Predict

Angela has an exciting idea for using LAFFF. Will Peter agree to it?

Every year our school held a writing contest, and the winning story for each grade got printed in our school magazine. I wanted desperately to win. I worked awfully hard in school, but my parents still thought I could do better.

Winning the writing contest would show my parents that I was really good in something. I love writing stories, and I have lots of ideas. But when I actually write them down, my stories never turn out as good as I thought. I just can’t seem to find the right words, because English isn’t my first language.

I got an honorable mention last year, but it wasn’t the same as winning and showing my parents my name, Angela Tang, printed in the school magazine.

The deadline for the contest was getting close, and I had a pile of stories written, but none of them looked like a winner.

Then, the day before the deadline, boing, a brilliant idea hit me.

I thought of Peter and his LAFFF machine. I rushed over to the Lus’ garage and, just as I had hoped, Peter was there, tinkering with his machine.

“I’ve got this idea for winning the story contest,” I told him breathlessly. “You see, to be certain of winning, I have to write the story that would be the winner.”

“That’s obvious,” Peter said dryly. “In fact, you’re going around in a circle.”

“Wait, listen!” I said. “I want to use LAFFF and go forward to the time when the next issue of the school magazine is out. Then I can read the winning story.”

After a moment Peter nodded. “I see. You plan to write down the winning story after you’ve read it and then send it in to the contest.”