Free Ben the Inventor by Robin Stevenson Page B

quickly.”
    â€œIf it doesn’t sell, does that mean they won’t be able to move?” Ben asked.
    â€œThey probably can’t buy a house in Vancouver until they sell this one,” she said.
    â€œI hope it never sells.”
    â€œI’m sure it will,” she said. “It would be nice if they were here for the rest of the summer though. Until Jessy gets back from camp.”
    His mom didn’t understand. Jessy was great, but she didn’t know about inventors invent inventions or any of the other secret games he and Jack played. “Jessy can’t take Jack’s place,” Ben said. “She’s my school friend, and he’s my holiday friend. Two different things.” He frowned, trying to think of a way to make her understand. “Like you have Stella now, but you still want me.”
    She laughed. “You are right. Jack’s special. But Vancouver isn’t that far away. We can visit. It will be okay.”
    Maybe it will , Ben thought. Because his mom had given him an idea.
    Ben was going to invent a Stupendous Plan.

Chapter Four
    The next morning, Ben followed the speed bump to Jack’s house. He knocked on the door. Jack’s mom opened it. “Hi, Ben. Looking for Jack?”
    Ben didn’t answer. He didn’t even say hello. “What if no one buys your house?” he asked instead.
    â€œSomeone had better buy it,” she said, laughing. “We need the money to buy a new one.”
    So it was just as his mom had said. That was good. “Can Jack come out and play?” he asked.
    â€œSure.” She turned and called up the stairs. “Jack! Ben’s here.”
    Thump , thump , thump . Jack came down two steps at a time, still in his pajamas. “Hey! Let’s go.”
    â€œClothes,” said his mom.
    Jack looked down at his T. rex shirt and shorts. “Do I have to?”
    â€œYes, hurry up.” She shooed him back upstairs. “Ben, I’ll send him over as soon as he’s had breakfast, okay?”
    Ben nodded. Jack’s mom sure would be surprised if she knew what he was planning.

    By the time Jack arrived, Ben had already begun work.
    â€œWhat are you building?” Jack asked.
    â€œAnother catapult,” Ben said. “Sort of.”
    Jack looked worried. “Do you think that’s a good idea?”
    â€œIt’s a great idea,” Ben said. “Listen. You don’t want to move, right?”
    Jack sat down on the grass and crisscrossed his legs. “Right.”
    â€œAnd if no one buys your house, you won’t have to.”
    â€œSomeone is coming to look at it tomorrow,” Jack said. “They’ll probably buy it.”
    â€œNot if we do something to stop them,” Ben said.
    â€œLike what?” Jack picked a blade of grass and chewed on it.
    â€œInventors invent inventions,” Ben said, “and we need to make our most Stupendous Contraption ever.”

    For the rest of the day, under the hot summer sun, the two inventors worked the hardest they had ever worked. They only stopped twice, once for popsicles and once for cookies. They didn’t even go inside to use the washroom. They just peed right in the vegetable garden. They aimed for the Swiss chard, since neither of them liked eating it anyway.
    By the time their parents called them for dinner, the contraption was almost complete.
    â€œWell?” Ben said. “What do you think?”
    He and Jack stared at their invention. It began with a series of pipes and ended with a catapult. A new and improved catapult. It was twice as large and three times as powerful as the one Ben’s mom had taken away. This one was the Ultimate Catapult. It was made of metal pipes and wood ramps and three different kinds of balls. It had a small solar panel and a race-car launcher with double-A batteries. It even had a toilet seat and some other stuff.
    The solar panel didn’t actually work, but it