Calvin the Capybara is a capybara. He lives in seventh-grader Allie Avamindo’s locker, and he enjoys this home very much in Allieslockertopia. Whether it’s the LED lights, magnet friends, endless snack supply, or Emma Watson fan art, Calvin thinks Allie’s locker is the place to be! Magnet friends, carrying motivational slogans, include a pickle, hedgehog, and a duck. However, Calvin has a bit of adventure in him from his great uncle Sylevester. So, he likes to explore the world! Today, he was hot.
It was a HOT day. So hot in fact, that even the mini air conditioner Allie had added to Allieslockertopia while she was away from school over summer break wasn’t enough to keep Calvin, Duckie, and all of their locker friends cool.
“It’s SO hot today, Calvin…” Duckie complained, fanning herself with a piece of scrap paper.
“We might as well make the most of it…” Calvin replied. “That pessimistic Pickles is in Bora Bora, and I think we deserve a vacation, too!”
The little capybara was sitting next to his best friends on the top shelf, where he and Percy were folding their own scrap paper fans. Suddenly, Calvin had a bright idea.
“I know,” Calvin thought out loud excitedly. “We should go to the beach!”
Duckie and Percy nodded eagerly in agreement.
“I sure am sick of laying here all day anyway!” exclaimed Percy. “I’ve always been adventurous like you, Calvin, and since I’m new to the squad, I can’t wait to go on my first adventure!”
Calvin immediately got up and braced for a big jump. Despite the sweltering heat, the little capybara leaped off the edge of the top shelf and crashed into the locker door with such force that it shot open. Calvin landed right on his feet outside the locker, gesturing for Percy and Duckie to follow. Stubby Duckie got onto Percy’s back and the hedgehog prepared to jump onto the floor outside of the now open locker, but landed flat on his face!
“Are you alright, Percy?” Calvin asked, offering his friend a hand.
Once the clumsy hedgehog was back on his feet, the three friends set out to embark on their adventure to the beach.
“How are we gonna get there?” Percy asked.
“I suggest a car with some really good air conditioning!” Duckie proposed, fanning herself with her little wing.
“I don’t know, Duckie…” Percy said. “Last time I checked, the state doesn’t issue drivers licenses to tiny ducks, capybaras, or hedgehogs.”
The three friends looked at each other, wondering what the next best option would be. Suddenly Percy came up with a solution. He eyed his friends, almost as if to say, are you guys thinking what I’m thinking? Calvin nodded, and a mischievous grin appeared on his face.
“I don’t get it,” Duckie admitted.
“Mrs. Avamindo’s classroom!” Percy and Calvin exclaimed enthusiastically in unison.
Duckie nodded excitedly, and the friends darted through the hallway, reaching the teacher’s classroom in no time. Once they had made their way through the open doorway of the room, all three collapsed of exhaustion, the intense heat taking over.
Calvin wiped the sweat off of his little forehead.
“What do you think we’ll be able to find in Mrs. Avamindo’s classroom that’ll help us get to the beach?” he asked Duckie and Percy.
Duckie shrugged.
“Usually Mrs. Avamindo would help us find stuff, but she’s out vacationing in the Bahamas with Allie!” she told Calvin.
“Hang on,” muttered Percy, half to himself.
The hedgehog stood up and approached a corner full of towering boxes in Mrs. Avamindo’s classroom, remembering when the fun teacher had demonstrated acceleration using a little remote control car. Allie wouldn’t stop talking about it that day! She had told Percy that when the demonstration was over, Mrs. Avamindo had tucked it behind a mountain of boxes in a corner of the room. Maybe, if it was still in the corner, they could use that to drive to the beach!
Percy looked behind the tower, and sure enough, there was a little red Jeep-like remote-control car with two small rows of seats: perfect for a hedgehog, duck, and capybara!
The excited hedgehog hopped in the driver’s seat and picked up the controller beside it. It was a bit large for Percy, but he didn’t mind. He was just too excited to go on his first adventure with the squad!
Percy pressed the “on” button and used the controller to drive the car out of the corner.
“Hop on in!” he told his friends with a big grin on his face.
Calvin’s eyes widened with excitement.
“Ooh! Ooh! Can I drive?” he asked Percy enthusiastically.
“Sure thing, pal,” the hedgehog replied, handing Calvin the hefty controller.
Calvin jumped in the passenger seat, controller in hand, and Duckie cautiously took a seat in the back row, shaking slightly with every step.
“PLEASE don’t crash it, Calvin” she begged him, for the adventurous capybara would occasionally prioritize thrill over safety. Duckie really was a scared little duckling, but she tried her best to be brave.
“I’ll do my best,” said Calvin. “But I can’t promise!”
With that, he bashed his paw on the “go” button, and they were off!
Even though the tiny Jeep had no proper air conditioning, it didn’t need any. At the speed Calvin drove that car, the wind blew in the three friends’ faces with such a force that it topped anything traditional air conditioning could pull off.
Duckie screamed at the top of her lungs, shielding her eyes with one of her little wings and grabbing onto her seat so she wouldn’t fly off with the other. Even Percy seemed surprised by the speed at which Calvin was driving, for he, too, clung to his seat.
The little car went this way and that way, zipping through the empty school hallways faster than a cheetah, until they were out into open road! When Calvin came across an obstacle, a stray water bottle beside a palm tree, he didn’t avoid it… he jumped it! Percy was so scared he hurried into the trunk and hid from sight. This time, there was nothing Duckie could do to keep herself grounded, and she flew high above the highway! Calvin continued on and quickly aimed the Jeep in a position where his terrified friend would fall back into her seat safely, and missed…barely. Instead, she landed on top of Percy’s head! Now Calvin REALLY had to stop! Percy quickly climbed back into his seat and tried to help a terrified Duckie. Duckie screamed, clinging to the quills on Percy’s back with all of her might, while Calvin frantically attempted to stop the speeding car. Suddenly, the little Jeep slammed into a palm tree with great force, sending the three panicked friends racing into Florida.
Calvin swerved onto the sidewalk, nearly missing oncoming traffic on the street, and eased his grip on the controller. To the three friend’s relief, the Jeep slowed down to a slower speed, and now the only thing Calvin had to do was dodge the pedestrians out for a walk. Percy helped Duckie from his now aching head and lifted the small duck into the back row safely.
Duckie sighed with relief. “Never ever ever ever EVER do that again, Calvin!” she told him.
“Sorry, guys…my bad…I probably shouldn’t have gone that fast…” he admitted.
“I’ll say! I nearly lost my quills!” Percy nodded in agreement, fanning himself once more in an attempt to undo the effects of the sweltering heat, now that the little car was traveling at a slow and steady pace and not consistently whipping cool air at their faces.
Duckie also seemed a bit overheated. “When will we be at the beach, Calvin?” she asked. “Do you even know how to get to the beach?”
Only then had Calvin considered that he might need directions. He thought for a moment as he drove around the Floridian highways, until he noticed a friendly looking girl in a black running outfit.
“Hello,” he said politely, and stopped the car. Duckie was relieved at this. “My name is Calvin, and we want to get to the beach. Can you give us directions?”
The girl with the long blonde ponytail smiled, and jogged in place. “Yeah, sure, Calvin! I’m Sophie. The beach is just down the highway, past the police station, and to the right of the Dunkin. Have a nice trip!”
Calvin zoomed away, down the highway. Sophie continued her run down the highway as he and the squad looked for a police station.
“Make sure to slow down before the station, Calvin,” Duckie warned him.
“Yeah,” Percy agreed, “You’re not a slow driver, pal. They’ll give you a ticket!”
Suddenly, Percy saw a big gray building with blue writing on it. “Is that the police station?” he asked. “Can anyone read?”
“I learned how when Duckie went missing,” Calvin explained. “I had to understand the clues she left behind. It says ‘Satoni Olicept.’ Latin. Er, no, it says …”
“Police Station!” Duckie yelled.
“You can read?” Calvin gaped.
Duckie blushed. “No, I just see the cars parked in the driveway. They have the blinky lights and everything!”
Calvin sped up even faster, eager to get to the beach. Sophie’s directions were almost finished!
WEE-OO WEE-OO!!
Duckie screamed. “Calvin, Calvin, we’re being chased!”
Percy gasped. “Yeah! Oh pal, why didn’t you slow down?”
Calvin didn’t understand what his friends were talking about. Who would chase them? Or why? And slow wasn’t in his vocabulary. He had a need for speed!
“Who? What? Where?”
“The police! Chasing! Behind us! Ahhh!” Duckie screamed again.
Even Percy, who was very brave, was shaking. He didn’t want to be an outlaw. He didn’t want Pickles to receive a postcard asking him to bail them out of jail. “Slow down!” he cried.
Calvin didn’t listen. He went faster.
“Yo,” a man yelled out of one of the police cars. “Stop in the name of the law!”
Calvin didn’t stop.
“The Dunkin that Sophie told us about!” Percy yelled. “Over there.”
Calvin made an emergency U-turn, and drove through the Dunkin wall! He let go of the control for a second to grab some Boston Creme Pie donuts and Doritos. Those were his favorite! Percy grabbed coffee and some milk packets to pour in. He had a need for caffeine. Duckie was a Munchkin kin
d of duck, and grabbed a box of 50 and tried to snag a hot chocolate, but she missed because her wing was too short.
“Yum!” they smiled, much to the surprise of the Dunkin workers.
Calvin was off again, having lost those pesky police. The highway soon changed to sand, and he was overjoyed. The squad hurried out of the car to enjoy the beach.
“I like vacation,” he said blissfully.
“Me too!” Duckie agreed, finishing off her Munchkins.
Percy was surfing in the waves, and Calvin and Duckie enjoyed the sand. What a perfect way to spend their summer vacation!
The End! (of this adventure anyway)
By Nora Daubert ‘31, Middle School Creative Writing Editor & Catherine Keane ‘31, Features Editor
