body, a second around his hair, and covered
his face with a third towel as he walked out of the bathroom.
He decided to wear a blue shirt, blue pants, and blue socks to try to camouflage his blueness. Vincent hoped that people would
think it was his blue clothes casting a blue reflection that made him seem so blue. But when he looked into his dresser mirror
and saw the Wigman chief staring back at him, he realized that this was going to be the longest day of his life.
WHY SO BLUE?
2
Anna was sitting at the table eating a bowl of cereal when Vincent walked into the kitchen.
“Mom! Mom! Vincent is
blue
!” obnoxious Anna said. Vincent’s stepmother was standing at the sink with her back to Vincent. While the world may be full
of wonderful, kind, caring stepmothers, unfortunately for Vincent, Vibs, his new stepmother, was not one of them. Vibs was
nice enough to Vincent when Vincent’s father was around, but this morning Vincent’s dad was in Minneapolis on a job interview,
and that meant that Vincent was likely to get the full force of her awfulness.
In fact, Vincent’s dad was actually in Minneapolis on his second interview at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. Vincent was
terrified that his dad might get the job. Then they would have to leave New York—and his inventions.
On a normal day, that thought would have occupied his mind, but on this particular blue Monday, Vincent was more afraid of
what Vibs would do when she turned around to find the great Huli Wigman chief in her kitchen. But she didn’t turn around.
“Why are you blue this morning, Vincent?” she asked.
“I don’t know,” Vincent answered.
“No, Mom. I mean he
is
blue,” Anna insisted.
“We all get a little blue from time to time, Anna. Now be quiet and eat your breakfast,” Vibs said.
Gwen walked in and sat down next to Vincent. The noise from her headphones drowned out the awful sound of Anna chomping away
on her cereal.
“VANCE, WOULD YOU PLEASE PASS THE MILK?” Gwen said. Vincent passed the milk. Gwen didn’t notice he was blue.
Maybe this isn’t going to be so bad after all
, Vincent thought to himself.
But that thought was interrupted by a scream.
“WHAT DID YOU DO NOW?” Vibs yelled. “Is this some kind of joke? Do you think this is funny? Are you trying to hurt me? IS
THAT IT? YOU WANT TO HURT ME? Why do you always have to be so weird?”
Vincent could feel his eyes watering. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t stop from crying.
“Get upstairs and wash your face,” Vibs said as she pointed to the bathroom at the top of the stairs.
“I—” his voice cracked. “I already tried.”
“Well, try again!”
Vincent got up and walked out of the kitchen. He passed Stella on the stairs.
“Why so blue?” Stella said with a smile.
Vincent ignored her, walked up the stairs, and slammed his bedroom door behind him.
“What’s wrong with Vincent?” Stella asked her mom as she walked into the kitchen.
“I have no idea what’s wrong with that boy,” Vibs replied.
THE MINI APPLE
3
Vincent’s dad, Norton Shadow, had been the assistant director at the Metropolitan Museum of Art for as long as Vincent could remember. Vincent was born in New York
City and his parents practically raised him at “the Met.” He loved the Met. Or at least he did until his mom died.
Vincent’s mother had been an artist. On weekends, she and Vincent would spend hours walking through the Met, looking at all
the wonderful paintings. In fact, that’s where Vincent learned to draw.
His mother taught him how to recreate works by Picasso, DalÍ, Escher, and Hopper. It had been years since anyone had seen
Vincent without a black Moleskine notebook. He carried one everywhere he went, but it was toy inventions, not art, that now
filled the pages of his notebooks.
Vincent hadn’t set foot inside the Met in over two years. Not since his mother died. It wasn’t the same without her. And his
father
his face with a third towel as he walked out of the bathroom.
He decided to wear a blue shirt, blue pants, and blue socks to try to camouflage his blueness. Vincent hoped that people would
think it was his blue clothes casting a blue reflection that made him seem so blue. But when he looked into his dresser mirror
and saw the Wigman chief staring back at him, he realized that this was going to be the longest day of his life.
WHY SO BLUE?
2
Anna was sitting at the table eating a bowl of cereal when Vincent walked into the kitchen.
“Mom! Mom! Vincent is
blue
!” obnoxious Anna said. Vincent’s stepmother was standing at the sink with her back to Vincent. While the world may be full
of wonderful, kind, caring stepmothers, unfortunately for Vincent, Vibs, his new stepmother, was not one of them. Vibs was
nice enough to Vincent when Vincent’s father was around, but this morning Vincent’s dad was in Minneapolis on a job interview,
and that meant that Vincent was likely to get the full force of her awfulness.
In fact, Vincent’s dad was actually in Minneapolis on his second interview at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. Vincent was
terrified that his dad might get the job. Then they would have to leave New York—and his inventions.
On a normal day, that thought would have occupied his mind, but on this particular blue Monday, Vincent was more afraid of
what Vibs would do when she turned around to find the great Huli Wigman chief in her kitchen. But she didn’t turn around.
“Why are you blue this morning, Vincent?” she asked.
“I don’t know,” Vincent answered.
“No, Mom. I mean he
is
blue,” Anna insisted.
“We all get a little blue from time to time, Anna. Now be quiet and eat your breakfast,” Vibs said.
Gwen walked in and sat down next to Vincent. The noise from her headphones drowned out the awful sound of Anna chomping away
on her cereal.
“VANCE, WOULD YOU PLEASE PASS THE MILK?” Gwen said. Vincent passed the milk. Gwen didn’t notice he was blue.
Maybe this isn’t going to be so bad after all
, Vincent thought to himself.
But that thought was interrupted by a scream.
“WHAT DID YOU DO NOW?” Vibs yelled. “Is this some kind of joke? Do you think this is funny? Are you trying to hurt me? IS
THAT IT? YOU WANT TO HURT ME? Why do you always have to be so weird?”
Vincent could feel his eyes watering. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t stop from crying.
“Get upstairs and wash your face,” Vibs said as she pointed to the bathroom at the top of the stairs.
“I—” his voice cracked. “I already tried.”
“Well, try again!”
Vincent got up and walked out of the kitchen. He passed Stella on the stairs.
“Why so blue?” Stella said with a smile.
Vincent ignored her, walked up the stairs, and slammed his bedroom door behind him.
“What’s wrong with Vincent?” Stella asked her mom as she walked into the kitchen.
“I have no idea what’s wrong with that boy,” Vibs replied.
THE MINI APPLE
3
Vincent’s dad, Norton Shadow, had been the assistant director at the Metropolitan Museum of Art for as long as Vincent could remember. Vincent was born in New York
City and his parents practically raised him at “the Met.” He loved the Met. Or at least he did until his mom died.
Vincent’s mother had been an artist. On weekends, she and Vincent would spend hours walking through the Met, looking at all
the wonderful paintings. In fact, that’s where Vincent learned to draw.
His mother taught him how to recreate works by Picasso, DalÍ, Escher, and Hopper. It had been years since anyone had seen
Vincent without a black Moleskine notebook. He carried one everywhere he went, but it was toy inventions, not art, that now
filled the pages of his notebooks.
Vincent hadn’t set foot inside the Met in over two years. Not since his mother died. It wasn’t the same without her. And his
father
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