science fair.
The cafeteria, which doubled as the auditorium, was hot and busy when they arrived back at school at six o'clock. Students and parents ran around, frantically setting up experiments. Electrolysis of water into hydrogen and oxygen was next to an experiment to measure the voltage from a potato battery.
Basil and Atlanta's project was so immense, they'd gotten placed by themselves on the stage. The large wooden structure was fifteen feet tall, their rope swing hanging from the crossbar. Atlanta stood on a tall ladder, attaching the human-hair braid to large eye-bolts. Atlanta's dad brought a wheelbarrow in, and together Basil, Atlanta, and their parents carried sandbags onto the stage for the four corners of the structure.
The attention of the entire crowd was focused on the hive of activity around Basil and Atlanta's construction project.
"We're in the back," Willow said, holding the map of project locations in front of her. Linden and Elon followed her, Linden carrying the poster and Elon bringing a small crate of the spare parts they hadn't used in the drone. Linden stood up the poster board. Elon set out the parts with their accompanying labels, a half-dozen in all: two rotors, some wiring, an extra motor that didn't work, the transmitter.
They stepped back. The left-hand side of the poster was the line drawing they'd made together of the design of the Silver Dragon, showing each of the parts and its function. The right-hand side featured a printout of the photograph of them with the finished drone. The parts on the table didn't even fill the space.
They were sandwiched between kindergarteners with a baking-soda-and-vinegar volcano and second graders who'd put different foods in closed glass jars, and then left them for a month to see what would open. Every so often, they'd open a jar to give someone a sniff, and the whole area would be overcome with noxious odors.
Some kids ran by without a glance, talking about the liquid-nitrogen display down the aisle.
Willow sighed.
"I imagined we'd have the drone here, hovering above the crowd," Elon said, "picking things up, and carrying them around. It was going to be more impressive."
"If only we could have gotten it back," Linden said. "Even if we didn't fix it, at least there'd be something for people to see."
"It doesn't look like much," Willow agreed. "Let's go see Basil and Atlanta's project."
There was a thick cluster of kids surrounding the swing structure.
Basil stood on a chair to be seen over the crowd. He picked up an orange traffic cone and shouted into the thin end to amplify his voice. "Ride the world's first human hair swing. Feel the incredible strength. Braided from the hair of one thousand cheerleaders. Step right up. The line forms on the right. Come on now, don't be shy."
The crowd shuffled to the right, leaving a clear line of sight between Willow and Atlanta.
"Cool!" Willow said. "Can I have a turn?"
Atlanta beamed. "It's awesome isn't it? Basil -- let Willow and her brothers go."
Basil nodded and bowed toward them with a gracious wave of his hand. "Ladies and germs first."
Willow sat down, grasping the rope on either side of her. It was coarse, with little strands poking out here and there. She could see brown hair, blonde hair, bits of black hair, even purple, blue, and pink streaks here and there. "Are you sure this can hold me?"
"We tested it with me, Atlanta, and my mom and dad at the same time, and my dad was even holding Bermuda." Bermuda was their great dane. "All together we weighed over six hundred pounds, and we jumped up and down."
Basil gave Willow a big push and she flew up into the air. With each additional push, she went higher and higher, until she was nearly horizontal to the ground. A big smile spread across her face as the wind blew through her hair. Then Basil slowed her down after just a couple of swings. "Sorry, but there's a lot of people waiting."
"No problem," she said. "That was awesome!
The cafeteria, which doubled as the auditorium, was hot and busy when they arrived back at school at six o'clock. Students and parents ran around, frantically setting up experiments. Electrolysis of water into hydrogen and oxygen was next to an experiment to measure the voltage from a potato battery.
Basil and Atlanta's project was so immense, they'd gotten placed by themselves on the stage. The large wooden structure was fifteen feet tall, their rope swing hanging from the crossbar. Atlanta stood on a tall ladder, attaching the human-hair braid to large eye-bolts. Atlanta's dad brought a wheelbarrow in, and together Basil, Atlanta, and their parents carried sandbags onto the stage for the four corners of the structure.
The attention of the entire crowd was focused on the hive of activity around Basil and Atlanta's construction project.
"We're in the back," Willow said, holding the map of project locations in front of her. Linden and Elon followed her, Linden carrying the poster and Elon bringing a small crate of the spare parts they hadn't used in the drone. Linden stood up the poster board. Elon set out the parts with their accompanying labels, a half-dozen in all: two rotors, some wiring, an extra motor that didn't work, the transmitter.
They stepped back. The left-hand side of the poster was the line drawing they'd made together of the design of the Silver Dragon, showing each of the parts and its function. The right-hand side featured a printout of the photograph of them with the finished drone. The parts on the table didn't even fill the space.
They were sandwiched between kindergarteners with a baking-soda-and-vinegar volcano and second graders who'd put different foods in closed glass jars, and then left them for a month to see what would open. Every so often, they'd open a jar to give someone a sniff, and the whole area would be overcome with noxious odors.
Some kids ran by without a glance, talking about the liquid-nitrogen display down the aisle.
Willow sighed.
"I imagined we'd have the drone here, hovering above the crowd," Elon said, "picking things up, and carrying them around. It was going to be more impressive."
"If only we could have gotten it back," Linden said. "Even if we didn't fix it, at least there'd be something for people to see."
"It doesn't look like much," Willow agreed. "Let's go see Basil and Atlanta's project."
There was a thick cluster of kids surrounding the swing structure.
Basil stood on a chair to be seen over the crowd. He picked up an orange traffic cone and shouted into the thin end to amplify his voice. "Ride the world's first human hair swing. Feel the incredible strength. Braided from the hair of one thousand cheerleaders. Step right up. The line forms on the right. Come on now, don't be shy."
The crowd shuffled to the right, leaving a clear line of sight between Willow and Atlanta.
"Cool!" Willow said. "Can I have a turn?"
Atlanta beamed. "It's awesome isn't it? Basil -- let Willow and her brothers go."
Basil nodded and bowed toward them with a gracious wave of his hand. "Ladies and germs first."
Willow sat down, grasping the rope on either side of her. It was coarse, with little strands poking out here and there. She could see brown hair, blonde hair, bits of black hair, even purple, blue, and pink streaks here and there. "Are you sure this can hold me?"
"We tested it with me, Atlanta, and my mom and dad at the same time, and my dad was even holding Bermuda." Bermuda was their great dane. "All together we weighed over six hundred pounds, and we jumped up and down."
Basil gave Willow a big push and she flew up into the air. With each additional push, she went higher and higher, until she was nearly horizontal to the ground. A big smile spread across her face as the wind blew through her hair. Then Basil slowed her down after just a couple of swings. "Sorry, but there's a lot of people waiting."
"No problem," she said. "That was awesome!
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