Super Howie & the Science Fair

 story & illustration © 2001 Bruce Van Patter
I
thought I had the perfect science project. First prize was going to be mine.
After all, who else in the school had figured out how to get superpowers? Just me. Well, I don't exactly know how I did it. Okay, to tell the truth, it was all by accident. I didn't plan on finding that glowing triangle. And I sure didn't plan to have my kid brother sneak it under his pillow all night. But when he woke up and lifted my bed over his head, I knew the Science Fair first prize was mine.

It took some heavy promises to make him put on the costume I made for him and come with me as my experiment. Howie can be such a pain. I even let him play Ape Invaders, my favorite video game. But it was worth it to have a shot at beating Trey, the whiz kid of fifth grade.
So imagine how upset I was when I walked by Trey's display, and there was the most amazing model of an alien I've ever seen. I mean, it looked so real it was creepy. On top of its short body was a long stretchy neck with a slit for a mouth and one, unblinking eyeball. Trey even gave it shiny silver clothes.

Rats! He was bound to win with this thing. But how did he make it so real?

He was talking to some teachers, so I snuck up and got a close look. Its orange skin even had bumps on it.

Then the eyeball turned to me. The little mouth said, "Where is my zeron triangle, you dirty Earthling thief?"
It's Your Story - Knock, knock. Howie. Howie gonna end this one?

What will the alien do to our hero? Who will end up with the triangle? Why is the alien there? And... how long will it take before Howie owns that copy of Ape Invaders?

Have fun -- finish the story -- and be creative! Why email me not your ending to me!
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