The three boys stared blankly at The three boys stared blankly at the blank wall and the blank wall the blank wall and the blank wall stared blankly back at them Are you three just going to stare at that wall all day or are you actually at that wall all day or are you actually going to paint asked Phlox Prairie going to paint asked Phlox Prairie The reporter-in-training was writing a story on the mural project for the school newspaper mural project for the school newspaper How am I supposed to convey the How am I supposed to convey the excitement of watching paint dry if excitement of watching paint dry if no paint is ever painted no paint is ever painted First we have to decide what to paint said Rumpus what to paint said Rumpus It has to be something unique It has to be something unique Something no one has ever seen before Rumpus Horn was as hardheaded as he was was as hardheaded as he was 3
bighearted He always fought for what he thought was right In other words he was stubborn right In other words he was stubborn In my opinion it should be a scene drawn from nature some thing authentic A vision of tran quility in the center of the city Tai Bengali was the brains of the trio as well as Phlox’s partner on their championship sixth-grade mathletics team You gotta be kidding me Tai said Phil Prairie Phlox’s twin I mean you want people to actually look at this thing right That means you need action Excitement Danger He himself was a prairie dog of action and according to his friends a little too easily excited The three boys had been best friends since kindergarten where they bonded over (cid:70)(cid:85)(cid:68)(cid:92)(cid:82)(cid:81)(cid:86)(cid:15)(cid:3)(cid:192)(cid:81)(cid:74)(cid:72)(cid:85)(cid:3)(cid:83)(cid:68)(cid:76)(cid:81)(cid:87)(cid:15)(cid:3)(cid:68)(cid:81)(cid:71)(cid:3)(cid:86)(cid:81)(cid:68)(cid:70)(cid:78)(cid:3) time The interest in art stuck and over the years each developed his own unique style Tai strove to make his drawings 4
as realistic and accurate as possible Rumpus invented strange animals and crazy weapons and Phil’s paintings practically leapt off the paper with action and adventure Between them they had produced thousands of drawings and hundreds of paintings But this was their 5
