Binky's Lawn Mowing Business

Chapter 1: Bionic Bunny Deluxe

It was a fair Monday afternoon in Elwood City, Pennsylvania. The kids had just been released from school, and instantly, they rushed across town to the toy store. Buster told them all that the new Bionic Bunny Deluxe action figure was finally available, and the kids wanted to beat the crowd before they had to wait in a long line.

Arthur, Buster, Francine, Binky, and Muffy looked through the window of the toy store. The action figure stood 1-½ feet high, and it had 30 action phrases. The entire toy was painted gold. It could even fly in the air, and a remote control came with it to navigate it.

"There it is…" Arthur sighed. "The Bionic Bunny deluxe."

"Hurry," Buster said, looking over his shoulder. "I already see a monster load of kids running toward the store!"

The kids ran inside and went to the window-shelf and picked up five boxes that contained the Bionic Bunny Deluxe. They took them to the cashier, and he rang up the price. "The total cost is $1,000," he said.

"One-thousand dollars," Arthur moaned. "We don't have that much."

"I do," Muffy said. She paid the cashier.

"Have a nice day," the cashier said. The kids then walked out of the store together.

"Muffy, thanks a lot for buying us those Bionic Bunny toys. Whew, that would have been embarrassing if we didn't have any money," Binky said.

"Buying you those toys? These are for me!" Muffy said.

"Why do you need five action figures?" Francine demanded.

"I'm starting a collection," Muffy stated. "In 20 years, I will have a lot of these Bionic Bunny action figures, and they will be worth a fortune since nobody else will keep theirs in mint condition." She scoffed, held her nose up in the air and walked off snobbishly.

"Aww, I hate Muffy. She's such a rich snob," Buster said.

"I'm going to pound her," Binky said, sounding mad.

"No, let's not hit anybody," Buster said. "Maybe our parents will give us enough money to buy them."

"All right, let's see…Muffy bought 5 toys for $1,000, so that means that each toy is worth $200," Francine calculated.

"Well…that is a lot of money. I don't know…" Arthur said.

"Come on, Arthur. Parents always want to spoil their kids with lavish gifts," Buster said. "They'll give us the money."

"All right…I guess we'll each try," Arthur said.

At home, Arthur entered the living room and saw his mother at the computer. "Mom…"

"Yes, Arthur?" she asked.

"Can…I have enough money to buy the new Bionic Bunny Deluxe? It's really cool. It can fly in the air, it's painted gold, it's 1-½ feet high –"

"How much?" his mother sighed.

"Not much…just $200," Arthur mumbled.

"Two-hundred dollars!" Arthur's mother sounded shocked. "I'm sorry, Arthur, but we don't have that kind of money right now. "That's a lot of money for an action figure."

Arthur sulked and walked out of the living room. He knew who he could try next…his father. He was always fairly lenient with Arthur, so there was a chance he might give him at least half the money.

Arthur found his father in the kitchen baking a cake. "Dad…can I borrow some money for this really cool action figure?"

"How much does it cost, Arthur?" his father asked.

"Just $200," Arthur said quickly.

"Whoa, Arthur, that's an awful lot of money for a toy. You know, when I was a kid, my father always told me that if I wanted to buy something, I had to work for it. Why don't you get a job and earn the money yourself?"

"Hmm…that sounds like a good idea. I hadn't thought about that. It'll be really cool to have a job. Thanks, Dad," Arthur said. He left the kitchen and went to his room to talk on the phone. He dialed Buster's number, and then, he set it up so he could conference call with Francine and Binky. "Guys, I couldn't get the money," Arthur said. Everyone else informed Arthur that their parents would not give them money either. "My dad said I should work for it."

"That's a great idea, Arthur!" Buster said. "I know – we open a shop called 'Alien Planet.' It'll have alien shirts, alien drinks, alien toys, alien photos, and a real live U.F.O. and real live aliens!"

Everyone on the phone was silent for a moment. "Buster, this is a part-time job we're talking about," Francine said. "If we spend money trying to open your store up, we'll end up losing money in the short-term. We need something simple."

"How about…we babysit?" suggested Arthur.

"Babysitting's for girls," Binky complained. "I've got a much better idea: let's mow people's lawns!"

Everyone seemed in favor of Binky's idea. Most of their parents already owned lawn mowers, so they could borrow them for their job. "Okay, then it's agreed. We'll mow lawns," Arthur said. Everyone agreed to call the company Binky's Lawn Mowing Service, as it was his idea after all. They then worked out the hours. Each would mow a lawn after school on the weekdays for $7 an hour. They hung up when all the details were worked out. All the kids felt excited. They were finally going to work at a business and make enough money to buy their beloved Bionic Bunny Deluxes.