Where+in+the+World+is......


 * Where in the World is Charlie**

It was a typical day at JFK Middle School. Mr. Dean was teaching his biology class. He wasn't everyone's favorite teacher. He was kinda tough, giving homework every night and extra homework over the weekends. But he was a good teacher. I would see him every Tuesday afternoon for extra help because I want to be a veterinarian one day and it is really important to understand biology. He was teaching us about ornithology. That's the study of birds. We learned a lot about birds when we were in grade 2, but this stuff was definitely much cooler. Did you know that there are over 10,000 species of birds in the world? Well, I found it fascinating. School ended and I was meeting my friend Sean to get some ice cream before I went home.

"I have to show you something", Sean said in a secretive manner. "But, what about getting ice cream?" I asked. "This is so much better than ice cream", he replied.

We took the short cut to his house. When we got there, Sean told me to close my eyes. When I opened them, he was standing there with this tiny blue and green feathered creature cupped in his hands. "His name is Charlie", Sean announced.

"Sean!!" I exclaimed. "That's a Shamodo! They are very rare! Where did you get it?"

Sean explained that his father had just come back from Kenya and he sneaked it on the plane. It was a gift for Sean's birthday that he missed while his father was away last month. I am not sure what his father does for a living, but he does spend a lot of time in England and Kenya each year.

In class, we had learned that certain species of birds are so rare that they must be cared for by professionals or else they might become extinct. I didn't want to hurt my friend, but I had to get the Shamodo away from him and back to where he belonged. I am not sure if it was Kenya or England, but I am going to do whatever I can to make sure he gets home safely. "But how do I get the bird away from Sean?", I thought to myself.

I had to think of a plan. I knew I needed to think of a way of distracting Sean then I could steal the bird and take it to Mr Dean. The perfect opportunity arose later- Sean’s mum invited me to stay over that very night. Later, when Sean fell asleep it was my perfect opportunity to steal Charlie. I took the bird back to my house ready to see Mr Dean the next day.

Early the following morning I took Charlie in my school bag to see Mr Dean. I rushed to his office, “Mr Dean, Mr Dean, I’ve got something to show you,” shouted Sam eagerly “Where did you get this bird from Sam, it’s a relative of the Dodo and they are very rare and endangered,” Mr Dean explained. “We need to get this bird back to England, I know I’ll contact my brother who lives in Bristol, he works with birds and is a specialist, he’ll know what to do.” Just then there was a loud noise from outside, “Sam, what are you doing with my bird?” shouted Sean angrily. Sam was startled. "Oh! I didn't see you there, Sean", stuttered Sam. "Oh, is that Charlie?" Sam lied. "How did he get here?" "Like you don't know!" accused Sean as he grabbed the bag of bird seed that was peaking out of Sam's backpack. "I am sorry, Sean. The truth is, I think we should get Charlie back to his own habitat in England. he is a very rae bird and..." "But why did you steal him?" Interrupted Sean. "I thought you were my friend." Sam tried to comfort Sean. "I wasn't sure how to convince you. But now that Mr. Dean has confirmed that he is a Shamodo, I know I did the right thing." Sam tried to convince Sean that he was right. "Sean, " Sam begged, " we need to send Charlie home. Not only is it better for Charlie, but it is actually illegal for you to keep him." "Well, if Charlie is going, then I am going too! exclaimed Sean. "My dad is leaving tonight and I am supposed to stay with Sam's family over Spring Break." "If it is ok with your parents, maybe we could make this a school field trip. I got some money for a science grant this year. We can use it for this trip". Sam and Sean were excited. They ran home to get permission slips signed and left Charlie with Mr. Dean. They would be leaving in two days.

When Sean got home he did not tell his Dad about Charlie because he did not want him to get upset. He told him that he and Sam won a contest and the reward was this trip to England to learn about birds. Sam told his parents the same thing. Both parents agreed to let them go since they trusted Mr. Dean.

On Friday, Sam and Sean met Mr. Dean at Newark Liberty International airport. Mr. Dean explained that he checked Charlie with all of the other pets earlier because birds were not allowed in the same area as passengers. Mr. Dean handed the boys their tickets and they went to the gate to wait for their flight. An hour had passed and Mr. Dean had not returned. The flight attendance were announcing the boarding. Sam and Sean assumed Mr. Dean must have already boarded since they did not see him and the walked to the attendant, showed their tickets and headed up the ramp to the plane.

When they got to their seats, Mr. Dean was not there. There wasn't even an empty seat for him. "I think Mr. Dean tricked us!" exclaimed Sean. Just then the plane began to take off.