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It was a beautiful warm day at the park. Ducks swam in the pond and waited for morsels of bread to be handed out by old ladies. Owen, leaning on a tree watched a squirrel run around and gather up acorns. In the distance he heard a voice.
"Owen! Hey Owen!" It was Jason. Perfect he'd been waiting for him all morning out here.
"Well?" he said.
"I got some info for you. Word has it that the Frink kid is working on some type of electricity project. Possibly a model of the whole city." Said Jason slightly out of breath from running.
"A model of the city? Darn! The little jerk might actually pose a threat to my earthquake model. Good job Jason. We've got three days left. We'll see then if we can't make Frink's little project more interesting than he had planned." Said Owen with a smile.

It didn't take long for those three days to pass. This certainly was a big occasion and the school had rented out a room at the local fairgrounds for the event. Kids and parents arrived there the day before to set up their projects for the next morning. Frink waited in his basement for his father to come in and help him load up his project. He'd been working long and hard on this. He'd tested it over and over and was sure it was ready. Still there was no harm in doing one last test. He threw a big square switch that was attached to the control box. His mini generator began to spin and like dominos the lights in his model of Springfield came on one by one. He'd used several feet of wire to get the thing to work and hundreds of little light bulbs. He had back up batteries read in case something went wrong and he'd taken every safety precaution while hooking everything up. In the darkness of the basement, the model looked beautiful and one would have thought it the miniature set of some movie. His father walked in, he had the car all ready to go.
"Come on son. Let's set this up at the fair. I'm sure you'll do great."
The set broke apart into four workable sections and they loaded it into the back seat of the car.
Once at the fairgrounds his father helped him set and hook everything back up. One final check and the whole thing was covered by a tarp and left over night. As darkness settled over the building, two figures stole out into the night. Stowed away under one of the covered tables this was the moment they had been waiting for. Wire cutters and tweezers in hand they set to work on their malicious deed.

That morning, the fair opened up to the bustle of kids vying for the attention of the judges. The principal was one of the judges and his decisions carried great weight. He walked past many displays. Some kids had done theirs on dinosaurs or prehistoric beast and they had little dioramas with plastic toy dinos set up close to a watering hole. None of them failed to have a T-rex pitted against some herbivorous dinosaur, usually a sauropod or ceratopsian. A few had environmental themed displays about save the rainforests or save the whales. There weren't many that had them, but it was a trend that had recently started. He kept walking past some space exhibits, usually Styrofoam balls set up in the order of the planets of the solar system and painted to be representations of those planets. So far there was nothing impressive, but he had yet to get to the honor students.

Owen sat back behind his display with a rather bored look. He watched as down the aisle Frink unveiled his model of Springfield. Owen's eyes went wide when he saw just how big and detailed it was, down to the street signs.
"What's the matter, Owen?" Said a familiar voice. He turned to see his two cronies Jason and Jim.
"It's that Frink kid again. Just look at him!" He said as he pointed with his entire hand. "All happy and excited, and that model! It's actually good!"
"Yikes! You're right, Owen. You think he'll beat you out?" Asked Jim.
"No. It's good but not good enough. That twerp isn't better than me. I got a feeling things will go my way in the end. Stick around boys, this should prove interesting."

It wasn't long before the principal came up to their section and hovered over Owen's project.
"So what do we have here?" he asked.
"Feast your eyes on this, sir." Said Owen proudly as he showed off a replica of a beach, a few near by skyscrapers and the water. "This is a model of the San Andreas Fault. We all know that in the not so distant future a good chunk of California will fall into the sea. Allow me to demonstrate." He turned a level behind his table. It was set up on a manual conveyor belt and the little buildings began to wobble. With a little more applied force they broke at their bases and fell into the water.
"The destruction of the city is not all this portrays." Continued the child. When the buildings hit the water he began to turn another level on the opposite side that generated little waves. "Not only would this be a devastating earthquake but it would also produce an equally devastating tidal wave, shown here by my wave pool. The typhoon would head out into the pacific gaining more power and momentum until it hit the other shore and bounce back and forth all over the world about three or four times."
"Hum, interesting project though slightly disturbing." Said the principal. "Your wave pool is well put together. Nice oscillations. I'll think about this one." And he moved on.
"Woe, I think he liked it." Said Jim.
"Yeah." Responded Owen not too thrilled.
"Uh oh, he's headed over to Frink's table. This can't be good." Added Jason.
"Relax!" Yelled Owen. "He'll never make it, just watch."

Frink was ecstatic. He was like a ball of energy behind his table as he watched the principal approach him.
"This looks great! Tell me what this is."
"This is my project on electricity, the life blood of our city. As you see I've made a replica of all of Springfield and it will demonstrate, um hay, what this power means to us and what is in store for the future. Now watch as I start my generator and prepare to be dazzled!"
He switched on the little generator and listened as it spun faster and faster. The hum rose steadily to a low roar. One by one the tiny street lamps came on to the sounds of oohs and ah's from passers by. The sound became louder still until it sounded like a remote controlled car.
"Hum, that's odd. There seems to be too much energy flowing through the system. I'll just…" before Frink could finish his sentence everyone watch as the small city grew brighter and brighter until it was illuminating the entire room.
"Zoi!! I'm shutting it off, now!" Yet try as he might he couldn't get it to shut off and the generator just ran faster still. Finally a bulb blew, showering a lady with hot glass. She screamed. Then another one exploded and the chain reaction began. Bulbs shattered and exploded down all the streets, inside the little buildings, and up the miniature hills. Tiny cars flipped over and flew through windows.
"NO!" Yelled Frink as the watched some of the explosions converge. From the center of the model in the middle of town square he saw part of the problem. There was a loose wire. How could this be? He'd checked and tripled checked everything. Before he could reach it, the wire burst into sparks and snaked violently though the air. The sparks sprayed the principal in the face, and he recoiled.
"What is the meaning of this…"
But before he could finish the wire caught him on the sleeve of his suit and burst into flames at the same instant that Frink's town also became a raging inferno. Frink jumped out from behind his table and grabbed the nearest fire extinguisher. He rushed back toward the principal who was now rolling around on the floor before the gapping mouths of shocked on lookers.
FOOSH!
In a burst of white smoke, his flames came to their end as he spayed him with the extinguisher. No worse for the ware, the principal stood up and brushed off his charred suit as though nothing had happened. The expression on his face was controlled rage. He walked back toward the small burning city. He stared at it a moment then looked at the cowering and ashamed Frink.
"SO! This is what you meant by DAZZLED?"
"No, sir. I can…"
"SO this is your idea of a joke?"
"But…"
"And this is what the POWER of electricity means to you! You're vision is of our city in flames? Is this your vision of the future of?!?!"
"NO!! NO, sir." Said Frink on the verge of crying. "This wasn't supposed to happen. I don't know how this happened, everything was perfect, glayven! I had it blay um hey…with the checking, and the building and the light bulbs..."
"Silence! It's obvious you don't know what you're doing. And to think I saved you for last."
Frink fell to his knees with his head down. In the distance Owen and his buds were laughing their heads off. To see the principal on fire was an added bonus. When they saw him walking back toward their table they struggled to hold in their laughter.
"I have chosen this year's winner. The blue ribbon goes to Owen Marsh!"
Lights flashed as people took his picture. He would make it into local papers and the school's own paper. Owen accepted the award with a huge smirk. Not long after that kids packed their bags and prepared to go home. Frink hadn't budged from his spot on the floor, when Owen stepped up to him and slapped him on the back of the head.
"Hey there Frinky. Nice disaster there. Keep that up and they'll hire you to work on the next giant rubber monster film. Heh Heh. Check out the first prize." He said as he held out his ribbon and trophy in front of Frink's face.
"They give out trophies now too? Blab. Well congratulations, Owen."
"Yes, thank you, thank you. I deserved it and you didn't." He said as he walked away. "Oh and Frinky, if I were you, I'd check that faulty wiring next time."

Henry Frink pulled up to the fairgrounds. He exited his car, walked through the parking lot past the exiting children. He wondered why little Frink wasn't waiting for him at the entrance like he had been told to. He walked inside and after looking around the empty tables he found his son sitting on the floor next to his blistered project.
"Oh my. Son, what happened?" He asked completely surprised.
"Nothing, just an accident. Take me home." He said as he stood up and ran toward the car. Henry watched him go, then looked onto the smoldering table. He picked up what he could and carried it outside. Fiddling with his keys he opened the trunk of his car and threw the debris in the back then climbed in behind the wheel.
"Are you alright? You aren't hurt are you?"
"I'm fine dad. I don't want to talk about it right now." He said in a grumbled voice from the back seat.

Upon arriving home, Frink jumped out of the car, burst through the front door and ran up into his room. His mother stepped into the doorway concerned.
"Honey, what's going on?"
"Well, from the looks of things..." Said Henry struggling to get the toasted project out of the trunk. "Something really bad happened to Frink's Project."
"Oh my." Said Barbara as she saw the mess her husband pulled out.
"He didn't want to talk about it." He said.
"And I just saw him lock himself in his room."
"I should talk to him." Said Henry.
"I wouldn't just yet. He's feeling pretty bad, and I think he needs a little quiet time to himself. Give him a while before you do." She said to him.
"As usual you are right. I'll take a look at this thing and try to figure out what went wrong.

Up in his room, Frink lay on his bed and faced the wall. He didn't even bother to look around at his things or out the window. What had happened today? So many horrible things ran through his mind. He felt sick in his stomach and it seemed like a hole was opening up inside. He put his head on his pillow and just lay there. Ever since Owen had arrived, things had begun to go down hill for him. Frink had gotten used to being the best when it came to school. He'd always won all these types of competitions. Come to think of it, he'd always congratulated the second place winner and never once worried or cared that he might lose, but now he did. And if anything Owen could at least have said something on his behalf for trying instead of putting him down. Had the tables been turned that's what he would have done. Or perhaps, may-be he'd never had any real competition. Perhaps Owen was right, and he was no good after all. It was just now beginning to show. His last few calculations on other works had been slightly off. He thought back to his Cantaloupe launcher, talk about a disaster, and now this. How could this have happened? Despite checking it must have been something so insignificant that he over looked it.

Down in the basement Henry looked over what remained of the model. He raised an eyebrow when he found that the thing had been rewired. The system had been overloaded, no wonder it caught fire. It wasn't an accident at all. This was probably some bully's idea of a practical joke. Little Frink would be glad to hear it wasn't his fault.

Frink heard a knock at his door, and then his father came in. He sat down next to him, then gently picked him up and sat him beside him.
"Now son, please tell me what happened."
Frink sighed and told him the whole situation.
"I see. And you feel really bad about losing."
"No, it's not that, glayven. I really blew it this time. Perhaps they're right. I don't know what I'm doing and my stuff's no good."
"Who says that?"
"The principal and some other kids."
"Now listen to me," began Henry. "You didn't do anything wrong. Your work was great. The explosions weren't an accident you're project was sabotaged."
Frink turned to his father, his eyes in disbelief.
"That's right, someone messed with your project."
"Zoi!! What? But how? Now why would someone do that?"
"This is the first time you've had to deal with this, but not everyone out there is nice like you. You see Frink, you are good at what you do. When you are good, there will be others out there that will not like it. They may be jealous and take your things or in this case break your things to make themselves look better. It is they who are not good enough."
"That's terrible. What should I do?" Asked Frink concerned now that his view of the world had changed.
"You go on. Keep doing what you do, and always give your best. Nothing bothers jealous types more than that. It isn't a nice place out there so always keep a sharp eye out, and don't lose confidence in yourself. Then show them your best. This is just a minor set back. Things don't always turn out the way you want them. Life doesn't always turn out the way you want it. It's how you deal with it that counts."
Frink still not sure, nodded in agreement with his father. He had lost his confidence and he'd never be the same after this. It was so much to take in, he had to just dwell on it a while.
"Now, what do you say we stop by the comic book store a little later and pick you up something fun to read?"
A smile creeped onto Frink's face and again he nodded this time in stronger agreement. His father smiled and left him alone to think.

Frink looked around at his room. He stared up from his books to the posters on his wall. He had several depicting the planets and other space scenes. He had a few science fiction heroes on his wall as well and a model of the Enterprise hanging from his ceiling. He looked out his window thinking how time had passed. He was in seventh grade now and very much enjoying the classes he was taking. He was a year younger than the other kids since he had skipped ahead a grade. He slammed his heavy book closed, stood and walked toward the window. It was the weekend, he was three chapters ahead of what was assigned and it was a good a place as any to stop. Studying was fun, but he was still a kid that needed to go out and play. He turned and reached under his bed. It was dark and there were all sorts of gizmos he had to feel his way through until he found the toy he was searching for. He pulled a shinny little roadster with is left hand and looked it over as he sat on his knees. It was finally finished. He'd been working on it for weeks, now to find that remote. Again he bent over and stuck his hand under the bed. At last he felt it and pulled it out. He picked up the little car and ran outside with it.

At an empty parking lot near the park by the lake he set everything up. He had little ramps, and obstacles laid out like a track. He set the mini roadster down and flipped the switch on the controller. Hitting the joystick the little car peeled out its wheels and went zooming off around the lot. Frink watched it with delight as he made it turn left, right, reverse and forward again. He made one lap around the track and he zig-zagged it around some rocks he'd placed down, up the ramp in a huge jump and it came to a stop at his feet. Pleased he picked it up and set it down to start again. This time he would completely avoid the rocks and just see how much speed he could build up. Could he beat his own record? The little car took off like a light and zipped around the course. Frink got more and more excited as it picked up speed. It had never gone this fast, those adjustments he had made to it really had helped out. Faster and faster it went, he could hear the little engine working furiously. "Come on, baby. Show me what you've got!" He said to himself. Suddenly Frink realized he'd left the ramp on the ground. The little car ran up it at top speed and flew into the air. "Oh, my." Was all he could say as he watched it gain altitude and crash into the branch of a tree, only to become wedged in it.

Frink stood there dumbfounded. Placing the control on the ground he walked over to the tall tree looking up at it the whole time.
"I never thought the day would come where I'd have to climb a tree to retrieve a toy car. A toy plane perhaps, but a car? Mwah Hey!"
Whatever the case it was pretty incredible. He reached up and began to climb. It was in the fork of one of the high branches. He made his way up further and reached out for it. He was nervous about being so high up and wondered if the branches would support his weight. The car was just within reach, and he'd worked too hard to just let it sit up there forever and get rusted in the rain. He inched forward and the branch bent down slightly. A bead of sweat formed on his forehead and then trickled down his cheek. He reached a little more. Only six more inches! Further, further, almost there. Finally his fingers grasped the toy. The branch hadn't broken, what a relief that was. He clutched it firmly now and pulled it in. Frink suddenly felt a huge amount of energy build up under him. As the extra weight of the metal car was shifted over to him, the branch heaved back in a huge backlash and catapulted Frink and his toy into the air.
"So this is what it was like for you?!" He said still talking to his toy as he sailed through air. He screamed as he felt gravity take over and he plummeted toward the earth. Chance would have it that the branch had been facing away from the parking lot, and now young Frink was falling straight into the lake. He hit the water hard and a huge spray shot into the sky as he sunk beneath the water. A moment later he came up gasping for breath. His hair hung in his face and he made his way back onto land. Great. How would he explain this one to his parents? He was soaked the bone and all muddied up. His car had gotten wet after all, rain or no rain. He picked up his control and began to walk home. Hopefully no one would see him sneak in there was no point in staying out now.

Class began bright and early and Frink sat at his desk thinking about the past events. He was lucky no one found out about him falling in the lake. Many of his other inventions had gone terribly wrong. It was like he was loosing his touch. But he hoped that today would be different. Today they had a field trip planned that emphasized biology. They would be visiting a local marshy area and try to identify local wild life. Of course he was intent on bring samples home with him since he'd just gotten a new dissection microscope. He was completely prepared for this trip all geared up with his sturdy hiking boots, butterfly net, binoculars, jars with breathing holes, pocket lens, field guide and a larger back pack to carry everything in. The trip was a short one and soon they arrived at the wetland. Frink was one of the first to run out of the bus and head for a patch of high grass. He was the tallest kid in his class, yet these plants towered over him. They were probably some kind of reed.

He caught a few dragonflies in his net and swiftly dunked them in jars of alcohol. He made his way through the grass and came across several grasshoppers. The day was warm and sunny. Red winged black birds trumpeted their calls from the water's edge. Frink pulled out his net and dunked it in the water. Hopefully he might catch some minnows or perhaps some neat looking tadpoles. The other kids stayed close to the teacher, but not him. She wasn't really lecturing much about the native wildlife so he'd just go out and discover it on his own. Away from the water, colorful wild flowers grew. The young boy reached down and collected a few samples of those as well. Dandelions were always fun and some of them were currently seeding. He picked up one that was a white puffy ball and blew it, watching the seeds disperse on the wind like little parachutes. He heard a sneeze from behind him and soon saw his friend.
"Tim, I didn't know you were here."
"Aw man, Frink. Could you take it easy with those things. I'm allergic to them."
"You're allergic to paper."
"I am not." Protested his friend.
"This is life. You've got to enjoy it. Explore it! Discover! Hey let's look over by those rocks." He said as he pointed toward a scrubby area. "I bet we could find all kinds of cool bugs and may-be a snake."
"Oh." Moaned Tim as Frink ran off toward the rocks. He followed less enthusiastically. When he got there Frink was already poking around in the bushes.
"So do you see anything?" He asked a little nervous. Frink stopped and just froze in place. "What? What is it?"
"Check this out!" He said and he pulled out of the bushes holding a long stick on the end of which was an oval silky lump.
"What is it?" Asked Tim.
"I do believe, wah hey, that this is a mantis egg case. Hand me that jar! This is treasure and I got to keep it!"
Tim handed him an empty jar, and Frink carefully placed the delicate egg case inside. He sealed it up, put it in his bag and ran off into the grass again.
"Zoi! You won't believe this!" He yelled back to Tim.
"What?"
"I found a turtle."
"Cool!" Frink held in his hand a tiny turtle. The reptile was probably no bigger than three inches across. He looked over its shiny shell, noticing how it would pull itself in. Black and yellow markings crisscrossed its back and over it's skin. Frink pulled out his lens to look at the detail on the scales.
"This is a very nice specimen, but I bet the teacher won't let us keep it. I better put him down."
He set it down and the little reptile walked away heading for cover.

The wind blew their hair back away from their faces. The two stood in the field watching the sky and the clouds roll by. This day was turning out to be so much fun.
"It sure is quiet out here." Tim pointed out.
"Yeah, it is. Hum, too quiet actually. I don't hear the other kids."
"For that matter I don't see the other kids." Said Tim.
Frink pulled out his binoculars and slowly looked around. In the distance he saw the bus and everyone boarding it.
"AH!!! They're leaving!! No one told us! Come one we got to catch up!" He yelled as he pulled Tim by the arm. The two ran down the grass hill, past the marsh and headed for the bus. Fun as it may be, they did not want to be left behind. They ran without stopping, the grass slapping them in the arms and legs. It was wet at times and it left trails of dirt and mud on their skin. They received a few cuts from running through some of the sharp blades. Completely out of breath and dirty, they finally made it to the school bus.
"Why…huff, puff, Are we….huff, leaving…puff, so soon?" Frink was barely able to ask. Tim stood with his hands on his knees bent over gasping for air.
"Well," Responded the teacher. "Bret got stung by a wasp and it's swelling up so we have to leave."
Disappointed that the trip was cut short, Frink reluctantly got on the bus and just stared out the window as they headed back toward civilization.

Back in the classroom, his mind was distracted by all the things he had seen. Math was gonna' start soon and he reached down to get a pencil out of his bag. As he sensed around in it, he felt something grab his finger. Surprised he pulled his hand out and held it up to his face.
"Well hello little fellow. How did you get in there?" He said as he stared at a tiny green bug perched on his finger. It looked like a miniature mantis. Mantis? Oh no! Had they hatched? How had this one gotten out? Most likely he hadn't secured the lid. Concerned he lifted the flap to that pocket and from it swarmed out 2000 baby mantis. Kids screamed and ran around the classroom as the insects filled the room getting into their hair and clothes. Frink held his head not believing this had happened to him. How could he have been so careless? It didn't take long for the little critters to find their way through the air vents and into the other rooms. Owen sat at his desk working on his own set of math problems when one of the little green bugs landed on his paper. He frowned and lifted his hand to squish it, but stopped short when he heard a buzzing coming from the vent. It only took a moment for the swarm to burst through it and engulf the room. Gossamer wings glistened under the lights of the classroom. Kids yelled and ran around knocking things over as they were cut by the tiny wings or bitten by the insects. Back in Frink's class the teacher swung her book around trying to swat the varmints.
"No don't hurt them!" cried Frink.
"Frink, be quiet. We've got to exterminate them, besides in the wild only one or two would survive. I'm sure those two or three have already found their way outside."
Since the school had been thrown into chaos, Sharky took the opportunity to run into the bug filled hallway and pull the fire alarm. The siren went off like the call of an air-raid drill. Teachers and students poured out of the building, their hair studded with insect appendages.

Frink looked at the building's windows. One could still make out the shapes of the mantis as they flew wild inside the rooms. He suddenly felt a tap on the shoulder; turned and came face to face with the principal.
"Jonathan Frink strikes again! Boy, this is all your fault!" He yelled pointing at the nervous Frink as everyone looked on. "Because of you, we've got to shut down the school for an entire day to fumigate.
"YEAY!!!" was the simultaneous roar from all the children.
"SILENCE!!" Yelled the principal to the euphoric crowd.
"Woe!" Said Sharky to Tommy. "Frinky got us all a day off. I've been trying to do that for years with no luck. I tip my hat to him."
"You don't have a hat. What are you going to do anyway, Sharky?" Asked Tommy.
"We'll let him get off for this month, then put him down for regular beatings after that."

Owen was furious when he heard that this had been the work of Frink. He walked right up to him and got in is face.
"So you think this is funny, skinny boy?"
"No, I didn't mean to. It was an…"
"You just cost me a day of learning!"
"But I'll be missing it as we…."
"NOT only that, but look at my math homework!" He said pointing at a sheet of paper in his hand. "It's all covered in bug guts, thanks to you. It's no good and now I have to redo it. Thanks a lot, Frink!" He said as he smashed the paper over Frink's head. Sharky watched the little skirmish and gestured to his friend. The two disappeared to the back of the crowd.
"Well there's nothing left for us to do, so everyone's dismissed." Said the principal as he made his way to his car.

Well this was great! The day was over early and Owen had to redo all his work. He walked down the sidewalk looking at his notes thinking about what he had to do when Sharky and Tommy stepped out in front of him.
"Great! What do the two school Neanderthals want now?" Said Owen in a cocky voice.
"Know your place dweeb!" Yelled Sharky at him. "You're a geek; not one of us, but today you muscled in on our territory."
"What the hell are you two buffoons talking about?" Demanded Owen.
"We saw you shoving around Frinky today. Perhaps you don't understand, but Frinky belongs to us. No one beats him up but us, and since he got us a day off he's free of all beatings for a month." Responded Sharky.
"Yeah, anyone that can pull something like that off is ok in our book." Added Tommy.
"I can't believe what I'm hearing!" Said Owen with fire in his eyes.
"Oh yeah! One more thing." Said Sharky, "YOU also belong to us, and today we've got you scheduled for twice the pain. One for your regular appointment and two for you getting on our turf."
Owen turned to run the opposite way, but Tommy had already cut off that escape. Angered he turned back toward Sharky and held up his fist.
"Very well monkey men, but I will not make this easy for you."
"HAHAHAHAH!!!" Belly laughed Sharky. "Owen, that's why we like you. You're the only nerd that actually gives us a challenge, small as it may be, and makes this even more fun."
"What?" Said Owen wide eyed. Just then Tommy grabbed him in a full nelson and it was all over when Sharky started to pound him in the stomach.

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