Easter - Fun With Catapults

Today I tested the catapult I've been building. Father liked the idea when I suggested it, and even gave me an idea for using it - taking out the new neighbors' hot-pink sports-car. They should have gotten a darker color, given they know we don't approve, but they didn't. Hopefully they'll replace what's left of it with something more reasonable.

Anyways, we bought a book called The Art Of The Catapult, looked through it, and found the largest possible one. It took six weekends to make, mainly because it's hard to get your hands on a lot of PVC pipe when the local people who run shops that sell it are scared of what you'd DO with it. Eventually, Dad gave up and found it online. Then there was the matter of gluing it - Pugsley nearly lost a finger when he tried to help, and Mother told me it wasn't a good idea to laugh. I did, of course, but only once she was out of hearing distance.

Back when catapults were commonly used, most of them flung rocks. Ours sends tennis balls 500 feet - more than enough to dent the neighbors' car. Yesterday was Easter, which seemed a perfect day for testing it, so we did and there's not much left of the sports-car.

One resolution down, three to go. I might actually pull this off.

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A/N: Most of this chapter (except the bit with the sports-car) is based off of my life - when I was 11, my dad and I built a catapult for the heck of it. The book mentioned really exists, I've used it, and it's worth reading if not using.