Mr. Vaslov and I went back to his toolshed to start work on my goggle tracker.
“Okay, Freddie,” Mr. Vaslov said. “Let’s identify the problem.”
That was easy. My goggles kept falling out of my pocket and getting lost.
“What is the solution?”
“We make a tracker so I can find them,” I said.
“And how do you want it to work?”
I scratched my head. “Could it make a noise, so I’d know where my goggles are?”
“Do you want a loud sound or a soft sound?”
Why did I have to answer so many questions before I got started?
“An invention needs a plan,” Mr. Vaslov explained. “It’s part of the process.”
Scientists like to be organized and do things step by step. If I wanted to be scientific, I had to use some brain power.
“Let’s look at your wristband, Freddie.”
We examined the buttons. There was one for super speed and one for super bounce. To get super hearing, I rubbed both of them until they got warm.
“Could we add a button?” I asked.
“A big one or a little one?” Mr. Vaslov asked.
Making decisions was hard work. By the time I left the toolshed, I needed a run to clear my mind.
Finally, the space by the overhead track was free. No Amy. No Gio. No lost Puppy. Only me, the grass, and the train rumbling by.
I spread out my arms, pretending to be an airplane.
I raced to the station and back.
It would have been great if I’d been as alone as I thought.
“Freddie?” Amy asked. “Is that you?”
She was standing right there, when I stepped out of a puff of smoke.
“Have you seen my sunglasses?”
Again? Amy’s sunglasses were like Gio’s dog—always missing. Mr. Vaslov shouldn’t give Amy super speed, either. The smaller shoes should stay on a shelf forever.
“Could you help me look?” Amy asked.
Amy went in one direction, and I went in the other.
Her sunglasses were not on the sidewalk or the stairs. I tried the grass near Building F. Lots of kids played there because a wooden fence protected that side of Starwood Park from a busy street.
I searched for something pink sticking out of the grass. No luck. Then I looked closer to the fence. Instead of sunglasses, I found something strange. Holes in the fence. Mr. Vaslov liked everything at Starwood Park to look nice. He would want me to investigate this.
I counted. There were four holes, as round as nickels and deep. Why would someone put holes in the fence?
And where were Amy’s sunglasses?
“Freddie!” Amy waved from the sidewalk. “I found them.”
Amy was happy. But I was still puzzled about the fence. Should I talk to Mr. Vaslov?
My stomach was growling. I decided to go home for dinner first.
“Lávate las manos,” Mom said. “We’re eating soon.”
“Where’s David?” I asked as soon as my hands were clean.
“It’s Thursday night,” Mom said.
Last week, David told us he would be busy on Thursday nights for a while. He said it was a surprise.
The table felt empty with only two people. I could hear the clock ticking on the wall. Mom was lost in her thoughts, and so was I.
Who put the holes in the fence by Building F? Could I wait to tell Mr. Vaslov? If I fixed things myself, Mr. Vaslov would see I was the only hero Starwood Park needed. Maybe he would change his mind about giving someone else Zapato Power shoes.
After all, wasn’t it better for only one kid to have super speed? Me.
