The Search for

Chalkboard Man

A CLMOOC COLLABORATIVE STORY ADVENTURE

C H AP TE R 1

By Jeannie Bennett
Our hero was born of plastic and metal.
But he wasn't a hero then. He was a sol-
dier. I didn't know him them, so I can't
say what use his large blade arm was, but
I'm sure it came in handy killing things.
Probably space aliens.

When I met him, at the bottom of a box

filled with a bunch of second-hand toys
I'd rather throw away than give to my
kids (but I didn't because "reuse" is the
best R of all), he was ready for a change.
For a life of peace, of learning, of mak-
ing? It was a CLMOOC cycle after all.
"Sure," he said, "as long as I get out of
this box." And so, using the skills my fa-
ther taught me (in his carpenter's studio,
scary. I spray painted him in Chalkboard
during the summers when I was really
Paint, because it's always useful to write
bored, he'd let me play with tools), I
notes to yourself on your body. Finally, I
made Chalkboard Man anew.
gave him a cool repelling backpack, be-
With his new, diggy arm thing he could cause toys are always happier when they
do more than just chop off space alien possess potential energy.
heads. Now he could dig stuff. Or maybe
He was ready for mischief....the learning
pile stuff. Or collect things. And with his
kind! We had many fun days together,
lion paw in lieu of a gun hand, he could
making vines of Chalkboard man crawl-
do other kinds of digging, or pawing.
ing up grocery carts or repelling down
That's gotta be useful. Plus it was soft
the curtains. He was a big hit with the
and furry, which made him seem less
1
kids and the cats. But he needed more.
He had been trapped for so long in that
box, and had so much alien-head-
chopping-off to make up for. He needed
to see the world and collaborate. So I
sent him off in a lowly cardboard box,
taking one last photo as a memento of
our time together. What adventures
might he have? What might he learn?
What cats would he freak out? When
would he come home? Would he?

That was four long years ago.

Help me, Miss Direction. As I hope I

have demonstrated, Chalkboard Man is a
very important toy to me. We miss him
dearly and want him to return home. I've
heard such good things about your
Lunchroom Detective Agency. I must say
I was a bit taken aback at the idea of a y-
outh sleuth, but who better to under-
stand the secret lives of toys?

Bring him home, Miss Direction. Please.

2
C H AP TE R 2
By Kevin Hodgson
A clue came in over the wires!
An anonymous source via her Detective
Text Messaging App -- she called her
self-made encryption system The Red
Herring -- claimed to have seen Chalk-
board Man at a construction site, just
some days ago.
It seemed farfetched. But Miss Direction
was never one to pass up a clue, even one
without a source. Fake news, indeed! She
was smart, determined and fearless. She
3
would ferret out the truth of this mys-
tery, one way or another.
She found the construction site in the
backyard of a house on the map, just a
mere bus ride and three stops away by
public transit, and the truck in question
seemed as if it had not been in pristine
running condition for some time.
Still, Miss D was nothing is not thor-
ough, and so she approached the truck
cautiously, as any youth sleuth might.
Chalkboard Man? Are you there? she
called out.

Nothing. Nothing, but crickets.

She decided to investigate anyway, and

climbed up the top of the truck.

These rusted parts and these creepy

crawlies give me the sense that no one
has been here for a long time, she mut-
tered to herself. Herself agreed. She sat
for some time, huddled in the shade of
the shovel, and pondered her next move.

4
C H AP TE R 3

By Sheri Edwards
In the shade of the shovel beneath the
sycamore tree just beyond the construc-
tion site, Miss Direction slouched in de-
spair. What could possibly have hap-
pened to Chalkman? She pondered. She
glanced around. She just cant see much
from this construction site.

Fortunately, her repelling backpack is

good for more than just repelling danger:
she repelled the ground and soared up
with her energy power to the top of the
sycamore tree, the tallest tree in the area
and looked across the country-side for
other possible construction sites. But
there in front of her, clinging to a leaf, as he must have leaped down the tree
was the fur of the lions paw of Chalk- back to the ground.
man! She had found the trail.
But wait! Whats this? A clue?
The fur blew away in the breeze, falling
Chalked into a bare spot on the tree,
down, but not with the breeze, but per-
shone the image of a hand and a flower.
haps by the hope Chalkman lived by
What could it mean?
now: to dig and paw to better the world.
Miss Direction continued her descent
She dug into her backpack for her rappel-
into the brush, pondering this, forgetting
ling gear, to abseil down the sycamore
that the number one rule of a detective is
following the path of the Chalkmans fur.
Watch Out! She landed beside a wait-
The path down the trunk of the tree took
ing cougar whose jaws began to open.
her past obvious places he had dug into
Quickly, she pulled out her magnifying

5
glass, caught the glint of sunshine shim- Orienting herself, she headed into the
mering through the canopy, and blazed deeper woods, pushing aside the nettles
the light into the cougars eyes. He and vines, discovering an ancient
roared and bounded off into the wood- wooden fence with hollowed out logs
lands. Rule number 2: Be ever ready. standing up, facing south, lined up
against it, hidden partially by raspberry
As she gathered her gear and wandered
bushes, now fresh with fruit. As Miss Di-
through the underbrush, looking for
rection followed the fence, stopping at
whatever that chalked clue meant, she
each log, she helped herself to the deli-
found not a construction site, but an ar-
cious berries.
cheological site and a small statue of the
Buddha: hand clasping the lotus flower, Each log was different. Some had carv-
his smile emanating a thought of Be ings of shapes that looked like water,
aware. fire, wind, all on a base, probably the
earth. Some were lined with moss and
Be aware, she wondered. Chalkman,
pine needles. Others were piled with
she called in her thoughts. Chalkman,
round, flat rocks.
are you here?
As she pulled a branch of a raspberry
In the other hand of the Buddha rested a
bush from the last log, she jumped back.
painted rock -- of lavender, which Miss
There staring at her was a Kachina, a
Direction had seen earlier at the edge or
teaching doll, a representation of the
the woodland. Turning towards the laven-
force of life in all of us. What was Chalk-
der, she tripped on another painted rock.
man searching for?
Hmmmm. Was Chalkman collecting arti-
facts? This rock seemed to have the
shape of New Mexico and Arizona.

She did not think she could repel all the

way to the Southwest. She stood and
walked around the rock, looking in all di-
rections until she found another, a
painted sunset. Time to look west, she
guessed.

6
C H AP TE R 4

By Charlene Doland

Be still, whispered Kachina. Think
carefully about the clues youve seen.
You think you should be trudging west to
find Chalkboard Man, but where else
could he be headed? Or been kidnapped
to? Where do I have relatives?
Think, think, think Miss Direction
muttered to herself. She retraced her
steps, arriving back at the lavender. As
she rested there, inhaling the calming
scent, she pondered Kachinas words.
Then it struck her. The lions paw fur!
Which direction had it blown when the
breeze caught it? East! Chalkboard Man
must have headed east!
Maybe he chose to go east because he
wants to be connected with others! Hes
undoubtedly curious about CLMOOCers
living elsewhere. Miss Direction mur-
mured to herself some more, Hmmmm,
Kachina also hinted at her relatives.
Where does she have relatives?
Returning to the Lunchroom Detective
Agency headquarters, Miss Direction
fired up her fancy-pants computer and
started searching. Relatives of Kachina.
What could she mean by that? Kachina

7
came from the American Southwest, but Miss Direction. And yours?
the fur had traveled east. Hmmmm. As
Corny.
she continued her search, it clicked into
place. Well, Corny, Im on a quest to find
Chalkboard Man. Do you want to join
Got it! Racing out the door, she used
me?
The Red Herring to ask her travel agency
to book the next flight to Chicago. Happy to be a living being again, Corny
waved her silky arms and danced about.
Never having visited Chicago, Miss Direc-
tion was amazed by all the people, and Of course Ill join you. Lets go!
the crazy traffic! She climbed into an
Uber car and asked the driver to take her
out of the city, as she was feeling claustro-
phobic.

She began to relax, and breathed a sigh

of relief as she traveled into the quieter
suburbs and farmland. Upon spying a
farmstand with fresh corn, Miss Direc-
tion asked the driver to let her out. She
realized she was starving, so purchased
as much corn as she could carry.

After eating her fill, Miss Direction sat

down with the corn husks and fashioned
a doll. She was astonished when the
dolls body began to rustle, and she
stretched her limbs, yawning. As the doll
opened her eyes, she smiled at Miss Di-
rection.

My goodness, youre alive!

Of course Im alive! Who are you?

Whats your name?

8
C H AP TE R 5

By Wendy Taleo

As she stepped off my shoe, Miss Direc-
tion landed neatly on the sand. Surely he
could be found in the playground?
Maybe it was like a dog that buried a
bone and she would need to use her mag-
nifying glass to dig in the sand. The set-
ting sun recreated the vast sand hills like
an Arabian Desert. She pretended she
was a princess and stepped daintily
across the rugged landscape while calling
out to her servants.
Was that a black head poking out?
Could he be in the treetops? Carried to
a nest by a butcher bird? Lounging in the
nest with some young feathered friends.

9
 She searched on the monkey bars,
across the wonky bridge and the red plas-
tic stepping stones.

She climbed on the swing and swung as

high as she could, scanning the far hori-
zons and the rooftops for any sign.

In the fading light she searched behind

the gum tree and tested the peeling paint
for any signs of toy like scratches. She
spun on the whirly gig, balanced on the
bridge and checked each corner of the
sandpit.

Nothing.

He would stay hidden for another day.

At least she'd had a good play.

10
C H AP TE R 6
By Ron Leunissen
The lion growled. Big white teeth flick-
ered in the sunlight. Huge fangs, sharp
as razors, snapped. Huge jaws opened
and closed over and over.
Miss Direction crawled back into the
shrubs. Hoping the lion would loose in-
terest in her and go on in search of an-
other prey. As she got deeper into the
vegetation, she turned around, ready to
run.
Just in time she stopped. One more
step and she would have stepped into the
gaping mouth of a giant Venus flytrap!
Oh, no, baby, she thought, youre not get-
ting me for lunch.
She followed a small path for some time,
hiding whenever she heard some animal
11
nearby. She searched for the city where
she left her new friend Corny. If only the
lion didnt get her, she worried. Ive only
met her just now. I dont want to lose a
dear friend so quickly.
While she stood still, thinking of her
friend, something grabbed the magnify-
ing glass she was holding in her hand.
Hey! she yelled, let go!
But the big bird that got hold of her mag-
nifying glass didnt let go. And neither
did she.
The bird flapped its wings and took off.
Miss Direction held on to her magnifying
glass while she went higher and higher
into the air. Scared to fall down if the
bird would open its beak, she kept quiet.
The bird flew eastwards, away from
where Corny was left behind. Miss Direc-
tion had to act now.

Please, bird! Could you bring me back,

please? she asked.

The bird didnt respond and kept on fly-

ing.

Hey you! Miss Direction now yelled at

the bird. Will you let me go! NOW!

The bird now reacted to her voice and

started to answer to her. But as she
opened her beak, she unintentionally let
go of the magnifying glass. Miss Direc-
tion started to fall. Faster and faster.

Help! Help! she cried.

Miss Direction, Miss Direction! Corny

was shaking Miss Direction trying to
wake her up. Miss Direction, wake up!
You are having a nightmare.

Slowly Miss Direction woke up.

What, what happened?

It was only a nightmare. Nothing hap-

pened. Come let us go now and go on
with our search for Chalkman.

Okay, okay. Im coming said Miss Direc-

tion as she followed Corny outside.

12
C H AP TE R 7

By Susan Watson
The air had darkened as Corny led Miss
Direction outside. They heard a brief
squawk and looked up to see a shiny ob-
sidian crow looking down at them from a
granite wall.

The crow had a glint in her eye. She nod-

ded to the two adventurers. It was obvi-
ous that she had some information about
Chalkboard Man. She flew three feet to-
ward the east, then hovered to look back
and make sure they were following her.

A strong wind was stirring as the sky con-

tinued to darken. The crow carefully led
them through a field to a rocky outcrop-
ping, always checking to make sure they
were still following her. She landed on a
small bronze box and pointed her beak
at it.
Miss Direction opened it up. Inside, a
message read, "You have done well on
your journey thus far. However, things
from here on out will become more diffi-
cult. Follow the path eastward to the
mouth of a cave. You will need to take
the torch that is hidden behind a tapes-
try next to the cave opening. Dig under
the large tree nearby to find a sword. It
is absolutely critical that you bring both
of these into the next part of your jour-
ney. Also, you must make NO sound in
the cave, so you will need to tie this red
bandanna around your mouth while you
are inside. Always remember: Occam's
Razor is your guide now."
Miss Direction was stunned and a bit
frightened, but determined to find Chalk-
board Man. She put the note and Corny
in her pocket, tied the bandanna around
her mouth, and headed east down the
path.

13
C H AP TE R 8
By Angela Brown
Miss Direction arrived at the mouth of
the cave, barred by an ancient iron door -
and there, just as the mysterious note in
the bronze box had promised, she saw
that a vivid tapestry had been hung, skill-
fully disguising that a torch was con-
cealed behind it. Miss Direction turned
to find the large tree, conveniently lo-
cated not far from the tapestry. It was all
so simple.
14
Miss Direction sank to her knees, and be-
gan to dig for a buried sword, as the note
had hinted at. Due to having her mouth
covered in a red bandana, her glasses
had been fogged up completely, render-
ing her digging attempts quite archaeo-
logically awkward. She felt for the thresh-
old of where soil became metal, her fin-
gers expecting to find the sword at any
minute.
Hours passed as she fossicked amongst
the roots of the tree. The full moon rose,
illuminating the vastness of her excava-
tions.
She faltered, exhausted. Just then, a
moon-ray illuminated a nearby tree,
slightly smaller than the tree she had
been digging under for hours. She
blinked and realised it enjoyed much
closer proximity to the tapestry.
Oh for goodness sake! she exclaimed
Maybe thats the large tree! It depends
on your perspective! Never mind Oc-
cams Razor, I need Occulus Rift to find
this sword! she sighed.
Corny woke from inside her pocket and
jumped out. Oh, hello, did I miss some-
thing? Hey, theres a sword poking out
from the roots of that tree over there.
Miss Direction glared at Corny. She ran
over to the tree and pulled the sword eas-
ily from the soil.
The iron door on the cave mouth rattled
and the sound of metal and stone
screeched and grated together, as the
door slid open.
Miss Direction, adjusted her bandana,
stuffed Corny back into her pocket, and
entered the cave, sword held aloft and
torch brightly lit. Silent.
15
She walked through a long dark cham-
ber. The walls were adorned with strange
and curious objects.
And then, on the far wall, she saw a
stone, with an etching that made her pa-
pery body crinkle.
She ran her fingers over the writing.
White dust and a powdery substance
wafted up into her face.
Her connectomes connected and deter-
mined that it was indeed written in
chalk!
It said, simply #chalkboardman
From her pocket, Corny said Hm. Could
that hashtag be some sort of clue, look it
up Miss Direction tion tion tion .
Cornys grainy voice began echoing off
the cave walls.
Ssshhh Miss Direction urged. We were
told to stay silent!
Suddenly, the cave walls began to shake
violently
C H AP TE R 9

By Susan VanGelder

There was a lot of rumbling, followed by
bellowing and then all went silent. The
walls had disappeared and dust was waft-
ing all around. Could Chalkboard Man
have disappeared into this powdery
chalky place?
As the dust settled she began to make
out the outline of a lake. The chalky dust
seemed to have turned into mist which
was rising from the lake. She felt a little
tremble as Corny emerged from behind
her. Sorry, she mouthed. And then she
stopped cold in her tracks.
By the water there was a giant dog, sit-
ting without moving. They approached
cautiously. Then Miss Direction waved
the sword. Still nothing. She gently
touched the creature and its nose began
to twitch.
Corny trembled even harder
Miss Direction addressed the dog, Par-
don, great creature, but how did I get

16
here. And have you seen Chalkboard Well here we are now and we still need
Man? He has disappeared and we are try- to find Chalkboard Man. Can your nose
ing to find him. Suddenly she noticed lead us to his trail? Miss Direction in-
that a piece of the lion fluff was on her quired.
shirt. He has one hand like a lions paw.
The dog sniffed the lion fur and then
Maybe if you sniff this you could tell us
started darting this way and that. He
what direction he has headed towards.
stopped, pointed east and said, I think I
The dogs nose twitched a little more. He have caught his scent. Use that sword of
tried to bark and finally succeeded in yours and touch me again.
somehow letting Miss Direction know
Miss Direction did as directed and the
that he needed another touch of her
dog shrank. Get on my back you and
sword. She reached out and then the dog
your corny friend.
began to wiggle and shake its great head.
With great difficulty, they managed to
Thank you, he barked. I was frozen in
climb up. The dog regained his great
place. Your sword must have some magic
height and then with a bound he was off
powers to bring me back to life. You
and running
might want to test what else it can do.
Now as to how you got here Its Floo
Powder. The cave you were in (I know be-
cause I was once there) released the Floo
Powder when you bounced an echo off
its walls. That allowed you to travel away
from it to this lovely spot. You were
lucky to get out. Many get lured into the
cave. Few survive!

But the note said to make NO sound!

Thats right, barked the dog. You were

supposed to call out NO. Whatever you
said must have worked.

17
C H AP TE R 10

By Sarah
Honeychurch
except, when Miss Direction looked
more closely, she realised it was not a
dog at all it was a large, black cat. And
Miss D hates cats. Luckily she spotted a
comfy looking sofa in the distance and
managed to coax the cat down to sleep.
As it started to snore gently she wriggled
off its back and tried to make her escape.
The cat opened one eye and looked up at
her, but Miss D managed to wriggle into
the next room, which was filled with mu-
sical instruments. I know, she said, Ill
play it a lullaby. She tried the uke, but be-
cause somehow her magnifying glass had board? A song by Ron could that be a

got glued to her hand she couldnt strum CLUE?

it properly, so she put it down and As Miss D played the beautiful tune she
climbed up onto the giant keyboard. heard words clearly in her head telling

EEK! There was ANOTHER cat! And this her that she was many, many miles from

one wanted to play. Oh dear, our brave where she needed to be. After consulting

heroine is really in trouble now! Luckily a map to find where to go next she

that cat had the attention span of a flea, stepped into the Tardis and off she span

and once it realised that Miss D was not

an exciting toy it jumped down and went

to sleep. But what was this on the key-

18
C H AP TE R 11
By Karon Bielenda
Now, dear friends, we must take a mo-
ment to reflect on Ms. Directions verb
choice: span. Did she span a distance
like a bridge? Was she trying to order
spanakopita? Maybe she was still think-
ing of that form changing span-iel?
When Ms. Direction stepped into that
Public Telephone box and span, she
found herself face-to-face with the new-
est incarnation of The Doctora hand-
some fellow as always, but a little flatter
than his past selves. He offered his
hand to help her rise, and asked, Art
thou hurt?
19
Ms. Direction thought , Im in the Tardis,
The Doctor is speaking in 16th Century
English and Im wearing a farthingale.
Maybe that explains the archaic span
verb my narration chose.
No I am not hurt physically, Ms D.
sighed lightly as she looked into The Doc-
tors dark glasses, but I am concerned
about my quest. She looked around. The
Tardis was indeed bigger on the inside
than the outside. This Doctor had re-re-
re-re decorated into a kind of shabby
chic.
The Doctor observed Ms. Ds magnifiy- Library. Those creatures really scared
ing glass, sword and Corny was peaking her.
out her pocket. What doest thou pur-
The Tardis misunderstood and thought
sue?
you wanted 400 years! We need to get
Chalkboardman, she said quickly hop- you back to America 2000-what date did
ing she would not have to speak with all you need?
those thees and thous.
2013, Ms. D.
Oh, thou refers to Raphaels newest
I have to get back to 1613 to help Shake-
painting? The Doctor was apparently
speare. Hes rather distraught about his
phasing out his regional time dialect.
Globe Theater burning down last month
The School of Athens has a chalkboard
and all. The Doctor bounced to the con-
man-I think Raphael is referring to Archi-
sole and flung levers to their upright posi-
medes, but in the future, people will de-
tions and turned knobs. Ill drop you
bate that. His lip curled in a knowing
off. . . Lets see, you were headed east of
smirk.
Chicago?
No, I dont think so. Here is a picture of
Lights flashed, the Tardis shook, and Ms.
him. I think he is east of Chicago in
Direction found herself on the floor of
America, Ms. D. handed The Doctor the
the Tardis again.
image she was given. He has a fur arm,
a digging arm and he went missing four
years ago.

That explains everything! The Doctor

leaped up. When you span in here, you
were thinking something like I have to
go back 4 years didnt you? The Tardis
has had a bit of hearing problems since
running into the Daleks back in season
10.

Ms. D nodded knowingly even though

she was just hoping not to end up at the

20
C H AP TE R 12

By Bryan Murley
Miss Direction awoke to find herself
amidst the cornfields and Interstate
Highways of central Illinois. She met
some new companions - a man, Bryan,
and his dog, Murphy. She explained
some of her previous adventures by help-
ing Bryan log on to the padlet, where he
read such fascinating, imaginative
things.

"Well, Miss Direction, you must be tired.

How about we go and get some coffee
and you can tell me more?"

So they headed to the local coffee shop.

tions of some members of society who
Bryan explained that college was about
had caused this chaos and destruction.
to start up again in Charleston, and so
the town square was quiet this week. Some of Bryan's friends were organizing
Miss Direction admired the colorful cac- a vigil for locals to stand and support
tus plants outside on the sidewalk tables peace and stand against hate. Bryan,
for coffee shop customers. Murphy and Miss Direction went to the
local park. Bryan worked on the lettering
Not long after they returned to Bryan's
of the sign while Miss Direction dodged
home, they began hearing reports of terri-
Murphy's paws as he wanted to play but
ble news out of Charlottesville, Virginia.
didn't understand her delicate skin-type.
Both Bryan and Miss Direction wanted
In the end, they all three joined others to
to do something to register their disap-
stand by the main road in town holding
pointment (to put it mildly) with the ac-
their signs and hoping that, in some
21
small way, they'd helped strengthen the
fight against hatred in the U.S.

The next morning, Miss Direction

wished Bryan and Murphy a good semes-
ter and caught a breeze flying out of
town on to her next adventure.

22
C H AP TE R 13

By Sally Wilson

After several hours of being buffeted she saw it the fabled Tim Hortons
about by the wind, Miss Direction was Doughnut Shop. She must be in Canada.
able to spy land through a gap in the
Miss Direction gathered her pencil, back-
clouds. She was above a large city on an
pack and magnifying glass and took
even larger lake. Maybe she was back in
stock of the situation. Canada was a
Chicago. The wind dropped and Miss Di-
pretty big place to be looking for Chalk-
rection tumbled safely on the ground.
board Man. She would need help and
All around she could hear people talking
needed it fast. Miss Direction hitched a
in a wide variety of languages, but the
ride on the TTC (Toronto Transit Com-
store signs were mostly in English. Then
mission) and headed into the centre of
town. After a little searching she found a
23
building with photos of some Canadian
luminaries. Perhaps one of them could
help with her search or at least provide
some suggestions. Before Miss Direction
was able to pursue this further, she was
blinded by a brilliant flash of shimmer-
ing green light. Standing before her was
a strange figure
Well, hi, squeaked Miss Direction.
Who are you?
Hi, I am Nelvana of the Northern
Lights, she said. You may not have
heard of me, but I am Canadas first fe-
male superhero. Looks like you could use
some assistance. I have many superpow-
ers invisibility, telepathy and the abil-
ity to travel at the speed of light. Would
any of these be of use to you?
I am in search of Chalkboard Man and
facing the task of scouring the entire
country in search of clues as to his where-
abouts. If I could travel at the speed of
light, I would be able to check the whole
country and be back in time for dinner,
enthused Miss Direction.
here invisibly until you return. The ma-
ple leaf button is yours to keep.
Thank you, Nelvana. I will be back in a
flash, said Miss Direction.
Miss Direction blasted off in a orange
puff of smoke and jetted across the coun-
try from sea to sea to sea before spiraling
back to Toronto. She looked high and
low but found no sign of Chalkboard
Man. As soon as Miss Direction re-
moved the cloak and cap, Nelvana re-
appeared.
How was your search? asked Nelvana.
Did you find any sign of Chalkboard
Man?
Thanks to your help, Canada has been
thoroughly searched. If Chalkboard Man
is here, he doesnt want to be found,
said Miss Direction. I am now ready to
continue my search elsewhere. Are you
able to send me on my way?
With that request Nelvana launched
Miss Direction to the next chapter.

Sounds like a great plan. You will need

to use my green cape and winged cap.
Also attach this maple leaf button to
your magnifying glass for improved vi-
sion. Without my cape and cap I am vul-
nerable to my enemies, so I will wait

24
C H AP TE R 14

By Christina And Tia

DiMicelli

When Miss Direction touched down, all tion pulled out her sword and hacked her
she could see was the color green. Liter- way closer, until she was finally released
ally. It would seem she had fallen into an from the verdant jungle shed been in.
overgrown garden of sorts. Looking
Taking in her surroundings, Miss Direc-
around, it seemed all possible directions
tion saw a large house just feet away
she could walk in had an equal chance of
from the garden, surrounded by a forest
releasing her from the lush maze, so she
of trees. But, more importantly, there
picked a direction and trekked on, won-
was a large treehouse just to her right
dering why she was dropped here until
with a big steel ladder leading to the top,
something caught her eye. Something
where she saw a bright orange sticky
brightly colored, flickering high above
note fluttering in the wind. Ever the
her and far ahead. Curious, and hoping it
sleuth, she made her way to the bottom
was a sign as to where to go, Miss Direc-
of the ladder, but discovered she was
25
much too small to climb her way up. She
reached for her trusty grappling hook,
only to discover it wasnt there. She must
have forgotten to grab it last time she
used it! Maybe there were alternate op-
tions, she thought.
Suddenly, she heard something move in
the bushes behind her. Turning around,
she couldnt see what made the noise.
She was about to write it off as a squirrel
or any other woodland creature, (after
all, they were in the woods), but then she
heard it again. Creeping closer to a patch
of vines and leaves, she saw what the
noise was attached to. A clump of leaves
shaking, rustling. Curious as to why they
were shaking without any wind, she
reached forward to push them aside, but
when her hand made contact, it felt like
she was petting a coat of fur. Frozen with
fear, she pulled back to see she had just
pet a shivering camouflage teddy bear!
Hello? Are you alright? She asked in
shock. The bear peeked up through shak-
ing paws, saw her, and noticeably re-
laxed. There was someone scary here be-
fore, very mysterious, I had never seen
them before, so I hid! Miss Direction
hoped this was a clue, and asked, What
was this person doing? The bear
thought for a moment before pointing at
the treehouse. They climbed up there
26
for a very long time, and wrote himself a
note and stuck it to the tree to remem-
ber. Then they left, but they left the
note! Miss Direction nodded, then eyed
the ladder. Can you help me get up
there and take a look?
She and the bear made their way to the
ladder, where it helped her up to the top,
where she grabbed the note. To-Do:
Take Mister Chalkboard Man to Oh my
gosh! Someone nabbed Mister Chalk-
board Man? Theres an address as to
where they took him and everything!
This is perfect! Thank you Mr. Camo
The bear finished for her, helping her
down. But whos Mr. Chalkboard Man?
A missing friend Im investigating. Ms.
Direction, Camo, nice to meet you, but I
have to go find him! Rushing away to
hail a cab, she passed a car parked in the
driveway with a license plate hailing
from New Hampshire. Well, then first or-
der of business is to hit up the best place
in New Hampshire to get a grappling
hook. Then the address on the list!
C H AP TE R 15

By Anna Smith And T

Miss Direction thought she should check maybe Mr. Chalkboard Man just needed
the chalkboard first! When some of the a home to come home to. So she built
purple dust turned her shirt purple, she him one!
thought she should check the next most
The whole time a song of searching
colorful place she could think of--an ea-
drifted through her mind, "Where are
sel! But no luck! Now her shorts were
you Chalkboard?" she sung, she whis-
covered with red dots and pink maker.
pered, she sighed into the night...
So, that was fun. She checked the next
most colorful place she could think of, a
bright colorful painting. There she found
a hammer (and some brown spots on her
shoes!), which got her thinking, that
27
C H AP TE R 16

Epilogue
And so, the search continues. Chalkboard Man is still out on
some vast adventure in the world and Miss Direction remains on
the case, searching high and low and across the globe with her
many friends offering her shelter, advice and clues.
Where will Miss Direction go next?
Only the wind knows and that story hasnt been written yet
.

28
About This Book
This collaborative story was launched We want to thank the writers who took
during the Connected Learning MOOC part in this collaboration:
of 2017. It was sparked by a question by
Jeannie Bennett
CLMOOCer Jeannie Bennett. Five years
Kevin Hodgson
prior, during the first years of CLMOOC,
Sheri Edwards
Jeannie had taken part in the toy hack
Charlene Doland
and made ChalkBoard Man. She then
Wendy Taleo
mailed out her hacked toy to volunteers
Ron Leunissen
in CLMOOC. Those who received the toy
Susan Watson
took Vine videos or images.
Angela Brown
And then ... Chalkboard Man disap- Susan VanGelder
peared. He never returned home. Sarah Honeychurch
Karon Bielenda
This collaborative story was sparked by
Bryan Murley
the mystery of Chalkboard Man. The
Sally Wilson
creation of Miss Direction, a CLMOOC
Christina DiMicelli
youth sleuth, helped move the story
Tia DiMicelli
along from one person to another
Anna Smith and T
through the mail via collaborative writ-
ing.

Chalkboard Man, if you

read this, please come
back home!

xxix