Dec. 8-12,14, 2008

December 8, Monday
Title of Text: The Million Dollar Shot
Minutes: 33
Summary: Eddie Ball, a young basketball player, buys a box of delicious snacks called Finkles. He notices an ad for a chance to win $1,000,000.00 just by sinking a foul shot, a shot you take without anyone in your face. Eddie's chances almost get crushed when his friend Annie reads him the rules. “Void in anywhere prohibited. Finkle employees, and their families prohibited from entering.” The next day, Eddie finds out that his mom, the marshmallow operator for Finkles, has been fired. He feels so sad and down, but at the same time, he feels happy now that he can enter the contest. All he needs to do to win is to create a well-written poem about Finkles and send in 10 box-tops. Eddie shows Annie a series of poems. But all Annie's thinking about is how small his chance of winning is with these poems. Then Annie decides to write Eddie a poem. It goes...

How can pilgrims e'er be contented
When savory Finkles haven't been invented?

At first, Eddie thinks no way, but then he thinks about it and decides to use her poem. The following day, he gets the message telling him that he's won the contest and he needs to prepare for a big shot.

December 9, Tuesday
Title of Text: The Million Dollar Shot
Minutes: 65
Summary: Eddie Ball practices with Annie's dad, Mr. Stokely. He gives Eddie the secret to shooting the perfect foul shots. Mr. Stokely tells Eddie that he is shooting about 90% of his shots. Better than any pro basketball player. A week or so later, George Finkle, manager of Finkles comes by Eddie's home. He tells him that Finkles will be going out of business due to tests showing that their snacks cause cancer. He tries to bribe Eddie by getting Eddie into the college of his choice and giving his mom her job back. Eddie tries to think it over. The next couple of days, Eddie notices weird things happening. Mowed in the grass was an odd message telling him to miss. On the backboard of the hoop he used, someone wrote in graffiti yet another message telling him to miss. The person also raised the hoop two inches which explained Eddie's series of misses. When he practiced at the gym, a strange man was video taping Eddie. When Eddie spotted him, he ran away. The same guy appeared days later. This time, when Eddie spotted him, he fell down the bleachers and ran away. The day of the shot came closer and closer so they left for New York. They got fancy rooms in a hotel where they drop the ball on New Year's Eve. An employee got a rim and a ball for Eddie to practice with. He kept practicing when suddenly Annie called Eddie over to see something. On the other side of the curtain, Mr. Stokely and Eddie's mom were lip-locked. Eddie was upset and started missing a lot of his shots. Mr. Stokely came out looking surprised at Eddie's bad accuracy. Eddie got so furious that he screamed at Mr. Stokely. Mr. Stokely told him to relax and hold his anger until the $1,000,000 shot was over. On the day of the shot, before he steps to the line, he feels for his lucky dollar coin, but notices a pickpocket must have taken it. Before he takes the shot, George Finkle tells everyone to flip their sign. Suddenly, there were a ton of backboards. He said he got triple vision and his mom told him to aim for the one in the middle. He bounces the ball, takes the shot, and the ball soars through the air making a perfect arc. The ball rolls around and around the top of the rim until... it falls in! George Finkle starts crying because not only does his business close, he has to pay $1,000,000.00! The business closes and Eddie buys it, renaming it as Air Crunchies.

December 10, Wednesday
Title of text: The Softwire: Virus on Orbis 1
Minutes: 31
Summary: Johnny is a boy who is taking a 253 year trip to a ring called Orbis 1. For the first 200 years or so, they were just molecules on a plate but now they've turned into full grown humans. The mother of the children is actually a computer that holds files of the children. When they landed, they had a chat with the keeper of Orbis 1. All the kids crowded around him asking questions. One of them asked the keeper about the fact that he had two heads. The keeper responded in a rude voice. He also said he needed the two heads for keeping an eye out for things. The keeper then mentioned something about an implant to make the people more like an alien race.

December 11, Thursday
Title of Text: The Softwire Virus on Orbis 1
Minutes: 30
Summary: Thaylor, Orbis' keeper tells them that they will be living with a guarantor. A guarantor is like a parent. The child must follow every order the guarantor makes. There will be serious consequences if the kid doesn't follow directions. They will have 4 years of work, 1 on each ring until they are free to do anything they feel like doing. After explaining all of that, Thaylor then starts testing the kids to see who needs the implants to make them alien kind. All the kids wait nervously, as they see others come out the door with the implants. Johnny twiddled his thumbs as he waited for his turn. As more and more kids came out with the implant, he grew more and more nervous. The only thoughts in his head were about the implant. He felt like running away. His friends Max and Switzer tried to cheer Johnny up by telling him that it's very easy. Switzer tried very hard to comfort him. Max did the same. But the more Switzer and Max talked, the more nervous Johnny grew.

December 12, Friday
Title of Text: The Softwire Virus on Orbis 1
Minutes: 32
Summary: Thaylor finally announced Johnny's turn. Johnny walked over to the screen for testing. Thaylor asked him to try and scroll the files without touching the screen. Johnny focused on the files. He closed his eyes. When he opened them, the screen was scrolling down. He did it! He can move files with his mind. Johnny was a softwire! Thaylor looked very surprised. The children crowded around Johnny chanting his name like Johnny was a king. Thaylor starting babbling about how unexpected this was. Johnny didn't have to receive the implant. He is a softwire. Johnny's friend Switzer tries to be a softwire. When he stepped up to the screen, he closed his eyes and tried to imagine the files moving. He opened his eyes. Nothing happened. All the kids laughed hysterically as Switzer stood there embarrassed. Switzer felt like crying as Thaylor pulled him into the operating room.

December 14, Sunday
Title Of Text: The Softwire Virus on Orbis 1
Minutes: 21
Summary: Once all of the children received their implants, they exited the building and walked over to a very aerodynamic space ship. Thaylor explained why they were entering the ship. They were traveling to the other side of the ring to meet their guarantor. All the children cheered with great excitement. Thaylor then explained that a gravitation cushion will keep them in their seat while they are at high speeds. When they loudly blasted off not very far into the dark space, Johnny could feel the gravitation cushion glue him to his seat. Johnny glanced towards Max. She was laughing hysterically again. Johnny looked out the window looking at all the stars. Switzer stated how awesome Orbis 1 was. Johnny laughed and enjoyed the rest of the trip.


Total Minutes: 212