Carly and the Unexpected Find
By JT
An Adventure of the Flyers
It was a beautiful day for flying when Carly arrived at the hangar in Snap.
She parked beside the open doors and was checking her camera when Mission Control brought out a list.
“The available birdhouses,” said Mission Control. “We need a clear picture of each one for the board.”
Carly looked down the list.
“One picture of every house. Got it.”
She tucked the list beside her seat and pulled down her goggles.
Put-put-put-put…
Snap rolled across the grass and lifted over the fence.
At the first birdhouse, Carly made a wide circle. She lined up the entrance as Snap flew past.
Click!
At the next house, she photographed the roof and the shady branch beside it.
Click!
One by one, the houses came off her list.
Carly was turning toward the last house when she noticed something hanging between two branches.
It was small and brown, with a little opening at one end.
She checked her list.
Then she looked again.
“That house isn’t on here.”
Carly brought Snap around for a closer look.
The little house turned gently in the breeze. Something silver flashed around it.
Threads.
She raised her camera.
Then something moved inside the opening.
Carly lowered the camera.
“Wait a minute.”
One long leg reached out.
Then another.
Then—
“Oh, wow!”
A spider emerged from the little brown shelter and stepped onto a web.
Now Carly could see it: a curled leaf tucked among the threads.
“That house is occupied!”
Carly banked Snap to keep the spider in view.
She lifted her camera as it moved toward the middle of the web.
But Snap was still turning.
Ahead, a branch swept into view.
“Oh no!”
Carly dropped the camera against its strap and turned Snap away.
The branch passed beside the wing.
A loose leaf fluttered through the open cockpit and slapped against her goggles.
For a moment, everything was brown.
Carly shook it free and flew out over the open yard.
“That was close.”
She put both wings back on the controls.
After a wide turn, Carly came around again.
This time, she kept Snap well clear of the branches.
The spider stood in the web, its legs spread across the shining threads.
Carly lined up her view before lifting
Carly headed toward the final birdhouse.
She still had a job to finish.
One circle. One clear view of the entrance.
Click!
Every house was accounted for.
Snap turned toward home.
Back at Mission Control, Carly handed over her photographs.
“Every available birdhouse?”
“Every one.”
Mission Control looked through them.
Then the spider appeared.
“And who’s this?”
“The resident of a house that wasn’t on my list.”
Carly explained the curled leaf, the web, and the spider.
She also mentioned the branch.
“How close?” asked Mission Control.
“Close enough.”
Mission Control looked at her goggles. A small piece of leaf was still caught beneath the strap.
Carly brushed it away.
Mission Control approved the birdhouse photographs, then paused at the picture of the spider in its web.
“We’ll put this one under Caught Passing By.”
Something fluttered past the hangar doors.
Carly reached for her camera and started toward Snap.
“Carly?”
She stopped and looked back.
“One more picture.”
The End
Another Adventure of the Flyers