Spin the Golden Light Bulb

by Jackie Yeager

  “These costumes are amazing!” says Jillian. “I can’t believe Gregor did this.”

  I smile. “I knew he’d come through for us.”

  At exactly nine o’clock, we rush up to Gregor, standing outside Piedmont Coliseum at Gate 2. He looks like a guard dog or a maybe a superhero. We try to thank him, tell him how amazing our costumes are, and ask him what Andora and Master Freeman said, but he holds up his hand. “No thanks are necessary. Your minds should not be focused on me anyway. You need to think about the task at hand. Lining up for the Opening Ceremony.”

  Seraphina skips over to him. “Oh, you big lug, I’m happy you’re back. So are the kids. The costumes are a fabulous touch . . . and that’s all I’ll say about this subject. Now team, Gregor is right. Let’s line up how we practiced.”

  We arrange ourselves behind the banner. I stand in the middle with the girls on either side of me. The boys stand on the ends. Seraphina and Gregor stand behind us and we await our cue to march in.

  The team from New Mexico lines up in front of us. I turn around and see North Carolina behind us. A girl on the end waves to me. She’s wearing a pine tree costume. Two boys next to her are dressed as the Wright Brothers, the ones who invented and flew the first airplane.

  A voice from beneath my feet startles me. More hidden speakers!

  “Welcome to the Opening Ceremony for the Piedmont National Finals. It is an honor to welcome each of our teams, their families and friends, and our entire Piedmont Organization to this event. In our audience today we also have the teaching staff and administrators from Piedmont University and the Piedmont Inventors Prep School. Now please sit back and enjoy the procession as we welcome the thirty-two teams from across the country who have qualified to compete here this weekend.”

  The Piedmont theme song thunders through the speakers. I bite my pinky nail and also my thumb.

  An usher dressed in a purple suit with a purple and black top hat motions for us to move along. We follow New Mexico into a tunnel. It winds and curves underneath the Coliseum where concrete walls are covered with drawings of inventions and words like imagine and leap and believe. I hear the names of states being introduced: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Maine . . . New Hampshire . . . I look at Jillian walking next to me and at Ander standing next to her. I quickly face forward as we emerge from the tunnel and step into the roaring, dimly lit coliseum filled with twinkling lights. When New Mexico reaches the end of the path, the usher with the hat motions for us to proceed and we step onto the golden carpet. Master Freeman’s booming voice thunders again, “The State of New York!”

  We walk together—with our banner—through the stadium that holds about twenty thousand people. I know it’s amazing even though I can’t see faces because it’s so dark. Lasers flash in every direction and I wonder if one of the lasers is flashing near my family. I have no idea where they could be sitting, but it’s okay—I know they’re here watching somewhere.

  We reach the end of the carpet and a different man with the same purple and black hat motions for us to follow him. He points to a row of seats labeled “New York.” We file in together and watch the rest of the teams walk down the golden carpet.

  After the team from Wyoming reaches the end of the path, Master Freeman steps up to the microphone. He taps it twice and the stadium goes silent. “I now officially open the Piedmont National Finals Competition!” The crowd roars to life all over again and I have to remind myself that this isn’t a dream. I really am about to compete in the Piedmont National Finals.

  “This weekend’s competition will be full of inventive ideas and creative solutions. For those of you in the audience, you are in for a splendid treat. You will be witness to the unparalleled thinking of our youth. Today’s idea makers will be tomorrow’s inventors. For those of you competing, on behalf of the entire Piedmont Organization, we wish you well. May you find the courage to be everything you are meant to be.”

  The applause fills the stadium and my butterflies wake right up.

  “Sixteen teams will compete today, and sixteen teams will compete tomorrow. Tomorrow night we will gather here again for the Piedmont National Night of Brightness Awards Ceremony. Do your best, your very best. We of course look forward to seeing just that.”

  It takes an hour for all the teams to file out of the stadium. By the time we get back to the Prep Room with our sets and props, we’re starving. Lunch is waiting for us but we don’t have much time to eat. We need to report to the competition site at two o’clock. I take a bite of a sandwich, but that’s suddenly all I can manage. I get up and walk over to our Circle Spinner, set up in our corner spot. The wooden circle, which started out as a coffin box has come back to life as something really special. I grab hold of it and spin it, watching the words slowly rotate over and over again. Be Curious. Be Creative. Be Collaborative. Be Colorful. Be Courageous. And when it stops, I grab my team and drag them to the changing rooms. It’s time for us to get ready to compete at the Piedmont National Finals.

  THE NIGHT OF BRIGHTNESS

  The next night at exactly seven o’clock, we file into Piedmont Coliseum and sit in the same New York seats we sat in for the Opening Ceremony. I didn’t think it was possible, but tonight the crowd sounds even louder than it did yesterday morning. I can hardly remember our performance at all. Maybe it’s because I’m nervous. But I do remember the room. It was echo-y and gray. I remember the judges all wearing orange. I remember the Golden Light Bulb spinning really fast. I remember someone in the audience gasping as Ander’s Great-Great-Grandpa Jim appeared across the Circle Spinner, but that’s about it. That’s all I remember, and now our performance at the National Finals is over already.

  Tonight, I move onto the Global Championships, or I don’t. I either get to enroll at the Piedmont Inventors Prep School, or I go back home for programming. It’s already been decided by the Piedmont people. Their decision is hiding inside that golden envelope in Master Freeman’s hand, and now I can’t do anything more to win this competition. I can’t try any harder. I can’t wish any more. I either worked hard enough or I didn’t. And if I didn’t, I can’t get mad at anyone else. I tried as hard as I could. If I’m not good enough to get into PIPS, then I don’t belong there anyway. Someday I may invent the Underwater Bubble Bike, or the Baking Pants, or someday I won’t. Camp Piedmont was everything I dreamed it would be, but this may be it for me. For all of us. But that’s okay, I guess. Everything worked out for Swissa. Maybe it will be okay for me too if I get sent back to Crimson.

  We’re wearing our green New York T-shirts and shorts. We match, like we always have. We wear our wristbands like we always have too. And now we lock hands. Jax holding Jillian’s. Jillian holding mine. Mine holding Ander’s and Ander’s holding Mare’s. “Say New York. Say New York. Say New York.” We whisper so quietly I’m not sure even Seraphina or Gregor can hear us, and they’re sitting in the seats right behind us.

  If New York gets called, we move onto the Global Championships. If it doesn’t, we go back home tomorrow and get programmed at Crimson. We’ll all be friends, of course—always. There’s no way we could face Crimson alone, away from each other, ever again. I bite my ring finger covered in green nail polish. Ander looks at me. I hadn’t realized I pulled my hand away from his. I lock it back in place, tighter this time. He gives me a look that says he’s trying to be tough, but I know deep down he doesn’t feel tough. I promise myself I won’t cry if we don’t win, but I don’t think I can keep that promise at all.

  The Piedmont theme song fades away for the last time. Master Freeman, dressed in gold, walks up to the podium a million miles away on the stage below us. It’s easier to see him on the jumbo screen in the air. He taps the microphone twice. I’m sure I’m going to throw up. I squeeze Ander and Jillian’s hands. They squeeze back really hard.

  “And now the results you all have been waiting for. I
have in this envelope, the names of the five outstanding state teams that have received the highest scores in the Piedmont National Finals. These five teams will represent the United States of America in the Piedmont Global Championships at the end of September!”

  “If your team is called, please come down to this center stage for your team trophy, individual medals, and instruction packet for the Global Championships. I’m pleased to announce that this year’s Global Championship competition will be held in the fair land of our Canadian neighbors, Quebec City!”

  The crowd roars all around us but we don’t even clap. We’re too afraid to let go.

  “And now, the team in fifth place is . . . the team from Maryland!”

  I let out a breath. It’s fine. It is. Maryland was probably really good.

  The Maryland team runs down the stairs in the corner. That area of the stadium goes crazy. I hold my breath a little too long. “It’s okay,” says Ander. “We have four more chances.”

  “And the fourth place trophy goes to . . . the team from Idaho!”

  The section directly across the stadium jumps to its feet. The Idaho team races down to the stage. They look like little bugs.

  I wipe my hands on my shorts. Then I grab back onto Ander and Jillian’s hands.

  Ander and I look at each other. I’m trying hard not to get my hopes up but it’s not working.

  “We have three chances,” he says.

  “I know!” I snap. “I can count.”

  “And the third place trophy goes to . . . the team from Texas!”

  “That’s it. It’s not happening. We didn’t win,” I say. “I know we didn’t.”

  “Don’t say that, KK. You’ll jinx it. We might have won. We have two chances still. Be positive. We have to be cool remember?”

  “I remember. There’s just so many good teams. We couldn’t have placed in the top two. I just—”

  “And in second place, the team from New York!”

  “Oh My God! Oh My God!” We jump to our feet and Seraphina and Gregor shove us down the stairs. We run so fast I swear I’m gonna wipe out on the steps.

  We get to the bottom and race for the platform. Master Freeman hands Jax the giant second-place trophy and Andora begins placing medals around my teammates’ necks. The Coliseum is crazy loud, but still, when Andora gets to me, I can hear her crackling voice. “Congratulations, Kia Krumpet from New York. You have not disappointed us. You have overcome great obstacles to solve this task and you have solved it well. Your solution is inspired. We are honored to have you represent our country next month at the Global Championships.”

  I smile huge and grab ahold of the medal around my neck. My mind swirls like a tornado. Global Championship . . . Grandma Kitty . . . The Ancestor App . . . Quebec . . . The Ghost Gallery . . . The Bubble Bike . . . I feel dizzy as I jog with my team back across the platform floor. I don’t try to control the chaos in my brain this time, though. I don’t think it would work anyway.

  “KK, are we really going to the Global Championships?” Ander yells as we climb back up the stadium steps. I can only grin at him as I follow behind. Jax and Jillian and Mare are way up ahead. People I don’t know stick their hands out into the aisles for us to slap. Ander looks back down the stairs at me again. “Is this really happening?”

  Witch Girl from Michigan glares at me as we race by and crosses her arms across her chest. I bet maybe now she wishes her team didn’t make that computer kid do all their work. It looks like Master Freeman was right. The teams who form close unions do great things together.

  Seraphina, Gregor, Grandma Kitty, and my parents come into focus at the top of the stairs. I blink and grin at Ander. “We’re going to Quebec and PIPS, and we’re going to build the Bubble Bike!” I skip every other step to reach my team, and when I catch up to Ander, we race for the top of the Coliseum.

  “And in first place, the winners of the Piedmont National Finals . . . The team from Pennsylvania!”

  I leap to the top step and my team scoops me into the hug. We grin and jump all squished together, just like on the Day of Brightness. Tonight feels like that day all over again, but way, way better this time. And in the chaos I realize Ander was wrong before. We don’t need glue to help us stick together. We’re all friends now—stuck together without it.

  We may need some glue when we get to Quebec though, just in case our Circle Spinner needs fixing, or our costumes get ripped, or our Golden Light Bulb spins too fast.

  Acknowledgments

  Kia isn’t the only one who’s better because of her team. It takes an entire team to bring a story to life, and I’m so grateful to have all of you on mine:

  To my husband Jim, my first reader, who has believed in me and supported me in every way possible. Thank you for showing me that writing, like running, isn’t always a sprint, it’s a marathon. I love you and wouldn’t want to share this marathon with anyone else but you.

  To my daughter, Danielle, who reminds me all the time that dreams do come true if you wish hard enough and believe in them. Thank you for inspiring me to wish and believe, even when this dream seemed impossible. And to my son, Adam, who has read every word of every revised version of this book. This story is as much a part of you as it is of me. Thank you for encouraging me to keep writing it, even when we weren’t sure anyone would ever get to read it!

  To my parents, Patricia and Robert Boothby, who gave me a childhood I’ll always cherish. Thank you for teaching me that family is the greatest team there is, and that when you have love and hope you have it all. To my mother and father-in-law, Anne and Hank Yeager, who’ve treated me like their own daughter since day one. Thank you for believing I could do this and for making me believe it too.

  To my sisters and brother: Terri, Brian, and Amy, who let me write all the scripts in our family and neighborhood plays. Thank you for indulging me way back then, and for your friendship now. To all my family and friends—my cheerleaders. Thank you for never questioning my dream of becoming an author, for listening to my tales of rejections and close calls, and for cheering when I finally got to tell you that I did it!

  To my treasured critique partners: Melyssa Mercado, Beth Hautala, Joe Burns, and Glenn McCarty, who helped to make this story sparkle. Thank you for giving so much of yourselves to me and to this book. You’re all gems. To the friends I made in my early critique groups: Erin, Tracy, Dan, Vicki, LuAnn, Deb, and Glenn. I’m a better writer because of all of you.

  To my writing group, The Rochester Area Children’s Writers and Illustrators group: Thank you for being a wealth of knowledge and support through the years. I’m honored to be a part of such a fantastic group.

  To my agent, Rebecca Angus of Golden Wheat Literary, for seeing potential in this story and in me. Thank you for your friendship and endless work on my behalf. My book wouldn’t be what it is now or have this opportunity if it weren’t for you.

  To Dayna Anderson, my publisher, and Jenny Miller, my editor, and the entire Amberjack Publishing team: You’ve spun my words into gold, and brought the story of THE CRIMSON FIVE to life. It’s even shinier than I ever imagined! Thank you for being amazing to work with and for making my dream come true.

  And finally, to the original Crimson Five kids: Kara, Adam, Meg, Jake & Julia—my Odyssey of the Mind dream team. Your creativity, teamwork, and antics inspired me in ways I can’t express. I had no choice but to write this story! Thank you for the privilege of being your coach and for giving me an experience I’ll never forget. PS. I hope you like the book!

  About the Author

  Jackie Yeager is a middle grade author whose stories inspire children to think more, work hard, and dream big. She holds a Master’s degree in Education and spent several years coaching Odyssey of the Mind, where her team once-upon-a-time competed at the World Finals. She lives in Rochester, NY with her real life prince charming and two royally amazing teens.
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  When she’s not writing imaginative middle grade fiction or living in her own fairly-tale world, she can be found conducting creative problem solving/writing workshops for kids and blogging at www.swirlandspark.com. You can also connect with her on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

  Spin the Golden Light Bulb is her first book.

  About the Illustrator

  Gabrielle Esposito is an illustrator with a passion for using art to tell stories, capture moments, and bring imaginary worlds to life. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Fine Art at the American Academy of Art in Chicago.

  Her work includes illustrating The Story of Snowy Bear and the Lost Scarf by T.C. LiFonti and Charles “Peanut” Tillman, and the four subsequent books in the Bear series: The Story of Pirate Bear and the Treasure Hunt, The Story of Beach Bear and the Sandcastle, The Story of Scary Bear and the Pumpkin Patch, and The Story of Lovie Bear and the Valentine’s Day Card.

  She lives in Chicago, accompanied by an orange-and-white cat with a big personality, and when she’s not making art, she loves spending time kayaking, hiking, gardening, or wandering through museums. You can find more of her art online at gabrielleesposito.com, and connect with her on Facebook and Instagram.