Freddie Ramos Springs into Action (6 page)

The ladder was big. I got Mom to help me. Together, we leaned it against the gutter and climbed up to Mr. Vaslov. Then Mom called an ambulance. It came right away.

“My ankle hurts,” Mr. Vaslov groaned.

“It might be broken,” the ambulance man said. “And you have a bump on your head. You have to go to the hospital.”

“Who will take care of Starwood Park?” Mr. Vaslov protested, as they put him in the ambulance.

“I will,” I promised just before they closed the doors.

“Thanks, Freddie,” he said.

When they drove away, Mom put her arms around me. “You saved Mr. Vaslov! You're a superhero!”

Was I? Really?

8. An Extra Button

When Mr. Vaslov came home from the hospital on crutches, Starwood Park took care of him just like he always took care of us.

Mrs. Tran checked on him every morning to make sure he was leaning back in his easy chair, pressing the buttons on the TV remote, and not running around Starwood Park, trying to fix things. Gio and Maria's mom brought him lunch in the afternoon. And my mom brought him dinner.

“Sorry these burritos are from a microwave box,” Mom said. “On Sunday, I'll cook you something from scratch.”

“No need, Mrs. Ramos,” he said. “I'm a bachelor. I'm used to eating food from the freezer.”

We all laughed. Then we got busy eating.

After dinner, we found out why Mr. Vaslov was on the roof.

“I heard Gio crying. Then, I saw his ball blown away by the wind,” he began.

“So you went up on the roof to get it for him,” I said.

“Yes,” Mr. Vaslov continued. “But when I got up there, the ball rolled away from me. I slipped and knocked the ladder down.”

“Oh, no!” Mom put her hands on her cheeks.

“That's why you called me!” I said.

“Right,” Mr. Vaslov said. “We couldn't talk because my phone went dead.”

“And you were too far away for anyone to hear you yell for help,” Mom said.

“Right again,” Mr. Vaslov said. “When it got dark, I figured I might as well fall asleep. No one could see me until the morning.”

“I'm glad Freddie found you so early,” Mom said.

“Me, too.” Mr. Vaslov leaned over in his easy chair to pat my shoulder. “Freddie's my hero.”

Wow! Both my mom and Mr. Vaslov thought I was a hero. It sure felt better than being stuck in a tree. Was it time to give myself a superhero name? Could I get a special suit that didn't look like my pajamas?

A week later, the doctor said it was all right for Mr. Vaslov to go to his toolshed on crutches. I helped him get settled.

“It's nice to be back here,” Mr. Vaslov said.

We both looked at the table. My purple wristband was there, just where Mr. Vaslov had left it. Since he didn't know I'd taken it without asking, I figured it might be a good idea to put it back until his ankle felt better.

“So tell me,” Mr. Vaslov said. “How did the wristband work?”

I looked down at the floor. “You know I took it?”

“The wristband was on your arm when you rescued me from the roof,” Mr. Vaslov said.

Mr. Vaslov sure paid attention to everything. That must be part of being a smart inventor. It was time to ask him about my new Zapato Power.

“Super bounce?” Mr. Vaslov laughed. “The wristband button makes you jump in the air?”

“You didn't give me that power on purpose?”

Mr. Vaslov shook his bushy gray head. “Lots of inventions are made by mistake.”

I'd wondered about that. The purple wristband was supposed to give me controls for my super speed. Instead, it gave me super bounce!

Mr. Vaslov chuckled again. “So that's how you saw me on the roof.”

I nodded my head. “I still shouldn't have taken the wristband without asking.”

“True! But my new invention helped you save me.”

He handed me the purple wristband. I held it in my hands, watching the light flash in the one clear button. With the wristband I could control my super bounce, but not my super speed. I handed it back to Mr. Vaslov.

“Do you think you could add one extra button?”

Freddie Ramos Takes Off

One day Freddie Ramos comes home from school and finds a strange box just for him. What's inside?
ZAPATO POWER
—shoes that change Freddie's life by giving him super speed!

Here is a sneak peek at Freddie's next adventure!

Freddie Ramos Zooms to the Rescue

1. A Squirrel in School

“Is that a new watch?” my friend Geraldo asked as we walked into class.

“No,” I said, looking down at my right arm. “Just a wristband.”

“The flashing lights are cool,” Geraldo said.

I covered my wrist with my left hand. Geraldo had no idea what those clear flashing buttons could do. If I pressed one, I could zoom out of the classroom in a cloud of smoke. My wristband controlled my Zapato Power, the purple sneakers I wore to school every day, ready to be a hero.

Except there weren't too many superhero jobs at Starwood Elementary. The last person who cried “Help!” was my friend Maria, when she dropped her pencil box. Most days were filled with math, social studies, art, and other normal stuff.