CHAPTER 4
Maxwell had become something of a local hero. He used his Notebook wisely. He had heard the stories of the Scribblenauts who had abused their Notebooks too much. They'd run their ink dry. Since the ink came from just below the Earth's crust, it had a huge effect on the land above it. Too much ink used without a chance for it to regenerate, and the land became dry and desolate. That was something Max wanted to avoid. Whenever he found a problem that needed to be solved, he set a limit for himself. A kind of 'par.' He wouldn't get to upset if he had to go above it, but it was something he tried to keep within.
He also made sure to use his Notebook for the good of the people. A lot of new Scribblenauts would go slightly mad with the power, writing various types of entertainment and food so they wouldn't have to leave their room. What these Scribblenauts lacked was experience. What Max didn't have in age, he tried to make up for with wise decisions.
Finally, he made sure to put on a show. Maxwell had always enjoyed impressing people, and being a Scribblenaut gave him one of the best chances in the world to do just that. Where most people would consider a pair of scissors, he'd consider a bow and arrow. Where it would be obvious to use a bridge, he'd use a catapult. Maxwell considered this one of the biggest reasons why instead of calling for help, many people in his area would call for Prodigy. He did admit, however, that on the rare occasion that he couldn't think of an over-the-top way to complete his goal, a helicopter and a rope would usually do the trick. For these reasons, Max could usually count upon anyone in need to smile when they saw him coming. Their problem was as good as solved. This was also the reason he felt a bit jealous when another Scriblenaut moved into the area. He wasn't upset immediatley, but it began to sink in after a while that he was going to have some competition. They met innocently enough.
"Hi. I'm new here."
"Hello! My mom said there were going to be new neighbors coming in, so she baked you guys some cookies. Here you go!"
"Thanks! Oh, and next time you want to convince someone your mom baked them cookies, don't write them in the Book in broad daylight."
"Heh, heh. Oops."
"I'm Joel. I'm a Scribblenaut, too."
"I'm Max."
Joel nodded towards the Notebook that was poking out of his backpack.
"Prodigy." Max, shaking Joel's hand.
"Blackink." Joel replied. "I'll see you around, okay?"
"Okay!"