Frederick Takes a Ride

It was a clear sunny day and Frederick was bored. The days it rained were so much more interesting, scientifically speaking.

“Go have fun at the fair,” his mother said.

And because he loved his mother, Frederick said, “Okay.”

Frederick was really too smart for such silliness, but he listed each area at the fair alphabetically and made it a challenge.

First he went to the animal barns. The cows were boring. The horses. Boring. And the sheep. Doubly boring.

Next, to the booths where loud voices promised Frederick if he bought what they were selling he’d be the happiest boy ever. Frederick never believed such things and very politely said “No, thank you.”

Luckily for Frederick’s growing stomach food was next. He bought a hotdog-on-a-stick. A pickle-on-a-stick. And cheesecake-on-a-stick. Frederick would have bought more, but both his hands and his stomach were full.

Frederick was excited for the games. He planned to play them all day long. But on his third ring toss, he won a huge stuffed dog with a tag that read Max. Again, Frederick’s hands were full and he sadly had to move on.

Finally, Frederick reached the rides. His mother said he would love them the most. He examined each ride carefully, but none seemed right. He was too old to ride the floating boats. Uninterested in the flying swings. And too young for the twisty-turny ride that squished people’s faces as they whizzed past.

Frederick sighed. He was done with his list and it was still too early to go home. So he did what he always does when there is nothing else to do. He walked and he thought, and he thought and he walked.

Frederick was busy thinking when he felt the stuffed dog leapt from his hands. He bent to pick it up and said, “That’s odd. A toy can’t do that?”

“Are you sure?” said a voice that snuck up on Frederick. “Things aren’t always what they seem.”

“Yes, they are,” Frederick replied with certainty, as his eyes followed the legs of a man taller than he thought possible.

The man held a sign which read: Trip to Mars $3.00

“Want a ride, my friend?” the man asked with an expectant smile.

Not wanting to be rude, Frederick answered, “I guess,” even though he knew that it was impossible to go to Mars.

Frederick dug deep into his pockets and found he had exactly $3.00.

“Enjoy yourself,” the man said, pointing to a shiny red streetcar with curvy white letters that read Streetcar to Mars.

Before Frederick could wonder how it had gotten there, its brass bell went clang, clang, clang. The driver shouted, “All aboard. First stop Mars. Second stop Mars. All stops Mars.”
Frederick ran as fast as he could and jumped into a seat in the middle and quickly buckled his seatbelt.

“Don’t forget Max!” the tall man shouted

Hearing his name, Max jumped over Frederick’s lap and thumped his tail on the seat, until he was buckled in tight.

“Whoa, how did that happen?” Frederick wondered.

The driver slowly turned and winked as Frederick recognized it was tall man. “Hold on,” he said.

Without so much as a sound, the streetcar lifted straight off the ground, and up into the white fluffy clouds of summer. Frederick saw everything. The horses, the hotdog stand, the top car of the twisty-turny ride. It was amazing!

“We are going to be exiting the atmosphere,” the driver announced. “Please put on your spacesuits.”

Frederick gulped. “We aren’t really going to Mars? The red planet? 34 million miles away? Are we?!?” he asked.

“That’s what you paid for and that’s what you’re going to get,” laughed the driver.
Frederick tugged and pulled and zipped their suits until he and Max were ready. Behind him, the blue Earth swirled in the darkness, becoming smaller and smaller.

“Might as well relax,” the driver said. “It’s going to be a long ride.”

“Relax! How am I supposed to relax?” Frederick asked, as a satellite sped toward them.

“Nothing to worry about,” the driver replied, making a sharp turn. “I’ve been conducting this streetcar since before you were born.”

“Mars,” Frederick said, his eyes gazing at the bright red orb that suddenly appeared in front of them. “Max, we’re really going to Mars!” Frederick closed his eyes and imagined all the interesting things he’d do there.

“Wake up! The fair’s closing.”

“What?” Frederick said sitting up, his eyes moving up the legs of a very tall man.

“We’re closing. It’s time to leave.”

Frederick rubbed the tiredness from his eyes. “Where am I? What happened?”

“You’re at the fair. You must have fallen asleep. It’s a shame too, with so many fun things to do,” the man said, shaking his head as he walked away.

Frederick picked up the stuffed dog he’d won and headed home. Stars sparkled in the dark sky. As Frederick turned toward his house, there was the little red dot he knew was Mars.

“I’m going to go there someday,” he said, “Just you wait and see.”

Max’s slobbery tongue came out of nowhere and licked a smile onto Frederick’s excited face.