The Cold

1. What was your favorite part?
2. What are your thoughts on both of the inventions?
3. Do you have any invention ideas? Two more I have are a treadmill controlled by Eleanor and a super cold ice bath.
4. If you were in Henry’s position which one would you like more? (Vacuum or lasers)
5. If you were in Henry’s position how would you react?

These next 5 questions are about dialogue. Answer them if you were in Henry’s position. Try to be as specific as possible.
6. When Eleanor shows the vacuum.
7. When the vacuum is being used on you.
8. When she starts taking off your shoes and socks.
9. When the lasers first hit the soles of your feet.
10. How you would react to each color (level) of the lasers (blue/green)?

11th grade student Eleanor Clark was trying to win the annual science fair yet again. This would be her third year of trying to claim the top prize of $500 as in the years past her inventions hadn’t always gone according to plan. This year was different though. Her friend Samantha’s ten year old brother Henry had recently come down with a really bad cold; that gave Eleanor an idea.
After school Eleanor invited Henry over to her house. Henry was glad Eleanor was willing to help him out. Eleanor’s room locked like a laboratory with the amount of science related stuff strewn around everywhere. Henry was wondering what exactly what was going to be in store for him. Before Henry could even think about heading out, Eleanor went ahead and sat him down on her bed.
“Okay Henry tell me exactly what’s wrong with you,” questioned Eleanor.
“Well I’ve been having this really bad cough,” Henry let out a few coughs to demonstrate, “And a runny nose and I think I have a fever.” That summed up all of Henry’s known ailments.
Eleanor was sure that her methods of treatment would work. “Perfect. I’ll have you cured in no time.”
Henry watched as Eleanor reached down on the ground and picked up what looked to be a vacuum cleaner with a smaller hose attached to the end of it.
“Stick out your tongue,” demanded Eleanor.
“Ahhhh,” said Henry as he stuck out his tongue with wide eyes.
Soon enough Eleanor turned on the contraption, raised the hose to Henry’s mouth, and stuck it right on his tongue.
“Gaugh. What is this?” cried as his tongue was stuck inside the vacuum cleaner hose. Henry was questioning why he didn’t run away to begin with.
“Oh this is just a tongue vacuum!” Eleanor shouted over the humming of the machine.
“A tongue vacuum?” Henry was beginning to question Eleanor’s expertise as his arms and legs flailed.
“Yes, those germs are getting sucked right off of your tongue!” shouted Eleanor.
Eleanor let the machine run for a few more seconds before shutting it off. Henry fell back onto the bed as he was now able to catch his breath. After a few seconds of panting, Henry sat back up.
“Let me see it,” instructed Eleanor.
Henry was worried that Eleanor was going to try and stick the hose back onto his tongue once again. Although this idea worried him, Henry stuck out his tongue for the inventor to examine it with her fingers.
“Hmm. It still looks germy,” taking her hands away from Henry’s tongue, she motioned over to her contraption. “Maybe this thing doesn’t suck enough.”
“Trust me it does,” cried Henry as he nervously stared at the strange contraption.
Henry lied down in the bed as Eleanor set up her next invention. He was glad Eleanor suggested to rest as he was wondering if he would ever be cured. He was still coughing, his nose was still runny, and he was pretty sure he still had a fever. But suddenly Henry felt a breeze on his feet. Eleanor had taken off his right shoe and sock.
Henry coughed a couple of times then asked, “Why are you taking off my shoes?”
“I’m going to cure you by applying lasers to the soles of your feet,” Eleanor answered as she removed Henry’s left shoe and sock.
“What’s that mean?!” said Henry.
“It involves the nervous system,” explained Eleanor as she made sure Henry’s feet were secured in metal ankle stocks at the end of the bed.
Henry was worried what was going to happen as the last two inventions didn’t exactly turn out as planned. “Can I please leave?”
Eleanor had a smirk on her face. “No.” She reached for a pair of goggles and placed them into position.
“This is weird,” said Henry, feeling like a lab rat.
“Ready?” asked Eleanor.
“No,” Henry answered fearfully.
Eleanor went ahead and picked up her remote control and aimed it at Henry’s bare feet. By pressing the round button on the device an arcing bolt of blue laser light shot out, forked, and found its twin targets in that being the soles of Henry’s feet. The lasers played on the soles of Henry’s feet, going up and down, up and down. With that Henry began to convulse with some light giggles.
“That tickles!” Henry gasped as his feet flailed all around in their restraints.
Eleanor stopped the device. “Do you feel any better?”
Henry lifted his head and with a hint of anger shouted, “No!” His uncontrollable laughter did not match his current frustrations. He was wondering what he had gotten himself into with this one.
Henry went ahead and lied back down on the bed and began a coughing fit. Eleanor was wondering what went wrong with the invention.
“I’ll adjust the laser saturation!” exclaimed Eleanor.
“Huh?” asked Henry.
Eleanor turned up the dial on the remote up a notch and pressed the round button once again. This time the lasers were green.
“Ahh,” Henry screamed and laughed.
The green lasers were more intense than the blue lasers as Henry was laughing even harder this time around.
“It’s not making me better!” Henry laughed with his hands on his knees.
Eleanor immediately turned up the device to the highest level, which made red lasers emerge. Henry pounded on the bed with his fists as his body jerked all around. Henry’s protests were being drowned out by his hysterical laughter. The color of the lasers hitting Henry’s feet were growing brighter and brighter. Eleanor gave it another minute and then stopped. Thank goodness that was over.
Henry let out a cough.
“Ugh! Really? After all this time?” Eleanor sounded frustrated.
“I think you need to get me some medicine,” said Henry.
It seemed as if Henry’s cold would not be cured by the wacky inventions and Eleanor would need to think of another project for the up and coming science fair.