Spin the Golden Light Bulb

by Jackie Yeager

  Wow. This is a first from Gregor. And now he’s going to make us perfect.

  “What was our time?” asks Mare.

  Seraphina checks the timer. “It was twelve minutes and twenty-eight seconds.”

  “That’s bad!” I say. “We’ll get a penalty if we go over twelve minutes.”

  “That’s right—you will. But that was only your first time through. Some of your lines came slowly, which is to be expected. You’ll get faster each time you practice.”

  So that’s what we do. We run through it again. Our time is 12:18. And again. 12:14. And then 12:20. Ugh. And again. 12:11. We break for lunch and come back ready to try again. 11:58. Yes! Still too close though, so we shorten some of our lines.

  It takes us four more tries but each time we run through it, our time is around 11:40. “Perfect!” Seraphina exclaims.

  “Finally!” says Mare, and we all collapse on the floor. I feel like I could sleep until tomorrow. Somehow, we drag ourselves back up though and pack up our sets. And that’s when it hits me—we’re competing tomorrow!

  “Okay,” says Seraphina. “We’ll meet at Piedmont Coliseum, the building across the square in the morning where all of your sets and costumes will be waiting. You’ll practice one more time before the actual Rehearsal Judging Competition. Our report time is 1:20 p.m.”

  My butterflies wake up as she gives us our instructions. “But in just a little while, we have our celebration with your families, so go back to your bedchambers and change. That will give me just enough time to work my magic in this room. Your parents will arrive at 6:30 p.m. Make sure you’re back here by then. They’ll be anxious to see you and I’ll be anxious to celebrate!”

  At 6:25 p.m. I yell to Mare and Jillian, who are still getting ready in the bathroom. “Come on! That spray stuff is hurting my head.” Finally, after four more squirts we run down the hall, grab the boys at the bottom of the stairs, and keep running. We round the corner and there they all are, standing outside Meeting Room Twelve—my whole family and everyone else’s too. I see Grandma Kitty first. Her hair sparkles are different somehow. They’re blue! She runs to me and pulls me into a hug. She’s strong like I remember, but shorter than me now!

  “Oh my goodness, my Smartie Girl, you have grown. You’re taller than me!”

  I feel like singing. Grandma Kitty can finally see this place again and we can share our stories about Camp Piedmont. My Dad and brother and sister wrap me up like a burrito. Their smiles are huge. From the cramps in my cheeks, I bet mine are too.

  They finally loosen their grip and that’s when I see my mom. Tears are running down her face. She squeezes through the people in the hallway to get to me. “Oh, Baby Girl, I’m so happy to see you.” She hugs me and I squeeze her tight. I hadn’t realized how much I missed her. “Hi, Mom!”

  “So how is it here?” Malin looks around the crowded hallway. “Are there any cute guys? How about the ones from California?”

  “I guess so. I never noticed really, but wait until you see our bedchamber.”

  “Your bedchamber?” says my dad. “That sounds fancy.”

  “It is. It has sparkles and Mabel and, oh, never mind. I’ll show you.” Before I can though, lights and lasers pour out from Meeting Room Twelve. Music blasts and my teammates and I run for it. Seraphina has transformed the room into a concert and game room!

  Tables are scattered everywhere with spinning food flowers on each one. A ping pong table that floats, a foosball table with hologram players, a pool table with light saber sticks, and an air hockey table with 3D pucks are set up in the corners. Even in the last week of camp, we’re still seeing new inventions! I wonder what team made all this.

  Ander runs to the center of the dance floor dragging his older sister Daphne with him. Ryne runs after them, making up dance moves on the spot. Ander has a few moves of his own, and they start a dance-off. Daphne looks like she’s about to run away, but Seraphina grabs her arm and motions for me, Jillian, and Mare to start dancing. We do, and so does Jax. Soon the dance floor is packed, with Grandma Kitty too. Her sparkles fit right in!

  We play games, sing, dance, and eat with our all our families. It feels like we’ve been friends forever. Seraphina chats with everyone. Gregor talks to no one. I guess he’s not the party type.

  When the celebration is over, we bring our families up to our bedchambers. We show them the floating sparkles, the star bed, Mable, the air screen, the rotating bunk beds, and the laser board. My family is amazed. Even my mom looks impressed by it all.

  “Time to clear out,” Ander suddenly announces. “It’s quarter till tomorrow and you know what tomorrow is!”

  My dad laughs and I wonder for the hundredth time how he comes up with this stuff. We say goodbye to our families, and when they leave for their hotel, I start to miss them. But not for long. I don’t want to go with them. Not yet. I have to get into my bed and go to sleep. Rehearsal Judging is just eleven hours away!

  WRIST BANDS

  The knocking at the door won’t stop. The pounding hurts my brain, and I can’t figure out why someone would be coming to my house so early. My mom will be really mad. Don’t people have any manners at all?

  “Girls, wake up! Open the door!” Boom. Boom. Boom!

  My brain un-fogs and I realize who it is and where I am. Swissa! I fly out of our bed. What time is it? Jillian beats me to the door. What’s happening?

  She sets red roses down on the table. “You guys are awesome. On the day of Rehearsal Judging you decide to sleep in?” She gives us a worried look.

  “What time is it?” I ask.

  “It’s 7:00 a.m. You have to be at breakfast in thirty minutes. Don’t worry. You have time to get ready, just get moving—okay?”

  Swissa leaves and we fly around the room. We have exactly five minutes each to take a shower. I run in before the bathroom hogs can beat me to it and turn on the hot water with my heart still racing. This was not a good way to wake up—especially today.

  I press four buttons and let the steamy water run down my face. I feel so lucky to be in this fairy tale bathroom. Today could be my last day here. How did I let this summer go by so fast? I promised myself I would remember every single day here at Camp Piedmont. Did I do that? I’m not ready to leave, but what if something happens during our performance? What if the spinner gets stuck? What if one of us forgets our lines? What if the computer crashes and the app doesn’t appear on the golden light bulb? If we don’t get one-hundred and fifty points, we’re done. And we’ll all go home tomorrow. No. We cannot go home tomorrow. I make myself take a deep breath as I rinse the shampoo from my hair. We have to get those points.

  I finish up and get dressed as fast as I can. I don’t know why I’m hurrying. Mare and Jillian will take forever anyway. I guess I want time to think about the big day ahead of us, picture our performance, and say my lines in my head. I move onto the window seat and stare at the magnolia tree by my window. The vanilla ice cream cups are just as pretty as the ones I saw on registration day.

  That day I wanted to get started. I wanted to know what our task would be and what category it would be in. I wanted to get to know my teammates and figure out how we were going to solve it. That day I hardly knew anyone. Today, Ander, Jillian, Jax, and Mare are my best friends each in their own way, and I’m their friend too. I always knew I could make it to Camp Piedmont. Grandma Kitty knew it too. I guess amazing ideas really do run in our family. Now all I have to do is show the judges.

  I wonder who’s knocking now. I open the door and Grandma Kitty is standing there with rainbow sparkles in her hair. She pulls me into a giant hug. “Oh, Little Miss Muffet, I just had to see you before Rehearsal Judging and wish you luck.”

  I smile so wide. “Hi, Grandma!”

  “So are you ready for today? I cannot wait to see your team’s solution.”

  “I’m nervous but I’m
excited too. Our solution is the most amazing thing ever!”

  “What’s it about? Or do you want me to be surprised?”

  “You’ll be surprised even if I tell you about it because it’s even better in person.”

  “I bet it is!”

  “Grandma, I’m not kidding. We made a solution that could be used by people all over the world.”

  She adjusts her dangly earring. “That sounds important.”

  “We created a computer app that practically brings people back from the dead.”

  “You did what?”

  “Well, their images anyway.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “We found a way to bring the image of a person to life on a monitor and animate them like you see on TV.”

  “Really?”

  “Yes, but that part’s no big deal. We were also able to take information about their old schools or jobs—the stuff that has been kept on file with the town, and download it into the app. Then we found a way to show the person moving and talking about events that really happened to them long ago in practically their own voice!”

  Grandma Kitty’s eyes open wide. “The app can really do that?”

  “Yes! We can see for ourselves the people who came before us and listen to their stories first hand.”

  “That’s incredible! Where did you say the information comes from?”

  “Lots of places. For example, if a person told a story years ago to a friend on a phone, the recording of that conversation was saved. So the image of that person will retell the story again—to all of us.”

  Grandma has a strange look on her face. “You are amazing.”

  “I got it from you, Grandma. That’s what we always said, right? I wouldn’t be here at Camp Piedmont if I didn’t get all my swirly brain genes from you.”

  She picks at a blue sparkle in her hair. “You are amazing anyway.”

  “Thanks, Grandma. So anyway, when we were testing out the app, we each picked a relative who lived a long time ago. Except me.”

  “Who did you pick?”

  “I picked you!”

  She pulls the sparkle right out. “Me?”

  “Yes, you. But the weirdest thing happened. When I asked your image about Camp Piedmont, it didn’t give any information at all. It was like you were never here.”

  She doesn’t say anything at first. “That’s very strange.”

  “That’s what I thought too, but I’m sure we just have a glitch with the app. If we make it to the National Finals, maybe we’ll have time to fix that part.”

  “Yes, of course,” she says. “Well, Lovey Girl. I better let you prepare for the competition. I’ll see you in a few hours.”

  “Okay, Grandma. Thanks for coming to see me.”

  “You’ll be great today. I know you will.” She gives me a thumbs up and after she leaves, the girls and I race down to breakfast with the boys.

  After shoveling down cheese omelets and scrambled apples, we head for the Prep Room at Piedmont Coliseum, a building even grander than Piedmont Chamber, with stone archways and stained glass windows. Our voices and footsteps echo as we walk down the halls.

  “This place is like a medieval castle,” says Ander. “I need a suit of armor.”

  We arrive at the Prep Room and Seraphina and Gregor are waiting with our costumes and sets. My butterflies start dancing. Why did I eat so many apples?

  Gregor is standing with his hands on his hips. “Hello, Team.”

  “Hi,” we say all awkwardly. Even after all this time, he’s still so stiff—like a teacher you can’t wait to not have the next year.

  Seraphina is sitting on a windowsill, swinging her long legs. Her purple platform sandals are about five inches high. “Hi, guys. Let me see you. Okay. Do you have your wrist bands on? You can’t compete today without them. You have to have them. You might need the inspiration or maybe I’m just superstitious.”

  I’ve never heard her talk so fast. “Yes, we all have them,” I say.

  “Yeah,” says Ander. “Crimson Powers Activate! Now hold out your wrist bands and make them touch. That will activate our special powers.”

  Mare rolls her eyes. Seraphina jumps off the window ledge. “Before you change I have something to say to you so listen up. Your team has a great deal to show those judges today. When it’s time for you to go out there, I simply want you to show them what you’ve got—because you’ve got a lot, and it’s time for them to see what I see: A team that’s curious, creative, collaborative, colorful, and courageous. You are the Crimson Five from New York. Now do it. Show ‘em what you’ve got!”

  “Yes!” says Ander. “That’s it—our team chant. We’ll say, ‘Crimson Five: Be Curious. Be Creative. Be Collaborative. Be Colorful. Be Courageous. And then we’ll shout, ‘Show ‘em what you’ve got!”’

  We place our arms into the center of our team huddle and shout the chant. It definitely feels like we’re ready. Seraphina thinks so too. I can tell by the look on her face.

  “Here’s what we’re going to do next,” she says. “I want you to run through your solution one more time in this room before any of the other teams get here to set up. I know we’re early, but I’d rather you do it without anyone else watching. When you’re done, you can change into your costumes. Then we’ll wheel your sets down the hall and around the corner to the Rehearsal Judging room. We need to report at 1:20 p.m. with your paperwork.”

  So we run through our solution one more time. We say our lines, rotate our set, sing, and dance. The whole thing runs fine. Our voices sound a little shaky, but Seraphina says that’s okay. The adrenaline will kick in when we’re in front of the judges. I sure hope she’s right. We have time to spare so Ander pulls a tennis ball out of nowhere. It’s like he always has something to play with. We bounce it back and forth. Gregor watches our every move. Seraphina tells him to relax.

  “They are going to damage their sets.”

  “No, they won’t,” she says.

  “They will ruin the app.”

  “The app is fine.”

  “They will trip and fall.”

  “They need to unwind. Everyone knows that a relaxed person competes better than an uptight person.”

  She’s right. I feel better getting the jitters out. Soon, the other teams pour into the Prep Room, and my stomach drops to my knees. The team from Pennsylvania is carrying a metal box with long bars hanging off the sides. They’re dressed in matching green cat suits. The team from Maine comes in next. They wheel in a small star with wires wrapped around it. They’re dressed in white lab coats.

  “Cool star,” Ander calls as they set up in the far corner of the room.

  “Thanks,” says one of the girls. She looks at our sets and then at us. “Awesome costumes. Are you guys putting on a play?”

  I look at Ander. I think he’s afraid to answer. At this point it doesn’t really matter so I say, “Yeah, we are.”

  “That sounds fun. I wish we’d thought of that. Well, good luck!”

  “Thanks! You too.”

  It’s kind of strange. As badly as I want to win, I also want to know what the other teams have created. I bet they’ve made really cool stuff too.

  SMARTIE GIRL

  I walk outside the room to get a drink of water from the fountain, but it’s not like our fountains back home. I push the button and a cup rolls down a shoot. The water pours into the cup as it flies down and by the time I catch it, it’s full. I chug the entire thing before I see Grandma Kitty watching me.

  “Grandma, what are you doing here?”

  “What is that, Cupcake?”

  “It’s a drinking fountain. Cool, isn’t it? One of the past teams probably made it.”

  “My goodness.”

  “Do you want to see where we’ve set up?”

  She folds her
hands. “Well, I want to talk to you.”

  “Okay, but first, come see the Prep Room. She follows me and peeks in at all the teams and their creations. “Is this the same room you waited in when you were here?”

  “What?”

  “Did you wait in this room before you competed? You know, when you came to Camp Piedmont.”

  She looks confused. “What do you do in here?”

  Now I’m confused. “We wait until the judges call us, when it’s our team’s turn to compete.”

  “I see.”

  “Don’t you remember, Grandma?”

  “I—I . . . yes, of course.”

  Why is she acting so weird? “So where are Mom and Dad?”

  She pulls one of her earrings out of her ear. “They’re outside sitting on a bench under a tree. A Magnolia Tree.”

  “Aren’t those pretty? I bet they were baby trees when you were here.”

  She puts the earring back in. “Yes. Well, I better get back to them.”

  “But I thought you wanted to talk to me.”

  She turns away. “Oh, it can wait.” She walks very fast down the hallway.

  I call after her. “Grandma!”

  She stops quick but turns around slowly. Her face is serious. Something’s wrong.

  “Oh, Peanut Butter Cup. This can’t wait. It can’t wait one more second.”

  “Grandma, what? What’s wrong?” My stomach feels jumpy.

  “Let’s walk down this hallway.”

  I nod and she leads me to a bench under a window. I’m scared. I don’t know what she’s going to say.

  “I’m just going to tell it to you straight, Peanut Butter Cup. Your app for the competition didn’t have a glitch. There’s a reason when you typed me in and searched for my information it couldn’t tell you about the time I spent at Camp Piedmont.”

  “I don’t know what you mean.”

  “The app couldn’t tell you about that event because I’ve never been here.”