One night, Lindsay Rosenwald, star duster of the one hundred and thirteenth section and the fifth-seventh district held her broom up in disgust and knew there just had to be a better way! Her dress was positively black with star dust and her pointed hat (pointed of course so that dust would slide off and not stay in mounds on top) couldn’t be blacker. There just had to be a better way to keep this dust off and give Lindsay Rosenwald more time for other things! It didn’t help that she worked in the lowest district (fifty-seventh) of the lowest section (one hundred and thirteenth) in the sky, because as every star duster knew, could or not, neat or not, being on the bottom meant that all of the star dusters above you dusted their star dust down onto your stars! That’s why every star duster wanted to climb up the ranks, literally, higher and higher. The closer to the man in the moon (Boris) the better! Why up just a few sections you could see what colors of clothes star dusters wore and up a few sections from that you could almost see what color of pointed hat they had put on that day! Down here, there was really no point in wearing anything but a black dress and a black hat! Plus, the parties up at Boris’s house were said to be wonderful! No one ever tasted such amazing cheese than was served by the man in the moon himself!
Lindsay Rosenwald knew she had to get back to work though or she would never be promoted to a higher section. She shook off her broom as best she could and fly off to the nearest star in her lowly section in her lowly district and started dusting and sweeping ferociously. Sylvia was only two years older than her and had already advanced five districts within their section! She was know for her non-stop dusting ethic and had already chosen a silver gown to wear when she attached high enough to have the color visible. Sylvia was the star star duster and Lindsay loathed her!
Right then, as if Sylvia could hear her thoughts she came zooming by on her broom and announced that she “had finished early” tonight and “it was too bad Lindsay couldn’t join her sliding down moonbeams’! Lindsay Rosenwald was furious and even more so when she looked over at her freshly dusted star as some star dust from the district above fell down and covered up most of her work on the now black star!
Lindsay Rosenwald couldn’t take it anymore and decided that she must get out and take just a little ride on her broom to improve her mood and cleaning will power. Unfortunately as she was zipping around in her angered state, a falling star came right in her path and she was too upset to notice and was struck by the star! The stars point pierced the back of her broom and there was nothing she could do and she tumbled faster and faster to the land below! She was frightened-not to being falling-that part was a little exciting after dusting stars all night that were constantly being re-covered by sweepers in district fifty-six, but because she was falling toward the “land below” with no safe way to stop herself. Every star duster knew that falling stars going at this speed made it past all the sections, all the districs and fell faster and faster and faster until the landed on the mysterious earth below! What was Lindsay to do! She tried signaling for help but know one seemed to notice. They were all too busy trying to earn their way up to a cleaner, higher district and section. She tried to untangle the star from her broom but it held fast. What had she gotten herself into this time?!
Who knew what horrors awaited her? Everyone knew that strange folk lived on the land below and did strange things like build huge houses out of cut down trees, drive around in large rectangular metal mobiles, and occasionally even fly through the sky in loud, metal things that put the worst sticky dist imaginable all over the stars that the dusters worked so hard to keep clean! These people must be very strange and horrible indeed. Lindsay Rosenwald was afraid!
Finally she saw the strange buildings and mobiles of the people below coming into view as she fell faster and faster with the star. There weren’t any stars down here! Almost no lights to speak of at all! Could it be that these strange people were asleep during the night time? Didn’t the brightness of the sun hurt their eyes during the day like it did Lindsay Rosenwald’s eyes and all of the other star dusters? As she got closer she assumed her assumptions must be correct for she didn’t she any one walking around at all, just one small animal with pointy ears, four legs, yellow eyes and a long tail. It walked around the one solitary house and the fields of green things growing out of the ground. As Lindsay got closer and closer to the ground she decided that she better make the best landing possible so she jumped off into a bushy tree, right before the star hit the ground and burst into a million sparkling pieces. Someone in the sky above would miss that one, it had been a beautiful and sparkling clean star, even if it had brought her to this fate. Come to think of it, it was a little too clean, “probably one of Sylvia’s stars!” Lindsay thought with a huff.
While thinking these bitter thoughts, Lindsay Rosenwald had failed to notice that her broom, that had been firmly attached to the all to clean star had also burned and shattered into a million, not so sparkly pieces! What was she to do? Now she didn’t even have her broom to ride back home (if that were possible) or to keep her company in this strange place. With that terrible thought she lost her strong grip on the tree branch and fell straight into an open window of the strange house and landed with a bump. She bumped her head on the window seal on the way in and was knocked unconscious…
Grace woke up the next morning before her alarm clock as usual and sat up. She was definitely a morning person, her parents had told her that as long as she could remember and since neither of them were morning people, she had learned to step lightly down the stairs and get her own breakfast from a young age.
She was just thinking about what shirt to put on when she noticed with a start that a girl, all in black was sprawled out in front off her window! A black pointy hat lay a few feet away. What in the world was going on? Grace ran over to the girl and then stopped, not sure if she should touch her or not. How was it that she was lying on her bedroom floor? Where had she come from. Was she OK? Was she asleep? What should Grace do? Before she could come up with any answers to these questions and the other questions that were flooding into her head, the girl opened her eyes and looked up at her in surprise.
Lindsay Rosenwald jumped up and then almost fell over with dizziness as she felt the pain from the bump on the back of her head. Who was this girl in front of her? She must be a very high ranked star duster indeed because her clothes didn’t have a speak of black dust on them! She could plainly she the purple and yellow flowers on her strange shirt and pants, but the girl looked so young-almost Lindsay’s age. How had she ranked so high so quickly. She narrowed her eyes and calmly asked “Who are you and what is your section and district” and before she could finish she panicked and realized that the girl must the daughter of Boris, there could be no explanation for someone so young and so clean.
Everyone knew that Boris and Lydia (Boris’s wife)’s children didn’t have to sweep stars at all, they spent there time in the huge and beautiful mansion on the moon with out a care in the sky! “I’m so sorry your Cleanness, I didn’t mean to sound so rude, I just…Lindsay stopped as she finally remembered her fall down to earth from the night before. “Where am I”
Grace didn’t know what to think about any of this. After a long pause and a shake of her head to make sure that this strange girl all dressed in black was real she answered, “I’m Grace and this is my bedroom. Who are you and how did you get here?”
Lindsay Rosenwald tried to explain the terrible fiasco from last night but Grace just stared at her with wide eyes and didn’t seem to understand much of it.
At last Grace said “You’re a witch then! You must be, you ride around on a broom and you wear all black.”
Lindsay was confused “Which what? I’m a star duster of the one hundred and thirteenth section and the fifty-seventh district. Not very important, I know but that’s what I am. You aren’t from the Moon family then? Boris isn’t your father? She asked with uncertainty.
Grace responded “No, I’m from the Fuller family and this is where we live, right here in this house.”
Lindsay Rosenwald was a little taken back, “but I thought strange people lived down here. You don’t look strange to me, other than your clothes”
“What, these? Grace said, pointing at her pajamas. “These are just what I wear when I’m sleeping, their called pajamas.”
“Beautiful colors, Lindsay said, whistfully.
“If you like colors so much, Grace asked, why do you wear all black.”
Lindsay Rosenwald sighed and explained about all of the dusting and how it was no use to wear any other color because it all turned black anyway. She sat down and a tear rolled down her cheek.
Grace sat a few feet away concerned, but not sure what to do. Finally she timidly said “So, let me get this straight, you dust stars normally but you went for a little ride on your broom and got snagged by a falling star and fell down into my yard? And so you wouldn’t get blasted by the star when it hit the ground you jumped into my tree, lost your balance and fell through my bedroom window onto my floor?”
Lindsay Rosenwald nodded and the tears came faster. “How am I ever supposed to get home now!”
Grace, being the kind soul that she was and always up for an adventure put her arm around Lindsay and said “We’ll figure something out but first lets go and have some breakfast.”
Lindsay Rosenwald felt much better after the strange and wonderful breakfast of brightly colored sweet things that you poured a white liquid over and ate with a spoon. Some of the bright crunchy things were even shaped like stars-amazing!
Grace laughed at Lindsay’s delight over “crunchy stars” cereal and let her eat three bowls full. When Lindsay was finally done, Grace decided that she better get her out of the house before her parents woke up and started asking questions…
“Ok Lindsay Rosenwald, we better get dressed and out of here before my parents wake up, just in case they don’t buy your falling out of the sky story!”
The quietly crept up the stairs to Grace’s room and Grace opened the closet door and said, pick whatever you want. I’m a little taller than you but it will have to work.
Lindsay Rosenwald stood in front of the closet with her mouth open. She couldn’t believe all of the colors! Red, blue, light pink, bright green, shiny purple, cream, whitest white…how could she ever decide! After looking everything over for several minutes Grace reminded her that they were in a hurry and that she should pick soon. Grace had already thrown on a maroon tunic over a cream baby t-shirt and a pair of dark blue jeans.
After great difficulty, Lindsay finally selected a light pink blouse, green sweater, bright blue leggings, one sock with bright red hearts, another cream sock, silver ballet flats and a metallic purple purse. Grace tried not to laugh and spoil Lindsay’s obvious delight.
Grace packed each of them a lunch left a note to her parents telling them she had decided to go for a hike and would be back in a few hours.
When the two girls got far enough down the rode, Grace turned to Lindsay and said. “Ok, we need to make a plan to get you back home. You said you came on a broom, right? Why don’t we just find you another broom and you could ride that home?”
“Seems to make sense. What kinds of brooms to you ride here? I’ve only learned to fly a few kinds, being in one of the lowest sections…”
“We don’t ride brooms, we only use them for sweeping up messes and things. But I wish we could fly on them!” Grace answered in amazement.
“If you can help me out of this scrape, Grace, I promise to take you for a ride sometime.”
“Deal.”
Grace thought for a few minutes. Maybe it would be best if we took the bus into town and looked around at the brooms available and you could tell me if any of them are one’s you could fly. I think I have enough money to buy a broom.”
The two girls stood at the bus stop and talked about their plan. Lindsay Rosenwald wanted to see as much as possible while she was here on “the land below” and so they decided to make the best of it. Grace to decided the best place would be the mall for their first stop. There was a huge grocery store across the street that was bound to have brooms, right?
When the bus pulled up, the bus driver eyed Lindsay I her colorful outfit. “Nice clothes. Lindsay curtsied. “Thank you!” she said beaming as she followed Grace onto the strange mobile that would take them to see more strange and amazing things. Grace explained to the bus driver that Lindsay was a foreign friend here for a visit and they dressed a little differently where she came from.
The mall was almost more than Lindsay Rosenwald could take in. She loved all of the colors!
She stopped at almost every store to admire a pair of red leather boots here, a florescent green back pack here, a ruby necklace here.
Eventually they found their way to a dressing room. Grace held back a laugh as Lindsay tried on colorful outfit after colorful outfit. She seemed to especially like the color purple and was ecstatic to find a pair of bright, metallic purple pants her size. She paired it with a short orange dress and green feather boa.
Lindsay Rosenwald wanted to spend all of her time trying on more colorful outfits but eventually Grace had to steer her towards the grocery store and the brooms there if she were ever going to make it back home to her one hundred and thirteenth section and the fift-seventh district in the sky.
On the way to the exit of the mall to go to the grocery store across the street, a crowd was gathered around a man who was shouting excitedly and gesturing frantically to the small machine in front of him. It was the turbo dusto busto, clean-o-matic vacuum and it was bright purple! Lindsay was enthralled and stopped in her tracks. Grace tried to pull her towards the door and couldn’t imagine why she had stopped to listen to the vacuum salesman. There were displays like this in the mall all of the time, sometimes someone was trying to sell a juicer or “power powder” or who knows what. Grace tried to explain this to Lindsay but Lindsay hushed her and pushed through the crowd to be closer to the beautiful purple duster machine. Her eyes lit up the more the salesman talked. Pretty soon most of the crowd and continued on with their shopping but Lindsay Rosenwald sat with complete attention on the presentation. The salesman was now sprinkling dirt all over the piece of carpet in front of him and with a push of the power button the vacuum purred to life. He showed how “with ease” every speck of dirt or dust was “magically” sucked up by the dusto busto, clean-o-matic with out even a trace left behind! Lindsay shouted “Oh, I NEED one of those. May I have it?”
Grace was embarrassed as the vacuum cleaner salesman eyed the girl in the strange colorful outfit but then continued his demonstration by sucking up all sorts of things. ”That’s right ladies and gentlemen, for only 5 payments of $19.95 this dusto busto, clean-o-matic vacuum and a sparkling clean home can be yours!
“Does it clean stars? Lindsay Rosenwald asked. The salesman hesitated and then faked a chuckle and said loudly “sure young lady, this dusto busto, clean-o-matic vacuum can clean anything and make anything sparkle like a star!”
Then Grace realized why Lindsay was so enthralled. She wanted to use it to dust her stars! She wanted her own dusto busto, clean-o-matic vacuum to take back up to the one hundred and thirteenth section and the fift-seventh district! Grace had to laugh to think of Lindsay Rosenwald riding around on that! She had thought she only liked it for the bright purple color.
“How much is the this dusto busto, clean-o-matic again?” Asked Grace. The salesman was glad to shout out again
“ Well young lady, for only 5 payments of $19.95 this dusto busto, clean-o-matic vacuum and a sparkling clean home can be yours!” Perfect gift for mother’s day, Christmas, Father’s Day, Mother’s Birthday, Grandma’s Birthday, Easter, Halloween, the fourth of July, you name it!
That seemed like a stretch to Grace but she pulled out a piece of paper and tried to figure out exactly how much the dusto busto, clean-o-matic really cost with all of the $19.95’s added up. About $100 she had about $120 saved up from helping out around the house and on the farm.
She turned to Lindsay Rosenwald, who was still listening and watching the amazing demonstration, starry eyed.
“Lindsay, would you really like have one of those? “
“Would I ever!”
“Well I think I have enough to buy one.”
“I promise I’ll pay you back Grace” Lindsay quickly said I wouldn’t want you to pay for all those nine tean nintee fifes yourself!” (Having no idea about how money worked down here on “the land below.”)
Lindsay Rosenwald opened up her wallet and counted out the money and took it over to the salesman who had just finished the demonstration with a wipe of his brow.
“Can I buy one of you dusto busto, clean-o-matic vacuums for my friend here.” Lindsay Rosenwald asked politely.
“The salesman turned in shock. “You and your friend in the outfit want a dusto busto, clean-o-matic.” Then recovered quickly and said in a loud voice to the diminishing crowd, “Well why not?. Who wouldn’t want a dusto busto, clean-o-matic for only 5 payments of $19.95?!” No one responded and wandered on to other things.
Lindsay Rosenwald handed the salesman 5 twenty dollar bills and said “I’ll take one.”
He was amazed you want to pay for it all at once? No one pays for it all at once, but sure, no problem, who am I to argue.
“Wait a minute” said Lindsay. What sun volt system does it run on?
“Come again young lady? The salesman asked.
“How is it powered?” Lindsay asked.
The salesman looked confused and then showed her the plug and cord attached.
Grace was worried, she hadn’t thought about that. Lindsay Rosenwald would need a really, really long cord to flying around on that thing.
Lindsay Rosenwald looked at the cord and laughed. “I didn’t know anyone still used cords and plugs, how funny. We have everything solar powered. I should be able to work our a solar volt system for it no problem.”
The salesman was flabbergasted but not wanting to miss a golden opportunity to make a sell, just smiled and nodded. “Of course you can, of course you can make it run on solar power!”
Grace handed over the money and the salesman quickly grabbed a dusto busto, clean-o-matic and handed to the girls.
The one he handed the girls was red.
“Does it come in purple? Lindsay asked hopefully.
The salesman grabbed a purple one and smiled. “of course. A colorful person like you would have a favorite color.” He took the money, printed out a receipt and handed it to Grace.
Grace gave the dusto busto, clean-o-matic to Lindsay and Lindsay gave it a big hug.
“This will change everything she said. I’ll be moving up the ranks before I know it!” Sylvia better watch out.
“Wait here for a second.” Grace said with a twinkle in her eye and dashed off. She returned with a shopping bag.
The girls pushed the vacuum to the bus stop and when the bus driver pulled up she eyed the colorful outfit and the colorful vacuum but didn’t say anything.
The girls rode home and pushed the vacuum up the rode to Grace’s house. They stopped behind some trees and sat down to have the lunch Grace had packed.
“Well, I guess I better head back up to one hundred and thirteenth section and the fifth-seventh district.” Lindsay Rosenwald sighed, this sure has been fun though.
Grace looked sad, “Yeah it has been fun.”
“Don’t look too sad said Lindsay, I have to pay you back, remember. I’ll come back and visit at least for that! With my new dusto busto, clean-o-matic I’ll have loads of spare time and maybe visiting more often than you would like.”
“Before you go, Grace said. I have a little present for you. She pulled out the shopping bag and handed it to Lindsay.
Lindsay Rosenwald opened the bag and smiled. “Wow, are these really for me?! She gasped. She pulled put the purple pants, orange sweater and bright green feather boa.
“Yep. They sure are, Something to wear now that you’ll be moving up the sctions and districts and will need something other than black to wear, right?”
“Right! I can’t wait to see Sylvia’s face. She’ll be so jealous. No has ever seen anything like these colors in clothes before!”
Lindsay Rosenwald quickly changed from her first colorful outfit that was a little long to the new one that fit perfectly. She twirled around to admire the new rainbow of colors. Can I keep the socks I borrowed from you this morning?
“Of course” said Grace. Thinking “I haven’t ever worn either of them anyway, but kept that thought to herself in seeing her friend’s delight”
Already to go with her new outfit on and lunch eaten. Lindsay Rosenwald inspected the vacuum cord and changed a few things, said a few strange words and the vacuum began to glow. I guesss I’ll have to go now while the sun is hining in order to let the solar power work.
She straddled the vacuum and it began to purr and bounce up and down a little.
Grace looked around to make sure there were no random cars driving near or anything but as usual, the house and farm were quiet and no one seemed close. Good thing we live out in the country. She thought. People might be alarmed to see a girl in a bright outfit flying on a vacuum!
“Lindsay giggled. “Good bye my friend Grace. I’ll be back to repay you soon!” and with that she kicked off the ground and flew up into the air. “Wahoo!” this dusto busto, clean-o-matic was fast-much faster than her broom had been. She would be back to her one hundred and thirteenth section and the fift-seventh district in no time.
Grace watched until the vacuum went higher and higher and then faded out of view.
When Lindsay Rosenwald arrived to one hundred and thirteenth section and the fift-seventh district
The sun was just going down and everyone was waking up for a night of dusting.
Pearl, from one hundred and thirteenth section and the fifty-sixth district almost dropped her broom when she got a look at Lindsay Rosenwald below her in her rainbow outfit and strange machine she was riding.
“What is that?!”
Lindsay smiled and said. “It’s my dusto busto, clean-o-matic! Watch!”
She turned the suction on and quickly vacuumed clean a star, no dust left anywhere.
Pearl was amazed. “Where in the world did you get that, that amazing thing! And your clothes, their so colorful!”
“And I intend to keep them that way said Lindsay Rosenwald as she zoomed around to her fourth star and vacuumed away the dust.”
*********
In no time word had spread all through all of the sections and districts, even up to Boris and Lydia.
Lindsay Rosenwald was requested at the Moon mansion with her amazing machine and she gladly came to demonstrate.
Everyone possible came to watch and were amazed at how she zoomed up all of the moon dust with nothing left behind to be dumped on the section below!
Lydia was especially impressed. “But where did the dust go?”
Lindsay Rosenwald showed her the canister on her vacuum and how it could be taken off and emptied. “I’ve just been flying over and dumping it into the black hole whenever it’s full. Everyone was delighted because all of the dusters there loved dust, the blacker the better.
“Well, young lady this certainly seems like the way to go! Said Lydia. Boris smiled and agreed.
“We’ll have to get as many of these machines as possible and I think you are indeed up for a promotion!”
Lydia nodded “for being so innovative and so well, clean and dust free, I think you should be promoted right up her by the Moon mansion and you should open the new imports division.”
Everyone clapped and waved their brooms, even Sylvia, though she did look a little jealous.
Everyone should have a lot more free time with no star dust raining down on them from the dusters above them and the dusters in the black hole will be thrilled! Boris said.
“Let’s break out the cheese!”
Lindsay Rosenwald smiled and twirled her feather boa. “I think I know just the person to sell us more of the dusto busto, clean-o-matics!” she said with a smile as she thought of the eager salesman at the mall on the land below. “And a girl who would be happy to help us!”
After that Lindsay spent the rest of the night telling everyone all of her amazing tales of colored stars eaten with a white liquid called “milk” that came from an animal called a “cow” , buses, stores full of clothes of every color imagineable, and vacuum salesman. Some dusters couldn’t quite believe everything but were very entertained all the same and listened with rapt attention.
Lindsay Rosenwald was happy to be the center of attention for once and not just a star dusters of the lowliest station, one hundred and thirteenth section and the fifty-seventh district.
**********
That night Grace looked up at the stars closest to her and was startled to see that they did look a little brighter and sparkled a little bit more.
“That must be one hundred and thirteenth section and the fifty-seventh district.” She thought with wonder. I would love to see the star duster sections someday she thought wistfully.
She looked forward to a visit from her colorful, vacuuming friend and hoped that she would return soon.
She smiled as she thought of her friend Lindsay Rosenwald zooming around on her dusto busto, clean-o-matic! Who knows maybe she would be inspired to vacuum her own room a little more often!
