After Luke tossed his newly folded paper airplane without giving it any instructions, it zipped around the room and flew out the window into the night without any warning.
Luke stood there confused as his dad walked in.
He had seen everything and saw the look on Luke's face.
Dad immediately knew something was wrong.
Luke, he said, did you just throw that airplane without telling it where to go?
Yes, Luke said sheepishly.
If it's acting like that, we have a big problem.
And then Dad pulled out a big dusty box and said, I was hoping I'd never have to show you this.
But it's time you knew the truth about these airplanes.
You see, these aren't just any paper airplanes, Luke.
Those folds I taught you come from a long family tradition that combines precise folding techniques with a mysterious power.
As you know, when the folds are made just right, they're designed to follow the thoughts of their maker.
But if they fly without any direction, they'll seek out energy from others, whether they're good or bad.
And if the airplane bonds with someone who has bad intentions, it could cause trouble.
Has this ever happened to you before, Dad?
Luke asked.
Dad looked down and said one time.
It happened to me.
Many years ago, I threw my airplane without telling it what to do and it ended up in the hands of someone very dangerous.
It took months to get it back and we only got it after damage had been done.
Well, let's go get it then, Luke said.
Luke and his dad opened the dusty box and found a special compass-like tool that could detect where the airplane might be.
They took it out to the car and began driving around.
And the tool led them to a park near school, where they suddenly lost the signal.
Luke looked out the window and could see a shadowy figure in the distance.
And whoever it was, they were holding the airplane.
Luke and his dad got out of the car and approached the shadowy figure, but whoever it was, they started running away.
Hey, stop!
That's my paper airplane, Luke shouted.
They chased after the person, whoever they were, but it was no use.
They were too far ahead and Luke and his dad couldn't catch up.
So Luke and his dad got back in the car and they drove back home.
And the next morning at school, Luke was on the playground when he felt someone come up and punch him in his shoulder.
Ow!
Then he turned around to see Hank, the school bully.
And he was holding the paper airplane.
Look what I found at the park last night.
Looks like your precious little airplane is mine now.
Just then, Hank noticed the plane was starting to act strangely in his hand.
Hey, what's wrong with this thing?
Why is it wiggling around in my hand?
Oh, this thing's a piece of junk.
I'm throwing it away.
And so Hank threw it and it flew all the way across the whole playground and it landed right in the garbage.
But the thing was, that garbage can was on the other side of the school.
Nobody could have thrown a plane that far and hit a target like that.
And that's when Hank realized what was so special about this plane.
He ran over the garbage can and pulled it out and said, wow, this thing is awesome.
I bet this could pull off some really cool pranks.
And so Hank started to experiment with the airplane as he realized it would respond to his thoughts.
He started using it to cause all kinds of chaos.
He used it to steal other kids' lunch boxes and drop them in the mud.
Then he used it to snatch hats off kids' heads and drop them up onto the school roof.
He even made it zoom into the principal's office and dump papers everywhere.
Luke and Mars watched in frustration as Hank's tricks got worse and worse.
Luke turned to Mars and said, Mars, can you keep a secret?
Of course you can trust me, said Mars.
Then Luke told Mars everything he knew about the paper airplane, how it worked and why it was so important that they get it back.
And Mars said, well, you and your dad are the only ones who know how to make these airplanes, right?
What if you make another one that can fight Hanks and get it back?
And then why stop there?
Why not make 10 of them?
Make 20.
You can make 100 more airplanes.
Imagine what we could do with that many airplanes that all obeyed your thoughts.
And Luke thought it was a great idea.
So that night he sat down and made just 10 new airplanes just to see if it would work.
And it did take a ton of work, but he finally got it done.
The next day at school, when Hank threw his airplane and started to cause trouble, Luke pulled out his stack of 10 paper airplanes, perfectly folded.
And as Luke held the stack of paper airplanes in his hand, he whispered capture my airplane that Hank stole and bring it back to me.
And then Luke threw them into the air and they immediately got into a perfect formation, just like a fleet of F-18 fighter jets.
All the other kids on the playground dropped what they were doing and watched in awe, stunned by what they were seeing.
And within seconds, Luke's fleet of paper airplanes flew right up to Hank's plane and they intercepted it perfectly as one of Luke's planes caught it midair and carried it back to Luke.
And every kid who witnessed the events of that day would never forget what they saw.
Nobody had ever seen even one paper airplane do something like this, let alone 11 of them.
It was unbelievable, and when hank saw what luke had done, he was furious.
He started stomping towards luke and said you're gonna pay for what you just did.
I'm gonna pound you into the ground.
Luke had to act fast and luckily he still had all 11 of his airplanes intact.
So he whispered protect me.
Don't let Hank hurt me or my friends.
And when Luke threw the paper airplanes, this time they soared overhead and started circling above Hank.
And as Hank got closer to Luke, the airplanes suddenly started to dive bomb toward him.
And they started pecking at his head and at his face.
Ah, what are these airplanes doing?
Get these off of me.
Ah, ha, ha, ha.
All the kids on the playground cheered and clapped their hands as Hank ran away screaming.
And one thing was for sure that was the last time Hank ever messed with Luke Mars or any other kid on that playground.
Hey there, Storyland fans.
If you love these magical adventures, I've got some exciting news.
The Storyland Collection Volume 1, Tales of Magic and Wonder, is now available as an audiobook.
It's packed with all your favorite stories in their true chronological order, professionally remastered for the best listening experience ever.
And without any ads between stories.
You can find it on audiobookscom, the Spotify audiobooks marketplace, Apple books hoopla, Google play and audible.
Just search for story land, all one word.
And you should be able to find it there.
And if you're looking for even more magic, check out Luke and the Magical Marker, my brand new, first ever illustrated book, now available on Amazon.
It's a perfect read for kids who love creativity and adventure.
And one last thing.
If you like the podcast.
I'd love for you to leave a review on Apple Podcasts.
It really helps more listeners discover the Storyland podcast.
Thanks again for listening and I'll see you in the next adventure.
