Drawing by Zachari Nathanson

Introduction

               A warning bell sounded aboard the plane, signaling the passengers to take their seats and buckle up. A mom jumped from her seat, and dashed to the bathroom, leaving her two young sons joyfully playing side by side. In the row behind the brothers sat a lady, and she began to speak to them.

              “Hi! Excuse me gentlemen, but the plane will be landing in about half an hour,” the lady informed them. “I can see that your mom is stuck in a long line, and while she’s away, I thought you boys could help her out. You have a bunch of stuff under your seats that might be important to you. You need to collect it, and pack it up. Many of your things slid onto my side during the flight. I can see pens and paper, and a puzzle book at my feet.” The lady gathered them up, and handed them to the boys.

              Peeking through a crack in the seats, the blond haired little boy just stared at the lady while she spoke. His green eyes sparkled with excitement as she leaned over, and handed the boys their things. He was mesmerized by a sparkling necklace that dangled between him and his brother. The little boy could hardly wait for the lady to finish what she was saying when he blurted out…

               “Gee! That’s a really cool necklace. Is it a robot?”

              “No, but thank you. It’s Bischero (Bee ska row), and he’s made of silver. See how his body moves, his head, his arms and his legs. I found him while I was in Florence, Italy. Did you know that’s where Bischero was born?”

              “You mean that Bischero is real?” said the little boy.

              “But, of course, and even though he was born many centuries ago, he still lives today, and that is how I was able to obtain this beautiful handmade pendant of him. Would you like to hear the story of what happened to Bischero as he was growing up?”

              “Yes, please. My name is Zachari and this is my big brother Joshua.” Twisting in his seat to face his brother, little Zach shouted enthusiastically, “Josh, did you know that Bischero is real? This lady is going to tell us all about him!”