8 Time to Start

CHAPTER EIGHT TIME TO START 13° F SIMON'S DAD HAD parked his car in the driveway for us so we'd have plenty of room to build our project. "We have to get this done before we walk to school tomorrow morning. That doesn't give us much time," Rosie said and shivered. "Let's get moving. That will warm us up some. Thanks for bringing the burlap, Molly."

"Mom said we can use as much as we want," I said and dropped it on the concrete floor. "What else do we need?" Simon asked. "Please tell me we don't have to go outside to get anything." "We only need one thing from your house," Rosie said and smiled. "But we don't need it until the end. Everything else is in here." So we got everything we needed and put it all with the roll of burlap. Awagon, somedut paper scissors, sandpaper, gardening stakes, andsomegardening gloves. "Let's make sure two of us can fit inside the wagon first," Rosie said. "And that each of us can pull the other two." So we did that. Rosie and I got in the wagon. We sat facing each

other. Simon pulled us around the garage. Then Rosie pulled Simon and me. And then I pulled Rosie and Simon. "Okay, there's plenty of room," Rosie said when we were done. "And we are all strong enough to pull the other two. I'm sorry only two of us will be warm." "That's better than all three of us being cold," I said to Rosie. "Plus, we'll take turns each day." "I want to pull you two on the first day," Simon volunteered quickly. "Why?" I asked. "You'll see," Simon said and grinned. "I thought we'd play rock, paper, scissors to decide," Rosie said. "Nope," Simon said. "I'll pull first." "Okay," Rosie said. She picked up the metal gardening stakes and the duct tape.

And we got to work. We stood up two metal stakes in the wagon about a third of the way in from each end. They were wobbly, but we used a ton of duct tape to hold them in place. Rosie said when the burlap was over them, that would help too. And she was right. We draped the burlap over the poles and the wagon. Then we used scissors to cut it so it ended halfway down the wagon's sides. As we did, Simon made a suggestion. "I think we need a name," he said. "For the wagon?" I asked. "For the whole thing," Simon said. "I mean, we're

transforming this thing. It's not a wagon anymore. It's a whole new invention." "We should name it after Rosie," I said. "It's all her idea. Or paint a message along the side or something." "No, not after me," Rosie said modestly. "It's all of us working together." "The Rosie Rocket!" Simon yelled, ignoring her.

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