try to look near anything green.”

“That’s just a little more vague than the last one,” Bobert notes.
“Definitely, but at least we know that it’s on Walrus Way and not in a building,
because all the Walrus Way buildings are green,” I reply.
“What about that cake thing? I like cake!” Brianna pipes up.
“I guess we’ll have to figure it out when we get there,” I say, stepping off the
elevator. “Meanwhile, I think we should take the ski lift down- the zamboni’s effect
should have worn off by now.”
We all agree, and we’re back in Ski Lift Junction before we know it. For the sake
of searching carefully, we decide to walk up Walrus Way instead of taking the lift.
Because Walrus way is known for its semiaquatic wildlife, we’re liable to encounter
some as we go up the street.
“Maybe the snowflake is in the hands of someone who’s not hungry,” Bobert
suggests when we’ve made it to the start of the street.
As I’m about to reply, I hear a rattling noise behind me. I turn around to see a
platypus looking up at me blankly, then waddling off.
I knew there were lots of semiaquatic mammals here, but this is ridiculous, I
think.
Suddenly a boy runs out of his home, runs across the street, and picks up the
platypus. I think his head reminds me somewhat of a triangle for some reason.
“Oh, there you are, Barry,” the boy says to the platypus. “Come on boy, let’s go
home.”
“That was weird,” I say when the boy has gone back inside.
“Déjà vu,” Brianna notes.
“Indeed.”
We continue hiking up the street, trying to keep an eye out for anything
interesting. What I find strange is that we haven’t seen any walruses yet, and this is
Walrus Way. They should be running amok.
Suddenly I hear a squeal of excitement from Brianna. “Look! A baby walrus!”
I look where she’s pointing, and sure enough, there’s a baby walrus on the side of
the road. It blinks at us, then scampers off in between some bushes.
Bushes? I think quizzically. Nothing’s grown here for ages. Still, it isn’t green.
Might as well take a look at it.
 I motion for the rest of the team to come with me, and we look into the grove the
baby walrus went into. Several baby walruses are gathered around their mother, who
seems to be sitting on something. Before I can stop her, Brianna climbs inside.
The mother growls at her as she bursts into the grove, then when Brianna appears
unfazed and smiles, she sticks her head out. As I watch, Brianna reaches out her arm and
pats the walrus on the head. Both of them look very pleased.
Brianna stands up and walks around, followed closely by the mother walrus. The
walrus, in turn, is followed by her babies, and I can’t help but wonder whether Brianna
feels like the Pied Piper. Because the mother walrus isn’t sitting on it anymore, I can
clearly see what she was sitting on. My eyes widen.
It’s a Crystal Snowflake.
I grab the snowflake and place it into the Puzzlemaster’s bag, and motion for
Brianna to get out of there. She nods her head in agreement, but first she says goodbye to
the mother walrus and her babies.
I’ll be back, she mouths.
Brianna comes back out of the grove, and I show her the newly acquired Crystal
Snowflake. She squeals in excitement and claps her hands together.
“What’s it say?” Bobert asks.
I read the inscription aloud. “It says,

“You’ve made it this far, and you do need a break.

Head back to the ski lift, there’s a chance you should take!
The call to the Blizzard Sled Race you should heed,
If you are to claim the fourth Snowflake you need.”

“That seems pretty transparent,” Robert notes.

“Yeah, nowhere near as cryptic. Come on, let’s sled down to the ski lift,” I say,
motioning with my arm.
We all get in our sleds and decide to race each other as a warm-up for the
Blizzard Sled Race the snowflake mentioned. This should be a bit easier with my new SI-
590 v2.0 toboggan, but we still aren’t going very far. Bobert decides to call the start.
“Three… two… one… zero… negative one…”
“Bobert, the last number is one,” I remind him.
“Go!” Bobert shouts unexpectedly. Thinking back, considering Bobert’s steering
skill, it was probably a good idea to get a head start that way. Very clever.
Mostly Robert’s sled and mine and Brianna’s toboggan are nice and even the
whole way, but Bobert keeps fallng behind. Going down the street, I notice for the first
time a dashboard on the front of the sled, but I decide not to mess with it. Bobert tries
everything imaginable to gain distance again, including a jump, arms to pull us back, and
even a propeller. Whatever he does, however, he can never stay ahead for long. Our three
sleds end up in a tie.
As we head back to Ski Lift Junction yet again, Robert notices a flyer with a
snowflake symbol on it.
“Blizzard Boulevard Sled Race,” he reads. “Race your sleds at the top of Blizzard
Boulevard to win fantastic prizes! Every type of sled will be allowed. Race starts at 4:07-
that’s eight minutes from now! Winner will receive fifty Snowbucks and a keepsake
Crystal Snowflake.”
“We’d better get to Blizzard Boulevard! Come on, guys,” I say urgently.
We take the ski lift marked with a snowflake up to the top of the final street,
where people have long since started gathering. Colored flags fly everywhere, and there’s
an aura of excitement in the air. The admittance booth has been set up at the back of the
street. I count twelve sleds besides ours already at the starting line. There are only three
minutes left before the race begins.
We pay the organizer five Snowbucks apiece and take our places at the starting
line. The official judge calls the start when the time comes.
“Three… two… one… GO!”
“Nice to see someone can do it right,” Robert whispers to Bobert.
And the fifteen sleds are off. Blizzard Boulevard was picked for this race because
it is the longest street by far, and there’s also a tailwind today. The street has been fitted
with several jumps and pitfalls for the purposes of the race, and it was iced over by the
Zamboni Force. I can tell this is gonna be sweet.
In true Bobert fashion, Bobert falls into every one of a three-pitfall series. He
makes up for this loss of time by popping a propeller out of the back of his sled to gain
speed. It promptly breaks.
I use every jump available to navigate Brianna and myself up to the front of the
pack. She’s having the time of her life back there, I can tell. We’ve left all the other
contestants in the dust- er, snow- and I suddenly feel confident that we can win this race.
Suddenly, under all the pressure, the rope I use for steering breaks. Brianna
squeals in terror, and all I can say is, “Uh oh.” As we spiral towards the side of the road,
the other contestants outdistance us, leaving us far behind.
Think! I told myself. Why do they call this a v2.0 sled? I decide to figure out that
for myself as I push a random button on the console.
Fwapp! Metallic wings pop out from the sides, as well as a pair of joysticks. I
press another random button, and a propeller starts in the back. I press another button,
and the sled jumps off into the air. I press a fourth button, and some cupholders pop out.
“Hang on tight, Brianna!” I shout over the roar of the propeller. “We’re taking
this race to the skies!”
I seek out the other contestants, and then immediately dive the sled down towards
them. Flying a sled is the most phenomenal experience I’ve ever had, and you should
really try it sometime. I can feel the wind rushing past my cheeks as the sled begins its
descent. I’m in the middle of a cloud bank up here, and I can see the entire town. It’s a
truly amazing experience. All good things have to end, however, and I prepare for impact
as we go back on the street.
Wham! Not used to seeing a sled fall from the sky, two or three sled drivers spin
out of control onto the sidewalks. Our velocity from the fall is only slightly diminished,
and we speed past all the contestants but one. He just grins maliciously at me.
“This is an SI-590 v3.0! I’m the only one who has one!” he cackles, then speeds
off.
“He might have a better sled, but we’re a better team,” I tell Brianna. “Come on,
let’s catch up to him.”
I press another random button, this one extending a robotic arm out of the sled. It
grabs the first thing it sees, which happens to be the v3.0. It then tries to fling the sled
backwards, but the SI guys thought of that- the v3.0 stays upright and continues on our
trail. I can see the driver about to use the same tool on us, so I use our only remaining
defense- the invisibility button.
Brianna, myself, and the v2.0 vanish into thin are, and the claw doesn’t see
anything to grab. Lacking anything else, it latches onto the v3.0 itself. This new
accessory slows the driver down a bit.
As we’re nearing the finish line, I see the v3.0 gaining leverage again. The driver
is now almost tied with us, and I can tell it’s gonna be a close one. I put all my effort into
the final push as we pop back into visibility.
Suddenly a shadow grows over both of our sleds. As I can’t help but look up,
Bobert completes his jump and crashes into both the v2.0 and the v3.0. His sled goes in
front of both of ours and breaks the finish line ribbon. Now that’s what I call an upset!
“And the winner is Mr. Bobert!” the announcer calls. A cheer erupts from the
crowd.
The announcer congratulates Bobert and hands him fifty Snowbucks, as well as
the fourth Crystal Snowflake. Robert finishes about fifteen seconds later, and we tell him
the good news.
“Great job! So, where does this one lead us?” he asks.
I read the inscription aloud.

“Well done, sled masters! You’ve actually won!

But one final task still remains to be done.
The last Snowflake is among the Bank’s money green,
Tucked away deep in vault eleventeen.”

“Eleventeen?!” Brianna asks, bewildered. “Is there even such a number?”

“Well, assuming ‘teen’ means that you add ten to the number, then the vault is
number twenty-one and the Old Inventor modified it to make it rhyme. Come on, guys,
let’s go,” I say, walking over to the Zamboni Cliffs Bank.
The Bank is an imposing enough structure by itself, looking like some sort of
monument. There are several Roman-looking columns at the front, the doors are made
out of steel, and the floor is black marble. The building design is Ancient Grecian, and it
looks like the Parthenon from the outside. The only thing that subtracts from the
immensity is the giant piggy bank on the roof.
As we swing open the doors, we get our first look at the bank’s lobby. The floor
in here is also black marble, and the lobby is a giant square room. There are several
ATMs scattered about the sides, and in each corner is a Roman-styled pillar. At the front
of the room is a desk with several tellers working furiously at their computers, which are
the sleekest ones in town. Behind the front desk is a big black door, which I assume leads
to the main vault.
“Slip the Ring on, Frodo,” Robert whispers in my ear.
“Not just yet, guys. If we’re going to infiltrate the Bank, we’ve got to do it very
carefully. With every press of the Invisibility Button, we get one minute of invisibility,
but this thing also requires ten seconds of recharge. We have to be very careful about
how we time our button presses so that we don’t get caught by the guards. The first thing
we have to do is find a way into the main vault room. We’re also going to have to be able
to communicate to each other without speaking.
“We could gesture to each other!” Brianna suggests.
“Brianna, we’re going to be invisible.”
“Oh yeah, sorry. I forgot.”
“Anyway, one of us will have to break into the place where all the earpieces are
being held. I think that’s it over on the right behind the desk, see that?” I point it out to
the rest of the gang.
“Yeah, that looks like it to me,” Bobert says.
“After we do that, we’ll need to find out the four numbers of the vault
combination. These things are guarded super-closely, and there’s one room for each.
There’s four of us, so things work out that way. Remember, when I push the invisibility
button, you have one minute to find the number for vault twenty-one. You must not be
seen. Got it, everyone?”
“Got it,” the other three say all at once.
“Okay then. Who’s going to do the job of borrowing the earpieces?”
“Not me,” they say in unison again.
“Oof. Fine, I’ll do it,” I say, pressing the button.
I’m the only one of us who turns invisible, and I quietly sneak over behind the
desk. Thankfully, my shoes don’t make a sound on the marble floor, but I can swear my
ears are warming up. I quickly climb up over the wooden desk and into the small
corridor, then immediately duck into the shadows. The earpiece box is open, so I take
four earpieces and climb back into the main lobby area. I pop back into visibility and give
everyone one earpiece. We all stick them in our ears and get ready for main infiltration.
The only thing we need now is for someone to open the vault door.
A very important-looking man in a top hat enters and leisurely strides over to the
front desk. Everything he wears is green, and he looks like an oversized leprechaun
holding a bamboo cane. Even if you didn’t know him, you could tell that he makes an
awful lot of money. I recognize him instantly: Mayor Richblood, the person in charge of
the whole town.
“Hello, Mrs. Jones, I wish to make a withdrawal from the town tax fund to use for
my own purposes,” he says in an important voice. “I would like to do this in person, if
you don’t mind.”
“Now’s our chance. Hurry!” I whisper urgently to the team.
Mayor Richblood opens the main vault door and we go in after him, pressing the
invisibility button. The main vault has a triangular and remarkably high ceiling, with
square black vaults lining every square inch of the side walls. At the back of the room is a
door that looks like the Observatory’s entrance door- it has at least twenty keyholes on it.
There is one metal door at each corner, and the four of us quickly duck into the shadows.
When the mayor has sapped all he wants from the taxpayers for his own personal
gain, he leaves and the Vault is once again abandoned. I gather everyone together in the
center of the room.
“Right, guys, each of you go to one of the doors. You have to claim the
combination number for vault twenty-one. Meet back here in one minute,” I tell them.
After a chorus of ‘Okay’s, I press the button and the timer starts counting down.
I make my way to the door in the back right corner. After fiddling with the lock a
bit, I make the door swing open and can tell right away that it needs some oil. Status
reports from the rest of the team in my earpiece tell me that everyone has done the same.
There are several metallic cases on the walls, each of which are small enough to hold a
keychain. I try to find the one labeled with a twenty-one on the wall, but it seems to have
fallen off. Spotting it on the floor, I crack it open to reveal a tag with a 9.1 written on it.
“Joe, I’m getting a 5.2,” Bobert says in my ear.
“4.3 here,” says Brianna.
“I have a 7.4.” Robert finishes.
“Good work, guys. Report back to the center of the room,” I tell them.
Three seconds later, we all faze back in with a pop! I collect the tags from
everyone and locate vault twenty-one, which is at eye level. Judging that the number after
the decimal point is the order in which it goes in, I key in the code 9547 in the vault, and
the door slides open.
There are only two things in here: a can of oil and the Crystal Snowflake. After
experiencing the squeakiness of the Bank’s doors, I can imagine that they are equally
precious, but it’s the snowflake that I’m concerned with. It was designed even more
beautifully than the other four, and where the others were pure quartz, this one is pure
diamond. I can see why the Bank confiscated it. After marveling at its architecture some
more, I slip it into the bag and press the invisibility button again.
We go back out the main vault door, which the mayor accidentally left open,
return our earpieces, and climb to the other side of the desk. As we walk out the Bank’s
door, a sense of triumph comes over me. We’ve done it! We’ve acquired all five Crystal
Snowflakes and can now activate the Deflector!
When the four of us are in the open again, we all jump up in the air and shout
“Woohoo!” High-fives and celebrations are going on all around.
“Is there anything on the fifth snowflake?” Brianna asks. “I mean, there are no
snowflakes after this.”
“Only one word: ‘Congratulations.’ I’m kinda glad that this escapade strayed
from an old movie in that one aspect,” I say, and we all start laughing.
We walk over to the gates of the Observatory, where Mr. Falconing is still
standing. He appears overjoyed to see the five snowflakes, and congratulates us all.
“Well done, kids! I knew you could do it. Come on, let’s go back to the Deflector
Room!” he says cheerfully, opening a secret doorway to said room.
“See what I mean? Old movie,” I remark to Bobert.
The secret doorway leads directly to the Deflector Room, and the crystal display
is still there. I take the crystals from my bag and give one to everyone. Mr. Falconing
puts the first one in, where it starts to glow blue. Robert inserts the second one, which
turns red. Brianna inserts the third snowflake, at which point it starts glowing green.
Bobert puts the fourth one in, and it turns purple. Finally, I insert the diamond snowflake
we just recovered, where it begins to glow with all the colors of the rainbow.
The five Crystal Snowflakes are now in place, and a static buzz can be heard as
the Deflector v2.0 springs to life. Suddenly the snow stops falling over the Observatory,
and the heavens can now be clearly seen from the main room. A sense of triumph comes
over us all as we realize that our task is complete.
The rest of the day passes in celebration, until the end of the day when it starts
getting dark. Then, Robert, Bobert, and I are at the top of Walrus Way with our sleds at
the ready.
 “Whaddya think, guys? One last race?” I suggest.
“Yeah, just one,” Robert agrees sleepily.
Bobert calls the start, like he always does. “Three… two… um…”
“Oh, just say it,” I laugh.
“One… Go!”
We race down the street for the last time today, but I know there will be more
adventures tomorrow. This is, after all, Zamboni Cliffs.