Ronald And Nancy - Imagination
Chapter 1: The Backyard Battle
Nine years old and full of big dreams, Ronald was on a mission one sunny afternoon. His backyard transformed into a grand battlefield, where stories came to life. With a few old sheets and a spark of imagination, he built a fort fit for a king, or in this case, a brave general.
Inside this fort, Ronald's toys came to life. Trucks became tanks, and plastic army men stood at the ready. He was about to dive into a world where his army would face their greatest challenge yet—an invasion of fierce insects!
"Forward march!" Ronald commanded, his voice filled with excitement. He loved to narrate his tales out loud, feeling as if he were right there, leading the charge. The air was filled with the sounds of battle, but only Ronald knew the outcome of this epic conflict.
Unknown to Ronald, his adventures had an audience. Nancy, his neighbor, was eight years old and had found a spot where she could see and hear everything. She adored Ronald's stories; they were like little seeds for her imagination, growing into beautiful artwork under her skilled hands. Nancy was an artist who loved coloring.
As Ronald's army pushed back the imaginary insects, Nancy sketched furiously, her pencil dancing across the paper. She wanted to capture every moment, every heroic pose of Ronald's army men.
But adventures can be unpredictable. In her excitement, Nancy leaned too hard against a hidden branch. "Crack!" the branch yelled, breaking the afternoon's quiet.
Ronald stopped mid-sentence, his ears perked. Was he not alone? He peeked outside his fort, scanning the yard for signs of life. Nancy scooped up her drawings and quietly escaped, realizing she might be discovered. Leaves rustled, and branches moved where she once hid.
"Who's there?" Ronald's voice carried across the yard, but no answer came. He found the broken branch but no sign of anyone. Shrugging, he returned to his fort, his mind racing with new story ideas.
Still racing from her narrow escape, Nancy looked back at Ronald's backyard. She smiled, clutching her drawings. Thanks to Ronald's endless imagination, she would have a new piece of art to work on.
And so, without knowing it, Ronald and Nancy became a team. His stories filled the air, and her art brought them to life, a secret friendship blossoming between the two young creators.
Chapter 2: The Mystery of the Art Wall
Ronald walked down the school hallway, his backpack bouncing with every step. Today was just another day in 4th grade, or so he thought. As he neared his classroom, something on the sharing wall caught his eye—a vibrant, detailed drawing.
He stopped, his gaze fixed on the artwork. It was a drawing of a young, childlike general leading an army against a horde of mutant insects. The scene was familiar, eerily familiar. It was his backyard battle, brought to life on paper! But there was no name on the drawing, no clue as to who had created it.
Ronald's mind raced. The drawing appeared out of nowhere on the day after his epic adventure. How? He remembered the noises outside his fort, the feeling that he wasn't alone. His imagination took over, spinning tales of aliens who had visited his backyard, listening to his stories, and now warning him through this drawing that Earth was in danger.
Determined to solve the mystery, Ronald hatched a plan. After school, he would create a new adventure as grand and detailed as the last. If his story again inspired a drawing on the art wall, he'd have proof of his alien visitors.
The final bell rang, and school was out. Ronald rushed home, bursting with ideas for his next tale, all the while scanning the skies for signs of alien life. This time, he imagined a deep-sea adventure where brave explorers in submarines discovered an underwater city. He spoke his story out loud, with the same passion and excitement as before, hoping his unseen audience was listening.
The next day, Ronald's first stop was the sharing wall. Heart pounding, he searched for a new drawing, a sign that his story had been heard. But the wall was just as it had been the day before, with no new artwork in sight.
Disappointed but not defeated, Ronald pondered his next move. Maybe the aliens needed more time or preferred battles to underwater adventures. His mind buzzed with possibilities, each more fantastical than the last.
Little did Ronald know, Nancy had been too busy with a school project to visit his backyard that day. The mystery of the art wall remained unsolved, but Ronald's belief in the power of his stories only grew stronger. He was convinced this new “real” mystery was too grand not to be investigated.
Chapter 3: The Illustrator's Dash
After the final bell of the school day rang, Ronald was ready for a different kind of adventure—one that involved running errands for his mom. First on the list was a trip to the dry cleaners, a few blocks away from home. It was not exactly the thrilling journey Ronald preferred, but his imagination knew no bounds, and he could make any task an adventure.
On his way, Ronald spotted Nancy, his neighbor, observing him from her porch. Eager to share even a simple greeting, he said, "Hello!" To his surprise, Nancy hurried inside the moment she heard him. Ronald was puzzled. He hadn't expected to scare her away with a mere hello. He thought —maybe Nancy had seen the aliens too, and now thought he was under their spell. Yes, that had to be it.
Little did Ronald know, Nancy's sudden dash inside was for a completely different reason. The sight of Ronald reminded her of the stories he told, full of imagination and adventure. Not wanting to miss a single detail for her next artwork, she ran to grab her pencil and paper, determined to capture the next tale.
Ronald, unaware of Nancy's intentions, continued to the dry cleaners. Soon, he was carrying more clothes than he could see past. On his way home, he lost himself in thought, planning his next grand story. Today, it was about sky pirates and floating islands, a tale so vivid and exciting he couldn't help but narrate it aloud, unaware of how his voice carried through the air.
Meanwhile, Nancy quietly followed him, her steps light like that of a ninja, not to alert Ronald to her presence. She listened intently to his new adventure, her pencil flying over the page as she tried to capture every detail of the world Ronald described.
Ronald reached home, unaware that Nancy had been his shadow, hanging on to every word of this new story. He was eager to dive into another adventure and was already planning the construction of his new fort, a pirate ship among the clouds. But it would have to wait; he had more chores, so today wouldn’t be a fort day after all.
As Ronald disappeared inside his house, Nancy also went home, her heart bursting with excitement and her hands full of notes and sketches.
Chapter 4: The Alien Mystery Deepens
Ronald had not had time to test his alien theory further in his fort, so he hadn't planned to check the sharing wall. Yet his mind was ablaze with the story of the sky pirates and floating islands he had narrated aloud on his way to the cleaners, and he was thinking of ways to enrich the tale further when he got home from school.
As the school day ended, an unexpected voice called out to Ronald, waking him from his imagination. Elgerd, his older brother, had recently gained the freedom of the road with his new driver's license and was eagerly awaiting to give Ronald a ride home in the family car. Nearing the sharing wall to meet Elgerd, Ronald's gaze inadvertently swept over the space—and there it was. His heart seemed to stop in its tracks, and his steps stumbled. A drawing that captured his latest story idea was displayed on the wall with incredible detail.
Ronald was silent at that moment, a whirlwind of emotions seizing him. The exhilaration of seeing his imagined world brought to life again was tinged with an edge of fear. His theory about alien observers no longer seemed far-fetched; this was proof. They were real, and they were listening to his stories.
"Why else would they illustrate my exact tale if not to communicate?" Ronald pondered. Suddenly, the notion that these beings were using his own stories to signal their intentions—perhaps even plans to take over the planet—didn't seem like make-believe. It was a call to action, a sign that he needed to do something fast.
"Ronald, you coming?" Elgerd's voice barely pierced Ronald's attention. Giving the drawing one last glance, Ronald stepped away, a plan forming in his mind. If his stories had the power to reach these otherworldly beings, then maybe, just maybe, he could use them to protect Earth. He could craft tales convincing the aliens that Earth was not for the taking and invading would be far too risky.
The car ride home with Elgerd was a blur. Ronald's usual attentiveness to his brother's tales of driving adventures was replaced by a silent contemplation of his next move. How could he communicate with these beings? What tale could be compelling enough to ensure the safety of his planet?
Ronald arrived home with a sense of determination he had never felt before. The mystery of the sharing wall and the artist's identity had now taken on a new dimension. The plan wasn't just about finding out who was behind the drawings but also about communicating with these aliens, using his imagination as his weapon and shield.
That evening, Ronald sketched out the beginnings of a new story that he hoped would reach the aliens' ears or whatever they used to listen. This tale would be his most important story, not just of adventure and fantasy but of peace and kindness. Little did Ronald know, his storytelling journey was about to take him beyond the confines of his backyard and into the vast expanse of the unknown, where his words had the power to shape the future of his world.
The Final Chapter: A Tale of Peace and Friendship
Ronald was on a mission, but this time, it was different. No battles, no invasions. He was building his most magnificent fort as a beacon of friendship, not as a battleground. He scoured his room for every comic book that showed aliens and humans in harmony, believing these stories would send the right message. Ronald then decorated his fort with items that symbolized peace and kindness: flowers from the garden, his favorite teddy bear, a cozy baby blanket, some of his mother's fine china, a toothbrush, and dish soap. All things that are clean and good, according to his mom.
Meanwhile, Nancy, intrigued by Ronald's unusual activity, stealthily moved closer to the fort for a better look. Sitting within his canvas walls, Ronald began to narrate a new kind of story. This time, aliens weren't invading; they were weary travelers being greeted with kindness on Earth. He was offering help with their laundry after their long journey through space. It was a simple story, yet it carried an important message.
From outside, Ronald heard laughter. It was Nancy, unable to contain her amusement at this unexpected twist in storytelling. Peering through a slit in the fort, Ronald spotted her hiding behind the shed, her pencil poised over paper. The revelation hit him; Nancy was the artist who had brought his stories to life all along.
Ronald thought about confronting her, but chose a different plan. He would catch her posting her next artwork on the school's sharing wall. Convincing Elgerd to drive him early the next day, Ronald positioned himself behind the lockers near the sharing wall, waiting to unveil the mystery and expose the spy.
But the morning brought an even greater surprise. The first to approach the wall wasn't Nancy—it was a tiny man in a hovering craft. Ronald watched, wide-eyed, as the little man placed a new drawing on the wall. It depicted alien ships speeding away from Earth beneath the words, "We leave in peace."
At school that day, Ronald looked at Nancy and was tickled that she was interested in his stories but was sad that she wasn’t the artist. Still, Aliens, wow…what a week.
But wait a minute. Going back in time to the night before school, no one noticed a curious meeting taking place behind Nancy’s shed in her backyard. It appeared that Nancy was giving instructions to a little red man in a hovercraft. Hmmm . . .
Coloring Exercise
Have students color this free image of our characters in this story
