Free Freddie Ramos Zooms to the Rescue by Jacqueline Jules Page A

of Starwood Park Apartments and all the people who live there.
    â€œDid you leave this for me?” I showed him my name on the thick envelope.
    He chuckled and shook his bushy gray head. “Not this time, Freddie.”
    Mr. Vaslov is also an inventor. He made my super zapatos. Except he wasn’t sure they worked at first. He left them at my door in a box, so I could test them out.
    â€œYou can tell me the truth,” I said. “I won’t laugh if your new invention is a dud.”
    Mr. Vaslov walked away with his plunger. “Sorry, Freddie. I have to go. There’s a stopped up toilet next door.”
    He left me alone with the padded brown envelope. I took it inside my apartment, 29G, and pulled the red strip on the bottom. Gray fluffy stuff blew into my face, and I sneezed. Not everything about getting a present is fun.
    After I cleaned off my face, I put my hand in the envelope. Inside, I found a pair of super looking
    GOGGLES!
    They were silver, just like the wings on the side of my purple zapatos. I ran down the hall to a mirror.
    â€œ Fantástico! ” The silver goggles looked like a superhero mask. They were just what I wanted! And I knew just who gave them to me.

    I zoomed back outside to find Mr. Vaslov. He was hurrying down the sidewalk with his plunger under his arm.

    Super speed sure helps when you want to catch up with someone.
    â€œThanks for the silver goggles!” I said, giving Mr. Vaslov a hug. It got me a little closer to the plunger than I wanted, but that was okay. Mr. Vaslov is a good guy.
    He laughed. “Freddie! I told you. It wasn’t me.”
    â€œIt has to be you!” I said. “No one else knows I need them.”
    Mr. Vaslov rubbed his chin. “We did talk about getting you a costume.”
    â€œYES! And this is a great mask for a superhero. Thank you!”
    â€œIt wasn’t me,” Mr. Vaslov repeated, shaking his head. “Sorry.”
    I was confused. If Mr. Vaslov didn’t give me the goggles, who did?
    â€œThere’s the train!” Mr. Vaslov put his hand by his ear. The metro train was rumbling behind Starwood Park on its overhead track. “Are you going to race it?”
    My feet tingled in my purple shoes. Racing the train always made me feel good. And it would be a chance to try out my silver goggles. I hoped they could keep the wind out of my eyes.
    â€œSee you later!” I waved at Mr. Vaslov.

3. Silver Goggles

    The grass beside the overhead train track is the world’s best place to run. I spread out my arms, pretending to be an airplane. Airplanes can beat trains, and that’s how fast I am.

    My legs spun faster and faster. A light cloud swirled around me. Rápido! The train fell behind me as the wind whooshed hard against my face. But it didn’t hurt my eyes, not with the silver goggles protecting them.

    I ran past the train station, down a trail that leads to a bridge over the tracks. Then I stopped and checked my watch just as the 5:35 came speeding in beneath me. That’s my mom’s train. I love to watch it come through. She leaves work at the same time every day, and walks from the station. When she comes home she expects to see me with open books, doing my homework. No hay problema. Mom wouldn’t beat me home.

    Smoke whooshed out of my super shoes as I ran down the trail. Between the trees, I could see the track getting higher as it rose to meet the station. And I could see the letter “W” on a red baseball cap stuck in a tree.

    Zapato Power smoke gave me super vision, like looking through a telescope. And with my silver goggles, I didn’t have to squint in the wind anymore. Next to my super sneakers, they were the best gift ever.
    When I got home, my guinea pig, Claude the Second, stood up in his cage.
    â€œWHEET!” That’s Claude the Second’s way of saying hello. “WHEET!”
    I gave him a carrot and went to the mirror to look at my