Picture's Worth a Thousand Clues

Picture's Worth a Thousand Clues — page 3 — We like to make new things from old stuff Liv boldly added holding up the paintbrushes If you want we can make you something she offered Mr Patterson was furious He snagged the paintbrushes from Liv Give me those He anxiously looked up and down the alley I’m going to call the sheriff I don’t want to go to jail Leo started to run away but Michael stopped him We aren’t doing anything wrong Michael insisted He looked at Mr Patterson You threw this stuff away It’s still my trash Not yours Don’t ever let me find you digging through my trash again Mr Patterson told Michael He didn’t ask for the dowels or the twine back Instead he looked at the paintbrushes and brushed off some of the dusty paint He stomped back to his shop and slammed the door shut We should go now Leo said with a shiver That was scary You think everything is scary Liv said with a laugh Just one more dumpster okay Michael was eyeing a red bin three doors down from the art shop From Leo’s chart Michael knew the trash collectors hadn’t come yet That meant the bin would be full of treasures Oh come on Leo grumbled What if Ms Ventura comes out from her bridal shop to yell at us too Don’t worry She’s way nicer than Mr Patterson Liv said pushing up her bright red glasses Go on Michael Dive in the dumpster We’ll wait I’m always outvoted Leo sighed I’ll be fast Michael said climbing into the bridal shop’s bin He tossed a small black trash bag over the side Catch Liv reached over Leo and snagged the bag midair Leo didn’t even try to catch the large fabric pieces that Michael kept throwing out of the dumpster They landed on the ground by his feet Liv picked up some of the fabric and took a closer look There were long pieces of

Picture's Worth a Thousand Clues — page 4 — white and cream-colored silk She ran her hand over a large square of lace Are we making a wedding dress she asked I’m not sure what we’re making yet Michael said We’ll figure that out when we get back to the Maker Shack The Maker Shack was the old wooden shed in Michael’s backyard It used to be his Grandpa Henry’s toolshed but he’d given it to Michael and his friends to use as a clubhouse Michael climbed out of the dumpster There was a wad of pink gum stuck to his shoe And something that looked like moldy cheese in his hair You stink Liv said plugging her nose It’s a dumpster Michael replied with a shrug Even if it was gross dumpster diving was one of his favorite things to do He shook his head and the cheese fell to the ground He kicked it aside then pointed at the black bag Did you see what I found Not yet Liv said She peeked inside the black trash bag It was filled with strange rectangular items What are these Raising a eyebrow Michael told his friends Guess Liv held one of them up to her ear Is it an old kind of phone she asked There aren’t numbers to dial Michael said shaking his head My phone doesn’t have numbers on the main screen either Liv said putting her hands on her hips She liked to rub it in that she had a cell phone and they didn’t It’s a camera Leo said The disposable kind People used to hand them out at weddings before everyone had smartphones My parents did They have a whole bunch of goofy photos from them He turned the camera around in his hands Looks like these belong to Sarah and Paul He showed Michael and Liv where the happy couple’s name was on the side The film isn’t used up on these They must have thrown out the extras Michael said

Picture's Worth a Thousand Clues — page 5 — Liv counted the cameras There are twenty of them in the bag What are we going to do with twenty cameras Leo asked Each camera was a small rectangular box plastic covered with cardboard At the top was a small plastic viewfinder Liv took a picture of Leo Hey I wasn’t ready Leo complained He ran a hand over his sandy brown hair pushing his bangs off his eyes and sucked in his belly I want to pose It was a candid shot Liv replied She wound the film and fired off two more pictures before Leo could complain again She took two shots of Michael And then they gathered around the dumpster for a group selfie When the roll was done Liv asked Michael I know there’s film inside but how do you see the pictures in one of these things We need a store to develop the film Michael said He wondered if there was a place that did that in the neighborhood If not maybe he could learn to develop film That would be fun He thought that Grandpa Henry might know how He was eighty years old and knew pretty much everything Michael was excited to show Grandpa the cameras Grandpa Henry lived with Michael and his parents in their old purple Victorian house The house was at the top of the hill and Grandpa’s glass windows overlooked the whole street I wonder what Grandpa would do with a bag of cameras Michael considered as he packed them into his backpack for the trip home It was an old blue pack he’d picked up from the trash at school Liv had fixed the holes in the bottom with shiny silver duct tape and written Maker Sack on it with extra strips of tape Grandpa would probably use them to make a spaceship to the moon Liv said chuckling Michael and Liv’s moms were sisters and Grandpa Henry was Michael’s grandpa on his dad’s side So Liv wasn’t related to Henry by blood Still she and Leo

Picture's Worth a Thousand Clues — page 6 — called him Grandpa Henry All the kids on Shaker Street did If there was a way to do that I bet he would figure it out Leo agreed Now we have fabric and cameras Liv said as Michael hefted the Maker Sack onto his shoulders And these dowels and a ball of twine Michael said Liv was carrying the things from the art store dumpster And the clothespins you found yesterday Leo added Plus everything else in the Maker Shack The shelves of the shack were filled with things that Michael and his friends had found at yard sales and in other dumpsters around town The trio trudged up Shaker Street It was a big hill and Leo liked to walk slowly As they walked Michael looked up at his house There was a large bird circling Grandpa’s glass tower room Its wings were stretched out as it soared through the sky Michael wondered what the bird could see from way up there Then suddenly he had a brilliant idea

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