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INVENT6  9' An inventor's daughter uses his inventions

Michaela was sitting at her desk in her classroom listening to
her teacher talk when everyone heard the loud sound of a
helicopter. Everyone in the classroom looked out the window when
the teacher stopped talking and looked out the window. The big
black helicopter was coming right toward the school! Everyone in
the class stood up and hurried over to the windows when the
helicopter landed on the front lawn of the school. As soon as
the helicopter touched down, five men in green uniforms carrying
guns jumped off and ran toward the front door of the school.

The teacher exclaimed, "Why on earth is an army helicopter
landing at our school?!"

Michaela replied, "I think they're here for me."

"Oh, sure!" said Tommy, "As if the Army even knows your name."

After the soldiers went into the front door of the school, the
teacher said, "Alright, children, everybody back to your desks."

As soon as everyone was seated, the soldier with the star on his
helmet came into the room and said, "Michaela, you need to come
with me."

Michaela stood up and wiped away the tears in her eyes as she
headed toward the door.

Tommy said, "I thought Michaela was just kidding! The soldiers
really did come for her!"

The soldier with the star on his helmet took Michaela by the
hand and ran with her to the helicopter surrounded by the
soldiers with guns. The helicopter lifted off the ground while
the last soldier was still climbing in.

Michaela cried, "Are you taking me to jail?"

The soldier with the star on his helmet smiled and asked, "Why
would we take you to jail?"

Michaela replied, "Because I played with Daddy's inventions."

The soldier replied, "Well, the reason we came to pick you up is
because you played with the inventions. But we're not taking you
to jail."

Michaela asked, "Then where are you taking me?"

The soldier replied, "I'm sorry to tell you that your father has
been kidnapped."

"Kidnapped?!" cried Michaela.

"Yes. I'm sorry. He was kidnapped by the enemy. And if we don't
get him back, they will force your father to make inventions for
them."

Michaela cried for several minutes. Then she finally asked. "If
you're not taking me to jail, where are you taking me?"

The soldier replied, "We need YOU to help us rescue your
father."

Michaela asked, "Me?! How can I help?"

The soldier replied, "Your father is being held prisoner in a
fortress where we can't get in. The only way we can get him out
is to use your father's inventions."

Michaela asked, "But Daddy sold those inventions to the army.
Why do you need me?"

The soldier replied, "In order to get your father out of the
fortress, we'll need to use all five of the inventions. But none
of my soldiers knows how to use all five as well as you do."

Michaela asked, "So, what do you want me to do. Do you want me
to teach them how to use them?"

The soldier replied, "There's not enough time for that. We need
YOU to go in with the inventions and bring your father out."

Michaela asked, "ME?! Alone?"

The soldier replied, "We don't have much time and we don't see
any other way to get him out."

Michaela began to cry and she cried until the helicopter landed.
The soldier took her hand and they ran to a jet plane. A minute
later the plane was flying through the air.

The soldier pointed to a bed on the plane and told Michaela to
take a nap. The fortress was thousands of miles away and they
wouldn't get there until the middle of the night. Michaela cried
herself to sleep.

A loudspeaker woke her up sometime later. The pilot said, "Five
minutes to drop zone. Five minutes."

The soldier with the star on his helmet came over to the bed and
unrolled a map in front of Michaela and pointed at it.

"Here's a drawing of the fortress where your father is being
held prisoner. We'll drop you in from 15,000 feet, you'll
parachute in and land on the roof, here."

Michaela asked, "Parachute? I don't know how to parachute!"

The soldier replied, "Michaela, you're our only hope. We'll work
something out." He pointed at the map. "Now, once you're on the
roof here, you'll go down these stairs, Your father is being
held prisoner in one of these rooms here."

Michaela asked, "What if I get there and there's guards or
soldiers or something?"

The soldier replied, "You'll have all five of your father's
inventions. If you're as good at using them as your father says
you are, the guards won't even see you."

Michaela asked, "You think I can really do this?"

The soldier replied, "You have to. Your country is counting on
you!"

The soldiers snapped his fingers. One of the other soldiers
helped Michaela put on a pilot's jacket with pockets all over.

"It's a little long!" said Michaela as she looked down and saw
that the sleeves touched the ground.

The soldier snapped his fingers and pointed at the sleeves. One
of the other soldiers snipped off the sleeves just above
Michaela's hands. He also snipped off most of the jacket below
Michaela's waist.

Then the soldier said, "You have three minutes to remember which
pocket has which invention."

So, Michaela unzipped each pocket and looked at each invention,
"Squirt gun, left sleeve. Garage door opener, right sleeve.
Camera, left top pocket, glove right top pocket, dime, right
bottom pocket. Got it!"

The soldier snapped his fingers. One of the other soldiers
helped Michaela put on the parachute. But it was so big and
heavy that Michaela couldn't even walk. It dragged on the
ground.

The soldier snapped his fingers and said, "Do something. We have
less than one minute until were at the drop zone."

Michaela replied, "That's okay. I don't need a parachute. I can
use this."

She reached into her pocket and pulled out the squirt-gun.

One of the soldiers asked, "How can you use a squirt-gun as a
parachute?"

The soldier with the star on his helmet snapped his fingers and
said, "Don't ask questions. Get that parachute off of her.
Quickly!"

While they were removing the parachute the side door of the
airplane opened. Michaela took a deep breath and went over to
the door.

"It's dark out there. Where is the fortress?" she asked.

The soldier pointed down at the ground. The ground was dark
except for a square of lights. He pointed at the square.

"There." he replied, "See it?"

"Yeah," said Michaela.

"You have ten minutes to get your father back up to the roof. A
helicopter will be waiting to lift you off. But he'll only stay
there for ten seconds. If your not there, you'll probably be in
jail like your dad. Got it?"

"Got it." replied Michaela.

She pointed the telescope on the squirt gun at the middle of the
square on the ground and pulled the trigger. Instantly, she
disappeared from the plane and reappeared on the roof of the
fortress.

Remembering the drawing, Michaela headed for the stairway. But
there was a guard at the top of the stairs. So, Michaela pulled
out the garage door opener and pushed the button. She
disappeared and held down the button until she got by the guard
and went down the stairs out of sight. Then she reappeared.

The big steel door at the bottom of the stairs was locked. So,
Michaela pulled out the dime and pushed the button, shrinking
herself small enough to walk under the door.

When she was about to push the button again, she heard a guard
coming down the hall. So, she hid under the door until he went
by. Then she pushed the button on the dime and grew up to normal
size again.

Michaela pulled out the camera to snap pictures of the rooms
along the hallway as she walked by them. This way she could see
if her father was in the room without going into the room.

When she came near the corner, she snapped a picture of the
corner wall. The guard was sitting at a desk just around the
corner. In order to get by the guard, Michaela pulled out the
garage door opener and pressed the button and disappeared. Then
she walked on her tip-toes by the guard and down the hall. When
she was behind the guard, she let go of the button and
reappeared. Then she snapped pictures of all the rooms with the
camera until she found her dad.

She pulled out the dime and slid it under the door. She heard
her father's footsteps as he walked toward the door. She put her
eye near the floor to see if he picked up the dime.

"Michaela?!" he whispered. Then he knelt down and looked under
the door. "Michaela!" he whispered.

Immediately, he knew what to do. He pushed the button on the
dime and shrank until he could crawl under the door. Then he
crawled under the door and pushed the button again, growing to
regular size.

Michaela hugged her dad and sighed, "Daddy!"

Her dad held his finger to his lips and whispered, "How will you
get us out of here?"

Michaela pulled out the glove and put it on. She pushed the ON
button and flicked the switch to PUSH position. Then she aimed
the lazer light at a door beyond the guard and opened her
fingers wide. The door slammed open. The guard sprang to his
feet and went to investigate. When the guard got to the doorway,
Michaela flicked the switch to PULL position and opened her
fingers wide. The door slammed the soldier in the face and
knocked him out cold.

Michaela and her dad ran down the hall and around the corner,
and down the hall to the stairway. But they heard a soldier
coming down the stairs. So, Michaela, remembering which rooms
were empty, tried opening the doors. They were all locked.

Her dad still had the dime, so he immediately pushed the button
and shrank, then he crawled under the door. At the same time,
Michaela pulled out the garage door opener and pressed the
button and disappeared. Just then the soldier unlocked the door
to the stairway and came through. He turned and went down the
hall, right by the invisible Michaela.

She reappeared and quickly stopped the stairway door from
closing and held it open until her dad crawled out from under
the door and pushed the button to grow back to normal size. They
both ran up the stairs.

Suddenly, loud horns sounded and sirens blared. The guards
discovered the escape!

Michaela and her dad climbed the stairs faster. When they neared
the top, the soldier who had been standing guard on the roof was
coming down. Michaela was still wearing the glove. So, she
pointed it at the soldier's gun and opened her fingers wide. The
gun came flying out of the soldiers hand. Michaela's dad caught
the gun and pointed it at the soldier. He turned and ran up the
stairs and around the corner.

Just then, the rescue helicopter was landing on the roof.
Michaela and her dad jumped in before it set down. And they were
immediately off again.

Michaela asked her dad, "I used your inventions again. Am I
grounded again, Daddy?"

"Not this time, Pumpkin!"

©2007 Bob Snook. Conditions for use:
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http://www.fea.net/bobsnook/kid  email: bobsnook@fea.net

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