KERBY HAD gotten permission from his father to borrow some tools for working in the go-cart. He was a bit surprised, actually, since usually Mr. Maxwell was very strict about anyone else using his tools; but once Kerby told him about what he and his friends would be building, his father had become excited and very supportive.
"Back when I was a boy—" he began. Kerby suppressed a flinch, remembering the number of times his father had begun stories in that manner. Usually the stories described the incredible hardships his father had endured as a youth and were intended to teach Kerby a lesson about how easy things were for kids today. But this time was different. Instead of the customarily solemn expression accompanying these stories, Mr. Maxwell's face was lit up with an almost boyish enthusiasm.
"We used to make go-carts all the time. We'd push them around the neighborhood, up and down hills, all over the place. We also used to have races with other kids, and it was tons of fun. Of course, back then, we called them soap box racers."
"Soap box racers?" asked Kerby. "What's a soap box? I know sometimes we get soap that comes in a little cardboard box. Did you glue a bunch of them together and make a car of that?"
"No, no," his father chuckled. "Soap was delivered from the soap manufacturers to stores in these wooden crates about this big," he said, holding his hands a few feet apart. "When a store had taken the soap bars out of the box and put them on the shelves to sell, they just threw away the box. The store managers were usually glad to give them to us kids, since it meant less garbage to be picked up. So we'd take a box home, hammer it to a couple of boards, add some wheels, and we'd have our racer."
"Huh," said Kerby. "That's pretty cool. Do they still have soap boxes?"
"I don't think so. They usually pack everything in plastic wrap or cardboard boxes nowadays. I don't think that would be too helpful for making a go-cart. Besides, I think your go-cart will be a lot bigger than the soap box racers we made, which weren't much more than a box on a skate board. Do you remember what the contest rules said?"
"Yes, sir," Kerby said. "Each go-cart has to be big enough for three riders. I imagine ours will have to be more like a bathtub shape."
"I think you're right," Mr. Maxwell said. "You sure you don't want any help building it?"
Kerby couldn't help but notice the hopeful look on his father's face. Mr. Maxwell clearly wanted to get in on the fun.
"Thanks, Dad, but do you remember what the contest rules said?" said Kerby with a grin. "Only the racers themselves can build the go-cart."
"I know, I know," said Mr. Maxwell, a bit sheepishly. "Well, have fun."
So Kerby, carrying a toolbox containing a hammer, some nails, and a saw, made his way to the clubhouse. Bumps was already there, and Fenton was just trotting up.
Bumps gestured to a pile of wood balanced precariously in a red wagon. "Take a look at this. Red's not the only one who can find wood. This was left over from the stuff Mr. Carmody gave us to rebuild our clubhouse last year. I knew there was a good reason to keep it!"
"Excellent, Bumps!" said Fenton. He held up a manila folder with several sheets of paper inside. "I've put together some preliminary plans for the go-cart. I've been doing some research on aerodynamics, and—"
"Ardio-manics? What the heck is that?" Bumps asked.
"Aerodynamics, Bumps. It's the study of how air flows around things. Planes, cars, and anything that moves can go a lot faster if the aerodynamic principles are closely followed in the design," Fenton said.
"Well, I didn't really understand nothin' in that last sentence except for the word 'faster'. But if this andio – ardio – whatever it's called – can help us win this race, I'm all for it," said Bumps.
Kerby was getting excited. "So, let's start building!" he said enthusiastically, holding up a hammer in one hand and a saw in the other.
"Yes, let's," said Fenton. "According to the rules, we need to have the entry form in at the village hall by Wednesday."
The boys got to work. Following Fenton's carefully drawn plans, they measured, sawed, hammered, and nailed, until the basic framework of the go-cart was built.
The go-cart wound up being about six feet long and two and a half feet wide. The body was shaped somewhat like a narrow bathtub, but with a pointed front end. Inside were three boards running perpendicular to the length of the car, to be used as seats. There was another board at the front of the car and one in the back, which were for the wheels.
Fenton was extremely proud of the steering mechanism he had devised. Where most go-carts simply had a length of clothesline strung between the ends of the front axle, the boys' go-cart had an actual steering wheel. It was connected to a wooden dowel extending to the front of the frame, where a sturdy gear was attached. The gear fit neatly into another gear attached to the front axle, so when the steering wheel was turned left or right, the motion was transferred to the axle, pointing the wheels in the same direction.
"It's perfect!" he said. "A real steering wheel! Man, this go-cart is incredible. We should win the race on style points alone!"
"Yeah!" Kerby agreed.
"Yeah…but you know what else it could use?" Bumps said. "To make it even more ardio-manic?"
"Um…what, Bumps?" Fenton said. He was concerned Bumps would make some suggestion that would throw off his careful design.
"Wings! And a spoiler!" Bumps said triumphantly. "Can you imagine how fast it will go if we add wings and a spoiler? It'll be like an airplane and a sports car combined!"
"Well – "
"Sure! It'll be swell!" Bumps insisted. "Let's get started on them right away!" And with that, he grabbed another long, thin plank and began sawing.
"I'm not sure that'll improve the aerodynamics of the go-cart…" Fenton protested.
"Now, come on!" Bumps said, the first trace of anger appearing in his voice. "Fenton, we used all of your ideas so far, so it's only fair that Kerby and I should get to use our ideas, too. Am I right, or what?" he said, looking hard at Kerby.
"Um, I don't have any extra ideas," Kerby said. He saw both sides of the situation. On one hand, he knew that anything not in Fenton's plans would probably not help the go-cart go any faster, and it might actually make it go slower. On the other hand, Bumps was already getting angry, and an angry Bumps Burton was never a good thing. Besides, Kerby thought wings and a spoiler might actually look cool.
Fenton did not seem at all pleased, but he controlled himself. "Fine, Bumps. You figure out what you want to add and we'll put it in. Say, what color do you think we should paint the go-cart?"
At the mention of paint, Kerby was reminded of Gay, who loved painting and everything related to art. He suddenly realized that the whole time they had been working, Gay had not come by to bother them at all. That was not like her at all; she usually had to be shooed away if Kerby was doing anything interesting.
"Where is she, anyway?" Kerby said.
Fenton and Bumps just looked at him. They had just asked him whether he thought blue or red would look better as the main color of the go-cart.
"Huh?"
Meanwhile, Gay had for once found somewhere else to be. A few hours earlier, she had set out to find Kerby and see what he was up to. Wandering along the sidewalk, she came across a red-haired girl playing hopscotch. The girl appeared to be just about Gay's age.
"Hi! How are you? My name's Gay. What's yours?" she asked cheerfully. Her naturally friendly personality made meeting people easy.
"My name's Rita. Nice to meet you. Would you like to play hopscotch with me?"
"Sure, thanks!" Gay said brightly, and just like that, the girls were friends.
They played hopscotch for a while, and then they decided to go to Rita's house, which was just down the block from the Maxwells'. They played with Rita's dolls and dress-up things, and they joked and laughed.
"Say, Gay—do you want to see my books?" Rita said.
"Sure," said Gay.
Rita, as it turned out, had dozens of books on neat wooden shelves in her room. Gay loved reading, so she was interested to see the kinds of books her new friend enjoyed. There were plenty of story books, some books about nature, and a few picture books ("I don't read those any more," Rita said. "They're too easy.").
But what really caught Gay's eye was the incredible number of books about science. Every science subject Gay could think of – plus several she'd never even heard of – was on the shelf. Astronomy, Biology, Chemistry, Geology, Physics … the titles went on and on.
"Have you actually read all of these?" Gay asked in amazement.
"Pretty much," said Rita. "Some of them are kind of hard to understand, but they're so interesting to me that I just keep re-reading them, trying to understand a little bit more each time. And sometimes when I have questions, I ask my parents or my teachers, and they can usually explain what the book's saying. My latest favorite subject is aerodynamics, which is the study of how air flows around things. It's really important for making airplanes that can fly and cars that can go fast."
"Cars that go fast, huh?" said Gay thoughtfully. "Rita, I have an idea for you. Have you heard about the go-cart race next weekend?"
"Sure. My brother Red is entering with two of his friends."
Gay smiled. "Really? So is my cousin Kerby! Well, what do you say we build a go-cart of our own and enter?"
Rita stood up, looked thoughtfully at her bookshelf, and slowly pulled out her newest book, Introduction to Aerodynamics. She flipped through the pages, nodding to herself as she scanned the chapters. After a minute or two, she snapped the book closed and grinned.
"Gay," she said, "I think that's a wonderful idea!"
The next hour was spent busily designing their go-cart. The two girls worked well together, and Gay's artistic sense beautifully complemented Rita's surprisingly thorough knowledge of aerodynamics. With equal input from each, they arrived at an elegant design which, Rita said, had a good chance of winning the race.
"Of course, designing it is the easy part," Rita continued, "but actually building this go-cart might be hard. I think my dad will let us have whatever is left over from Red's supplies, and I can hammer and saw a bit, but – when did you say the race is?"
"Next Saturday," said Gay.
"Well, it'll probably take all of our afternoons this week to get it built," Rita said. "But it'll be worth it. We're going to win this race!"
The girls shook hands confidently, and, after saying goodbye, Gay skipped merrily back to the Maxwells', where dinner would soon be on the table.