Hello everyone! This is my first story. I apologize in advance for grammatical errors. English is not my native language. I hope you enjoy it:D
1. A Small Beginning Of A Great Story
It was autumn. The leaves on the trees had long since turned yellow, and people were hiding in their homes. Only a little girl with blond braids could be seen in the streets of the city. She was carrying a school bag on her back and running to the police station.
"Hello, Mrs. Wilson, haven't you seen my mom?" the little girl greeted as she closed the door behind her.
"Yes, she is in her office, but now they have some session. Most likely, they are discussing the bank robbery that happened last Thursday," the receptionist replied.
"Thank you. I'll wait here for her."
The little girl sat in a chair in the hall and stared at the glass showcase in front of her. It was full of police trophies. On each shelf she saw diplomas, cups, medals and, most importantly, a lot of awards left behind by the best police officers. In the middle of it all stood a black-and-white photograph. The entire Metrocity police department was photographed here. All the police officers here were wearing uniforms, except for one man. This man looked very familiar to the little girl. He was wearing a trench coat and a hat. The same hat lay on the shelf above. On the pedestal was written in gold: Dedicated to the memory of the world-famous Inspector Gadget. The girl smiled slightly.
"Melissa, what are you doing here? Don't you have to be in school?" asked a beautiful woman with long blond hair who opened the office door.
"Hi Mom. The P.E. teacher is ill, so we finished a little earlier," the little girl replied.
"Never mind, I'm finished. Wait, I'll take a few things and we'll go home."
"OK, I'll help you," Melissa said with a smile.
The office was clean and cozy. In the center stood a large table with a brass nameplate. The nameplate stated "Chief Gadget".
"I have to sign all these documents over the weekend," Melissa's mother said as she handed her daughter a pile of papers.
"Don't forget the keys!" Mellisa pointed out.
"Oh, you see! I would almost forget again," her mother smiled and grabbed the car keys that lay on the table next to a small family portrait. There was the same man with a hat. He was holding his little niece and dog. Everyone was smiling.
"What about school? Do you already know results of the math test?" her mother asked as she opened the car door.
"Yes. I have A+!" Melissa said with a smile.
"How else. I don't even have to ask you that next time," Mom laughed.
It was evening when they got home. Melissa turned on the lights in the hall and began looking at the photos on the walls. The man with the hat was probably everywhere. Wherever her mother was.
"Mom!?" Melissa called.
"Yes sweetheart?" mom replied.
"Do you remember great-uncle Gadget?" Melissa asked her.
Mom stopped for a moment. "Yes. I still remember him. We lived together for many years," she said sadly.
"What was he like? Everyone says he was a great detective," her little daughter asked her.
"He wasn't just great. He was the greatest," Mom said as she reached for one of the photos. "He was the kindest and bravest man I have ever known,"
"They say they called him Inspector Gadget because he had a lot of gadgets. They say he could stretch his legs and arms the way he wanted, and he could even fly,"
"Yes. That's all true," mom sighed.
"Mommy?" Melissa asked.
"What's up, honey?" the woman replied to her daughter.
"Could you...tell me more about him?" her daughter asked a second time.
The woman with long blond hair nodded and smiled. "Of course I can."
In a moment in the attic ...
It was dark everywhere. There were lots of old junk on the floor, such as bicycles, boxes of clothes, and toys. Old furniture was covered in white sheets. There were all the things no one used anymore.
"What are we looking for?" Melissa asked.
"It was a big ..." Melissa's mother shone a flashlight on a large box. "Here it is!" she shouted happily.
When Melissa opened it, she couldn't believe what she saw inside. It was her great-uncle's personal belongings. Nothing was missing. Inside was a folded trench coat, white shirt, blue pants, boots, brown gloves, and even the exact same hat.
"I wonder if it still works," her mother said as she pulled the hat out of the box. She held it for a moment, then put it on her head. The hat opened. A robotic arm emerged from inside. It waved a greeting and shook her mom's right hand as a sign of friendship.
"It still works,"mom laughed. "Thank you, nice to see you too," she said, and the robotic arm hid back inside the hat.
"So it's really true that he had a lot of hands," Melissa was shocked.
"As you can see, it is. But I can't understand how my uncle could have worn it all these years. It's very heavy. I would never sleep with that," she told her daughter and taking off her uncle's hat.
"Did he sleep with it?" Melissa asked in surprise.
"Yes. He never went anywhere without his hat," mom replied.
Melissa reached carefully into the box again and pulled out a small velvet box. A police badge glittered inside. Mom couldn't keep the tears in her eyes.
"I guess I could start telling now, don't you think?" she told Melissa as she tried to hide her tears.
"Yes please! Tell me the story about great-uncle Gadget," Melissa begged.
"Well. Sit next to me and listen," she told her daughter.
Melissa snuggled up to her mother, who began to tell the story.
To be continued...