Rodee and the Missing Pencil
By JT
Rodee climbed into Look-See for his morning patrol.
There were birdhouses to check, fences to fly over, and plenty to look at around the yard.
He started the engine and headed out.
At the far end of the yard, something red caught his eye.
Rodee leaned over for a better look.
“Well, what’s that doing down there?”
He circled back and flew a little lower.
A red pencil lay in the grass.
“Isn’t that Mission Control’s pencil?”
Mission Control was always looking for that thing.
Rodee glanced toward the shop, then found a clear spot to land.
He might as well bring it back.
From the air, the pencil hadn’t looked all that big.
Standing beside it was another matter.
Rodee tried lifting it with one wing, then both. One end barely came off the ground.
“Good grief. How does Mission Control manage to lose something this big?”
After plenty of tugging, Rodee dragged the pencil over to Look-See.
He lifted one end and tried sliding it into the cockpit.
It wouldn’t fit. The pencil was nearly as long as the airplane.
“Well, that’s not going to work.”
Then he remembered the cargo straps in Look-See’s storage compartment.
If the pencil wouldn’t fit inside, perhaps he could carry it underneath.
Rodee worked the straps around it, tugging and adjusting until the pencil was in place.
He stepped back to look.
“That ought to do it.”
Look-See rolled across the grass and lifted off.
Then the pencil slid sideways, pulling the airplane into a tilt.
“Whoa! Hang on there!”
Rodee steadied Look-See and brought it back down.
Apparently, that hadn’t done it.
Back on the ground, Rodee tightened the loose strap and added another.
This time, he gave the pencil a firm tug from each side.
It stayed put.
On the next takeoff, Look-See climbed steadily.
“Now that’s more like it.”
Near the big oak, a gust caught Look-See.
The airplane tipped sharply. Leaves rushed past the cockpit, and Rodee felt the pencil tug underneath.
He worked the controls as the branches drew closer.
“Come on, Look-See!”
Rodee brought Look-See level and steered away from the branches.
Then he spotted a strap flapping beneath the airplane. The pencil had begun to move.
He eased into a wide turn toward the hangar, keeping Look-See as steady as he could.
No more sharp turns with that thing underneath.
The Flyers Hangar came into view. Rodee lined up Look-See and carefully brought it down.
Mission Control came over as Rodee climbed out.
“Well, there’s my pencil! Where’d you find it?”
“Far end of the yard,” Rodee said. “It’s heavier than it looks.”
Mission Control helped unfasten the straps.
“Thanks, Rodee. I’ve been looking all over for that.”
Rodee watched him carry it toward the workbench.
At least that was taken care of.
That afternoon, Mission Control was back at the workbench, building another birdhouse.
He reached for his pencil, checked beside the saw, and lifted a few boards.
“Now where did I put that pencil?”
Rodee could see it sticking out from underneath a piece of cedar.
He looked at the pencil. Then he looked at Mission Control.
The pencil hadn’t even made it through the afternoon.
The End