Lucca's Story Part 4

By jenyf86

I was putting on the finishing touches. I had created a robot, an almost humanoid robot! And it hadn’t exploded, my invention worked on my first try! I was kind of impressed; I’d never done something like that before. I called that robot Gato. He was made so that if you hit him on some places four times, he gave you fifteen Silver Points. The Silver Points were something the Millennial Fair committee was organizing for the big fair in the year 1000. Only one year to go. I’d been asked to make a training machine for the fair, so that people could get better with weapons in case there was a war. And so I’d done it! If I had started so far back was because I was afraid it might take me a year to make that thing.

And now I had another idea I wanted to work on: I would call it the Telepod.

But first, I had to talk to my best friend, Crono. I went to his house. Crono lived in the middle of Truce village, while I lived a little at the outside. Crono followed me to my house. He was really impressed by Gato; and when I explained to him what I was going to do next, he almost fainted.

"Lucca," my best friend said. "It is obviously impossible to teleport people from one place to the other. Except with magic, but I doubt magic exists."

"Don’t assume something while not having any proof it doesn’t exist. I have to do a few more calculus, but if I’m correct, teleportation works. As for magic, I… guess you’re right."

"How long will you be working, today?" Crono asked me.

"I won’t be working. I’m tired. Why don’t you come walk with me in the forest for a while?"

* * *

When I came home that night, my parents asked me what was that big ‘thing’ in the workshop. I answered, "It isn’t a ‘thing’, it’s a robot called Gato. And it’s for the Fair."

"So, will you be working on anything new?" My dad asked.

"Yes. It’s been a long time since I’ve wanted to make a machine to teleport people and objects. I’ve been calculating and if you can help me, dad, I’d like to construct it."

"Sure, count me in."

I went to bed feeling great. I was so excited to start working, I couldn’t sleep well.

The next day, I got up early and quickly ate my breakfast; the sun was barely up. I went to the workshop my dad and I had built and started designing the machine. It would be complicated, especially since it needed so many tiny pieces.

I worked hard all day, eventually stopping to eat; my dad helped me out in the afternoon. Crono came by to see how I was doing.

I worked for a month on that machine. But when I experimented it with a stool, the machine just exploded. I don’t know how, since there were almost no explosives and I hadn’t even lit a match.

I started over four times till finally I abandoned. I went to see Crono and told him how tired I was.

"Nothing works!" I cried. "You were right. It’s impossible to teleport objects. That stupid machine just exploded for the last time today. I’m tired of never having my inventions work correctly. Sometimes I just want to stop everything. I tell myself I’ll never become a great inventor as my dad is. I want to quit. This time it’s definite."

"No, Lucca, you can’t quit like that," Crono said calmly but firmly. "If you quit, it will be like abandoning a dream of yours. And think about your parents; what would they think? Your father, he’s so proud of you, you should hear him. I once went to your house and you weren’t there. Your father told me he was so proud to have a daughter that wanted to become like him. And what about your mother? If you quit being a scientist and inventor, you’ll never be able to make her something so she’ll be able to walk again. Lucca, don’t quit."

I felt my eyes get wet. Tears started pouring. "I’m sorry, Crono. You’re right, I don’t want to stop everything. I want to keep my parents proud of me." Crono took me in his arms and let me cry. He was the best friend I could ever have. I looked up at him. "Will you help me and my dad? Please? Even if you’re not an inventor, you can help us find the material we need."

"Okay, I’ll help. Just don’t cry anymore. And remember that whatever happens, you can’t abandon your dream to become a great scientist and inventor."

"Thank you, Crono," I whispered. I dried my eyes and walked home with Crono. My father was waiting for me at the workshop.

"So," he said. "We get back to work or what?"

"We get back to work," I said, smiling.

* * *

I finished the Telepod right on time. It was almost dawn and my dad and I were setting up the Telepod at the north end of Leene Square, where the Millennial Fair was going to take place on this fabulous month of June. The sun was going to shine today and there were going to be no clouds.

I had tested the Telepod the day before with a mouse, then with myself, and when it worked, I was so happy I fainted. I had finally done what I had been working on for so long. Now, every person coming to the Fair would see me as a real inventor and not just an amateur kid.

Finally, my dad and I finished setting up my greatest invention. People started coming up here to see the show. I was so excited. I spotted Crono in the crowd. He winked at me. He was there when I’d tried out my invention. He knew how happy I was. And he would be the first spectator to try my Telepod. He really was my best friend.

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