"Lincoln? What's the matter?" Stella asked.
"You OK buddy?" Clyde added.
As the last and only option available, Lincoln thought of picking a random book to trick Luna and Lola into thinking it was a hangout. He quickly grabbed a book off the shelf and signaled Stella and Clyde to go on stealth's mode.
He rummaged through a return cart, and found some books for his two friends.
"Okay...let's read these. Stella can read 'The Giver', and Clyde can read...this one!"
"'The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy'?"
"Its the best I could find! Now hurry and pretend we are reading!" Lincoln said, and the three say down at the table and began to faux-read.
"Hey Lincoln!" Luna exclaimed.
But unfortunately Luna's greeting it was a bit too loud, and she was immediately reprimanded with a bunch of shushes and a glare from the librarian.
"Eheh, sorry everyone." she said sheepishly.
Lola and Luna walked toward Lincoln, and proceeded to ask (a bit quietly),
"Hey Lincoln, what are you doing?"
"Nothing much, just reading."
"Ah, nice. Say is that The funny space book Douglas Adams wrote Clyde?"
"Yeah, just found it lying around. thought I might give it a go."
"In my opinion, you should. Its quite humorous."
"You read Sci-Fi Luna?" Lincoln questioned.
"Just because I'm into music doesn't mean that that's all I do. Apart from music, I like to read Sci-Fi, Drama, and Adventure Books too."
"What's 'The Giver' Luna?" Lola asked with curiousness.
"Its a book about a dysfunctional world, where everyone is-"
"Luna, I think its best not to spoil the book for Stella."
"Yeah, you're right. I'll tell you later Lols. Right now, we need to find your book."
"Which one are you looking for Luna?"
"Dunno Clyde, Lola here said she was looking for a book titled: "Pretty Petunia and the Princess Pageant""
"Hmm...I guess that will be in the children's section, but in my opinion, refer to the library catalog to narrow your search."
"Thanks Clyde, appreciate it. Catch y'all later"
"No problem Luna, see you soon. Bye!"
Luna left with Lola towards the children's section.
"Whew...that was close."
"You could've said we were doing a project Lincoln. It would have been much more easier." Clyde remarked.
"I was going to, but I told Luna and Lisa I had no project this morning."
"Ah...well in that case, that was a good excuse."
"Well Clyde, Stella, I think we get back to our research now. Stella?"
"...Oh sorry, turns out this book is a cool read. I'll put it to the side and check it out later."
With that, the three middle schoolers began to browse for various science books for different subtopics of science. Lincoln was on the Library computer looking for a topic he and Clyde would find interesting. He came across many different topics for fairs and experimentation, but some were a bit cliché, like the lemon battery or an egg project depicting it sinking, floating, or in equilibrium with the water density. Other's were a bit too advanced for his level. He learned that a scientist, Richard Ebright, had done most of his research on monarch butterflies throughout school, and some of his projects were very detailed, like understanding why viceroy butterflies copied monarchs, or what were the use of the so called "ornamental" spots on a monarch's pupa. Needless to stay, he veered away from both types of projects. He turned around to see what Clyde and Stella had found so far, and he fixated his eyes on a huge tower of books that Clyde and Stella had amassed from their perusing.
"Uh...guys, I think that's enough..." Lincoln suggested.
"Yeah, I agree with Lincoln Clyde. No way we will need these many for your project."
"I guess we can stop. We must first see if there are any topics of interest in these books. Then we can narrow our search. Have any luck with your search yet Linc?"
"No, not yet. There are either too cliché projects or projects that are way out of the ballpark for us."
"Looks like we need a medium level topic. One that is both attractive and useful as well as not too advanced for our level."
"You're right Clyde. Lets check these books first. then if no one fits we will continue our search."
Together, the three began to flip through the books and see if there was anything worth making a project on. They went through many books, but nothing was fascinating Lincoln. He went through Electricity, Bio-related experiments, Chemical Reactions, yet nothing piqued his interest so far. He was about to give up when he saw something worth checking out.
"Hmmm...sources of energy...Maybe we can make a project on this Clyde!" Lincoln whispered.
"Not a bad idea Lincoln. Renewable energy is the next step of the future, and if we want to attain sustainable development, then switching to these forms of energy is a must."
"I agree with Clyde. In my old town, we obtained electricity from a nearby coal power plant, but soon the community decided that we use solar power instead. So the plant was shut down and a new Solar farm took its place. We were all really happy that we were protecting and conserving the environment around us." remarked Stella.
I guess we found our project then! Now we can get some books on Energy sources, and come up with a project on it."
"Cool. Me and Stella can put these other books away, while you can browse for more books Lincoln."
"Sweet. I'll get right to it."
Lincoln found many books on energy. There were many different types of energy, like Wind, Water, Geothermal, and Solar energy. He read various excerpts from books, like,
'Wind, which contributes approximately 3% to the global electricity generation, has witnessed a double digit growth in consumption, growing at a compounded annual growth rate of 23.5% in the recent decade.'
'Total consumption of geothermal, biomass and waste in the last five decades was more than 1.6 billion tons of oil equivalent making them a growing segment of renewable energy.'
'Solar power has been fast gaining ground as a preferred energy source, with installed capacities having more than quadrupled in the past four years. Solar energy's share in global power generation has doubled in recent years and currently stands at approximately 0.8%.'
Out of all these subsets of 'Renewable Energy', Lincoln was confused on which subset one he should choose. There were so much information in these books that it would be fit for multiple projects! He wondered if he should choose one of the above mentioned subjects or if he should include a little bit of everything so attain maximum information and to create a general project on various types of energy. Undecisive, he resolved to ask his other two colleagues for advice.
"Hey guys, I need some help, would it be better to include a little bit of everything, or a specific thing under it?"
"What I have experienced at my old school fairs, many students like to take one particular portion of a subject, and create a detailed project based on it. They don't really bunch it all together in my opinion."
"I agree with Stella Linc. Its better to do a specific portion of the main theme, than to do the theme all together."
"Now that you put it like that, it makes much more sense. Thanks. Now I got to see which one we should do."
After all the books were placed back in their respective spots, Clyde and Lincoln said goodbye to Stella, who got a phone call from her mother for some chore. The duo browsed on the types of renewable energy, and began to list their advantages and drawbacks. They sat for quite a while, and the afternoon was slowly turning a pinkish red, with the sun take a crimson color. With a little research and time, they were able to list the pros and cons, and began to think of a good problem regarding them through which an original solution could be made, and receive recognition. However, the problem must not be too complex that it requires a long research time that could exceed their deadline.
Which of these would you choose Clyde, that would receive recognition more easily and effectively than the others?"
"Geothermal energy may be less expensive by production than the others, it is however only available in certain regions. I have read in one of these books that it may save up to eighty percent financially, but is only for select regions."
"Your right. That leaves wind, water and solar energy. I am not taking tidal and wave energy, because, like geothermal energy, it has a very narrow scope regarding the area available. Water is much more plentiful, and hydroelectricity is one of the most producing of all the renewable energy sources, but it is quite expensive, and most dam projects around the world are financed by the governments."
"That leaves us with wind and solar energy. Which one do you prefer?"
"Hmmm...Both have benefits and drawbacks. We can create a display of either."
Lincoln was going to give his opinion, but he immediately recalled a vital piece that would give them an edge.
"Clyde, does your house still run on electricity generated from solar panels, and do you have any spares?"
"Yes, it still runs on solar power, and I should have one or two spares in the shed at the back of my house."
"Well then that gives us an edge, so I believe we should take Solar Power as our subject. We can get first hand experience and see how the panels work. This would let us define our presentation more clearly."
"That's a really good idea Linc. Then its final, we are going to do a project of Solar energy!"
"Yup! And Clincoln McLoud will be unbeatable in the fair!" Lincoln said excitedly.
They both shared a high five, and with a new determination, they were going to dive straight on, had Lincoln not noticed the time.
"Aw Man, Its 6:20. I need to be back home by 7, otherwise I'll be grounded."
"Well that sucks. I guess this is see you tomorrow Lincoln."
"See ya Clyde. I will call you soon to discuss the plans for the project location, tools, and other materials tonight."
"Cool. I'll tune in on the walkie talkie soon then."
"Alright. Now its time to put Operation Win-the-science-fair-without-being-caught-by-my-sisters-and-possibly-going-into-the-Michigan-State-Fair-and-to-think-of-a-shorter-name-for-this-operation... into action!"
Lincoln really did love his operation names.
Saying good-bye to Clyde, Lincoln started off towards his house. He examined the trees, the animals, and the sky. It was all too beautiful. One never realizes the beauty of nature until he focuses on it. How strange it is that even a miniscule thing can make a difference in beauty, as a single person can change the world. All of these thoughts were cycling in his head on the way home. He found it odd that philosophical thoughts came out of nowhere. Nevertheless, he made it to his house by 6:45, fifteen minutes before his deadline. When he entered the building, he found his sisters either watching T.V. or up to their own activities. Luna casually asked Lincoln how his day was, To Lincoln responded in a positive note and gave her a thumbs up, which Luna caught onto and smiled. He went up to his room, and started on his homework. After all, the more time for the project and plans, the better.
In an hour and a half, He was done with English, Social Science, and Science. Maths he knew would take some more time so He would do it before bed. Which gave him time until supper to talk to Clyde and discuss his plans. However, he knew the walls of the house were thinner than paper, with respect to sound. So He had to go somewhere else. The basement was not an option as It was too dark, and no one went in there willingly. The Vents weren't safe either, and were way to dusty. He decided that the attic was the best option, but he had to go there unnoticed. He peeked in every room of the house, and the saw that everyone was doing their own thing.. Leni was telling Lori about some fashion magazine, which the latter seemed interested in. Luna was jamming off as usual, and Luan was writing jokes in her joke book. Lynn was probably training in her room, and Lola and Lana were fighting as usual over some object. Lisa was conducting an experiment with something labeled Phosphorous Pentachloride and Water. He saw that some fumes were coming out of the beaker and thinking something was going to explode, he rushed towards the living room to avoid the blast, and he saw Lily playing with some toys. He soon smelled the scent of goulash, and figured Dad was in the kitchen, and Rita was apparently reading a book in the dining room.
Seeing the coast clear, he set off to the attic, and quickly climbed the ladder. He scrambled to a corner with a chair, and turned on this walkie talkie.
"Clyde? You there? over."
"Yup. I'm here, over."
"Ah good. We can finally talk about the plan then.
Just as Lincoln was about to speak however, he was interrupted.
"Lincoln."
Lincoln was startled and stumbled into a stack of boxes, one of which fell on the floor with a large 'Thud'.
"Geez Lucy, can't you give me a tap on the shoulder or something?"
"I'm sorry, I guess it's a habit." She said in her usual monotone voice.
"It's ok I guess. What do you need?" "I need help with my poem. I can't find a rhyme for 'Ire'
"I think 'Satire' should be a good one."
"Hmm... that sounds good. Thanks again Lincoln."
"No problem. Can you go somewhere else for a little while Lucy?, I have to talk to Clyde about something... private."
"Ok, I'll write my poem in the vents then.
"Thanks for understanding Lucy."
Before he even saw her, Lucy was gone.
"Hello? Lincoln? Do you copy?"
"Oh Sorry Clyde, Lucy startled me, and I fell into a stack of boxes."
"Figured it, I heard a thud on your end."
"Anyway, so about the plan..."
Lincoln took a quick glance around to see if anyone was lurking around. Satisfied he saw nothing, he divulged his thoughts on the project.
"Well I think we should do the project at your house. Mine is much too unsafe cause of my sisters."
"I agree. I think we can do the manual work at my house, and research at our respective houses. That way we can finish the main part project quickly, and that leaves some time for other accessories to make it better."
"Alright Clyde, I think Weekends should be reserved for the Display board, and the aesthetic looks and crafting etc. We have 3 weeks until the Fair. It would be best if we finish it a half week before, so we can revise and see for any mistakes."
"Sounds good. Lets do a little research before bed, and look at the broad idea on an online encyclopedia. Tomorrow we can plan out the main bits, after school make a stop at the library, check out books related to Solar power, and drop them off at my house. Later we ca research more thoroughly, and get started on the board by the weekend."
"Yeah, but we still gotta think of something that makes it more attractive, and interesting. A display will be too boring. We will have to make something, like a model, or do an experiment to show something."
"I'm sure an idea will come around when we start researching."
They then talked about various materials required for the project and planning necessities, Like a board, construction material, and other parts needed like a printer and computer for designing. But soon, The bellow of Mr. Loud signaled dinnertime.
"Well, looks like its dinnertime. See you tomorrow at school. Bye Lincoln."
"Goodnight Clyde."
While enjoying their goulash, the Louds talked about their day. Lincoln cooked up a believable story about their hangout at the Library, that most dismissed as a nerdy activity and/or ignored him completely. Luna was the only one who was interested in hearing it. After dinner was over, everyone went to their own rooms, while Lincoln hurried to his and started his homework. He had finished half wen he saw it was 9:45. He had to be in bed by 10:30, so he decided to do the other half tomorrow at school during a free period. He put all his stationery and books in his bookbag, and started his laptop. He read an article on Infopedia on solar power. It showed the history, general working, and use of the solar panel. He read it thoroughly, and jotted down important points in an empty notebook. Soon, he switched it off, put the notebook in the front zipper of his bag, and turned his alarm to 6:00 am, thirty minutes before his usual waking time. this gave him time to talk to his parents about the registration for the fair before they left for work.
He switched his lamp off and fell into a calm, relaxed sleep.
Hey everyone, First of all, sorry for the delay in this chapter. I got Writer's Block while thinking of what to write for this chapter. In the story, it looks like Lincoln finally got an idea of the project he is gonna be doing, and looks like things are going well. But will they continue to? Only time will tell. This is Yanwiz, and I'll be back with a new chapter soon.
See ya!