The North Pole Challenge (Flea's Five Christmases, #1) (5 page)

             
Flea worked with as much speed and ease as if he’d been alone in shop class, working on just another birdhouse project. The enormity of his situation was the last thing on his mind as he simply focused on lumber, nails and tools. As usual, he barely had to think as he worked and had little idea of exactly what he was building, what the big picture of his overall project would look like. With his hands working as if they had a mind of their own, he allowed his ability to simply flow. His concentration was so intense that he heard nothing else happening around him – no sounds from the other side of the stage, no applause from the audience, no questions from the host that Mr. Strick took care of answering. Nor did Flea notice the constant commotion just off stage as the camera that was supposed to be filming his every action had trouble dealing with the blur of his quick movements. The camera frequently cut out, thus providing viewers at home with very little clear footage of what Flea was building.

             
The only person able to keep up with Flea was Mr. Strick, who acted as Flea’s assistant when he wasn’t busy answering questions from the amazed host. Strick explained that Flea was the finest student he’d ever had – and the nicest, most humble kid he’d ever met – and that his ability to build was nothing short of other-worldly. But the host had few follow-up questions as he and the rest of the crowd were seemingly in a trance watching Flea work. Strick returned to their half of the stage, somehow avoiding the whirlwind of Flea’s motions while handing him the right tool or length of wood or can of paint at the exact moment he needed it. The
Nail York Five
also worked at a frenetic pace but very few people in the audience watched how the other team tackled their project.

             
Flea allowed his instincts to guide him in the building during the sixty minutes. He put his finishing touches on the last part of his project mere seconds before a loud horn blared to signal the end of the competition. With his construction complete, Flea’s surroundings came back into focus. He saw hundreds of pairs of eyes – from those in the audience to the show’s producers and cameramen to the host – all staring directly at him. Hundreds of mouths hung open. Someone in the production crew finally had the good sense to turn on the applause sign and the crowd snapped out of its trance by cheering wildly. This sudden explosion of noise alerted the show’s host that it was his turn to talk.

             
“Wow, I think I can say that was the most action-packed hour in the history of
The Great Build-Off
,” the host said. “Now it’s time to unveil the creations that our two teams have built. Flea and Mr. Strick, will you please join me.”

             
Teacher and student left their part of the stage and joined the host, who led them to the
Nail York Five’s
side. The other team stood confidently in front of their creation, a five-foot tall building that was labeled “Santa’s Workshop.” Flea was very impressed with what the five men had accomplished in only one hour, but not
nearly
as impressed as the five men were in themselves. Their chests puffed out proudly as they stared at their building.

             
“So
Nail York Five
, please describe to the viewers exactly what you’ve built for us today,” the host said.

             
Each man took a turn describing which section of “Santa’s Workshop” that he was responsible for making. The first builder had been in charge of the overall design and fabrication of the building’s exterior, which actually opened up to show the inside of “Santa’s Workshop”. Other features included blinking Christmas lights, a fully functioning conveyor belt that held tiny little presents, a chimney stack that actually blew smoke and a paint job that closely resembled a fresh snowfall. The men were very satisfied with what they’d made, but one person on the stage wasn’t nearly as impressed.

             
“I’d say the conveyor belt seems about right but the rest doesn’t look real to me,” Mr. Strick whispered to Flea.

             
The host was still in such a state of shock that he had no further questions for the
Nail York Five
following the presentation of their functioning workshop. The five men assumed that the host’s shock had been the direct result of what they’d built. The man who’d stared angrily at Flea before the competition took this opportunity to gloat about what he thought would be an easy victory for his team.

             
“You see that kid? Maybe with another twenty years of practice you’ll be able to achieve this level of craftsmanship,” he said.

             
The five men chuckled. After a moment everyone else joined in, including the audience, the host and even Mr. Strick. At first, Flea didn’t understand why they all laughed but Mr. Strick let him in on the joke.

             
“Don’t worry, they aren’t laughing at you, Flea,” Strick whispered. “They’re laughing at the man’s mistimed arrogance.”

             
Flea nodded but still didn’t totally understand. The host led both teams to the door built into the wall divider, where he slowly turned the handle.

             
“
Nail York Five
, here is the project that you’re up against,” the host said and opened the door.

CHAPTER SIX

The Great Build-Off

The sound of Flea’s excited heartbeat pounded in his ears but he still heard the simultaneous gasp from each
Nail York Five
member when they stepped into the other side of the stage. Four of the men silently stood in a state of shock, but the angriest – and cockiest – team member was quick to respond.

             
“I
knew
this was going to be some sort of joke,” he snapped. “There’s
no way
that two people could’ve done all of this in one hour.”

             
“You’re right,” Mr. Strick said. “Two of us
didn’t
do this, only
Flea
did. I already explained to you: I’m just here because he needed a ride.”

             
“This is ridiculous, impossible,” the man said and stormed off the stage.

             
“I assure you, Mr. Strick is telling the truth,” the host told the remaining team members. “This talented young man didn’t build just one aspect of the North Pole; he built the
entire
North Pole.”

             
Now that Flea had a moment to stand back and look at what he’d built, he was pretty impressed with himself. If anything, he proved that his talents weren’t merely limited to birdhouses. While the other team had constructed a single building, Flea had finished a half-dozen different buildings. Upon closer inspection, Flea found that his eye for detail was far superior to the other team’s. His North Pole structures were of different size, shape and color but did not look brand new. Flea had constructed these buildings with a slight degree of ‘wear and tear’ to them. The buildings were spaced out on the floor in a very specific manner but instead of simply using white paints or bits of Styrofoam to represent snow, Flea had used the shavings from dozens of pieces of white wood to give the snow a more realistic and textured look.

             
While Flea stood back and enjoyed his version of the North Pole, the host joined the four other members of the
Nail York Five
in inspecting the individual buildings up close. With the exception of the one man who’d stormed off, the other four looked like excited little children, marveling at each of the things they saw. Each time one of them came across something new, he called over his other friends to point it out. After a few minutes of this – with the cameras still rolling – one of the men asked Flea a question.

             
“What building is this one supposed to be?”

             
He pointed to one of the larger buildings near the back of the stage. The main characteristic of that building was a large clock-face near the top, complete with little numbers as well as the hour- and minute-hands. The hands appeared to be pointed straight up at twelve o’clock but when Flea looked closer, he saw that the time was
slightly
before twelve.

             
“Yes, Flea, would you care to explain the inspiration for the design of your North Pole village?” the host asked, shoving the microphone in Flea’s face.

             
The truth was that Flea had no idea. He had built everything purely on instinct and didn’t know exactly what his buildings were. Flea realized how crazy that sounded so he stared blankly into the camera instead of making a fool of himself. Sensing Flea’s apprehension, Mr. Strick quickly stepped forward to field the questions.

             
“Well, that first building over there is the main toy factory,” he explained. Strick proceeded to identify every other structure: the reindeer stables, the elf dormitory, the ice bank, Santa’s private cabin, even some sort of toy school. As amazing as Flea had been while building these objects, Mr. Strick was equally amazing at providing a sensible explanation for everything on stage. The shop teacher was an incredible storyteller and Flea hung on his every word, just like the host and audience.

             
“What exactly is an ice bank used for?” the host asked.

             
Flea wondered the same thing. Although the ice bank was the smallest – and least detailed – building on stage, its central location in the North Pole village made it the most interesting for Flea. But Mr. Strick’s storytelling ability had apparently reached its limit.

             
“I’d love to answer more of your questions but aren’t we almost out of time?” Mr. Strick asked.

             
The host and producers looked down at their watches and were shocked by how quickly time had passed.

             
“Oh my, you’re right!” the host said. “Normally we determine the winner by audience vote but it’s safe to assume that today’s vote would’ve been unanimous. Congratulations Flea, you are the winner of the North Pole holiday episode of
The Great Build-Off.
”

             
The crowd erupted in applause. Flea felt a warmth he’d never before experienced: the sensation of being a
true
winner. When the clapping died down, the host asked Flea if there were anything he would like to say. Flea knew what it felt like to be the loser in a competition so he wanted to congratulate the other team on a great effort. But before he could say a single word, Mr. Strick stepped between Flea and the microphone and gave his own closing comments.

             
“If you liked what Flea built on today’s show, we invite you to visit our website –
www.shopteachergoods.com
– where you can purchase some of his other items for sale,” Mr. Strick said. “You can also buy one of these stylish hardhats, which make great Christmas gifts for your loved ones. Hurry, supplies are limited.”

              Any satisfaction Flea had felt from winning instantly evaporated. Making matters worse was the fact that Mr. Strick refused to look Flea in the eye, as he
knew
he’d used his talented student. At that moment, Flea utterly regretted disobeying Miss Mabel, the only person who ever
truly
cared about him.

-         -         -         -         -         -         -         -         -         -         -         -         -         -       -

             
The ride back was mostly spent in silence. Mr. Strick asked a few questions in the hope of starting a dialogue, but Flea responded with one-word answers and continued to stare out the window. The snow still fell heavy yet the weather around Strick’s truck somehow stayed clear enough so that driving wasn’t dangerous. Flea felt hollow inside, as much from his guilt about defying Miss Mabel as discovering that Mr. Strick
had
in fact been using him. When they turned down Flea’s street, he thought he spotted several green-eyed snowmen watching the truck. But Flea was too upset and nervous to care.             

             
“Only one more school day until winter break,” Mr. Strick said, making one final effort to open the lines of communication.

             
You can’t persuade me
to talk to you
, Flea thought. He mumbled a quick ‘yeah’ in response, making it clear that he had nothing else to say. When Mr. Strick stopped in front of the apartment complex, Flea immediately reached for the handle. His teacher was quicker to push the lock button.