The Cubby Hole (IQ Testing Book 1) Read online

  Marsilla sours and shakes her pixie. “You are wrong for a reason. You are lying for a purpose. She’s both poor and stupid coming from Dookie Town. That’s my nickname for the dookie girl Duchie from Dandine…”

  I scan the ceiling, saying. “I agree with Lamis. There are about two hundred kids inside the Cubby Hole room. So it’s time to leave and finish the golden race,” nods and smirks.

  Marsilla frowns with puzzlement. “When does Citizenship Day stop? Wait! This could go on forever for us. We left about sixty kids inside the pink color tone and twenty kids inside the yellow color tone. They have to answer all the questions to make it into the golden color tone…”

  Rincon asks. “What happens when the first teen reaches the golden color tone? He gets the golden job…”

  “Citizenship Day ends…,” nods Lamis.

  Buffo leans into Ketona whispering. “Fate has speaketh,” chuckles.

  “And if you’re accidentally stuck in a different color tone other than the golden one?” Marsilla asks.

  “Your new job begins…,” giggles Duchie.

  “That’s not fair. That’s completely unfair. Everyone should have a chance and a right to qualify for the golden job,” I nod and toss my arm.

  Marsilla slaps her cat suit, nodding and smiling. “Ya don’t get it like I do being brilliant. There’s plenty of time for everyone to advance through the array of colors from silver all the way to gold since the maximum time allotment is two minutes and eight seconds as stated by your smart friend, me. Everyone gets the exact same questions. No question is different whether you’re from Burrville or Colfax or Tonkey. The test is fair and equal so you are the variable component for answering them all correctly. It becomes your own fault, not answering correctly or stupidly. Take your pick?”

  Duchie says. “No. No. No. You are missing the point. There is only one position of the golden job for one teen, not three, not two. There is only one. The remaining teens are actually determining their own personal fate for a pre-set working job by goofing off and staying inside one of the colored tone or advancing ahead to the next colored tone. This is so fair. You determine your fate, not your mama or your daddy or your grandfather…”

  “My BPs…my parents have been influencing my fate since birth. They are medical technicians so I am to become a medical technician too.” I nod.

  Buffo elbows Ketona smiling and whispering. “You can be anything you want to be and you can be with me. If you win the golden chair then you can be a me-chee programmer with me like my daddy. We can live right around the corner from my BPs. How’s that sound, Ketona?”

  I giggle and nod, whispering into his smiling face. “That’s an excellent play. We can work and marry together all at the same time.”

  Duchie tosses her hands. “Stop, look, and listen to me. The teens who fail the next round of academic questions for the red color tone will remain here inside the current orange color tone for the permanent job of a dirt farmer. Look at the walls inside the room with the me-chee chairs. Think back, every single room had a specific color tone to remind you like little first graders where you were playing. The color is orange. Orange dust bunnie floats from the putt-putt tractors of Burrville growing and harvesting all our food stuff. Ya eat, right?”

  Buffo smiles and nods. “Food is important for me and the entire world. A dirt farmer is an important job in the entire world too.”

  Marsilla fingers with fury at Duchie. “Dookie girl is lying through her yellow stained teeth that match her yellow bubbles in Dookie Town…”

  Duchie smiles and slaps her cat suit. “I got passed the yellow color tone by studying my eyeballs out of their sockets, compliments of my BPs and their primary ambition for their only child. Now, I am going to work and live in another outer town besides the city of Dandine, because I’m currently residing in the color tone of orange,” when the mouths of the other teen drop open. She smiles and says. “I will never ever have to work in Dookie Town for the rest of my life, ya’ll,” she winks and giggles. “But some other teen will. Do ya get it now!”

  Lamis frowns with frustration. “I studied hard too. I’m going to get passed the red color tone and out of Albend without ever killing an innocent lamb. I don’t eat lamb chops. When I do I’ll be working and living in a new outer town, maybe Colfax,” nods and smiles.

  Buffo drops his mouth. “Dang, I gotta tell Hatch this important information before…before…something happens,” stands.

  Chapter 7

  Rain storm

  Buffo stands then races to the cave entrance. He slips his hand into the rain feeling the heavy teardrops then sees the blinding lightning bolts. I stand then dash hugging him. “What are you doing? Where are you going? It’s a pour down of heavy rain drops,” when the thunder roars then the lightning bolt strikes the soil too close near our cave. I exhale with fear. “You could get hit and killed with one single lightning bolt…”

  He scans the rain narrowing his eyelids, looking in the far distance. “I gotta inform both Hatch and Jara of our new learned information about the Cubby Hole and the me-chee colored chart associated with the outer towns. They must continue to pass at 75 percent into the next color tone…”

  I drop my mouth in shock. “Then I’ll have more competition for the golden job.”

  Buffo swings and sneers at Ketona. “What did ya say?”

  I exhale. “I mean,” swallowing the thick salvia. “I mean that’s a good idea. We need to tell them…”

  Duchie dashes into the rain getting wet then swings and smiles to Buffo. “I’ll help ya locate Hatch and Jara too.”

  Buffo smiles then nods, fingering the landscape. “Thank you so much, Duchie. The orange room is located east of the cave. The cave entrance is the opposite side of the room on the west. So I’m going south. Duchie, you head north scouting for Jara and Hatch. Ketona, you go west along this wall of trees. There probably is a few more cave entrances where Jara and Hatch are having some fun with their new friends. Okay, get going!” Duchie smiles and salutes then turns to the north jogging in the heavy rain.

  I grab his arm. “Look, we can tell Hatch inside the Cubby Hole when we all return safe and dry from the crazy roller coaster ride after leaving here. Just jump out of the chair and spit into his face…”

  Buffo exits the cave entrance then turns south as Ketona bumps into his bicep. He says. “You’re supposed to scout along the west wall, Ketona. I got the south ground landscape which is huge. I can see for miles even in the heavy rain storm,” when the thunder roars.

  We both hit the wet soil in case of a lighting strike. If you hear the sound of thunder then you are in danger of a lightning strike hitting you, the ground or a nearby object, since thunder is the sound caused by the sizzling lightning bolt.

  I pinch his skin, panting with fear. “Buffo, it’s raining with thunder and lightning. We’re going to get struck or killed,” when the thunder roars then flashes and strikes with a single lightning bolt again. “Ya know you aren’t supposed to be running around during a thunder storm with lightning bolts. We could get killed,” wiping my face from the raindrops to see his face.

  He scans the wet landscape of trees and bushes in the thick raindrops. He wipes his face from the water then stands. He jogs side to side looking for a cave, saying. “And Hatch and Jara could get accidental trapped inside a color tone without our shared knowledge requiring them to answer 75 percent of the questions. At the present time it’s the first six questions then stop answering them. Then they will automatically advance into the next color tone…”

  I run catching up with his long legs. “They know that. They’re here too somewhere safe and dry unlike us fools…”

  Buffo stops and frowns at her. “What did you say?”

  I view the side landscape then him. “I didn’t mean to say that.”

  Buffo jogs towards the tall trees scanning left and right when I run into his bicep, saying. “Wonder if…”

  He jogs side to side into the bus
hes then the trees looking for them, saying. “Wonder if, what?”

  I say. “Wonder if, we tell them and then they tell the other teens about the me-chee color chart then everyone will advance…”

  He stops and drops his mouth at Ketona. “What did you say?”

  I frown with sadness. “Wonder if they are not here, Buffo?”

  He frowns with fury. “What does that mean, Ketona?”

  I exhale and toss my arms. “Wonder if, they did not answer six correct questions…”

  He tosses his arms then circles her. “You are smart. But I am smart too. And Hatch and Jara are smart, three. How dare you ponder that vicious idea of arrogance for the golden job? I am qualified. Hatch is qualified too. Look, I don’t wanna argue. Okay! They’re here somewhere. They need to be told about the passing with 75 percent and then advancing into the next color tone…”

  Duchie shouts in the distance coming from behind. She waves her hands. “I found them,” then runs into Buffo, giggling. He cuddles her as she smiles and giggles. “I found them. I found Hatch and Jara. Follow me!”

  He exhales and smiles. “Pfft! That’s a big relief. Are they hurt? Are they injured? Are they safe?” Duchie nods and giggles saying nothing. Buffo scans the thick woodlands, asking. “Are there bears around here inside these caves?”

  I jog behind Duchie and Buffo in the rain storm, sneering and snarling.

  Duchie says. “No bears! But some of the kids told me during my investigation of Hatch and Jara that the deadly lightning has killed five teens. So stay away from the trees. The trees attract the lightning bolts,” when the thunder roars.

  We drop our bodies onto the wet soil. The lightning bolt strikes the ground away from us.

  Buffo says to Duchie. “Where’s the other cave?”

  Duchie giggles. “We jog north. I scouted north.”

  He stands and cuddles Duchie, saying. “How far’s the cave entrance? Are they okay?”

  Duchie giggles between his biceps. “They’re fine and dandy. We go north. This way I lead,” she jogs ahead fingering the trees.

  Buffo jogs faster than me keeping up behind Duchie. I pass a patch of wildflowers then a batch of tall trees then a cave entrance. I slow and scan the teens that are both wet and annoyed like me.

  Duchie jogs forward with Buffo on her butthole.

  I pass a pasture of grass, a clump of tall trees, and another cave entrance. I slow and scan the teens looking mad and annoyed like me.

  Duchie jogs forward with Buffo following then she stops. She extends her hand. Buffo grabs it and cuddles her.

  I growl and pass a forest of tall trees, low bushes and patches of wildflower then see a colored barrier.

  Duchie dashes from him then bounces and fingers the barrier glittering in yellow color. “I found them. I found Hatch and Jara. They are inside here. I found them inside the yellow tone color where we left the…”

  Buffo gasps with shock standing in the rain storm. “The yellow tone color contained the thousands of giant fire ants. How can they survive in there? They can’t. Hatch and Jara are gone.”

  Duchie fingers the yellow barrier, smiling and nodding. “Naw, they’re there. I saw them. Come closer and see this, Buffo.”

  I stand in the rain and on the other side of Buffo studying the barrier too. Buffo halts and studies the barrier. “What’s this?”

  I scan the wall. It slices a long shimmy yellow horizontal line traveling east to west cutting into the north plain. I can see the glittering yellow shimmy for three miles in both geographically directions based on my excellent eye sight. I feel a light sprinkle of droplets, not the heavy hurting rain drops. I swing around seeing the rain. It blows sideways the slaps your naked face with biting pain, the violent thunder storm. I scan the sky still mean looking in dark purple but peeks of yellow sunshine are bleeding over the tall barrier. I swing towards Buffo and Duchie who examine the barrier. The barrier wall seems to touch the clouds except the thunder storm isn’t as mean here at the wall. I whisper and exhale. “Strange physics…”

  Duchie touches the object, nodding. “It’s a yellow barrier wall between our park places for some reason. I tried to break it without success…”

  Buffo shifts and stands in front of the barrier. He holds both hands over the wall. Duchie giggles then shoves him into the wall. She giggles and raises her hands. “It’s harmless, silly boy. I tested it on my prefect little hands. I wouldn’t let anything happen to you, big boy. It’s not cold or hot or warm or electric.”

  Buffo narrows his eyelids then says. “I see a mountain covered in white snow,” gasps. “I see my buddy Hatch. He’s wearing a pair of snow skis playing in the falling snowflakes like a little kid. He smiles and laughs. I see a female wearing a fur coat and a pair of sunglasses that must be Java who is with him. The scenery is so beautiful and pretty and pleasant. I don’t understand. Is this the same yellow tone colored park place that we visited a few minutes ago? I thought it was a grass park with rows of picnic tables and picnic baskets. Did Hatch advance into the red tone color instead?”

  I shake my curls. “That’s impossible. We were inside the orange walls, ceiling and flooring. And all the teens were colored in yellow, not red or pink,” touches the wall. “How is this possible?”

  Duchie touches the barrier. “I’m guessing here. But each park place is located within the same geographically spot on the planet. However, each park place is separated or barricaded with the surrounding corresponding color like here. Our park place must be showing the color of orange to Hatch and Java. Anyways, Hatch and Jara didn’t get six correct answers for the 75 percent to advance into the orange color tone. Therefore they were zoomed back down and then dropped into the yellow color tone like the me-chee machine told us…”

  “The two-fourths rule,” I nod.

  Duchie says. “If they don’t pass with a 75 percent value on the next round of academic questions for advancement into the orange color tone then they’ll be trapped inside the yellow tone color. The yellow color is my home city of Dandine. They will become dookie workers like my mama and daddy,” smirks and nods.

  “Ah, naw!” Buffo beats on the barrier with his fists. “I gotta tell ‘em. Hatch doesn’t know that they’ll be dookie workers the rest of their days,” pounds on the invisible barrier then yells. “Hatch! Hatch! Hatch, come over here. I am here, buddy. I can see ya,” back steps then waves his arms and jumps into the air. “We gotta warn ya about the me-chee color chart and the 75 percentage points,” he stops waving then back steps from the barrier. He swings around then searches the ground in the rain.

  I wipe my face of the raindrops then search the ground for a hard rock too as Buffo finds some bigger rocks. He swings to the barrier than slams the rocks into the wall.

  The wall does not waver.

  I exhale then smash with all my strength the single rock into the barrier.

  The wall does not shake.

  Buffo tosses the large heavy rocks then swings. He marches to a tree stump then yanks it out of the soft muddy ground. He grunts lifting it from the soil. He slowly back steps then swings to the barrier. He holds his breathe then violently rams the heavy tree stump into the yellow barrier.

  The wall does not break.

  He back pedals then runs tossing the tree stump. It rams into the barrier.

  The wall does not bust.

  Duchie wipes the water from her eyebrows then frowns. “Let ‘em stay! What they don’t know won’t hurt them? They’ll learn the truth in about another thirty minutes if I have calculated my math correctly,” giggles and nods.

  I sour then slap Duchie’s arm instead of her smug face, saying. “That’s mean both in mind and spirit. Jara and Hatch will be dookie farmers for the rest of their lives. They should have been told this information from their biological parents before they entered the Cubby Hole too,” I view the mountain, the snow and the skiers. Buffo beats on the barrier when his fists turn red with blood. I grab and jerk his arm from the barrier
. “Buffo, sweetheart, we’ll tell them upon returning into the Cubby Hole. Right? Yeah, that’s a good solid plan. We need to rush back and beat Hatch and Jara into the Cubby Hole, so we can tell them our secret. Let’s go,” I jerk his arm. He views the wet soil then slowly swings to me.

  I cuddle him walking towards the cave entrance.

  Cave entrance.

  Buffo slowly pads into the cave entrance staring at the floor.

  Rincon rushes with worry to Ketona. “What has happened?”

  I exhale then wipe the water from my face. “We found them. We found Hatch and Jara. They are…they are….they are again located within the color tone of yellow…”

  Marsilla drops her mouth. “O no! The fire ants live there. The fire ants are mating there. How can Hatch and Jara survive in there with the biting and eating fire ants?”

  I cock my skull to the ceiling then at her. “Only if they can survive snow and ice…”

  Rincon shakes his curls and hands. “What are you babbling about? The color tone for yellow was represented by the picnic table and fire ants. The fire ants were eating the picnic baskets of food too. They will die or worse get stung to death and then die. This is awful. This is terrible. I feel bad for them. I hate ants that bite and sting too,” pants and nods with fear.

  I giggle and smile. “I can’t explain it.”

  Duchie nods and says. “There’s a colored yellow barrier between our park place and their park place. We can’t broke or bust it. Buffo tried and tried without success. But we could see inside the colored shimmery yellow tone. The yellow color tone displayed a high mountain covered in white snow. It was snowing inside the barrier too. The sight was so pretty and everyone in there was snow skiing and having tons of fun,” views the rain. “Not here! I can’t explain it.”

  Marsilla stomps and sneers at Duchie. “You know the answers, the truth. Tell me?”