What do you think they should name it? Put your suggestions in the comments. I might just use them in the book!
A large contraption filled the space. It looked like a wooden boat with wheels, and as Zair looked closer, he could see that the spokes of the wheels were actually paddles. In the neatly turned bow, an actual paddle wheel was built. A red canopy stretched on poles gave shelter to the passengers who could sit on the red upholstered seats along the stern.
“You’ve flown this thing?” Zair asked doubtfully.
“Well, no, but it has the capability,” Galatio explained, beaming with hope. He climbed up inside it and pulled a lever. Pale, canvas wings suddenly sprouted from both sides of the hull. Zair inspected them, and found that they folded much like a bat’s.
“Zair, my fine young apprentice, this is the future!” Galatio announced with pride. “Soon everyone will be driving one of these.”
“What do you call it?” Zair asked, still skeptical.
“I call it a WEW mobile . . . a Wind, Earth, Water Mobile . . . or maybe a WES Mobile: Water, Earth, Sky . . . I haven’t really decided.”
“How do you hook up the dahbob?” Zair asked still studying the contraption closely.
“You don’t!” Galatio replied in his sharp, squeaky voice. “You pedal it. Come in, and I’ll show you.”
Zair climbed the few steps on the stern to get into the machine through a small door. Galatio sat on a seat in front of a wooden steering wheel much like the helm of a ship. Directly below his chair were pedals that connected to the wheels on either side of the boat. A lever near the wheel was used to control the wings.
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