
Dedicated to Stanley and Jayne,our parents, and to Marsha,for her inspiration
Even if you had seen it with your own two eyes, chances are you wouldn't have believed it. For what happened to four young boys on that magical day had never happened before and would probably never happen again.
The four boys were brothers. Mike, Chipp, Randy, and Rod. They did everything together.
The magical day began with the boys anxiously waiting for the mailman. This was a very special day. It was the first day of summer, June 21st, and also Mike's birthday. Mike was the oldest brother. When they spotted Mr. Sutter, the mailman, turning the corner, the boys jumped up. Their eyes grew wide with excitement. Mr. Sutter was carrying a large box.
"Good morning boys!" he called. "I seem to have a present here. Wouldn't be somebody's birthday, now, would it?"
Mike was quick to raise his hand. "Yes Mr. Sutter, mine."
"Well, happy birthday, Mike!" Mr. Sutter set the box down, winked and turned to leave. "Whoops, almost forgot," he pulled a letter from his mailbag. On the back of the envelope in big letters was written, "READ THIS LETTER FIRST."
"Now be sure you read this first before you open that box," Mr. Sutter said as he left.
Rod, the youngest brother, had picked up the box. He was shaking it to guess what was inside.
Chipp spoke up. "Sounds as though it holds a lot of smaller boxes. Maybe the parts to some electronic toy." Chipp was very smart. He was good at thinking things out.
I'll bet I know what it is!" grinned Randy. "I bet it's a box full of empty boxes!"
Mike shook his head. "You and your silly jokes. We'd better read the letter. Something tells me this is important."
Mike opened the letter and began reading out loud.
Rod shivered. "Wow, that's kind of spooky, and look, the letter doesn't even have a name on it."
"Hmmmmm, this is indeed mysterious," Chipp added, rubbing his chin.
Mike knew who had sent the gifts. There was only one person in the whole world who called him Michael. He stuck the letter into his back pocket. "See, I told you guys this was important. Come on now, let's check it out."
Rod ripped the box open. Inside there were four boxes. "Here you go, Mike, you first." He tossed the blue box to Mike, who tore away the wrapping and removed the lid.
"What? It's just a pair of blue sneakers with the name 'Mike' on the side."
Randy was into the red box. "Yeah, I've got a pair, too. Red ones with my name on the side."
"Same here!" Rod shouted.
"Likewise," mumbled Chipp.
How could sneakers have magical powers? they all wondered.
Mike was puzzled. "I don't know what this is all about guys, but let's find out."
All four sat down and put on their new shoes. Moments later, they were walking around nervously waiting for something special to happen.
But nothing happened. Finally Rod said, "Aw, this must be some kind of joke somebody's playing on us."
"I fail to see the humor in this prank," declared Chipp. "On the other hand, do you realize that the shortest distance between Boston and Chicago is exactly 867 air miles. That the number of people living in Los Angeles last year was 2,809,813, and ..."
Mike, Randy, and Rod stared in amazement. Then they said, "what are you talking about?"
Chipp blinked. "It just came to me. It's as though I were overcome by some strange power."
"Power!" Mike screamed, "Power, that's it! It's your sneakers. They must give you a special brain power."
Rod grabbed Mike's arm. "Don't look now, but I think Randy's sneakers gave him the power to disappear!"
"Hello, down there!" It was Randy. "I'm up here with the squirrels!"
They looked up and there he was, standing on the highest branch of their big, old oak tree.
"You mean you're up there with the other nuts," Rod said with a laugh.
Mike scratched his head. "OK, I give up, how did you get up that high?"
"Who knows," Randy chuckled. "Thought I'd see how good these sneakers were for jumping. And when I jumped up, I just kept going."
Mike snapped his fingers. "Your sneakers must make you extra light."
"That's just great!" Randy called out. "But how do I get down?"
"Easy," Rod said "the same way we get our kites down."
With that, he walked over and grabbed the trunk of the tree and began shaking it. But much to his surprise, the giant oak, roots and all, started to come right up out of the ground.
Mike yelled. "Stop, Rod, Stop! Your sneakers must give you some kind of super strength."
"Help, help," cried Randy, dangling from the branch. "I can't hold on much longer!"
Suddenly the branch snapped, but Randy just floated to the ground.
"Wow," said Mike, "super strength! It's true, we've got magical powers with these sneakers on." Mike wondered what power his sneakers gave him. He tried to jump, but nothing special happened. Then he tried to push the big oak tree, but he couldn't move it at all.
"Think about math," said Chipp, "that's what you have the most trouble with in school."
Mike tried very hard. He thought and thought. But soon realized that his sneakers didn't make him any smarter. "Maybe something's wrong with my pair," he said sadly.
Just then their mother stepped out onto the porch. "Boys, where did you get those new sneakers?" she asked.
"In a surprise package that came in the mail," they answered. Before the boys could start to tell her about the magical powers, she said, "You can tell me all about your surprise later. Better put your old shoes on now. I want you to help me in the garden."
When she had gone, Mike said to his brothers, "Let's not tell anyone about the special powers until we can figure out what's wrong with my sneakers."
That night, long after his brothers had gone to sleep, Mike was still awake. His thoughts were racing. What was this all about? What did the letter mean about helping others? And why didn't his sneakers have any magical powers?
Suddenly a distant noise crept into the room. He had heard the eerie sound before. If was the tornado-warning siren. It meant that one of the dark and treacherous storms had been spotted nearby. Mike remembered what the letter had said. Could he and his brothers do something about a tornado? It seemed so impossible, and yet.
He jumped up and quickly woke his brothers. "Get your sneakers on! There's a tornado coming. We've got to do something!"
Randy rubbed his eyes and yawned, "Couldn't we do it in the morning?"
"Come on, come on, there's no time to lose. Mom and dad will be up soon!"
One by one, they slipped into their sneakers. Mike was holding open the bedroom window.
"Down the oak tree," he whispered, "and hurry!"
Ever so quietly they slid across the roof onto the branches of the big tree. They inched their way down, all except Randy, who simply floated to the ground.
"OK Chipp," Mike said, once they all were safely on the ground. "You've got the super smartness, so think. Think hard. What should we do?"
Chip rubbed his chin. "Well, it's a fact that tornados travel in a southwesterly to northeasterly direction. I think that our first course of action would be to have Randy jump as high as he can and check out the sky toward the southwest. He can give us an eyewitness report on the storm."
Mike tapped Randy on the back. "OK Randy, up you go."
Randy took a deep breath. "Ready for takeoff!" With the slightest jump he went up, up, up. High above the rooftops, he hovered for a few moments.
Then he floated down, down, down.
"Whee, this if fun!"
"Come on, keep your mind on what we sent you up there for!"
"Oh yea, I'm sorry. Well, there are dark clouds and lightning out by the farms south of town. Looks like it could hit pretty soon."
"Right. OK, guys," said Mike, "get your bikes and follow me." They all ran to the garage to get their bikes, but Mike zoomed there in a flash. When the others finally got to the garage, they all knew what magical powers Mike's sneakers gave him. "I've got super speed," he said excitedly.
Like a race car, Mike shot away into the night. Chipp, Randy, and Rod jumped on their bikes and pedaled after him. Just south of town, Mike screeched to a halt on Route 1, an old farm road. He could see that all the farm families had their house lights on. They were already taking safety precautions against the storm. But there were no lights on at Farmer Gray's house.
"Oh, oh," he told himself, "that's right. Farmer Gray can't hear too well. Gosh, he probably doesn't even know the tornado is coming!"
Mike ran again, faster, faster and faster down the road and right up to Farmer Gray's door. As hard as he could, he banged and banged on the door. But nothing happened. He ran to the back door and banged on that. But still no one answered. And all the while, the wind was growing stronger, the clouds darker and more dangerous. He was glad to see his three brothers.
"Rod, Rod!" Mike shouted through the howling wind. "Everyone has gone to safety but Farmer Gray. He can't hear me knocking."
Rod jumped off his bike and ran to the corner of the tall old house. "The best way to wake someone up is to shake them a little." With almost no effort at all Rod lifted the corner of the house right off the ground and shook it.
Carefully placing the house back on its foundation, he ran back to his brothers.
Lights flashed on, and moments later the front door flew open. Farmer Gray, with his calico cat under his arm, ran into the yard. "Holy cow, Ezmeralda. Did you feel this old house a shakin? We better get ourselves down to the storm shelter, quick! Looks like a bad one a comin'!"
"Rod, you're probably the world's first human alarm clock," Mike said. "Good job."
"Right!" Randy added. "Now there's just one more thing we have to do."
"What's that?" they all asked.
Randy pointed to the sky. "Run!" There it was, coming right at them, a swirling, twisting funnel of a tornado.
Chipp stopped them. "Wait," he said. "It occurs to me that the easiest way to stop a tornado is to create a force moving in the opposite direction of the funnel." Mike quickly went into action. He began running in a wide circle around the tornado.
Faster, faster, faster he ran, until he became no more than a blurr.
Chipp shouted, "Look! Mike's speed is slowing down the tornado!"
"The funnel cloud is getting smaller!" yelled Randy.
"It's disappearing!" Rod screamed.
Suddenly the wind stopped. The danger was over. Mike's human tornado had been too powerful. Slowly, Mike came into sight. He finally came to a stop. "Whew! Let's go home guys. I think we've done enough good for one night."
Back home, they talked about their first adventure.
"Boy, wait till I tell the kids at school!" Randy laughed. "They'll never believe me."
"I don't think it's wise to say anything to anyone," Chipp said.
"Right," added Mike. "No one should know about our powers, ever! Is that clear?"
Randy giggled. "I guess you're right. I guess we'll have to be sneaky about our sneakers."
Mike sat up in bed. "Hey, that's no joke." That's a good name for us. Let's even be sneaky about how we spell it. THE SNEEKY SNEEKERS. Our own secret club. What do you think, guys?"
They all agreed. "THE SNEEKY SNEEKERS it is!"
The next morning at breakfast, the boys ate quietly while their father read the newspaper. "We certainly were lucky last night, boys. Seems a real bad twister was headed this way. Some folks saw it start to come down by Old Farmer Gray's place. But then it just disappeared, didn't' do any damage at all. We were all pretty lucky, I'd say."
From behind his paper he couldn't see the boys smile and wink at each other.
"Yes, Dad," answered Mike, "and I have the feeling that it's just the beginning of a lot of good luck."
The End

Dedication
Part 1 - Another Anonymous Note
Part 2 - Careless Kids Meet a Ghost
Part 3 - Happy Halloween

Dedicated to the fond memoryof Francis Wilson Marzluff- our "Uncle Frank"
It was cool, cloudy, and windy... perfect weather for Halloween.
Chipp was checking his costume. He was a devil, complete with horns and a pitchfork.
"How do you like my outfit?" Randy asked.
Chipp laughed. "You've always been a clown."
"Boooooo," said Rod. "I'm best. Pretty spooky, huh?"
Randy held up a wiggly rubber snake . "I can't wait for all the tricks I'm going to pull."
Rod rubbed his belly. "I can't wait for all the treats I'm going to eat!"
"Well, let's be careful and stay together," Chipp said. He started to wrap pieces of tape around each of his arms.
"What's that?" asked Rod.
"This is reflective tape. Later tonight when car headlights shine on me, this tape will glow. Then drivers can see me."
Randy giggled. "You're always thinking, Chipp. Give us some of that tape."
Randy and Rod stuck pieces of the tape on each other's back. Chipp taped his pointed red tail. "A handsome devil, aren't I?"
Just then the door flew open. A sad faced hobo rushed in. It was Mike, the oldest brother. "Look guys," he said. "Another mysterious letter!" The boys gathered around as Mike began to read:
Chipp turned to Mike. "Hmm, another unsigned letter," he said in a puzzled voice. "Do you know who is sending them to us?"
"I think so," answered Mike, "but I better keep my ideas to myself until I'm sure. Besides, what's most important are the sneakers that our special friend sent."
It was true. Those sneakers looked ordinary enough, but each pair gave a different magic power. Mike's sneakers were blue and gave him the power of super speed. Chipp's green ones made him super smart. When Randy wore his red pair, he was able to float and jump high in the sky. And Rod's yellow sneakers gave him super strength.
The boys had decided not to tell anyone else about their magic sneakers. They formed a secret club, called the SNEEKY SNEEKERS, and agreed to use their powers only to help other people.
Mike folded the letter and stuck it in his pocket. "Listen, guys," he said, "we'd better put on our SNEEKY SNEEKERS."
Chipp was ready first. "According to the National Safety Council there are three very important things to do on Halloween. Trick-or-treat in groups. Make sure that people driving cars can see you. Check your treats when you return home."
"With our SNEEKY SNEEKERS we're a super group!" said Rod.
"I have my Scout flashlight. We'll use it every time we cross the street," Mike said.
Randy grinned. "We can't check treats until we get some. Let's go!"
"Trick, or Treat!" Mr. Abernathy chuckled. "Now, who could this be? I don't believe I know any hobos, or devils, or clowns. I certainly don't know any ghost!"
Randy took off his hat. "It's us, Mr. Abernathy. We tricked you!"
"You sure had me fooled! That deserves a treat." He dropped a pack of candy into each bag. "Don't stay out too late, boys."
"We won't," Mike called out.
"I've got one more trick to play on somebody." Randy reached into his baggy pants. He pulled out a long, rubber snake. "This is a good one!"
Mike put his hands on his hips. "You and your corny tricks. Let's go around one more block. Then, we should go home."
Together, the four boys turned the corner. Suddenly, there it was! "Yikes! I forgot where we were," Randy shivered. They were standing in front of the old Gleason Mansion. Nobody had lived in the house for years. Everyone stayed away from it. On the door was a sign, "CONDEMNED"
The tall, iron fence had "NO TRESPASSING" signs all around.
"Some people say this house is haunted by the ghost of Mr. Gleason," Randy said.
Chipp grabbed his arm. "Now, now. It's just an old house. There's nothing to be afraid of , except that it's not very safe inside."
But Randy was still afraid. "Oh yeah? Well, what about the noises people have heard around here? They say it sounds like a ghost crying."
"What they've heard are whistling noises," Chipp said. "And they're made by the wind. When it blows through the broken walls and windows, it makes noise. But, it's not a ghost crying."
Randy started to creep away. "Well, I don't care. This place is spoiling my Halloween!"
Mike snapped his fingers. "Wait a minute. That's what the letter said. Remember? About the fun being spoiled? Maybe the Gleason Mansion is what the letter was telling us about."
"Naw," Randy said. "The letter said fun was spoiled by people who aren't careful." Rod pointed to the house. "Like those kids?"
The others turned to look. And sure enough, a little girl and two boys were on the front porch of the mansion. The light from the street lamp showed that all three were dressed as pirates. They were peeking into the windows, shining their flashlights.
"Hey, you kids, stay away from there!" Mike yelled. "That house is dangerous! You could get hurt!"
One of the boys shouted back. "Go away! We're a pirate gang! We're looking for hidden treasure!" Then, he followed his friends through the window. All of a sudden there was a loud CREEEEEEK! Then, an even louder CRASH!! A cloud of dust came out of the window.
Mike moved like lightning. In a second he had climbed the gate. In another second he was shining his flashlight through the window. "Hello! Are you hurt? Can you hear me?" Randy floated down next to him on the porch.
"There's no sound inside," Mike shouted to Chipp and Rod. The two of them ran across the lawn.
"Only one of us can investigate without making the house fall in even more," Chipp said. They all turned to Randy.
Mike grabbed his big, red clown nose. "In you go! Don't be afraid. We'll be right here waiting for you!"
He handed Randy his flashlight. Randy took a deep breath and jumped through the window.
Inside the dark and gloomy house he floated about like a feather. Moments later, he came back out the window. Rod reached up and caught him.
"How does it look in there?" asked Mike.
"In the back of the house there's a big hole in the floor. I could see a light coming from below," Randy said. "I think the kids fell through into the basement. It looks like they're trapped. I could hear someone crying."
"Thank goodness," Mike said. "That means we're not too late. I'll go to the fire station and tell them what happened."
In a flash Mike had crossed the lawn and climbed the gate. Then, he turned on his super speed. He screeched to a halt outside the firehouse six blocks away. A smiling fireman stood at the door.
"Well, hello there, little hobo. Just a minute. I'll get you a treat."
"No, sir," Mike said. "I'm not trick or treating. I came to tell you that there's been an accident at the Gleason Mansion. Three kids were playing inside, and the floor caved in. They're trapped in the basement!
The fireman turned and hollered, "C'mon men! There's been an accident! Some kids are trapped in the Gleason place!" When he turned back to thank Mike, he was gone!
In the blink of an eye Mike had sped back to the porch! His brothers were not there, so Mike raced around the house.
Chipp, Randy, and Rod were pulling out the weeds that covered the cellar door. "It leads to the basement," Chipp said, "but it's rusted shut."
"Are you forgetting about me?" Rod grabbed the doors and ripped them off their hinges. He tossed them onto the yard like pieces of paper. "Nothing to it"
"You're not done, yet," Chipp said. "You have to go in and get the kids by yourself, Rod. You're the one who can do it. Your strength can free them!"
Rod wondered, "What about the secret of the SNEEKY SNEEKERS? The kids will see how strong I am!
"So what?" Chipp smiled. "It's all part of my plan. They will think they're being rescued by the ghost of the Gleason Mansion!"
"That's right! the others agreed. Rod crept down the dark, basement steps. He saw a flicker of light.
Outside, his brothers could hear the sirens in the distance. "Rod better hurry up," Randy said, "or the firemen are going to catch a ghost!"
Rod started to clear a path to the children. They were trapped by a huge section of floor.
"Look," cried the girl. "Over there!" One of the boys turned his flashlight on Rod. "Oh, no," he gasped, "it's old Mr. Gleason's ghost!"
Saying nothing Rod moved everything out of his way. With no effort at all he picked up the piece of floor that was trapping the children. He leaned it against another wall.
"DO NOT MOVE," he moaned in a ghostly voice. "I AM HERE TO RESCUE YOU!"
"Y-y- yes, sir," the frightened children said.
Rod lifted the girl and carried her up the stairs. When he got outside, the sirens were sounding louder and louder. He knew he had to hurry. Quickly, he made his way back to the boys. Bending down, he grabbed a boy in each arm and started out.
As he reached the top of the steps, he could see the flashing lights of the firetrucks coming around the corner. Putting the boys down Rod groaned, "THIS IS MY PROPERTY! NEVER COME BACK HERE! BOOOOOOO!!"
The children hugged each other and shut their eyes tight.
Mike waved to Rod from behind a big willow tree. Rod joined his brothers. "How did I do?"
"Just great," Mike said. "I think those kids have learned their lesson!"
Randy giggled, "You even had me scared!"
The firemen unlocked the rusty, iron gate. "I heard something out back," one of them yelled. They raced to the back of the house. Imagine how surprised they were when they got there.
"What's going on here?" one asked. "Are you the kids who were trapped in the house?"
"Yes, sir" said one of boys.
"Are there any more kids in there?"
"No, sir!"
"I don't get it," said another fireman.
"Me either. But, I know one thing. You kids are pretty lucky! This house is dangerous. You could have been hurt badly. Look at you! Just a few scrapes and scratches. You're lucky to have a friend like that little hobo!
"We weren't with a hobo! the children said.
"Well, that's funny. This kid dressed like a hobo came to the firehouse and told me you were here."
"Yeah," one of the men spoke up. "The hobo said you were trapped. How did you get out of the house?"
The girl said, "We were saved... by the Ghost of the Gleason Mansion!"
The firemen chuckled. "Sure. Sure. A ghost! Ha, ha, ha!"
"We really were," the boys said, "and he was a friendly ghost! Sort of!"
The fireman who answered the door said, "C'mon, now. We'll take you home. You've had enough excitement for one night. I hope you have learned a valuable lesson from this.
"We sure have!" the kids all agreed.
"Good. Let's go!"
Mike, Chipp, Randy, and Rod waited for the firetruck to drive away. Mike winked at Chipp and Rod. "Well, Randy," he said. "Do you still want to go play some more tricks?"
"No way," Randy moaned. "I've had enough for one night, too! I'll save my rubber snake for next year. Let's go home."
Mike pulled another rubber snake from his own pocket. "Here, Randy, have a real snake!" He held the snake in front of Randy and shook it.
"Yikes! Randy screamed, jumping up, up, up high into the sky.
Mike, Chipp, and Rod laughed and laughed. "Happy Halloween," they shouted. "HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!"
THE END
Dedicated to Mundelein, Illinois,the town of our childhood
Dark, threatening clouds were beginning to roll over Liberty Valley moving over the hill toward Diamond Lake.
Mike, Chipp, Randy, and Rod loved to come here. Their uncle Norbert had a cabin on top of the hill. He was letting the boys and their father use the cabin for a week.
They all had been down at the lake since lunchtime. They were sitting on the pier, fishing. At least, they were trying.
Rod frowned at the dark clouds. "Looks like we'll spend our whole trip in the cabin!"
"Wait a minute, guys," Mike shouted. "I think I have a bite!" Mike jerked his fishing pole out of the water. Everyone stared at Mike's hook.
"It looks like an old jelly jar," said Chipp.
Randy giggled. "Gee! I didn't know there were any jellyfish in this lake!"
Chipp shook his head. "That's not funny! People shouldn't throw trash in the water. That makes pollution!"
Mike agreed. "Yeah! And pollution hurts the fish and plants in the water!"
Mike removed the jar from his fish hook. "Give me some more bait, Rod."
"Sorry, but that jar ate our last worm," Rod said.
"Don't give up on the fish, boys. I'll go up to the cabin and get some more of Elmer Yopp's special bait." Their dad stood up. "Sorry our little trip is getting off to such a slow start!"
Mike spoke up. "That's okay, Dad! At least we're all together. And that's what counts!"
"Right," the others shouted.
Their father smiled. "Be back in a minute, boys!"
As soon as he was gone, Mike turned to his brothers. "Hey, guys! Look! He reached into his back pocket. He pulled out a piece of paper.
Chipp rubbed his chin. "Hmmmm! Another mysterious letter?"
"Right! It came this morning before we left home. Listen!" Mike began to read:
The boys looked at each other They thought about the mysterious letters. Only Mike was sure who was sending them.
Then they thought about the magic sneakers that had come with the first letter. Mike's sneakers were blue. When he put them on, he could run with super speed. Chipp's green sneakers made him super smart. Randy's sneakers were red. When he put them on, he could jump high in the air and float to the ground. And Rod's yellow sneakers made him super strong.
The boys had kept their sneakers a secret. The had even started their own secret club. They called it the SNEEKY SNEEKERS. And they made a club rule. They promised to use their powers only to help people.
Mike put the letter back in his pocket. "I put our SNEEKY SNEEKERS in my knapsack this morning. They're up at the cabin now. I hid them under my bed!"
"Good thinking," Chipp said. "Let's keep our eyes and ears open."
Lightning CRAAAACKED in the sky! Thunder BOOOOOMED!
It had been raining for hours.
Mike sighed, "I sure hope it's sunny tomorrow. I want to run around in the valley!"
"I want to catch some fish," Rod groaned.
"Let's hope for the best," their father said. "And let's get a good rest! Off to bed now, boys!" He gave each of the boys a big hug. They hurried into their room and shut the door.
Randy stretched. "Ohhh, I'm tired!"
"Shhh," Mike whispered. "Don't get sleepy yet!" Mike had his ear close to the door. "Something just came on the radio!" Chipp, Randy, and Rod tiptoed over to listen.
"Attention all citizens! This is Mayor Seymour Courtland. Due to the large amount of rain that has fallen in the past few hours, the dam at Liberty Valley is threatening to break. All campers in the valley please move to higher ground immediately. I repeat, leave the valley and get to higher ground immediately. Thank you."
Suddenly there was a knock at the cabin door.
"Sorry to bother you," said the voice in the other room. "I'm Jack Healy, Park Ranger. Could you lend me a hand? There's trouble down in the valley."
"Sure, I'll be glad to help," said the boy's father. "What's the problem?"
"There are three families in motor campers down there," Ranger Healy said. "I told them they should move up here where it's safe. But they wouldn't listen. And now they are in danger. The main road is washed out in front of them. And behind them, the old Liberty Valley Dam is getting weak. It could break any time now!"
Mike turned to his brothers.
"Remember the letter? It said that some people put themselves in danger...even after they have been warned. Let's go, guys!"
The boys hurried to Mike's bed. They sat down and put on their SNEEKY SNEEKERS. Mike was ready first. He picked up two flashlights. "I'm glad I brought these for reading in bed. Here, Randy, you carry them! Now let's sneak outside!" The boys quickly put on their raincoats and hats.
Randy pushed the flashlights into his pockets. Then Mike opened the bedroom window. "Out we go! One by one they climbed out.
Mike looked at Chipp. "Okay! Use your super brain! Any ideas?"
Chipp rubbed his chin. Then he snapped his fingers. "I have an idea! But there's no time to lose!" He turned to Rod. "Rod, go to the lake. Pull the pier out of the water. Bring it over the hill and down to the valley. I'll meet you where the main road has washed out. Hurry!"
Rod ran down the hill. "Let's go," Mike said to Randy.
Faster than a bolt of lightning, Mike raced down the road. Randy jumped up, up, up into the dark, rainy sky.
Moments later, Rod was standing next to the pier on Diamond Lake. He looked it over. It was planted deep in the sand.
"This looks like a good place to start," he thought to himself. He grabbed the end of the pier. "Here goes!" Then he quickly yanked it up. The whole pier came up out of the water. It looked like a big flying fish. "Nothing to it," Rod grinned. He turned and started up the hill.
Chipp was waiting by the flooded road when Rod arrived. He looked at the pier.
"It's just the right length. Good job, Rod. Now throw the pier over the wash-out and make it stay!"
Rod swung the platform around. Then he held up his super strong arms and brought them down with a mighty swing. The pier landed with a loud SPLASH!
It was now in place over the washed-out road. "That should do it, Chipp!" he said.
Chipp smiled. They both stepped onto the pier. "Not a bad job of bridge building if I do say so myself." Just then, a loud CREEEEEEEK came from far behind. Chipp shouted, "It's the dam! It's starting to break!"
Meanwhile, Mike was deep in the valley. He was banging on the door of the first camper. "Wake up in there! The dam is breaking. Hurry, hurry! Follow the rescue lights! They will lead you to safety! Hurry!"
Lights went on inside the camper "Good," Mike mumbled. "one down and two to go!" He raced away at super speed.
The sleepy camper driver opened a window and looked out. He saw two flashing lights up in the sky. "It must be a helicopter," he yelled to his family. "Come on! We're going to follow it!"
Randy smiled. "It's only me, the human helicopter," he thought. He was slowly moving towards the flooded road using the flashlights to guide the campers.
"Wake up," Mike hollered to the second camper! Hurry! You're in danger!" Then he raced to the third. "Wake up, wake up! The dam is breaking! Follow the other campers and you'll be safe!"
Soon all three campers were moving toward the road. Mike rushed ahead of them. He called out to Chipp, "They're coming!"
Randy floated over the pier. One by one, the campers moved onto the makeshift bridge. Slowly they made their way across and moved quickly up the hill to safety.
Randy landed next to Chipp and Mike. He turned off his flashlights.
Suddenly, a loud CRASH echoed through the valley.
Randy screamed, "Look out!" Mike, Chipp, and Rod turned around. A giant wall of water was coming their way.
"Jump on, Chipp," Randy shouted. Chipp climbed on Randy's back. Randy pointed himself towards the cabin on the hill. Then he jumped, up, up, up. Mike leaned back and then shot ahead like a bullet. Rod followed him with all the super strength his legs could provide.
Just then the huge wave came crashing down...right where the boys had been standing seconds before!
"Unbelievable, Stan! Just unbelievable!" exclaimed Ranger Healy.
"Police helicopter?! Bridge?! Quite a story those campers told us, huh?"
"Yes indeed," the boy's father replied. "With everything washed out down in the valley we'll never be able to tell what happened."
The SNEEKY SNEEKERS had already returned to their bedroom and jumped into their pajamas. "Come on, guys, follow me," Mike said, opening the door.
"What's all the noise about, Dad?" Mike asked.
"You boys slept through some excitement," their father said. "Somehow three families that were trapped down in the valley were rescued. It seems a series of strange happenings saved them."
Ranger Healy spoke up. "Your father and I can't understand just what happened. The Liberty Valley Dam burst, but don't worry, we'll be OK up here.
"Thank goodness we're all together and safe," their father said. "Now get a good night's rest. We can help with the clean up in the morning."
They all said good night and went back to their room.
As the others climbed into their bunks, Rod went to hang up his raincoat. Suddenly a fish wiggled from one of the coat pockets and flopped onto Randy's bed.
"Yikes!!" yelled Randy.
"There's a fish on my bed!" Mike, Chipp, and Rod broke out laughing.
"It looks like you've caught your jellyfish after all, Randy."
THE END
© 2005 Michael E. Jaroch & R.A. Jaroch All Rights Reserved
For more on the Sneeky Sneekers - go to http://abcdream.comorhttp://Kindle-Kids.com
The Adventures of
The Sneeky Sneekers
As the most imaginative child in a family of thirteen children, Mike organized a secret club with his three younger brothers, Chipp, Randy and Rod. Through the powers of their magical sneakers, their fantasies became real. Years later, Mike began telling his own children about The Adventures of the Sneeky Sneekers. His children, Julie and MIchael loved the stories so much that Mike decided to bring the Sneeky Sneekers to life in a series of children's books. Now, through the magic of e-books, children everywhere can once again enjoy Mike's creation.
Randy Jaroch is an accomplished, award-winning copywriter, poet and lyricist. For the past thirthy years, he has written promotional and direct response marketing campaigns, both as a freelancer and a staff writer, for a variety of prestigious marketing clients and firms. In addition to his lead authoring contibution to the The Adventures of the Sneeky Sneekers, Randy is the author of an introspective volume of poetry, The Ripening, published by St. Mary's College Press.

