Tell your friend you're awesome - (For boys only)

Author: Huang Xiaobo / Country: Mainland China
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-06-01
Features: A surprise from the sky. The moon peeked out from behind the clouds, illuminating an incredible scene: a giant silver circular object circling a tree, with a cable trailing below it, attached to a rectangular object swaying between the branches. Heads would occasionally pop out from the edges of the rectangular object, desperately shouting "Help!" At that moment, Bruno and Butz were having a secret meeting nearby. "It's a basket!" Bruno excitedly said, "Tied to a balloon! Entangled in the tree!" Soon, Bruno and Butz climbed the tree like monkeys. But no matter how hard they tried, they couldn't reach the basket, which swayed back and forth like a pendulum. "Hang in there for a bit," Bruno promised the person shouting "Help," "We'll get you out soon." Then, he whispered to Butz, "I'll come back and untie this thing." Saying so, he slid down to the ground and ran frantically toward the gymnasium. Butz, with his mouth agape in shock, stayed on the tree. "Who are you?" he asked. "Francisco," the man replied with an unfamiliar accent, "Let me down!" "Don't worry about it," Butz gasped for breath, "Bruno is going for help." Bruno was struggling to squeeze into the gymnasium window that was locked. He hurried into the equipment room, grabbed a volleyball net, and ran back. "Butz?" he shouted, straining to look up at the dark branches, "Are you there?" "Where else would I be?" a trembling voice replied, "Come up quickly!" Bruno climbed the tree with the net and soon stood on the creaking branch where Butz was. "I'm going to throw you a net," he shouted to Francisco, "Tie it to something so you can climb down like a ladder. Can you do it?" "Sure, I'm ready!" Bruno grabbed one end of the net and tossed it up to the basket. After tossing it twice, the other side caught it and tied it to the cable. "Now what?" he shouted. "Start climbing down. Be careful, take it slow." Bruno and Butz pulled the net tight, anxiously watching the boy above, who seemed even smaller than them. The boy climbed out of the basket and began descending, and soon all three of them stood on the dangerous branch. "Let's get down, leave here!" Butz pleaded. They released the net and helped Francisco descend to the ground. As soon as Bruno landed on the grass, a sudden gust of wind tore the balloon from the tree and sent it soaring into the night sky, dragging the swaying volleyball net behind it. "Oh, no!" Bruno groaned, "This is the third net I've lost this year! Coach Farris will kill me!" "I'd be happy to help you replace one," the boy said seriously, "Without you and your net, I'd still be up there." "Hey," Bruno said, "Where did you come from anyway?" Francisco vaguely pointed to the sky. "No, I mean where did the balloon come from?" "Ottawa," the boy replied, "I live there. My father held a trade fair this morning." He explained, "They made this balloon so people could go inside and rise. I thought it was fun. But when it was my turn, the winch broke, and the balloon flew away—with me!" "Maybe we should take him to 'Fish,' where he can get something to eat," Bruno said calmly. The three of them ran across the campus toward the principal's house. Bruno rang the doorbell four times. The back door opened, revealing a puzzled Mr. Sturgis. "We must see you, sir, there's an emergency," Bruno said as he burst in, with Butz and Francisco following behind. Mr. Sturgis stood stunned. After a moment, he led them into the kitchen and checked the clock. "If this is some kind of prank," he said angrily, "I don't find it funny at all. It's past lights-out, and you rang the doorbell here—you broke the rules by gathering together like a pair of mischievous troublemakers, and you even brought an accomplice. You'd better give a reasonable explanation for all of this." Bruno and Butz rushed to explain, but Mr. Sturgis could only make out "balloon rescue tree volleyball net Francisco," yet surprisingly, he seemed to understand. "This is Francisco Diaz, the boy who disappeared with the balloon this morning—the son of the ambassador to Manbonia!" Bruno and Butz had certainly done a great job, and the school even gained fame. Naturally, they received the reward they had long dreamed of—sharing the same dormitory and becoming close roommates again. "Room 306 is vacant," the principal assured the board of directors, "They can move in right away." P16-19