Flat Stanley's Worldwide Adventures #15 Read online

  Marco and Kamala were both super nice, but Stanley was still stuck.

  “Look! I think I’ve got it!” Ian had a noodle trapped between two chopsticks. He bent down low so his mouth was just above the bowl. He tipped his head back and dropped the noodle in. He peered into his bowl and counted. “One down, twenty more to go.”

  Marco and his family had finished their noodles already. Stanley’s mother was wiping her mouth with a napkin. It’s now or never! Stanley thought. Pretty soon, someone would come to take the noodles away.

  Stanley put down the chopsticks and tried one more time with his spoon.

  This time, he handled the noodle just right. It started slipping only when Stanley lifted the spoon to his lips. And Stanley was not going to let this noodle get away! Loudly, he slurped it up and swallowed.

  “Stanley!” said Mrs. Lambchop. “Please don’t slurp! Watch your manners!”

  Stanley turned bright red. He had not meant to be rude. He did not want to miss his last chance with the first noodle.

  But Meera, from India, stepped in to save him. “In some countries, slurping is considered polite,” she pointed out. “It’s not bad manners at all. It’s the way you tell the cook you enjoyed the meal.”

  Stanley smiled, glad to hear that. But now he did not know what to do. Which set of noodle-eating rules should he follow? His mother’s, or Marco’s, or Kamala’s, or Meera’s? Everyone had a different way! Stanley really wanted to do what Ian did, which was to pick up the whole bowl and drink it, but he had a feeling his mother wouldn’t like that, either.

  Before he could make up his mind, Anya Petersen called for everyone’s attention.

  “While we wait for our next course,” she announced, “we will share the items we brought from home. Ian, let’s start with you.”

  Ian stood proudly and held up a plaid skirt. “This is called a kilt. People in Scotland wear these on special occasions,” he explained. “Even the boys!” He pointed out the red-and-blue plaid pattern of the cloth. “Many families have a special pattern for their kilts,” he said. “The patterns are passed down to children and grandchildren.”

  Everyone at the table smiled and nodded. Meera stood up next. She had brought a tiny model of a famous building from India. It was bright white, and it reminded Stanley of a castle. “This is called the Taj Mahal,” she told the other children and families. “Long ago, an emperor from my country had it built in honor of his wife. It is one of the world’s most beautiful places.”

  They went around the table and saw items from Thailand, France, Japan, and other countries. Marco showed photos of the Alps mountains near his house in Italy. Stanley wondered if they were as tall as the buildings in New York. Unlike New York’s skyscrapers, though, the Alps were covered in snow. Marco liked to ski on them!

  When it was Stanley’s turn, he put on his Statue of Liberty crown. “The Statue of Liberty is a famous landmark,” he told the group. “It stands for the freedom that we have in the United States.” He looked at his mom and smiled. “You can visit the statue while you are in New York. And if you climb all the way up the spiral staircase—inside the statue—you will be able to go to the crown and see the New York City skyline across the river!”

  “After lunch,” said Anya, “we will begin our New York City tour. I can help anyone who might like to see the Statue of Liberty. Now, who would like to share next?”

  After Stanley showed his crown, a few other kids showed items that Stanley had seen before. That was because the items were not special to any one country—they were just things that the kids who brought them cared about, like stuffed animals, toy cars, and action figures. “Hey, I have the same Super Looper game!” Arthur called out when a boy from South Africa showed everyone his favorite toy.

  Some things were the same no matter where you were from, Stanley figured.

  Even if you ate noodles in a completely different way.

  Train Stations

  The New York City tour would begin at a train station. Grand Central Terminal was a short walk from the UN, and from there the group would take the famous New York City subway to see some other sights.

  “Grand Central is one of New York’s landmarks,” said Anya as she opened the door for all of them to walk through. “It is one of the largest train stations in the world. It is also one of the most spectacular!”

  Stanley saw what she meant when he stepped inside. Grand Central Terminal was so huge that he guessed a whole train could fit in it! It was full of people in a rush, carrying bags and checking the time. There were shops and restaurants for them to enjoy, but no one seemed to be stopping.

  Anya said, “Here at Grand Central, you can see why some people call New York ‘the city that never sleeps.’”

  Stanley worried about getting crushed in the rush. But he also liked that no one was staring at him. The New Yorkers had other things to do!

  Anya led the group into a quiet spot near an information booth. “As we walk to the subway, be sure to look at the ceiling,” she told them.

  Stanley looked up, and he couldn’t believe it! The ceiling of Grand Central Terminal was painted pale blue, with gold stars. It looked like the night sky, with all the constellations out at once. He nudged his brother. “I need the camera right away!” he said. “I have to get some pictures of this!”

  Ian was standing right next to Stanley. He said “Look, there’s the Big Dipper! Make sure you get a picture of that!”

  Stanley snapped pictures of the ceiling from every angle. He got the Big Dipper, the Little Dipper, and Orion’s Belt.

  “Now get a picture of me!” Ian insisted.

  He stood in front of Stanley’s camera, blocking the ceiling completely. All Stanley could see was Ian, sticking out his tongue.

  “Look at this!” said Ian after Stanley put the camera down. He held his nose and shimmied toward the floor, pretending he had just jumped into a pool of water. Ian was pretty funny! Stanley could not stop laughing.

  “Stick with us, boys,” said Mrs. Lambchop. The group was walking away, so Stanley and Ian hurried to catch up. They went down a long ramp and pushed through a turnstile. Then, suddenly, they were on a narrow subway platform!

  It was deep beneath the main floor of Grand Central Terminal, with no sunlight and a damp smell.

  Ian whispered, “I hear that sometimes there are rats on the subway tracks.”

  Stanley shuddered. But all he could see on the tracks were some pieces of trash.

  The group from the UN spread out along the platform. Anya spoke loudly to explain what they were doing next, her voice bouncing and echoing against the tiled wall.

  “We will be taking a train to Times Square,” she said. “From there, we will continue on to the Empire State Building. As we move about the city, I ask that you keep some safety tips in mind. New York is a big place, so we will want to stick together. Make sure that valuables like wallets are tucked away. Try to avoid talking to strangers.”

  After she finished with these precautions, Anya promised that their train would be there any minute.

  Many minutes passed, though, and it still hadn’t come.

  “When will it get here?” Ian asked Stanley.

  “When will it get here?” Stanley asked his mother.

  “I don’t know,” said Mrs. Lambchop. “But there are ways to tell when the train is approaching. First you will hear a rumbling in the distance. Then you will see a light in that long tunnel.”

  Stanley leaned toward the edge of the subway platform and craned his neck to see. There was no light yet. Where the platform ended, the train tracks just continued into darkness.

  Ian leaned so far that Mrs. Lambchop had to pull him back! While Ian’s parents were chatting with another family, Mrs. Lambchop was looking out for him.

  She pointed out a yellow stripe on the platform. “Let’s make sure to stand behind the line,” she told both boys. “That way, you will stay safe when the train arrives.”

  Stanley s
lumped onto a bench. He was tired of waiting.

  He still couldn’t hear or see a train coming. But he heard something else. “Ian! Do you hear . . . ?”

  He met Ian’s eyes, and Ian replied, “Music?”

  Together, they stood up and wandered a few steps away from Mrs. Lambchop. The noise grew louder as they drew closer!

  This part of the subway platform was a little wider. There was just enough room for four drummers, who were starting to warm up.

  They were playing on upside-down buckets, not real drums at all, but that didn’t matter. The drumbeat was catchy enough to dance to and loud enough to fill the subway station. If he got any closer to it, Stanley would have to cover his ears!

  Ian clapped in time with the fast rhythm, and someone else whistled a tune that went with the beat. Stanley swayed until his whole body rippled.

  “I hear that some of New York’s best music is in the subway station,” Ian yelled to Stanley. “Musicians have to enter a contest to play down here!”

  Stanley wondered where Ian had heard that.

  Stanley wondered if it was true.

  At the same time, Stanley stopped wondering when the train was coming.

  Other than a light, hot breeze, he didn’t notice when it swept into the station, because the noise of the music canceled the noise of the train and the energy of the drums canceled Stanley’s excitement about the subway.

  Then Stanley heard an electronic voice. It said, “Stand clear of the closing doors, please.”

  Then Stanley turned and noticed the train. Its doors had opened already . . . and now they were starting to close.

  “Oh no!” he exclaimed. He rushed toward the subway doors, pulling Ian behind him. But it was too late.

  He could see Marco, Kamala, and Meera—the kids from his lunch table—through the subway windows.

  He could also see his family, trying to find him in the crowded subway car.

  Soon they would discover that he’d been left behind.

  Stanley would be in trouble for wandering away.

  But first he had to find a way to catch up to his mother and father. And he had no idea how to do it!

  Photo Ops

  Stanley could see the train disappearing through the subway tunnel. He watched until he could no longer see the red light at the end of the last car.

  The drummers kept drumming, but Ian wasn’t clapping anymore. He just stood there with his mouth hanging open. He couldn’t speak, but he didn’t need to. Stanley saw some tears shining in Ian’s eyes. Ian was scared, and so was Stanley.

  Stanley took a deep breath. He remembered what his mother always said. “We have to stay calm,” he announced to Ian. At the Statue of Liberty, he had kept climbing stairs until he met his family at the top. What if he kept riding the train? His family could be waiting at the next station.

  “I have an idea,” Stanley told Ian. “When the next subway arrives, we will get on it. We will ride to the next stop and see if our parents are there.”

  “Okay.” Ian nodded. “That’s a good plan.” The boys waited on a bench until another subway screeched into the station a few minutes later.

  The doors opened, and some passengers streamed out. The subway car was crowded, so the boys didn’t get a seat when they entered. They grabbed a silver pole in the middle of the subway car and hung on tight!

  When the subway got going, it was really fast. It was like a roller coaster without the hills or loops! Ian let go of the pole for a second and tried to balance without it. He bent his knees and dug his toes into the floor. “I’m surfing!” he told Stanley.

  Arthur would love this, Stanley thought. He missed his family already.

  The dark of the subway tunnel gave way to the light of a station. At last! Stanley thought. They’ll be here, I just know it. He hadn’t even met Ian’s family yet, but he would recognize them if they had the same red hair.

  There was only one problem. The subway didn’t stop!

  As it rushed through the station, an announcer said something surprising. “Times Square next stop!”

  Stanley’s heart sank. He could guess what that meant.

  “This train isn’t stopping at every station,” he told Ian. “So we’re not stopping at the one where our families are probably waiting.”

  “Oh no!” Ian slumped against the silver pole. “What are we supposed to do now?” he asked.

  “Well, this train is going to Times Square. Our families are going to Times Square on their tour. Maybe we will see them there,” Stanley said. He tried to sound sure of himself.

  Ian nodded. “Okay,” he replied. “At least they are with a big group. It should be easy to find them.”

  When the subway finally stopped, the boys hurried out. They followed the other passengers toward an Exit sign and took an escalator up to the street. There were more musicians in the Times Square station, but this time Stanley and Ian walked right past them. Any minute now, they would find Anya and her tour group!

  As soon as they stepped into Times Square, though, Stanley realized it would not be easy. The sidewalk was so full of people that it was like a river.

  Above the river of people, there were billboards and advertisements as far as Stanley could see. There were huge screens playing movie trailers and other videos. Some were attached to the sides of the buildings, some were sticking out into the street, and some of them were many stories tall!

  There were so many that Stanley didn’t know where to look. The lights were so bright that Stanley bet it was like daytime here even at night. There were restaurants, theaters, stores, offices, and even a police station in Times Square. Stanley had never seen such a busy place!

  Even if his family were right in the middle of Times Square, how would he ever spot them?

  Stanley took the camera out of his pocket. He was nervous now, but he would want to remember everything later. He snapped photos of the biggest, the brightest, the fastest-moving place he had ever visited.

  Then he made a decision. “We’ve got to get out of here,” Stanley told Ian. This was not a good place to be lost, because it was not a good place to get found!

  He grabbed his friend’s hand and hauled him through the crowd. Right now, it was very useful to be flat. There were so many people walking that it was hard to move. But Stanley could slip through the small spaces between them, towing Ian behind!

  “Excuse me,” Stanley said as he brushed by a man who was walking and eating a giant pretzel at the same time. He was close enough to take a bite (but he didn’t).

  “Pardon me,” Stanley said as he moved past a woman who had dropped a bag in the middle of the sidewalk. He would stop to help, but he was afraid that if he bent down, his flatness would make him blend into the sidewalk. And he did not want anyone to step on him.

  Stanley saw a group of kids on the sidewalk. For a minute, he thought they were the kids from the UN, but soon he could see they were not. These kids were wearing matching jackets, like they were on a tour of their own, or maybe a team. They had their cameras out, just like Stanley. But they were not taking pictures of neon signs or tall buildings. They were taking pictures of themselves with some famous characters from a TV show!

  “Look!” said Ian. “Kit the Cat!” Even in Scotland, people watched Jet Pets.

  It was not actually Kit the Cat, but someone dressed in a costume to look just like her. She wore a striped dress and a black hat.

  The kids got close for their pictures, and Kit the Cat wrapped her paw around their shoulders. When the photo was done, she gave each of them a fuzzy high five. Then she posed with more of her fans.

  Stanley wasn’t sure why there were TV characters in the middle of Times Square. He didn’t want his photo taken with Kit the Cat—he had not watched Jet Pets since he was little. He just kept walking, watching a big video screen high above Kit’s head.

  Then he noticed something. Photos of Kit were being shown on that screen!

  Stanley stopped in the river of peopl
e. He watched again, just to make sure.

  On the sidewalk, a girl in a purple sweater smiled next to Kit. Kit the Cat waved and gave her a high five. A few seconds later, Stanley could see their picture on the big screen.

  Anyone who was watching could see it. And a lot of people would be watching! Including—maybe—Mr. and Mrs. Lambchop and Arthur.

  “I have a great idea!” Stanley said. He handed his camera to Ian. “Will you take a few pictures of me?” He had a feeling the other kids—and other cameras—would follow.

  Ian shrugged. “Okay, sure,” he said. He took photos from a couple of different angles.

  It did not take long for a crowd to gather. “Look, it’s Flat Stanley!” someone called out.

  “I have to get his picture!” someone else replied.

  Pretty soon, Flat Stanley had just as many admirers as Kit the Cat!

  Ian directed them to stand in line and take turns snapping photos.

  Stanley stood sideways so people could see his flatness. He rolled himself up like a poster. He lay on the ground like a rug. Anything to keep the cameras going! For once, Stanley was glad to be world-famous. Right now, he did not want to fit in!

  He had figured something out. While people were taking photos of him, a hidden camera was taking pictures of its own. Those were the pictures that were shown high above the crowd.

  Stanley made sure he was smiling in all of them. He waved at his fans. He acted like he was having the best day of his life. If his parents were watching, he did not want them to worry. And if he stayed here a little longer, they might even figure out where he was!

  Helping Hands

  After a while, the fans turned away from Flat Stanley. Another famous TV character had arrived, and now people wanted pictures with him. The crowd stepped away from Ian and Stanley, giving them a little space to breathe.