January 6, 2019
Jack Andrews, Levi Cranston (The Magic Video Game), Asad Prejesh, Jing Hao, Kevin Maggliardi, and Mike Wong all ventured out to downtown Boston to hang out for a few hours. Levi’s girlfriend, Mackenzie Burbanks, was having a girls’ day in with a couple of her friends to watch movies. The six boys were at their favorite coffee shop during the middle of the day. They all went out for pizza, and now they felt like getting themselves a cup of coffee. It was about 2 o’clock in the afternoon, and all six boys were sitting inside the coffee shop talking about nothing other than tennis. Jack looked over at Kevin and realized that he wasn’t nearly as talkative as he normally is. Kevin had dark spots under his eyes, which Jack noticed earlier today, but now he didn’t look well at all. His nose was very red now. “You alright, Kevin?” Jack questioned. “Yeah, I’ve got a really bad cold. I thought I could do more than what I really could do,” Kevin replied. “Yeah, take it easy.” “I think I’m gonna head back to Cambridge soon.” “Yeah, you probably should,” Jack said. “I’m like really tired all of a sudden,” Kevin responded. “Alright. Let us know when you get back.” “I will. I just started getting a pounding headache. Didn’t hit me in the chest like it usually does.” “Well, that’s good.” “Yeah, I think I’m gonna head out now. I really don’t feel well at all.” Kevin picked up his backpack off the floor and said goodbye to everyone. He headed toward the door toward the common, where he was going to pick up the red line to take him back to his apartment in Cambridge. Once he got back home, he was very likely going to fall asleep as soon as he could. The other five boys were going to stay out until about 5 or 6 in the evening, and then they were all going to get ready for the week ahead of them. “Kevin’s been really sick for the past couple days,” Jing said. “He sounded really stuffed up when we all met,” Jack replied. “Yeah, he has a bad cold. He told me that he might take tomorrow off from work to recover.” “Yeah, hopefully he will consider that.” “The only other time I saw him really sick was when he had the flu in college. Then, he got me sick with it,” Jing remarked. “That’s nice of him to give you the flu!” Jack chuckled. “I mean, I’ve seen him when he’s had a cold, but it didn’t hit him as hard as this one has. Or I might be wrong.” “Colds suck.” “The flu sucks worse.” “Yes, it does.” Jack was at their table with Mike and Jing. Kevin had made it home, and by the time he took off his shoes and lay on his bed, he was passed out. Chances were pretty good that once Jing came home, Kevin would still be sleeping. Their two other roommates went to New York City for the weekend, and they were likely not coming back until at least 9 pm tonight. Levi and Asad were at the counter looking at what desserts to get. Asad wasn’t sure what he was going to get, but Levi wanted to get something for Mackenzie. “I’m thinking about getting Mackenzie the fruit tart. What do you think?” Levi asked Asad. “She like strawberries, doesn’t she?” Asad responded. “Yes, that’s her favorite fruit.” “Are you getting sick, too? You sound really stuffed up.” “I think so. I hope Kevin didn’t give me his cooties,” Levi said. “He probably did,” Asad remarked. “I took a sick day on Friday because I was really not feeling well. I feel better now, but I hate my nose right now.” “Understandable.” “Get Mackenzie the fruit tart!” Mike greeted Asad and Levi. “That’s what I’m thinking about getting her!” Levi exclaimed. “What do you guys want to do after this?” “Cambridge?” “Okay!”
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October 20, 2018
Levi Cranston (The Magic Video Game), Jack Andrews, Asad Prejesh, and Jing Hao were at their apartment in Allston, playing card games. It was around 7 pm, and they were expecting their other friend, Kevin Maggliardi, to get to the apartment around 5:30 pm. They knew that he had some errands that he needed to run, but they had not heard from him until about 30 minutes later. At 7:15, they heard a knock on the door, and they knew it was Kevin. Jack walked over to the door because he knew that he was going to be really shaken up. “Hey Kevin,” Jack greeted their friend at the door. “Hey,” Kevin responded quietly. “You alright?” “No.” “We’re all here in the common area,” Jack said. “That’s good,” Kevin replied. “You wanna talk about it?” “Maybe in a bit. I need to catch my breath.” “You ran all the way here?” “Yup.” Jack and Kevin walked together into the common area, where everyone else was. They noticed that Kevin was absolutely not himself. He seemed really tired and out of breath, and he was really sweaty, after sprinting two miles from the scary incident. He appeared to be very shaken up, and Jack let him lie on their couch. Levi and Asad put away the games, so that they could focus on helping get Kevin stable. No one has ever seen him like this before. Asad got a pillow from his room and put it on the couch for Kevin to lay his head on. Kevin lay sideways on the couch, trying really hard to catch his breath. His hands were on his chest, most likely feeling for his heartbeat. “My heart’s pounding,” Kevin remarked quietly. “It’s okay, buddy. You’re safe here,” Jack replied. “Thanks.” “So what happened?” “I was being followed and then held at gunpoint,” Kevin said. “Oh shit. You didn’t lose anything, did you?” Jack questioned. “I lost like $12 in cash, but that was about it. I didn’t have my wallet on me, so I lucked out. When I gave him what I had, I distracted him, and then I bolted. I think I ran like two or three miles. And then my asthma acted up a bit, so that was great.” “Why did he follow you in the first place?” “I have no idea why I was a target. Maybe it was because I had my backpack on me.” “Yeah, who knows? But, at least you’re safe.” “I don’t think I’ve ever feared for my life.” Jing and Asad walked over to Jing and Kevin’s apartment in Cambridge, only a 30 minute walk on foot. Their two other roommates, David Vittorio and John Harold, wanted to hit up downtown Boston in the evening, so all four boys were going to head out that way shortly. Levi and Jack decided to stay back with Kevin. They would probably watch TV for the rest of the night and let Kevin stay over. “Hey Kevin,” Levi got his friend’s attention after he accidentally fell asleep for a few minutes. “Yeah?” Kevin asked softly. “Something similar happened to me when I was a kid.” “Oh really?” “I used to walk home from school, and I was approached twice in eighth grade,” Levi remarked. “Oh wow,” Kevin replied. “Yeah. It was pretty scary. When I was walking home from school, some old guy asked me if I was cold, since I didn’t have a coat on. That terrified me, so I bolted back to my house. That was the first time, and we thought we had everything settled. Then, a month later, someone screamed random crap out of their car, and I thought it was directed at me, so I ran back to my house. That was when I was walking to school. I couldn’t go to school that day, because I was too terrified.” “That’s scary.” “You alright?” “I will be.” From The Somewhat Perilous Plot of the Patriotic Mosquitoes
Rockybado, the Robot King of the Island of Texamilio, and the eight kids were sitting by an old oak tree, drinking some coffee or tea or whatever they really wanted. They went to a coffee shop today and decided to try new things, like the Calignobia. Some went with the Calignobia. Others went with the mint tea. And yet some others went with a hazelnut latte. Things seemed to be going alright for quite a while. Nothing was to be worried about. The Patriotic Mosquitoes had not made their appearance yet. Or at least for quite some time. Everyone seemed to enjoy their drink of choice for the time being, until they all heard a very familiar sound. The sound of a very familiar cowbell was faint at first. One may or may not be able to hear it at this point. But then, the sound of the cowbell grew louder and louder by the minute. “Weeeeeee’re heeeeeeere,” Sam announced after a cowbell solo, performed by DR. “Wonderful job,” Rockybado remarked. “Much obliged!” “And no. You still cannot have the three islands.” “Aw, come on! It’s Tuesday!” Sam exclaimed. “What does Tuesday have to do with anything?” Rockybado questioned the leader of the Patriotic Mosquitoes. “Tuesday is the best day of the week.” “I honestly thought that the best day of the week was Friday.” “No. I believe it’s Tuesday.” “Well, that could be your opinion, though.” “It is, and it’s right.” Since when would someone say that Tuesday is the best day of the week? For some, Tuesday's are typically pretty great. For others, Tuesday's are typically pretty horrible. In most cases, probably not horrible. Just annoying because it's Tuesday. This day may not be the absolute best for most, but it would probably not be the absolute worst either. This Tuesday was probably not going to be the absolute best for the Patriotic Mosquitoes. But then again, the Patriotic Mosquitoes might find a way to make their Tuesday pretty great. And they would try to do this by getting away with taking the three supposedly fictitious islands. This was about to get interesting. “Did you actually have a plan to take over the islands?” Rockybado asked. “We were just gonna come in and take them,” Lisa replied. “But….how?” “Well, we did have some plans, but they seem to have failed.” “Yes, they most certainly did,” Rockybado replied. “At least you recognize that,” Lisa said. “I recognized it from the very beginning. The point is, you didn’t really seem to have a plan. You were waltzing all around Texamilio, Galavanti Island, and Wakahakai asking to take the islands. That is not the best strategy in my book.” “Then, if that’s not it, then what is?” “You just need a bigger and better plan.” “Enlighten me.” “As long as you don’t take the three islands.” This didn't look amazing on the side of the Patriotic Mosquitoes. Rockybado, Dacston, and Marty had all concluded that the Patriotic Mosquitoes did not have the best motive possible to take over the islands. If the Patriotic Mosquitoes were not making any official plans, then what did they have to lose? Why did they have no motive? What were they going to prove when they just said they were going to take over the three islands? They couldn't just walk in and say they could take over the three islands. That would not have been cool. It was totally uncool for the Patriotic Mosquitoes to advertise who they were with absolutely no motive. And their name might have been a bit laughable as well. At least to those who haven't always associated mosquitoes with being patriotic. “So, why are you called the Patriotic Mosquitoes?” David questioned. “Because we care deeply for our land and our citizens. We all got power hungry, and we wanted more land,” Sam replied. “So that is why you wanted the three islands all along?” “Absolutely.” “I agree with Rockybado. You should have been more strategic,” David said. “Do we still have a chance at the three islands?” Sam questioned. “No, I don’t think you do.” “Well….bummer.” “You didn’t have a chance at the very get-go.” “I realized that.” “Sad, but true.” Sam and the fellow Patriotic Mosquitoes started feeling sorry for themselves. None of them would have gone for a coffee at the moment. They were not in good moods at all. Not now, especially since their so-called "motive," if they even had one, was unveiled. Even though coffee normally lightens the mood, it may not always. For about five minutes, no one said a word. Not even the word "it" was said. Rockybado didn't know what else to say to the Patriotic Mosquitoes. The kids didn't quite know what to say to the Patriotic Mosquitoes. Sam didn't know what to say to the Patriotic Mosquitoes. “What I find depressing is that you didn’t think you had enough power so you decided to take over these islands,” Levi remarked, shaking his head. “Yeah, I guess that is pretty depressing,” Sam replied. “Then, why did you think this was all a good idea?” “Well, it’s all better than playing the odds against some land, I suppose.” “What is that even supposed to mean?” Levi questioned. “I am rambling,” Sam commented. “You are kinda rambling.” “I do like speedbags, though.” “What are you talking about?” “They’re fun to play with.” “I don’t doubt that at all. I actually have a speedbag in my garage. My dad and I renovated it when I was in high school.” “Is that right?” “Absolutely.” It was definitely one of those moments when a drum roll would have been appropriate. Rockybado was waiting for the Patriotic Mosquitoes to make up their own mind about Texamilio, Galavanti Island, and Wakahakai. The sad looks on their faces gave Rockybado and the kids a somewhat obvious indicator. But it could have meant something else, too. They might have been sad because they missed their flight to London. That place is pretty cool, so many people would want to make a point to go there some time. But Rockybado still waited for the “drum roll” to subside and for Sam to tell him what his plans were going to be. A few minutes later…. “So, what are you going to do, Sam?” Rockybado asked the leader of the Patriotic Mosquitoes. It was the ultimatum of ultimatums. “I surrender,” Sam replied slowly, his head hanging down. “It’s a deal. You must not request to take the three islands.” “I accept the deal, even though it was not what I wanted.” “I’m sorry to be a bearer of bad news, but I think it will be for the better,” Rockybado remarked. “I understand,” Sam replied with a sigh. “So, what will you be doing now?” “I suppose we Patriotic Mosquitoes need to book a flight to Italy and eat our weight in pasta.” “You would definitely like Italy.” “I’ve always wanted to go there.” With a shrug of the shoulders and a shake of the head, Sam had surrendered to the rightful rulers of the three islands. Even though he had lost his bet with the three islands, Sam was going to make sure that his loss wasn't so bitter. If he won the three fictitious islands, he and the Patriotic Mosquitoes were going to travel somewhere. Even if he lost the three fictitious islands, which he did, he and the Patriotic Mosquitoes were still going to travel somewhere. The Patriotic Mosquitoes had a plan. “Rockybado,” Sam got the Robot King of the Island’s attention. “Yes, Sam?” Rockybado responded. “What did you enjoy most about Italy?” “What did I enjoy most about Italy?” “Yes,” Sam replied. “The spaghetti,” Rockybado replied. “Oh please. Of all things in Italy….the spaghetti?” “Yes, the spaghetti. What were you expecting me to say?” “The splendor of the Italian scenery, the warm fellowship of the citizens. You’re the Robot King of the Island, so I was thinking you’d say something a little more correct.” “Well, I like their spaghetti, so if that’s a little incorrect for you, I don’t know what could be more correct.” “Well, enough with the chit chat, I guess. My fellow comrades and I have a mission to accomplish. We are gonna go to Italy and take in the splendor of the Italian scenery, as well as the warm fellowship of the citizens because I like to be correct.” “Have fun in Italy!” Sam motioned Lisa, DR, Elly, and the other Patriotic Mosquitoes over to where he was. They had to book yet another flight, since their flight to London didn’t work out. As a matter of fact, the Patriotic Mosquitoes wanted to go to Italy, since they have been to England before. It took the Patriotic Mosquitoes to leave the island while Rockybado watched them leave. In a matter of fifteen minutes, the Patriotic Mosquitoes had finally left to go to Italy. And there was much rejoicing for Rockybado and the kids, as well as Dacston and Marty, and everyone else who rule these three islands. “So, that is over. Finally,” Rockybado said to everyone. “So, what are we gonna do now?” Andrew asked for everyone. “I think we should get everyone together for a fiesta. I hear the dinosaurs over at Galavanti Island are amazing fiesta planners.” “Yes, they are.” “And I’m also in the mood for some jazz music. I hear they are excellent musicians over there,” Rockybado said. “Absolutely,” Andrew replied. “Well, what are we waiting for?” “We should definitely reach out to them and see if they’re in the mood for a fiesta!” “That’s what I’m talking about!” “We’ll see what we can do!” From Rockybado 3: The Invasion of the Naughty Blue Aliens
David and Brody were in a spaceship since they had been separated from Rockybado and their other friends. Their plan was to go back to Texamilio to reunite with them. This spaceship took off from Benjamilio and flew to random places. An automated voice boomed out of nowhere. “Care for a hot fudge sundae?” the voice questioned the two boys. David and Brody looked at each other for a few seconds. They hadn’t eaten much today because they were so focused on finding the Naughty Blue Aliens and the McSmith’s that food was, for whatever rare reason, not on the boys’ minds. David and Brody agreed that they were both extremely hungry, and they could go for a hot fudge sundae just about now. “Two hot fudge sundaes,” David answered. “Okay. Would you like sprinkles on your hot fudge sundaes?” the voice asked. Brody shook his head. “No sprinkles on either sundae,” David replied. “Most assuredly, you would want sprinkles on your hot fudge sundae,” the voice said, trying to reassure the boys. “No. I want no sprinkles on either sundae.” “Of course, you….” “You must be trying to imply that we want sprinkles on our hot fudge sundaes when, in fact, we don’t,” David remarked. “Everyone wants sprinkles on their hot fudge sundaes,” said the voice. “Well, we don’t.” “Lester, get them.” “What?!” The two boys could hear an army of Naughty Blue Aliens marching toward their general direction. There were a grand total of thirty aliens in green and red garb, even though Christmas is half a year away. Their hats were yellow golf caps, and David and Brody had to quietly laugh about their absurd attire. Otherwise, they felt pretty apprehensive. Their hands started to get sweaty, and they weren’t quite sure what to do next. “All this for not wanting sprinkles on our hot fudge sundaes?” Brody questioned. “Apparently,” David answered. The “army” of aliens entered the room. They had straight faces, and they were probably not going to take kindly to any jokes whatsoever. David and Brody tried to keep straight faces as well. It was very hard, though, because of the mixed feelings of being nervous and just thinking that the aliens’ uniforms were stupid. Moments later…. “Seize them, Lester,” the voice boomed. A few more moments later…. “You boys are coming with me,” Lester announced. “Where are we going?” Brody questioned. “Dumigal. It’s a huge city,” Lester announced somewhat rudely. They said nothing more until it happened. What happened? The aliens dropped the two boys off at two different locations. It was 11:56 at night, and the boys had no idea where they were. It looked like a normal urban street at night. David was located on the north end of the street, and Brody was on the south end. However, the street ran for nine blocks, and, at night, David and Brody would have a much harder time finding each other. David looked around him. He didn’t see much at first. Then, he decided to peer into one of the houses. This specific house had a lot of graffiti on the outside, and it looked like it was going to collapse at any given moment. David cautiously looked through the window. There were at least ten aliens wearing sombreros in this household. One of them, who appeared to be the mother, saw David first. “Oh, look, mi familia! There’s a stalker looking through the window. That good-for-nothing macho is a criminal and is up to no good,” said the lady. Moments later, the whole family screamed and ran in circles inside the house. David quickly stepped away from the house. Then, the whole family ran toward him and started shouting, “Ay Carrumba!” Half of them had water guns. Two of them carried baseball bats. One had a mace. Once David saw the mace, he tried to increase his running speed. He ran for five blocks, and then he found a tree to hide behind. The sombrero alien family didn’t even glance at the tree. They kept on running. David’s heart was pounding so hard that it was painful for him to breathe. He was breathing so hard and focused only on his recovery. Then, he noticed an elderly female alien right beside him. “Boo,” said the lady. David screamed like a little girl. “What do you think you’re doing on my here property?” the lady questioned David. David was very scared. He did not answer. “Beat it, chump!” the lady shouted. David was still in shock. The lady put ammo in her gun and charged it. David slowly walked away. Once he heard the old lady fire her gun, he started running. The old lady kept firing at him, but she always missed. Once he evaded her grasp, he got a better view of the neighborhood. The neighborhood looked like a typical urban neighborhood. However, one house was on fire, and it didn’t seem to phase anyone. Nearly half of the houses had graffiti on them. There were several crime scenes. There were five gang members walking around and looking through people’s homes. They were going south on the street. They kept singing some songs by an idolized rapper and then a random song that they probably made up. In order to avoid the gang, David ran north on the street. He made sure the gang didn’t see him. There were nine police cars following each other to a probable crime scene. David felt so uneasy to the point that he shuddered. He didn’t want to just stand there and get caught. He wasn’t sure where else to hide. Then, he found a bush to hide in for a few minutes. The same family who kept on shouting, “Ay Carrumba!” passed the bush. David let out a huge sigh of relief and felt for his heartbeat. Now, he didn’t hear anything else going on in the neighborhood that would bring up attention. Meanwhile, Brody was trying to hide from the sombrero alien family, the old lady, and the random gang. There was a naughty blue alien dressed in orange. He had a revolver and pointed it at Brody’s chest. “Mr. Little Kid, you’re dead,” the alien said. Brody didn’t move. “Mr. Little Kid, you’re dead,” the alien said again. Brody was breathing very hard. “MR. LITTLE KID, YOU’RE DEAD!” the alien shouted. David crept up behind the orange-clad alien. Brody finally saw David; he felt a huge sensation of relief, knowing that his brother was right here, that he found him in the nick of time. With this, Brody had to think, and he had to think very quickly. “WAIT!” Brody shouted. The alien’s eyebrows rose. Brody grabbed the gun out of the alien’s hands and pointed it at his chest. He didn’t just point the gun at his heart; he actually pressed it firmly against his chest. He could feel his pounding heartbeat through the gun. “I wanted to be a computer engineer. I wanted to go to college. I wanted to study computers and engineering. So, I wanted to be a computer engineer. But it’s gone. All gone. Bye, world. It was nice knowing you while you were young,” Brody said in a serious tone. While he said this, he walked backwards behind a bush. Neither David or the alien saw him. Then, they heard the gun go off. David’s mouth dropped. The alien acted indifferent. “Oh. He’s dead. I’m leaving,” said the alien. He left, and David walked over to the bush where Brody was. He found his younger brother lying on his back. He was breathing very hard. His right hand was on his chest, most likely feeling for his heartbeat; and his left hand was on his stomach, which pulled up his shirt, exposing his belly button. “Are you okay, Brody?” David questioned his younger brother. Brody nodded. “Are you scared?” Another nod. “Don’t be. He’s gone.” Brody let out a heavy sigh. “Come on. We need to get out of here.” David helped Brody get up. Once he got his little brother stable, they each took a puff on their inhalers, and they both started running out of the urban area. They ran from there to the nicest house on the block, which was quite a distance. Well, actually, they stopped at a little park that was surrounded by trees to catch their breath. After running so far, they were breathing very hard, and it took them a while to regain their composures. “How did you perform your stunt?” David asked. “I walked backwards, and I had the gun pointed at my chest,” said Brody. “I know that much.” “But then, once I was behind the bush, I put the gun over my head. I didn’t actually shoot myself.” “That was brilliant,” David commented. “I came up with that idea at the very last minute,” Brody replied. “It was still brilliant.” The two young boys continued to run all the way from the park to that house. They could see it from so far away, and they thought that someone from that house could help them. David and Brody were very sore from their long run from the crappy urban area to the decent neighborhood. They knocked on the door and waited for a response. After two minutes, a short pink haired lady in a blue and white checkered dress and white pinafore opened the door. “Hello, boys. My name is Aunt. Welcome to my humble abode,” she greeted warmly. “Hey,” David responded. “Hello,” Brody said politely. “What can I do for you boys? Food? Drinks? Kitties?” Aunt questioned. “Can we stay over for the night?” David asked. “Why, certainly. I need to put these toiletries to good use.” David and Brody looked at each other and then at Aunt. “What time is it?” Brody asked. Aunt looked at her watch. “It’s 1:30 in the morning. Are you ready to call it a night?” she responded. “Not at all!” Brody answered. “Neither of us are morning people. I usually wake up at nine o’clock, and Brody normally wakes up whenever,” David said. “Okay. Good thing I know when, for sure, to expect you guys up,” said Aunt. “Really?” David asked. “Consider it a treat,” Aunt said. David and Brody shrugged their shoulders simultaneously. “What do you normally do until about two o’clock in the morning?” Aunt asked. “We play video games,” Brody answered. “I have an old game console in the common area,” said Aunt. Both boys high-fived each other. Then, they played video games until four o’clock in the morning. After all, this was the nicest house on the block. Like around June 2018
Levi Cranston (The Magic Video Game) and his girlfriend, Mackenzie Burbanks, were out and about on the mean streets of Boston. Jack Andrews and Asad Prejesh were in their apartment playing video games for the evening. Their new friends, Jing Hao and Kevin Maggliardi, invited them all to play video games, but everyone else declined. Especially since Levi and Mackenzie had a date, and Jack and Asad just simply did not feel like playing tennis. It was around 6 pm, and Jing and Kevin walked over to the nearby tennis courts, where they all practice. They were planning to stay for at least three to four hours. “Should we run around the track first?” Jing asked. “We always do, so I think that answers your question,” Kevin replied. “Okay, so let’s do it.” “We need to leave around 9:30, because Levi wanted to chat around that time.” “I think we’ll be done by then,” Jing said. “Usually, we are,” Kevin remarked. “When is Sheridan coming to the States?” “Next week. He is stopping in Dublin first.” “To do what?” “To party there, I think.” Sheridan is Kevin’s oldest brother, who is 32 years old and lives in London to pursue his doctorate degree in biomedical engineering. He has another brother, Graham, who is 29, and lives in New York City for work, as he works in IT. His only sister, Addison, is going to be 27 years old in a couple weeks, and she lives in Chicago for graduate school. Kevin just turned 25 years old, and Jack, Asad, and Levi view him as their little brother. Kevin is originally from Cranston, Rhode Island, pretty close to Levi’s motherland. Levi and Kevin met at their tennis coaching job. Levi works in IT for one company in Boston, and Kevin works in IT for another company in the same building, so they very often commute to work together. Levi, Mackenzie, Jack, and Asad share an apartment in the Allston neighborhood, while Jing and Kevin have a place in Cambridge. It is either a fifteen minute commute by bus, or a thirty minute commute by foot. Jing is from Garden City, a suburb of New York City. He is 25 years old, and has a younger sister, Amanda, who is 23 years old. He and Kevin met when they went to college in Boston. Jing also works in IT, and he is looking to go into grad school pretty soon. “This weather is pretty nice,” Jing remarked after a couple laps around the track. “Yes, it is,” Kevin responded. “What time is it?” “Time for you to get a watch.” “I have never heard that one before!” “No?” Jing asked, taking things a bit literally. “Nope,” Kevin rolled his eyes and smiled. “Time for tennis?” “Time for tennis. We have a few hours.” “We agreed 9:30, right?” “Yup.” Tennis practice was a complete blur. By the time they got on the tennis courts, it was already 7 o’clock in the evening. They had a couple hours before they’d have their phone chat with Levi, Jack, Mackenzie, and Asad later tonight. A couple hours later, Jing and Kevin were really tired, sore, and sweaty. They headed back to their apartment in Cambridge, where they would get ready for the night. It was Thursday evening, so one more day before the weekend. That’s why they all needed to chat. When they got into the apartment, Jing beat Kevin to the shower, kinda pissing Kevin off. Oh well. Kevin used this time to lie on his bed to stretch his back out a little, and to throw a tennis ball against the ceiling. He decided that now was a good time to call Levi, and so he did. “Hey Kevin, I have you on speaker,” Levi answered on his end. He and everyone else must have been out in the common area. “Hey, how’s it going?” Kevin asked. “Well, Mackenzie and I are back from our little date. We ventured out on the harbor walk and the North End.” “Very nice. We’re all gonna check out the harbor walk again this weekend, right?” “I wouldn’t mind doing that. We could also go out to Cambridge, whatever works for you,” Levi said. “Well, I’m totally open. Jing is taking his sweet little time in the shower,” Kevin replied. “I figured as much.” “What is everyone else doing?” “Well, Mackenzie is in our room. I think she’s on a phone chat with her family. Jack and Asad are in the kitchen heating up some leftovers from the night before.” “That’s great.” Jack and Asad had some Indian food from last night that they decided to heat up now, after spending at least two hours playing video games. They were being summoned into the living room to come up with some plans to hang out that weekend with Jing and Kevin. “Hi Kevin,” Jack responded once he and Asad walked into the common area. “Hey guys,” Kevin responded back. “How was tennis?” “It was pretty great. I beat Jing on all matches, so that was nice.” “I wish we were there to witness it,” Jack said. “I know! You missed out on a great evening,” Kevin exclaimed. “Well, we were playing tennis on TV.” “Not as fun.” “Next time, we’ll play all of you.” “Sounds like a plan. Well, Jing came in, and I’m going to shower. I’m disgusting.” “Okay, you do you.” Spring 2019
Kevin Maggliardi, Levi Cranston’s (The Magic Video Game) friend, and Kevin's girlfriend, Shanti Lee, decided to spend a quiet evening at Kevin’s Cambridge apartment. No one else was home. Kevin had spent the afternoon with Jing Hao, Mike Wong, Levi, Jack Andrews, and Asad Prejesh. They went into downtown Boston to try an Italian restaurant that they had never been to before. That evening, Jing, Mike, Jack, and Asad were going to some bars. Levi and his girlfriend, Mackenzie, spent an evening together at their apartment in Allston. Kevin and Shanti decided to put on some goofy adult cartoons for a bit, while feasting on Indian food. Kevin was on the outer end of the couch, sitting sideways, while Shanti was nestled between him and where the pillows meet on the couch. Her head was on his shoulder, and his head lay on top of her head. He took a deep breath, and Shanti wrapped her left arm around his chest. Then, she put her ear between his left armpit and his left breast. While she could hear his deep breathing, she could also hear his quiet heartbeat. She looked up, and Kevin’s eyes were closed. He must have been a little too tired of watching cartoons for over two hours. Shanti got up and turned off the TV and returned to her place on the couch. “Hey, Kevin?” Shanti asked. “Yeah?” Kevin responded sleepily. “Can I hear your heartbeat?” “Yes.” Without hesitation, Kevin pulled up his shirt up to his collarbone. Shanti could see his ribs every time he took a breath, and she also thought she could see his heart beating through his skin. His belly button was exposed, and she wanted to poke it with a q-tip. Her ear was pressed firmly on the lower part of his left breast, and she just paid attention to the intense whooshing of blood through his mitral valve. “Your heart is so loud, fast, and strong. Are you nervous?” Shanti asked. “No,” Kevin replied quietly with a soft smile. He took a very deep breath, and Shanti noticed a couple skips in his heartbeat. She thought that was super cute. “What is your heart rate, if you don’t mind my asking?” Shanti questioned. Kevin checked his watch, which has that feature. “122,” Kevin stated. “Sounds way faster than that,” Shanti said. “I’m gonna get it to pound really hard for me. So get ready.” “Okay!” Shanti was wearing a white floral button-down shirt. She unbuttoned the top three buttons, so the top part of her chest and part of her bra were exposed. Her ear was still on his chest. She heard even louder and deeper heartbeats inside Kevin’s chest. He must have been getting really excited, so he checked his watch again. “134,” Kevin replied. “Good!” Shanti exclaimed. Kevin’s left arm was wrapped around Shanti. She took his right hand and placed it on the top part of her chest, so that he could feel her fast and strong heartbeat as well. He placed his left hand over Shanti’s left ear, so his heartbeat was all she could hear. He was starting to breathe really hard, as he was so excited. They were super happy with doing nothing other than this for at least ten minutes. “Shanti?” Kevin got his girlfriend’s attention, with his hand still on her chest. “Yeah?” Shanti replied. “You ready to find out how fast my heart is beating?” “Yes!” “142.” “Oh my God! You have a shit ton of adrenaline flowing through you.” Kevin let out a soft smile and then was quiet. His eyes were closed again, and Shanti thought he made a soft and cute noise through his mouth. His breathing was steady. His heart was racing, and chances were that it wouldn’t slow down any time soon. From The Crazy Chicken Escapade
It was the next morning, about 8:30. So, not too early and not too late. Strangely enough, all three boys were awake at this time. Andrew woke up at 7:30, and David and Levi woke up at the same time….at 8:06. Kaloi, Marty, Sporto, Cosmo, Jack McFrost, and Jefferson gathered around the table and ate buttermilk pancakes, maple bacon, and eggs, courtesy of Kaloi. The three boys joined everyone once they got ready for the day. Today, Kaloi and Marty were going to take everyone to the Crazy Chicken Village, or at least try to. Kaloi, Marty, Sporto, Cosmo, Jack McFrost, and Jefferson told the newcomers about this odd place. On their thirty-minute walk toward the Crazy Chicken Village, the kids met a heavy man with a bib and a fork and spoon in each hand. On his shirt, there were six letters, two of them were in blue ink, two were in green, and the last two letters were in red. These letters spelled out “H.O.T.C.C.V.” “I have no clue what those words stand for,” said Andrew. The other two boys looked at the acronym carefully. “There are many possible words to choose from. There is ‘Heart Of Those Carelessly Creepy Villains,’” said David. “There is ‘Hippo Over Thy Courageously Crying Vitamins,” Levi remarked. “That doesn’t make a lot of sense,” Marty replied. “What would?” Sporto questioned. “The letters would not make a lot of sense,” Cosmo said, and this time, he was the most serious that he has ever been. “No, Cozz. I meant, what would make a lot of sense?” Sporto asked. “AW, NUTS!” Cosmo shouted, and everyone looked at him. He pouted. “No pouty lip, Cozz!” Jefferson shouted. “DON’T BE SILLY! PENGUINS CAN’T POUT! DON’T CALL ME COZZ EITHER! I HATE BEING CALLED COMSO, COMMY, COZZY, COM, COZZ, COMICOZZER, COSMIC, AND I REALLY HATE BEING CALLED COMICOZZY!” Cosmo screamed. “Do you mean….kamikaze?” Jack McFrost corrected him, like he always has. “A bunch of hard-to-spell and hard-to-pronounce words again, huh?” This conversation was interrupted by a nasty greeting. A greeting so nefarious that thunder was suddenly heard by everyone. A man, who came out of his brown English Tudor house, wore a white t-shirt that had the acronym, H.O.T.C.C.V. on it. He also wore blue jeans, and a black cape tied around his shirt. This man had a mole on his long nose. This man was either trying to be a “superhero” or “supervillain.” Or maybe just a comedian. “Who dareth entereth me private space?” sneered the man. “My name is Marty. I am a polar bear, and we are on a journey to make an agreement with the crazy chickens,” Marty replied. “I am Anthony T. DeSillyhead, Head of the Crazy Chicken Village. That’s what H.O.T.C.C.V. stands for, but this isn’t my shirt.” “Whose is it then?” Sporto asked. “Mayor Cluck’s, but his mommy made him take it off. He got in trouble when he made spoiled egg salad instead of fresh, and he added a hint of baked beans to it, so they all had a delightful music recital. If you want to know what my middle name is, it is Tony. So, my full name is Anthony Tony DeSillyhead.” “Isn’t Tony a short form of Anthony?” Levi questioned. “Indeed,” Anthony answered. He looked as if he was about to cry, and he did for only one minute. Marty offered him a handkerchief, and Anthony blew very hard into it. After Anthony pulled himself back together, he invited everyone to dinner at his house, which consisted of fried chicken, Caesar salad, and root beer floats. Again, the time spent at Anthony’s was a complete blur, so no one would probably remember what exactly happened during the time at Anthony’s. After the long day, Anthony offered a ride home for everyone. At 11:30, they were all back at Kaloi’s humble abode. Tomorrow was going to be another fun, but long, day. During the night, when everyone was asleep, there was the craziest chicken lounge a few blocks away, where every chicken soul was hyper in the middle of the night. Everyone was being immature and running around the place, and there were some chickens who were being mean and pushing their elders out of their seats. “HUSH NOW, CLUCKS! MR. BRADFORD HAS SOMETHING TO SAY!” a random chicken randomly shouted over the microphone at the most random moment. “Greetings, rude chicken legs. We have introduced our beloved, well-respected, sweet, and absolutely gorgeous fellow chicken in all this district, area, and village, oh my! And this chicken is NOT as rude, mean, and selfish as you rotten little spaghetti arms. Well, here is our first-rate citizen, Radcliffe Mostaccioli!” Mr. Bradford, another fellow chicken announced. Everyone’s applause sounded like the roars of chicken thunder. Radcliffe was indeed very gorgeous because he wore a sparkly purple shirt, and some female chickens almost fainted from just looking at him. “Greetings, fellow chickens! I am here to be silly, but am I also here to blame those knuckleheads who stand in front of the stage? Palooza, no! I am here, before we have fun, to give you a lecture, which will last exactly thirty minutes, and it is about kindness and caring, instead of pushing people out of their seats,” the beloved chicken said. Radcliffe then proceeded to give his lecture, which was mostly serious, except for some random jokes that he had thrown out there just to catch his audience off guard. “I believe that we all need to be nice to each other, like me and my girlfriend, who I am now going to propose to. I would like her to accept my proposition for marriage,” were Radcliffe’s ending lines of his lecture. Radcliffe’s girlfriend’s mouth dropped with utter excitement. Applause roared throughout the whole room, and Radcliffe put a silver ring on his now fiancé’s finger. As the lecture came to an end, and everyone was all happy and whatnot, there were suddenly four people who slowly entered the party. They happened to be: Darveda Davucci Illiona, Nelson, Hilda, And…. Bug? “You two will go to the other side of the lounge and do as I say, or you will get no ice cream forever and ever, amen,” Darveda ordered Bug and Hilda. Hilda and Bug walked slowly to the other side of the lounge. Radcliffe was in the middle of one of his best jokes, and Hilda, because of how short she is, snuck up behind him and tapped him on the shoulder. Radcliffe ignored her the first time. However, the next time, out came a rude…. “WHAT?!” from the newly engaged chicken. Hilda laughed a cunning laugh, while she took a gem out of her dress pocket. “You are under my control. Look deep inside this beautifully gorgeous gem,” she said to Radcliffe. To herself…. “I think that was actually pretty redundant.” Hilda thought to herself for a few moments, and then she proceeded to make her move. “You are an elephant,” Hilda said to her chicken “comrade.” Radcliffe started to act like an elephant. The hypnotizing of Radcliffe was really working, which was horribly bad. As a matter of fact, every chicken in the room was hypnotized, and Hilda slowly removed the ring from Radcliffe’s fiancé’s finger and slowly put it in her coin purse. “It’s sleepy time for Radcliffe, isn’t it? You will go to sleep because I said so,” Hilda said. The goofy chicken soon became unconscious, and he fell asleep, too. This was a lucky day for the villains because the electricity went out. It was so dark in the lounge that Darveda, Nelson, Hilda, and Bug could get away with attempting to make a deal on the Winderplassic Estate with Radcliffe and Marty. Everyone in the lounge went BONKERS! B-O-N-K-E-R-S. “We’ve got him, you bolognaheads! When he signs the deal with us, we will take over the world, the earth, and the living planet, oh my!” Darveda laughed. The other three bad guys laughed with her as well. “Darveda?” Nelson got his comrade’s attention after five minutes of doing nothing other than laughing. “What is it, you bolognahead?!” Darveda snapped. “The world, the earth, and the living planet, oh my, are all the same thing.” Darveda gave Nelson a crude glare. “I knew that all along!” Meanwhile, in the morning at Kaloi’s house…. Andrew woke up at 8 in the morning. It was a little boring, knowing that he was the only kid of the three who is a morning person. Levi and David were still sleeping soundly when Andrew returned to the room. David stirred, but it was obvious that Levi was still in a deep sleep. “Good morning, sleepyheads,” Marty said to the boys. Levi and David woke up in a bad mood. Both boys’ eyes were closed while they were fighting very hard to wake up. “Good morning,” Levi replied sleepily. He raised his head high enough to acknowledge Marty’s presence, and then his head hit his pillow. Hard. Levi fell back asleep. “I heard back from Anthony Tony DeSillyhead early this morning. Darveda and her sidekicks have tried to take advantage of the chicken population, and Anthony wants us to return the chicken community back to normal.” “Levi fell asleep,” David answered sleepily. He, like Levi, raised his head high enough to acknowledge Marty’s presence, and then his head hit the pillow. Hard. Like Levi, David fell back asleep. Andrew was the only boy who was somehow fully awake. “We need to start on our expedition to return the chicken community to normal!” Marty exclaimed. To himself…. “Kids these days.” “I think David and Levi were both playing video games all night long,” Andrew said to the polar bear, reassuringly. “I thought I heard video game music being played from my room last night. Did you play video games with them?” “I played video games with them for a while, but then I went back to my quarter to finish my book.” “How was it?” “The book was not as good as I had hoped, but I have another book that I was going to start tonight.” “You are quite the bookworm, aren’t you?” “Yes, I am.” Andrew wasn’t quite sure what to do next. He felt a little odd being the only boy up, but he then realized that David and Levi were going to suffer the consequences of being up so late. Not that Andrew wasn’t up late either, but he considered the beginning of the journey. Andrew knew that they were all going to start finding a way to rebuild the chicken community the following day. Thirty minutes later, both David and Levi woke up, at about the same time. They both got ready for the day, and when the two boys returned to the quarters, both were wearing Hawaiian-print shirts. Since this was a complete déjà vu moment, Andrew decided to change into a Hawaiian-print shirt as well. “How long did you stay up last night?” Andrew asked Levi. “David and I stayed up until about two in the morning. You?” Levi responded. “Until about eleven o’clock that night. I could overhear you and David yelling while you were trying to beat Cosmo and Jefferson at a game. It was amusing.” “Oh yeah! That was so much fun. We were playing some classic car racing games against Cosmo and Jefferson, and, sadly, they won most of the time.” “Oh well. At least it was fun!” Andrew replied. “It was a lot of fun. And now I feel like I jumped out of a building,” Levi answered. “Why?” “I move around a lot when I sleep. I guess I moved around a little too much last night, and I forgot to put my ankle in a brace.” “You have to wear an ankle brace?” “I should, especially when I play tennis or sleep.” After a few more minutes of conversation, David, Andrew, and Levi realized that they had not started on their journey yet. The three boys were still waiting for Marty to enter the quarters and announce the plans. While waiting for Marty, David, Andrew, and Levi sat quietly, eyeing the walls decorated with blue, green, and red paint, each boy’s favorite color. Five minutes later, Marty entered the quarters. “What are we going to do right now?” David asked Marty. “We are going to Kaloi’s forensics lab in a few minutes,” Marty replied. “What will that do for us in what we want to find out about the chicken community?” “I doubt that the actual forensics lab will solve any of our questions. However, Kaloi was in touch with Anthony Tony DeSillyhead last night when there was all the commotion, so he might give us some information.” “That’s still a good idea, though,” David remarked. “He should give us some information, and he might even point us in the direction of what we need to do next,” Marty said. “Have we met him yet?” “The only boy who has is Levi, but he is a pretty cool guy. You all will like him, I’d think.” “I’ve seen pictures of him on top of the fireplace, by the other pictures of all of you.” “All of those pictures are from our senior years of college.” “Where did you all go to college?” Levi asked. “University of Wakahakai,” Marty replied. |
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