Page 18 - Book one - Flipbook

“I think they use that k-k-kind of dust pan at the movie theater, too.” Jaxon looks down and
sees the broken glass and juice. “I’m g-g-gonna need the mop too,” he says.
“Well, this guy here,” Mr. Ray points to the other man, “is Thomas Stewart. He can help you
with that. He created a mop that was better than the other kind they had—easier to use because
he put something on it that could wring the mop without getting your hands wet.”
“C-c-can I see it? Wait, oh yeah.” He touches the necklace and says, “Show me.”
The mop appears in Mr. Stewart’s hand. “Take a look. As you can see, we
wanted to make life’s everyday chores a bit easier to do.”

“You sure did!” Then Jaxon adds, “I d-d-don’t mean to be rude, but wh-wh-why
are you guys here?”
Mr. Stewart answers, “Because you said ‘just imagine, what if there were no
Black people in the world?’ We are showing you what life might be like if there
were no Black people around to invent things or make things better. And, son,
this is just the beginning of your journey.”
“J-j-journey? How long will it last?”

“Journey, adventure, call it what you like. It will last as long as you want it to.”
“A-a-as long as I want? Really? That means I-I-I’m in charge. Awesome! I’ve never been the
boss before. Okay, so how do I get my things back?”
“Your mom or sister can help you with that. They had the same necklace when they were girls
and your grandmother did too.”
“Whoa! Y-y-you knew my mom and my gr-gr-gran? Wait, and my s-s-sister, Raimy? They could
see and talk to you too?”
“No, not us. They saw others,” Mr. Ray replies. “Their wishes were different from yours. But
they were just as curious as you are now. And they asked a lot of questions too, just like you’re

doing.” He smiles broadly.
“Man! Th-th-that is so dope. Gran, Mom, and Raimy!” He’s beaming. Thinking of his family
reminds Jaxon to take a breath to calm down, which he does.
“I can’t wait to talk to Raimy some more about this. I have so many questions.”
Jaxon grabs the broom to start cleaning up his mess, then turns back to say something to Mr.
Standard, but he’s gone. Mr. Stewart and Mr. Ray, too. Poof! Just like that.
“Hey, Hey! Where’d you guys go?” Now he understands what Raimy meant about someone

showing up.
So is this how it’s going to be all day? Oh boy.