The Hole in the Roof

Once upon a time, there was an engineer, not of today but of tomorrow. He was a boy who went to school every morning, but in the afternoon, after doing his homework, he would escape to the back of the garden, where there was a shed full of tools and more. A halo of magic and a bright light illuminated his inventor's mind. It was there, hidden from everyone, that he unleashed his imagination and passion for designing and building mechanical objects.

He had noticed a little bear wandering around his secret and magical workshop for some days, so one afternoon, he invited it in. He needed a helper, and this little bear seemed perfect for the role. "Well, I'd like to work with you. You seem like a very good inventor," said Sparky the bear. "And what's your name?" he asked with a smile, turning to the boy. "My name is Gabriele, and I dream of becoming an engineer." From that moment, happier than ever, they made a pact to share all their secrets and fantastic adventures. They imagined themselves as inventors of unknown technologies and brave pilots discovering uncharted places. So, they began to build a car that ran without gasoline! Sparky passed the tools to Gabriele and meanwhile learned the craft. They assembled it piece by piece, and once finished, they painted the future car a bright yellow and placed it in the garden, ready for departure.

In the following afternoons, with their ingenuity, they manufactured a fire truck that had wheels, a ladder, and a flashing light, but no siren or water pump. Sparky painted it a sparkling red, and it looked operational; but it was never used, as no fire broke out to extinguish. "Today, we'll build a train," said Gabriele. Quick as a flash, the train was ready for departure: the cars were made of wood and had panoramic windows, powered by a spring wound with a crank—a technology never seen before! Once finished, they placed it in the garden and set it in motion. "Choo! Choooo!" It moved a step forward and one back, and by the math of one minus one equals zero, it didn't move from there. The garden trees, having laughed enough, decided to collaborate. Joining their branches, they pushed, making it go 3 or 4 times around the house.

Sparky, happy about the invention they had successfully tested, hummed cheerfully and whistled, saying, "Finally, now we can rest!" "Not at all! We have to build the most important thing," Gabriele declared. "And what would that be?" asked Sparky. "A plane!Vroom Vroom, Zoom Zoom... can't you already hear the noise in the air?" replied the engineer of tomorrow. Nonetheless, Sparky fell asleep under a garden tree, and Gabriele approached to rest a bit himself. Dozing off next to his friend, they dreamt fantastic dreams together, of infinite spaces to fly over and an entire sky to explore.

Once awake and rested, they returned to the shed and, tools ready, set to work to build a somewhat fanciful plane: three propellers in front and one behind, two wings that folded and expanded like those of eagles, a cockpit with two seats equipped with buttons, switches, and levers of all kinds. Naturally, there was also an engine built from old spare parts found here and there, looking very powerful. There was even the landing gear with inflated wheels. Gabriele and Sparky were very pleased with their work, but they realized that taking off wouldn't be easy, especially since they had built it in the shed and there was a ceiling above them!

They tried to set the plane in motion by pushing it in a circle, but to no avail. They positioned the plane in front of a fan to lift it with the airflow, but still no luck. Thinking hard, what magic could intervene to solve the situation? Then, one afternoon, they decided to make a hole in the roof. Swiftly, they invented a pulley system and hoisted the plane up to the roof, and perhaps from that height, it would take off! Maybe with a little help from the inhabitants of the Universe. They stayed up there until it got dark, and with their noses up, they watched the moon and stars peek out from the clouds.

The next morning, they returned to the roof early, it was Sunday and there was no school. The sun, surprisingly, seemed to have stopped right above them. "What a magical coincidence!" The two inventors waved their arms as much as possible, shouting at the top of their lungs to get noticed. The sun noticed them and came close enough to hear their voices. So Gabriele and Sparky, with all their courage, said, "You, being the most important star, could you take us for a ride in the sky, in the plane we just finished building. Would you be so kind as to help us take off from the roof???" The sun became thoughtful for a moment, but smiled and replied, "Get a rope and wrap it well around the plane. It will be a nice adventure for me too." It sent down two of its sturdiest sunbeams, lowered to their roof, and the two inventors tied them tightly to the rope. The engineer of tomorrow and the bear climbed like rockets onto their plane, the sun pulled it upwards as hard as it could, and off into space they went, happy as two great, brave pilots! Below them, the earth appeared as a giant moving balloon suspended in the universe. They could hardly believe it; it was beautiful, colorful, and magical for all its inhabitants: plants, animals, and all people! Suddenly, a dark cloud flying nearby, bumping into them, a hit, a bang, Bang…Bang…Bang, they rocked in the air, the plane nearly turned upside down. But the two skilled pilots regained control of the plane and saw the cloud, to say the least distracted, change direction and, apologizing with a bow, went on its way.

In the collision, the plane hadn't maintained its altitude and had lowered enough to see a vast plain and in the center, a space base! Gabriele and Sparky, with wonder and astonishment, could observe engineers, scientists, and even astronauts in their futuristic space suits, moving back and forth around missiles, seemingly ready for launch. They were surely preparing for a grand mission in space!!! It seemed like an incredible and fascinating place. There was also a giant sign that caught their attention because it said: "School for engineers with specialization in astronomy, space sciences, and life in space." Gabriele was amazed, surprised, excited, and it was at that precise moment he thought that maybe one day his dream would come true.

Gabriele and Sparky were immersed in their fantastic dreams, accompanying them throughout the return trip. During the incredible adventure, the sun too had fun, but as the sunset approached, while the earth turned, it recognized in the distance the house with the hole in the roof and the garden full of inventions. So, arriving in position, it detached the luminous beams from the support ropes, and the plane, accompanied by a gentle wind, glided softly onto the lawn with the two travelers, and radiant, disappeared on the horizon. Meanwhile, Gabriele's parents were worried, they hadn't seen him for an entire day, he had disappeared, and even Sparky the bear, now known to everyone, was nowhere to be found. When they landed, everyone wanted to know where they had been and what they had done all day, but the adventure had been so magically fantastic that, like a great dream, for now, it had to remain a secret. Maybe one day, there would be talk of a great astronaut engineer and his bear assistant.

Years passed, and their little car served as a flowerpot holder for mom, while ladybugs and other insects happily hopped on it, the fire truck became the home of squirrels who enjoyed climbing up and down the ladder. In the train lived the lizards that came out when the sun shone, and at night they used the seats as comfortable beds. The plane was used for years as a precious box of secret dreams to be realized. Gabriele did indeed go to space and the moon, and Sparky the bear saw him fly into the universe — at night, with his nose up, looking at the sky full of stars, through the hole in the roof.