The Laptop, Vovo, blinked and squinted, “It’s a puzzle to me,” he said.
“Can you solve it?” asked Leonardo, the Rubber Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle, standing at the base of the Desk Lamp.
“I’m not too sure,” Vovo answered. Maybe the Desk Lamp can shed some light on it.”
“I uh, I uh, I know the answer,” stammered the Ticonderoga No. 2 Pencil, “I uh, I have seen it before.”
“Shush,” Vovo quieted the Pencil. “I’m thinking. I suspect that it is some form of communication.”
“What makes you say that?” asked Leonardo.
“I recognize what’s called a Postage Stamp from a link that I have been to,” answered Vovo. The Postage Stamp is affixed to a card. The card is used to send communications and such. So,” Vovo continued, “our puzzle is a communication that is intended to be sent somewhere with the Postage Stamp.”
“But, where, and what does it say? Why not just use an email? That’s the real question,” said the perplexed Rubber Ninja Turtle.
“It’s writing,” blurted out the Pencil.
“Huh?” exclaimed Leonardo.
“What?” demanded Vovo.
“Writing,” said the Pencil. “I’ve seen it before.”
“Why didn’t you say something sooner?” chided Leonardo.
“What does it say? Asked Vovo, “I see only scribbles…scratches. Lamp! Over here.”
“You wouldn’t let me. I don’t know,” answered the Pencil. “You’ll have to ask the Pen. I only do numbers.”
“Where’s the Pen?” asked Leonardo.
“There! Over there by that Pad of paper!” Exclaimed Vovo with a long beeeep. “Hey, Pen, we’ve got a puzzle. What do you know about it?” pursued the Laptop.
Leonardo and the Pencil looked quizzically to the Pen for its answer.
The Pen said, “Oh, hey, what’s that you have there? Oh, that’s a Postcard that I was writing. How did you guys come by it?” the Pen answered with a question of his own.
“It was left here next me,” said Vovo. “Last night, last thing I knew I was looking up a synonym, and it was still here after I went to sleep.”
“A Postcard?” asked Leonardo, “Why not just send an email? What’s the scribbling?”
“That’s handwriting…cursive…longhand. Those are letters of the alphabet put into words. That’s what I do,” said the Pen.
“Handwriting!” exclaimed Vovo. The Rubber Ninja Turtle held his belly while he chuckled.
The Pencil was embarrassed for the Pen. He asked, “Can you erase?”
“What about cut and paste?” asked Vovo, “Spell check?” Leonardo snickered.
“Why not just send an email?” again said Leonardo rhetorically.
“It’s a note to his grandchildren,” answered the Pen. “That’s them in the Picture Frame. He writes to his grandchildren every once and awhile. Personal things. It’s more personal with a Postcard. He tells people that he likes to reach out and touch them. He says he can’t do that with an email.”
“So what’s it say?” Vovo asked the Pen.
“I don’t rightly know,” the Pen answered. “I can’t read.” He looked up to the Laptop, “I thought you were the brains of the outfit, artificial intelligence and all that.”
“I have megabytes of brain,” said Vovo, “but, I can’t read this cursive stuff. It must be a secret code. What about you, Pencil?”
“No, I only do numbers,” said the Pencil.
Leonardo said, “If we can’t read it, then no one can. This cursive must be some form of lost magical art of wizardry.”
“What about you, Desk Lamp?” asked Vovo.
“He don’t know nothing,” said Leonardo.
“How about the Picture Frame, maybe the kids know something?” said Vovo.
“If they do, they ain’t talkin. Cute kids though, huh?” said Leonardo.
“Well, then that’s it,” said Vovo. It will have to remain a mystery.”
Clever!
What is the Rubber Ninja Turtle’s skill? Can he erase? This was fun and I liked puzzling over it!
Edward, I enjoyed the personification of the objects talking and trying to figure out the mystery. I imagine that you are referring to how children aren’t taught cursive writing anymore, which is unfortunate.