The Need for Travel

The Need for Travel
by E.J.

Ever hear of a fire hydrant with feet? Well here is the story... It was a downright horrible summer day for Jake, a lonely fire hydrant with a need for travel. Every day was the same, he met gross dogs that came to give him nightmares. He just wanted to see "The Beyond".

Every day was getting more boring until the Fire Department came. Bright, brilliant orange stuff erupted from the building! "These could be the fireworks my uncle told me about," he figured. Then, to Jake's surprise, men in red suits came to him and plugged their hoses into his arms and shot weird, white-blue stuff out of the hose and at the fireworks! And that was the end of the fireworks! "What a bunch of meanies," he thought.

A few days later, Jake saw someone walking towards him! "Step away," Jake warned. The child's face looked bewildered and as fast as he came, he left. After a few more days, the same kid walked up to Jake with something that looked like a metal cap coated with multi-colored crystals.

"This will get rid of the dogs," the kid said. And it worked! Jake never saw a dog again.

It was June, and Jake's birthday was having a bad start: first, his machine that repelled dogs broke and there was a dog show across the street. But he should have been able to control himself because now he was 3,000 and that is like 9 in child years. That same kid came walking up the street.

"Hi," were the gloomy words that came out of Jake's mouth. "Happy Birthday, and by the way , my name is Paul and my dad is a scientist, "the kid said as he flicked a royal blue jellybean in Jake's awfully surprised mouth. Then Jake felt sleepy...

When Jake woke up, the kid was gone again! But he had stupendous arms! Amazing legs! "Wow," said the most revved-up-and-readiest fire hydrant on planet Earth! He started running until he reached warp factor five and was the "Red Blur" in the newspaper. Free and excited, Jake sped through the world with extreme speed. But now, Jake is rarely sighted. Though, if you know him, you'll see him quite a lot.