The Tale of Two Cities
A Jello House On the Moon
Bobby only wanted a fish. Just a fish, more than all the Jello in the world. When the day of his seventh birthday came, his mom finally got him one: a perfect orange goldfish that he named Noodle. Bobby took Noodle everywhere: to the neighborhood swimming pool, to the annual summer foot race, and to his tree house in his backyard. Bobby made sure that Noodle always had shade, especially in the hot Florida sun.
One day, Bobby noticed that Noodle just swam in circles all day. Bobby loved to play on the playground equipment, but Noodle did not get to do anything outside of his fish bowl. Bobby thought that Noodle looked bored. So Bobby crept out of his bedroom, looked to see his mom in the kitchen baking chocolate chip cookies, and tiptoed to get his mom’s new, expensive vacuum cleaner. Once back inside his room, Bobby plugged in the vacuum cleaner. He gently held Noodle in his hand and whispered, “Have fun,” before sucking helpless Noodle into the wand attachment of the vacuum cleaner. Suddenly, the vacuum cleaner sputtered and stopped. Bobby looked at the vacuum speechless. He only wanted to give Noodle a ride. Now Noodle’s body lay in shreds and his mom’s vacuum cleaner in ruins. “Mom is going to be mad at me,” Bobby thought. So he either had to tell his mom or run away to avoid the punishment. Bobby decided to run away to the moon to build a house of Jello on the moon, so he could live there and eat Jello for every meal. Bobby slowly slipped out of his window on a bed sheet and plopped on to the soft, green grass of his backyard. He then dashed to his tree house, which held twenty packets of strawberry Jello to get ready to go to the moon. As Bobby hid in his tree house, his mom peeked in his room to see if he wanted any cookies. What she saw shocked her, her vacuum cleaner destroyed, Bobby’s fish in shreds, and a bed sheet leading out the window. She pieced together what had happened and went to find Bobby in his tree house.
Bobby only wanted a fish. Just a fish, more than all the Jello in the world. When the day of his seventh birthday came, his mom finally got him one: a perfect orange goldfish that he named Noodle. Bobby took Noodle everywhere: to the neighborhood swimming pool, to the annual summer foot race, and to his tree house in his backyard. Bobby made sure that Noodle always had shade, especially in the hot Florida sun.
One day, Bobby noticed that Noodle just swam in circles all day. Bobby loved to play on the playground equipment, but Noodle did not get to do anything outside of his fish bowl. Bobby thought that Noodle looked bored. So Bobby crept out of his bedroom, looked to see his mom in the kitchen baking chocolate chip cookies, and tiptoed to get his mom’s new, expensive vacuum cleaner. Once back inside his room, Bobby plugged in the vacuum cleaner. He gently held Noodle in his hand and whispered, “Have fun,” before sucking helpless Noodle into the wand attachment of the vacuum cleaner. Suddenly, the vacuum cleaner sputtered and stopped. Bobby looked at the vacuum speechless. He only wanted to give Noodle a ride. Now Noodle’s body lay in shreds and his mom’s vacuum cleaner in ruins. “Mom is going to be mad at me,” Bobby thought. So he either had to tell his mom or run away to avoid the punishment. Bobby decided to run away to the moon to build a house of Jello on the moon, so he could live there and eat Jello for every meal. Bobby slowly slipped out of his window on a bed sheet and plopped on to the soft, green grass of his backyard. He then dashed to his tree house, which held twenty packets of strawberry Jello to get ready to go to the moon. As Bobby hid in his tree house, his mom peeked in his room to see if he wanted any cookies. What she saw shocked her, her vacuum cleaner destroyed, Bobby’s fish in shreds, and a bed sheet leading out the window. She pieced together what had happened and went to find Bobby in his tree house.