Writing Magic 7

This chapter was about detail. So tell me if you think I have enough of it!

The weight of the monitors made me want to drag my feet but I could not let them know that. I had volunteered and this is what I had to do.


First I shall explain what I am doing. I, Jess Linksen, volunteered to help a group of scientists for experiment day at my school. I wanted to help with the little kids dance class but that had already been taken, so here I am, with a heart monitor, skin temp monitor, brain function monitor, lung monitor and a head set strapped to me.

I walked into a room that almost blinded me, for it was white and had lights all-round. I could make out a table with little bumps on it and the four scientists (of whom I had laid myself at their feet by volunteering) standing around it. As I got closer the scientist gave me a nod of welcome and approval (I think it was also of thanks for I was about to be the “Ginny-pig” and test their inventions). Now as I reached the table the bumps formed into objects; A dazzling silver ring, a rather ugly little thing that I think I have seen in my grandparents ears, a cookie thought it was a little lumpy and did not look at all like you could eat it, and a glass of sparkling liquid.


“Pick one.” A scientist who went by the name of Stanly (or that’s what his name plate said, I think, it was a little rubbed out) said. I hesitated. He, Stanly, spoke again. “Pick one to try. When you do we shall monitor your heart, lungs, brain function and skin temperature, and you must tell us, without leaving out a single detail, what it is like. OK?”

“OK.”

“Good, now. This,” he pointed to the ring, “will make the wearer disappear. This,” he pointed at the thing (you know the ugly one), “Will enable the wearer to hear anything, no matter how far away...” So that’s what it is! A hearing aid, ha-ha. He went on, pointing to the cookie, “This will make whoever eats it grow one foot a minute. And last but not least this,” the drink, “will make the drinker shrink three inches a minute. Well that’s what they’re supposed to do, we won’t know ‘till someone, well I guess that will be you, tries them.” I gulped. “Oh don’t weary we have taken steps that if they don’t work we’ll stop them from doing anything harmful.” Like what!? I thought. “Just pick one and try it. That’s all you have to do.”

“OK…” I picked up the ring; the one I thought (and hopped) would do the least amount of damage. “Now,” Stanly said, “That there is Pill’s invention. As you put it on tell us everything you feel, don’t leave anything out.”

I held it between the thumb and first finger of my left hand. I slowly started to slip it onto my middle finger of my right hand. When it got over the nail it bumped my skin, “I’m not feeling anything.” I heard a gasp from the scientists. Then I heard them whispering, “She wasn’t there or a second! It worked!”

I kept moving it over my finger, “It’s over the second knuckle. Things are starting to fade.” Again I heard gasps from the scientists but these did not seem happy.


“Done. It’s snug against my finger. I don’t feel any different but I can’t see you.” I heard a voice and looked in its direction. “Try to focus on just one thing.” I did.

“Now I see the table but nothing on it, nor around it.”

“Take it off.”

“OK.” I took it off. I could see the scientists or more like I could see their bulging eyes and jaws hanging open. “What’s the matter?”

“Well…” Pill, the one whose invention I had just tried spoke up. “Ummm, it worked in a way. You were not invisible to us, well you were when it was over your finger nail but after that we were the ones who were invisible. So in a way it worked, you can only be invisible when it’s over your nail.”

“OK.”

“Did you feel bad? Are you exhausted? Do you feel fine?”

“Yes, I feel fine.”

“Good, pick the next one you want to try.”