As ink blots are interpreted differently by each viewer, so are the text blots from The RawShock Tales

 (#2) Scout’s Honor

by

John P. Cater

Copyright 2006

Little Tommy Edison had been chided much of his brief life for his diminutive size and name. At twelve years old, he was already the brightest student in his small Plattsville Middle School, some ninety plus miles out of New York City. His classmates’ ostracism had turned him inward toward science, self-achievement and Boy Scouts in the small local Troop 99. And he was a true achiever: at the age of twelve he was only two merit badges away from Eagle Scout. He had yet to complete a mandatory Emergency Preparedness badge and an elective badge to get his Eagle Pin. With his casual interest in electricity, he picked the Electronics badge, a rather difficult achievement for a twelve-year-old.

            Approaching his scoutmaster one Saturday morning, Tommy asked, “Mr. Burns, what do I have to do to get an electronics merit badge?”

            Burns, a simple man, not well versed in science, rubbed his chin for several seconds. “Well, Tommy, I’ll tell you what. I’ll give you a challenge and if you can do it, I’ll sign that badge for you.”

            Tommy’s eyes gleamed with enthusiasm, “What’s that Mr. Burns?”

            “I can’t get cable where I live and . . . well, my TV reception ain’t so good from the City. You know, it’s almost a hundred miles over there and I love to watch those stations. All I get is mostly fuzz.”

            Tommy grinned eagerly in agreement.

            “If . . . if you could figure out some way for me to get those stations clear as a crystal ball, er . . . bell, I’d give you that badge—no questions asked.”

            Tommy’s grin drooped momentarily, then returned even wider than before, “Gee, Mr. Burns, that sounds like fun. How do I get started?”

            Burns thought for a moment, “Well Tommy, Ed’s TV is having a sale on TV signal boosters for $10 each. You might try them.”

            “Okay, Mr. Burns. Thanks. I’ll do that.” Tommy was eager to get started, already thinking about much of his newspaper route money he would spend.

            “Oh, Tommy . . . have you thought about that Emergency Preparedness badge, yet? It’s a tough one. You really wanna save New York City?” He ended his question with a chuckle.

That afternoon little Tommy lugged home a bag of ten signal boosters from Ed’s TV. Ed had cautioned him that one would be enough, but Tommy’s enthusiasm was boundless. The more the better, he thought . . . but he only had one-hundred-and-ten dollars in his newspaper fund.

            After dinner, with his father’s reluctant permission, Tommy disconnected the family TV from cable and hooked it up to the old weathered TV aerial, still strapped haphazardly to the chimney. WNBC’s Channel 4 News was barely there. The newscasters looked like they were broadcasting in a snowstorm from a coal mine. There was no sound.

            Tommy quickly removed the TV lead-in and inserted the first signal booster. The picture was the same but showed a little color as he plugged in the booster power cord. Still no sound. A second booster brought more color and the sound, but the picture was too snowy to recognize the people. He could now tell the woman was wearing a bright green dress. Finally he added a third booster and turned it on. The screen was pitch black and the speaker was silent.

Young Tommy stared in confusion for a few moments then ran into his room to his shelf of electronic gadgets. There beside his new Xbox 360 video console was his old SEGA Dreamcast. “That’s what I need—a Dreamcast.” He grabbed the video game and his soldering iron and rushed back to his project. A few minutes later, with the help of his father’s screwdriver and a few parts for the Dreamcast, he had rewired to boosters to his contentment. They were quite a mess of wires and circuit boards. He plugged them in and turned on the TV. The screen flashed to life with full color, perfect sound and a crystal clear picture—clearer than cable. The newscasters were now in perfect focus, but the woman was wearing a red dress. Tommy jumped up and stood back to admire his work. “Look, Dad, I did it!”

            “Good for you, Tommy.” His dad looked over the top of his reading glasses at the TV and went back to reading his newspaper.

            Suddenly, he threw his paper on the floor as the newscast continued, “We have early reports from neighboring Plattsville that yesterday a young boy named—get this—Thomas Edison mysteriously created a television that could see into the future. We’ll report more on this story as details come in.” The news anchor chuckled and continued, “Where did that story come from? Now on to our next story . . .”

            Tommy’s dad sat motionless in his recliner as his eyes darted from the television to Tommy and back. He jumped up from his chair and ran to the telephone. “Hello, Operator, connect me with WNBC in New York City, please.”

            Tommy’s attention was riveted to the newscast from the future as it continued, “On a more serious note, today Mayor Bloomerg received a terrorist threat stating that a New York City subway would be attacked in the next twenty-four hours. We have no more information, yet . . . but maybe we should contact that young Thomas Edison in Plattsville to save us!” The news crew laughed together and moved on to weather.

            Young Tommy thought for a second and turned off the TV as his dad continued to talk on the phone. Three more boosters were frantically added to his creation, one at a time. The first two changed nothing, but the addition of the third booster caused the TV screen to go silent . . . and black. He was trying to see further into the future and it wasn’t working. Then he realized, “The Dreamcast—I need another one.”

            Tommy ran out the front door to Billy Jones house next door and came back minutes later with two old SEGA Dreamcasts under his arm. He grabbed the screwdriver and soldering iron and went back to work. After modifying the three newly installed boosters he expectantly turned it all on. The screen flashed back to life. The woman was wearing a blue dress! “And now for the big story of the day: that little boy we skeptically reported on yesterday, Tommy Edison from Plattsville, has saved thousands of lives and the complete New YorkCity subway system from utter destruction by a terrorist plot. An awards ceremony is planned for tomorrow afternoon to award this little Boy Scout for his bravery and courage. Now for sports.”

            Tommy looked over at his dad who was still arguing with the television station, “But you’ve got to believe me . . . she’s wearing a red dress. Ask her what she’s going to wear tomorrow.”

            Quickly Tommy added three of the last boosters to his contraption and modified them with the last Dreamcast. He stood up and switched on the power. This time he noticed the lights around him flicker when he plugged in his system. Three seconds later the picture appeared. It was still sports, reporting on today’s games. Finally, the news team flashed on the screen. The woman’s dress was yellow! “And now for today’s final story: President Bush visited New York City today to meet with Mayor Bloomberg and personally present Plattsville’s Tommy Edison with his Eagle Scout Pin and the Presidential Medal of Freedom, America’s highest award. New York City salutes young Tommy Edison for his bravery and valor in saving our citizens and subway system. Thank you Tommy and goodnight from WNBC News.”

            Tommy smiled and quietly switched off the television. As he headed up the stairs toward his bedroom, his father called out, interrupting his phone call, “Tommy, where are you going?”

            Tommy smiled back, “I’m going to bed, dad. I’ve got a really busy week next week. ‘Night dad.”