Active Imagination Part 2
by David Stoddard
All Aboard
Pack you bags and buy your tickets, because mom is mopping the kitchen floor today. The dining room chairs are pulled into the living room and placed in a line. We each collect a few stuffed passengers for the trip.
With a loud voice the conductor yells out, "All aboard!" and we pile into our chairs. Where are we going first: the arctic, a desert, underground, or underwater?
The driver announces that our destination is the ancient ruins located at the top of a jungle mountain. As we pick up speed, we spot a rare purple and orange bird in the trees, and as we turn a corner, you can see the drop off that exposes a lush green jungle carpet below. The view vanishes as we roar through a tunnel and then we emerge into the majestic ruins. Light reflected off hundreds of waterfalls dances around the landscape. We stop for a picnic and pictures.
I then call everyone back to the train as I start it up for our next destination. Once aboard I flip a few switches and take us to the sky. Below us the earth shrinks into blue globe and the stars blaze around us. In almost no time we land on the cold moon and talk with the native aliens. I stop off at a local gift shop to purchase a few green moonstones to take back to earth.
We continue to travel around the world and to other worlds as we each take our turns until eventually the kitchen floor is dry, and the train becomes a group of chairs around the dining room table once again.
Count Down
My room is a disaster zone and I have only 45 minutes to find a mega ton bomb starting now. In order to find and disarm the explosive devise, I will need to work quickly and precisely. I quickly glance around the room and begin to formulate a plan in order to work as effectively as possible.
I begin with a pile of dirty clothes and move to placing the clean ones away. No bomb yet. I next go to making the bed to ensure it isn't hiding in the mountain of sheets. I check the time; I am making great progress with 37 minutes before the explosion.
The next challenge is the largest, and I begin going through the multitude of action figures and vehicles scattered on the floor. I gather everything and organize them in the closet to make sure I haven't missed anything. Still no bomb and time is short with only 14 minutes go. I allowed myself to get distracted too easily.
I refocus and move to the last tasks of searching the top of the dresser and the desk while dusting for finger prints. The dresser moves along quickly and as I finish the desk I find the bomb tucked among a group of papers. Very cautiously I snip the wires to disarm the bomb with 3 minutes to spare.
Ready, Set, Go
On Saturday morning, I drag the lawn mower to the starting line, and I rev it up before I begin mowing the lawn. The massive war racer has helped me live through many races, and I hope to live today as well. All of these machines are custom built and are the height of skyscrapers.
Mine has a dome restaurant on top for the spectators, and the pilot's cabin sits even higher up and towards the back. It was originally painted hot rod red with the words SPEED DEMON etched in black, but the paint has slowly faded and chipped. For armaments, it is equipped with dual electro shields, extra titanium plating, hundreds of repair bots, defense array lasers, plasma disks, drill mines, high intensity EMP shock wave, scatter missiles, instant temp tire replacers, tire shields, turbo boosters, a few focused laser cannons, and a few more defense and offensive equipment.
Everyone's nerves are on edge as we watch the lights change from red to yellow and then with a flash of green the chaos ensues and grass is destroyed. I hang back at first letting many of the rookies tear each other apart. There is no need to get myself killed in the first lap. A few monster racers try to gang up on me and I swiftly use a layer of mines and lasers to push them back.
A little after half way through the race I pull in for a pit stop and empty the grass bag while a large battle shakes the track allowing me to avoid most of it and then race on by as the majority limp to into the pit. I then begin moving up taking down other racers as I wipe sweat from my face while checking behind me. I then see my rival THE BLACK DESTROYER.
We begin our chess game as I make my move. He quickly counters as missiles, lasers, mines, and shields begin to fall on both sides. I feel my breathing quicken as I narrowly avoid a volley and return one of my own. Each machine is a ball of flaming metal with repair bots scuttling along on full power. The finish line is just ahead. We are each side by side. Only a few feet are between us as we race at break neck speeds. With a final blast from my shock wave and slamming my turbo boosters full, I inch in front for the win.
Exhausted, but happy I wheel the Speed Demon back to the shed. It was good race, but repairs must begin in earnest for there will be another race next Saturday.
