Baby Whisperer

• Jason Vettoor, Grade 4
• Short Story
• 2018

Baby Whisperer

A boy named Harry had a fantastic idea one day as he watched his little dog Spot roll in the mud. “It will be wonderful to invent a machine that can translate his thoughts.”
So Harry went to dad’s work shed and set to work. For weeks, he pottered and tinkered with a bit of this and a bit of that. Finally, one morning, the machine was ready. It had shiny blue buttons, a loud speaker, and a pair of head phones attached to one side. “I think I’ll name my machine, a Dog Translator.”
Harry thought his invention was brilliant. Now it was time to test it. With a heart full of hope, he brought Spot to the work shed, attached the head phone to his little head and pressed the ‘On’ button. At first nothing happened. Then the machine sputtered once, then twice. Finally, with a loud boom, it stopped. Harry’s heart sank when he saw smoke billowing out of his machine. Spot just stared at Harry with a look that said, “WHAT ON EARTH WAS THAT ALL ABOUT?”
His machine all but destroyed, Harry slumped to the ground. Spot wriggled closer for a cuddle. “I give up, the weeks I spent on this invention was all for nothing.” But just then Harry heard a garbled sound…it was coming from the machine! Then the voice became clearer. “I do not want carrot puree. I want chocolate fudge that you keep in the fridge, Mum!”
“Is that Benjamin’s voice?” gasped Harry.
Spot looked at the machine first, then at Harry, then back at the machine.
“No…no…no…I refuse to eat that mush, Mother!” said Baby Benjamin again. His voice was coming through the machine loud and clear.
Harry couldn’t believe his ears. Baby Benjamin was only nine months old, and all Harry had ever heard him say was AARRGLE FLAAAGLE BLAAAGLE or some other baby babble that never made sense to him.
Just as more of Baby Benjamin’s voice filled the air, Harry realised what had just happened. He had not created a dog translator, but he had accidently created a baby translator!
Harry ran. “Mum! MUUUUUM! You won’t believe what I just made!”
“More mess?” muttered his mother under her breath.
“No! I made a baby translator, look!” Harry pressed the button and more of Baby Benjamin’s thoughts streamed through the machine.
“Oh My!” cried Harry’s mother.
“Flibberty gibbit!” gasped his dad.
“Woof?” said Spot.
Soon word about Harry’s invention spread like wild fire. Mums and dads all the over the world wanted Harry’s translator to help them with their babies. And they were willing to pay bucket loads of money! Companies wanted Harry to work for them so they could make money out of his inventions.
Before he knew it, Harry was a busy boy. School work, inventions, TV shows and award ceremonies…he hardly had time to sleep.
But one thing never changed, Harry’s love for Spot, and his plans for a new dog translator machine.