It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad Air Vehicle

Once, once, once, once upon a time, there was a girl named Samantha who lived in a clock tower. She wasn't little, but she wasn't a giant either. She was a teenager.

Samantha lived with one brother, one sister, and her father. Her mother had died several years ago during one of the first bombings of the New War.

A new business called Strayberhagen opened across the street, and they decided to hold a race as part of their grand-opening. The prize was a mystery, but Samantha and her family wanted it anyway.

Since the rest of her family was pretty selfish, Samantha entered the race on her own. So did her family members and some other weird people and things. There was a robot named Robot, a team made up of an eagle and several ducks, an octopus, and a mailman, just to mention a few.

The head of Strayberhagen told everyone where the race started and where it ended. Then he explained that everyone would have to make their own vehicles. But not just any vehicles, air vehicles!

The mailman raised his hand and asked, “But what if we don't know how to make an air vehicle?”

“Then,” said the head of Strayberhagen, “try anyway!”

Everyone set to work, building different things because they had no idea what crazy things the other racers would build.

Samantha knew how to fly a stunt plane with lasers and shields. She'd learned it in dangerous plane weapons class at school, which was required before graduation due to the New War with the Enemies. Just in case, she'd also taken the extra credit course on how to build one, so she made one of those.

The mailman built a helicopter that delivered mail so that he could do his job while racing.

The octopus built a water-powered coral rocket. It was pretty, but Samantha wasn't sure how well it would fly.

Robot the Robot built a hovercraft, the eagles and the ducks made a zeppelin, Samantha's little sister put together a pink hot-air balloon, and her brother constructed an airplane shaped like a guitar. Samantha's father also made a hovercraft, like Robot, but his had blades that looked like the hands of a clock. There were a few other crazy entries, but Samantha didn't have time to look at them all.

Then there was the old man who misheard the type of race and thought it was supposed to be a bear race, not an air race. He showed up with a bear. Everyone laughed, but the head of Strayberhagen said he was allowed to be in the race if he could find a way to make his bear fly. So he hurried home to make a pair of metal wings to strap to the bear.

The race started just after lunch. It was a good beginning time because everyone was awake and had a chance to eat first.

Taking the lead, the octopus got right in front of the robot, and Robot, worried the water would short him out, turned on his shields. In the rear was the zeppelin with the birds in it and the old man with the bear. Everyone else was in the middle, though the mailman soon dropped to last because he was on a tight schedule and had to make a lot of stops.

The race course went right over water. Samantha shot one of her lasers into her little sister's air balloon and it sunk. Samantha wasn't worried though, because she knew her sister could swim.

The octopus also attacked. He shot bubbles of water behind him at anyone who got close. The robot was fine behind his shields, but the other people the octopus shot at were hit and went down. Samantha had shields, but decided to keep away from the octopus for now anyway.

The birds got ahead by shooting ducks at the people in front of them. After they hit, the ducks would fly back to the zeppelin to be launched again. Samantha decided to stay away from them too.

Eventually, it started to rain. Luckily, there was no lightening so they didn't have to stop the race. Robot the Robot put an umbrella over him in addition to his shields. It never hurts to be careful.

Then a sea monster showed up!

The monster had a trunk, which it used to blow contestants away.

Samantha zapped the monster with lasers until it swam down under water to get away from her.

Only a few racers were left. There was Samantha, the old man on the bear, the birds, the octopus, and the robot. All of Samantha's family members were gone and the mailman was still trying to finish his route.

Eventually, they saw the finish line. The mailman had taken a shortcut and got in the lead. He soon had a whole flock of ducks after him, but the blades of his helicopter scared them away and he stayed in the race to finish in a tie with the bird zeppelin, the old man on the bear, and the octopus.

Samantha was last of the all the people who finished. She was sad at the start of the awards, but then the head of Strayberhagen said, “In this race, there's a twist! The competitor that finished last, but did finish, is the winner! Congratulations, Samantha! You've won a free key chain!”

“What?” yelled the old man. “I taught a bear to fly just so a teenager could get a free key chain?”

“Well,” said the head of Strayberhagen, “you should have asked what the prize was.”

“It was a mystery prize!”

“Ah,” said the head of Strayberhagen, “but it wouldn't have been if you'd asked.”

The old man glared him, released the bear, and yelled, “Attack!”

The head of Strayberhagen and the rest of the Strayberhagen body ran for their lives.

Samantha didn't know why the old man had sent the bear after them, because the race was pretty fun even if the prize was lame.

All of the final competitors became really good friends and lived happily ever after.

THE END