How Ben Ventor The Boy Inventor Deals with Sickness

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Short Bedtime Stories Presents: How Ben Ventor The Boy Inventor Deals with Sickness

Ben spent many a day trying to fake his way through sickness. He tried the thermometer under the light bulb once, but he melted the earpiece. He tried to cough fiercely, but only ended up giving himself a sore throat.

     It became so bad that when his sister Fran was actually sick, he did not believe her; believing instead, that she had become better at faking sickness than he had.

It wasn't that he wanted to miss out on school. It definitely wasn't that he wanted to be sick. What was probably the most accurate was that his mom was quite possibly the best nurse on the planet.

Staying home sick meant a lot of tender loving care. It meant lots of "oh, honey, I hope you feel better."  It also meant that Ben's mom would be saying his personal favorite: "Ben lay back down. Let me get it for you."

    So, when Ben came down the stairs actually feeling bad, he was surprised by his mom's reaction.

    "It isn't going to work, Ben," she said, when he sniffed his nose. "Fran already told me you had a spelling test today.  You are going to school."

    "That rat," Ben said about Fran. "I do have a spelling test. But, I am also not feeling well."

    This explanation had little effect on his mother’s reaction to his sickness. He still ended up having to go to school. And, he still felt bad throughout the day; especially during the spelling test. The good news was it gave him an idea for his latest invention.

    The next day, Ben came down the stairs feeling worse than he did before. His mom was waiting at the bottom looking more skeptical than the day before.

    "Don't even say anything, Mom.  I am ready to prove to you that I am sick," said Ben, holding up what looked like a blue circular sticker.

    "I'm waiting," his mom said, already convinced that Ben was about to trick her.

     Ben put the sticker on his head for exactly four seconds. He then peeled it off of his head and put it on his mom's forehead. She immediately began to sniffle and cough.

    "Oh gosh, Ben.  That is awful," she said, pulling the blue dot off of her head. Instantly, she felt better. "What did you do?" She asked.

    "I call it the sick swap dot," Ben said, showing it to his mom on the end of his finger. "You just put it on the sick person for four seconds, and whoever wears it next can feel exactly what the sick person is feeling."

     "Will it work with any sick symptoms?" His mom asked.

     "What do you mean?"

     "Well, I can see it works for cold symptoms, but what about if someone is dying?"

     "Yeah, it should work then too," answered Ben, glad his mom was taking an interest in one of his inventions.

    "This could help a lot of people, Ben."

    "I know, Mom. Imagine how many kids will finally be able to convince their parents they are actually sick."

How the swap sick dot is used today:  Ben's mom was right. Student doctors everywhere learn what it feels like to have different symptoms for different diseases. Regular doctors use the sick swap dot to find out what is wrong with people who can't talk. Kids use it to make their brothers sick when they don't want to be anymore.

How much did the sick swap dot sell for:  110 million dollars

What did Ben buy with the money:  He bought his school a new indoor playground with a skate park, a racquetball court, a basketball court and a rock climbing wall.




Don't forget to check out part 1 of Dr. Shaw's children's book series of inventions and craziness called Best Theme Park Ever for just $.99 on Amazon. Please leave a positive review on Amazon if you will!  It helps get Dr. Shaw's work discovered by others.  Also, when you buy it on Amazon, you can choose which iPod, iPhone, iPad or other device to send it to, as long as you have the free kindle app installed on that device.