MVP*

MVP* — page 1 — Madam I'm Adam I'm twelve years three months and twenty four days old But this story starts on my birthday May 1 when I turned twelve On that day my life changed I was sitting outside the After School Club surfing the Internet on a school laptop when I heard footsteps behind me Turning I found a short pudgy man with a flabby neck standing there He had black hair and wore a black turban with a huge black jewel set in the middle The rest of his outfit was black as well black pants a black silk shirt and a black cape draped over his shoulders Who wears a cape nowadays I asked myself Other than magicians superheroes and Dracula I mean The After School Club building was one of those trailer classrooms at the edge of the playground I stayed there every day until my mother who worked at the middle school could pick me up On my birthday Mom was running late I was the only student left the only witness to this odd visitor The man was all nods and grins as he sat at the picnic

MVP* — page 2 — table He stared me with inky black eyes that never at blinked His large neck gave him two chins the top one rimmed with a thin black beard Happy birthday Adam Story he began His English accent reminded me of actors on educational TV It's certainly good to meet you at last Today the day you turn twelve we have certain important issues certain urgent topics to discuss This is an historic day Adam Story That s for certain Usually I avoided talking to strangers and this man sure seemed strange Without a word I began poking the keys on the laptop The man reached inside his cape His hand came out cradling a long slender animal with a pointed face Its fur matched the color of a dry playground The creature's pinpoint eyes ogled me like its master's Its wide mouth

MVP* — page 3 — held a slip of paper a school visitor pass Is that a weasel I asked The man stroked the creature Certainly not Meet Marco Polo my mongoose He's showing you that we're official visitors at your school Your principal was certain you'd be out here The mongoose turned scurried up the man's arm and sat on his right shoulder Its dot eyes never left me Who are you What do you want I asked fearing that the man was another school counselor eager to know why I never spoke in class why I never joined in playground games or why I spent so much time alone at the classroom computer Except that this man didn't look like a school district employee The visitor snapped his fingers The mongoose sprang off his shoulder and dove into the cape pocket then reappeared with a business card in its mouth The card showed a logo of a wooden sailing ship with the letters MVP printed across it and some words

MVP* — page 4 — MVP NY PRINCE OLIOLI OH XL PRODUCER MAGELLAN VOYAGE PROJECT The look on my face betrayed my doubt Yes Adam Story the man said As certain as homework I'm a real prince Why does it say you're XL extra large I'm Prince Oh the fortieth I come from a long line of royalty an ancient dynasty that ruled over the kingdom of Babababad Babababad There no such place I said's convinced from my web surfing that I knew all one hundred ninety six countries and kingdoms in the world To be certain my domain no longer exists the prince said Many centuries ago a cruel conqueror Gunter the Hunter captured Babababad and made it part of his empire Two centuries later a European power invaded the empire and turned Babababad into a

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