Andy was up early the next morning. He gobbled down the cereal and fruit Henry had waiting for him in the kitchen and ran to the elevator.Andy was up early the next morning. He gobbled down the cereal and fruit Henry had waiting for him in the kitchen and ran to the elevator.
He found his grandfather already hard at work in the laboratory. Andrew Hawkes pointed to a white lab coat and goggles and Andy slipped them on. Then he watched as the older man carefully poured a green liquid with shiny gold flakes in it into a glass test tube. “There. I think I’ve finally found it. We’ll do the other tests later, but I’m pretty sure that’s it.”
Andy bent down and inspected the tube. The liquid was bubbling and a strange blue smoke rose from the top of the tube. The contents acted as if they had a life of their own. “What is that?”
“That, my dear boy, is what people have been searching for since time began. It is the Fountain of Youth.” The old man took a hypodermic syringe and filled it carefully from the test tube. “Shortly I shall use myself as the first subject.”
Andy raised one eyebrow. “I don’t see a fountain.”
“It’s a figure of speech, son.” Andy’s grandfather carefully placed the full hypodermic on a paper towel on the table and turned to Andy. “What I think I have here is an elixir that will fade wrinkles, grow hair, and generally make an old person feel young and energetic.”
Andy shrugged. “So it’s something for the cosmetic counters in department stores?”
Andrew Hawkes rubbed his temple. “I can see I’m going to have to show you something really amazing if I’m ever going to impress you with my scientific abilities.” He moved to a cabinet and pulled out a canvas harness with a small rocket pack attached. “Try this on for size.”
“What is it?” Andy put his arms through the openings while his grandfather fastened it in front.
“This is the world’s smallest rocket booster. It runs on a tiny plutonium battery. It will never wear out. My company has been trying to convince the army to try it, but so far they’ve only seen it represented on paper and they think it’s impossible. They won’t even watch a test of it.”
“How does it work?” Andy asked, intrigued.
“Press the button on the shoulder of the harness. Then move your arms, as though they were wings. Try it.”
Andy took a deep breath and gingerly touched the black button. There was a tiny explosion inside the rocket and he felt himself being lifted off the ground.
“Hey, this is cool!” he exclaimed, floating a few feet off the ground.
“You better move your arms or you’re going to hit the ceiling,” Andrew Hawkes warned.
“Right.” Andy started flapping his elbows and awkwardly jerked forward. “This is so great. It really works!” He rolled over and did the backstroke. Then he tried a couple of flips.
“Be careful, Andy. Some of the things in the laboratory are irreplaceable.”
“How do I get back down?”
“Push the button again. Put your arms out and float to the floor.”
Andy landed near a bookshelf. “That was incredible. Can I take it outside later?”
His grandfather smiled. “We’ll see. I’m glad I finally found something that interests you. But you have to remember that the things we work on in here must remain secret. And speaking of secrets, I need to show you something.” Andy’s grandfather moved to the bookshelf. “From now on I’d rather you didn’t take the elevator to get here. If the gardener or someone noticed that you were constantly stopping on the fourth floor, they might get suspicious. No one is allowed up here but you, Henry, and me.”
“You want me to take the stairs?” Andy unbuckled the harness.
“No.” Andrew pulled a thick book titled War and Peace from the shelf. The bookshelf turned sideways to expose a passageway.
Andy peered in excitedly. “Where does it go?”
“There are several passages. After lunch you can explore them if you like. And if you’re very careful, you can take the rocket booster to the woods and see what it can really do.”
“Thanks, Grandfather.” Andy put the harness back in the cabinet. “Grandfather?”
Andrew Hawkes was already back at the table, studying the syringe full of green liquid. “Yes?”
“Thanks for letting me stay here and be a part of everything. I guess I kind of understand now why you had to stay away from us before.”
His grandfather smiled. “Believe me, having you here is truly my pleasure, Andy.”