And he also doesn't know he'll miss the Science Fair

This is a story about a boy.

A boy whose friends all turned eight before he did, so when his mother was Wolf den leader, he came to the Pinewood Derby and watched and dreamed and learned and made plans, but just barely missed being old enough to participate.

A boy who was disappointed when the cub scout committee couldn't get it together the following year and postponed the Pinewood Derby for a few months.

A boy whose family moved him to Utah at a very inopportune time as far as the Pinewood Derbies were concerned, leaving just before one, and arriving just after the other, thus missing both.

A sad boy.

This is also a story about a family who planned a trip to get out of River City in the dregs of January to go to a sunny, tropical place. And a Cub Scout troop who scheduled a much-dreamed-about Pinewood Derby for the very same week.

And the same boy who, upon learning of the Derby for next month and not yet knowing about the trip, came home and pored over the contents of his little derby kit and set straight to designing his amazing car on paper first. "Diamondback Rattler" is the theme, because snake cars are not only visually cool but also aerodynamic. With a penny on the bottom, because that's how you win and get to go on to the district.

And this is a story about two parents who looked at each other while the boy excitedly talked about his first Pinewood Derby and they shared worried expressions, because they weren't planning on tears on Christmas morning, but now there are bound to be some.

This is a story to be continued... .