Futuristic Physicist
isa R ajanLisa Rajan
lessia TrunfioAlessia
L
A
Tara Binns Futuristic Physicist
Written by Lisa Rajan Illustrated by Alessia Trunfio
Chapter 1
Tara Binns had just enough time before lunch for a visit to the costume box. As she pushed open the hatch to the attic, she caught sight of the costume box, nestled among the cardboard boxes. Tara couldn’t wait to open the lid on a new adventure. With every costume, the box gave her a job to do, skills to learn and challenges to face. She never knew what she was going to be, or what problems she would have to solve to get the job done.
2
Tara’s eyes sparkled with excitement. She felt a familiar tingle in her hand after she pushed open the lid of the box. The tingle spread up her arm and around her whole body. The next moment she felt herself tumbling … spinning … away from the attic … through space and time. She squeezed her eyes tight shut and wondered … What will I be today?
3
Chapter 2
When Tara opened her eyes, she was in the front carriage of a train. But it was a strange kind of train. There were no seats, but more surprising to Tara, there were no controls … and no driver! Tara grasped the nearest handle. The train was travelling fast.
Where is this train going? And how will it stop when it gets there? Tara puzzled. Wait … maybe I’m the driver?
4
Tara looked down at the costume the box had given her: overalls, boots and a helmet. It didn’t feel like a train driver’s uniform.
Oh no! Tara noticed that the train was heading directly towards a building. The track led inside it.
Are we going indoors? Is this the station?
But the train didn’t stop. Tara looked through the windscreen in horror at the end of the track. There was no buffer. Tara braced herself.
5
The train stopped abruptly. No squeal of brakes, no loud crash … no sound at all. Tara lurched forward with the momentum, even though the train had stopped. She lost her balance and toppled over. The doors opened and a girl and boy stepped on to the train.
“Hello – I’m Ayesha and this is Ortez,” said the girl, helping Tara up. “Sorry to stop the train so sharply: we didn’t think anyone was on it!”
6