Skip to content

Pete Invents the Cold Suit, Part II

Will Pete lose any chance of moving to a warm climate?

In Part I of Purple Pop Pete Invents the Cold Suit, Pete got into big trouble when his family caught him wearing a weird suit made from his mother’s prized fabric that he had stolen. Needless to say, Mama Victoria was not a happy camper. Well, the surprising display of Pete’s cold suit in front of his family caused the room to grow quiet and awkward when suddenly, Mama Victoria’s voice broke the silence. “Pete, I think you should change your clothes.” Mama said coldly. With that, she shut the door as the entire family silently walked into the living room without saying a word to each other and went about their way. Back in his room, Pete didn’t know what to do with himself.

Despite the heap of trouble he was in Pete felt positive

He was nervous yet still strangely excited. He just had a good feeling that somehow, some way, even though he had taken Mama Victoria’s special fabric, in the end maybe they would see his vision and the ideas and the passion that he had for his future. So, in silence, Pete carefully removed his new suit and cleaned up his room. Then, he opened his bedroom door and walked into the living room where he found Papa Randy Rainbow reading the newspaper. In the kitchen, Mama Victoria Vanilla had begun to prepare dinner. A heavy stillness filled the igloo as no one in the family said a word to each other. Pete knew that he had to be brave; that he must explain to his beloved Mama why he had done what he did. With a nervous tummy and a positive attitude, he approached Mama, who was clearly still upset with her son. “Mama, I want to talk to you and… and… Papa… and explain what happened.” Pete pleaded shyly.

There was so much honesty in Pete’s timid little voice that Mama Victoria Vanilla almost melted right there on the spot

“Okay, Pete. We will listen. You can explain during dinner.” That was the moment when Pete knew everything was going to be okay. Then, he returned to his room to organize his thoughts and work on a presentation. How would he convince his parents that what he had done was for the greater good of his future and his vision? Soon, Mama Victoria called the family to dinner where they sat around a big table in the igloo dining area. Still, the mood was heavy. That’s when Pete boldly seized the moment to make his case to Mama Victoria and Papa Randy. With some hesitation, Pete stuttered through his explanation. “I want to tell you all about my idea. It is something that I really want for my future which is why I took the fabric to stitch up my suit.” Pete explained in guilt. Pete’s brothers and sisters quietly looking down at their plates while Papa Randy Rainbow displayed a very stern look on his face. Mama Victoria was still a bit upset. But Pete could tell that she was willing to listen to him. And so it was that Pete launched into a whole explanation. All that Pete had rehearsed in his room flew out the window. Almost uncontrollably, he gushed about desires and visions of his future and wanting to live somewhere else outside the South Pole but how could he possibly do this as a frozen pop? This dream is what drove him to create the suit and do what he did. Maybe his dreams were bigger than he was! But he needed to, but he could not deny his dreams.

In fact, Pete’s dream was so real and he felt it so deeply that it was a passion

He wanted to find a way to turn his dream into a reality. This passion is what drove him to take the fabric from Mama Victoria’s closet. Plus, he used his skills as a junior engineer to stitch up the suit and by golly it works! In listening to Pete’s dramatic explanation of why he broke one of the family rules, Mama Victoria once again melted with compassion for her son. She began to see his reasoning and more importantly, his strength and courage to follow his dreams, much less, his willingness to accept a punishment as a price for following his dream. And for all of this she thought, well, I really don’t need that fabric anyway. Maybe it was meant to be sitting there in the closet for my brave son to find and build his dreams. Suddenly a smile burst across her face and she said, “Pete, I am so very proud that you are following your dreams with determination and passion!” Well, it seems that we cannot say the same for Papa Randy Rainbow, who sat at the end of the table with the same look on his face as he responded, “That’s fine Mama Victoria. But he still broke the rules and for that there are consequences. And Pete, you will be punished.” If at all possible there at the South Pole, the room chilled as each of the Cold family members froze beyond frozen, because Papa Randy was about to lay down the law. Of course, Mama Victoria grew quiet under Papa Randy’s authority while Pete shrunk in his chair. He knew a punishment was coming, however mild or harsh. But as we know, he was willing to accept it.

Perry lead Pete into a special chamber with thick glass doors

Pete felt so important! Perry turned very serious and explained to Pete in a heavy voice, “Purple Pop Pete we are about to test your cold suit. I am going to turn up the heat slowly, to maximum capacity. This is a very dangerous situation. If you feel that your suit is not working or if for any reason it is not going to work, you will risk experiencing a meltdown. It means that your life is at risk. You must signal to me at once so that I may turn off the heat.” “Okay, Perry. I am ready.” Pete confirmed, courageously. Perry Peanut Butter exited the small chamber, sealing the thick glass door behind him. Slowly, he walked into a tiny little room attached to the chamber, where there was a small window for him to monitor his brother. Pete’s excitement increased as he felt thousands of tiny ice crystals inside the suit growing colder and colder. It was working! But now, would it withstand the high heat? The two brotherly confections were about to find out! The moment of truth revealed as Perry pulled down the giant lever that released the heat inside the chamber. Perry became more and more nervous as Pete did not signal for him to stop. And then, Papa Randy Rainbow declared, “You will not go outside and play in the snow for one day.” Oh, that was not much of a punishment, but who was going to say anything as the entire Cold family held back their grins in sighs of relief. Mama Victoria hid her smile while Pete disguised his enthusiasm. They all knew that underneath Papa Randy Rainbow’s punishment, was pride for what Pete had accomplished. But Papa Randy stood his ground as a proud father who believed in teaching his children the differences between right and wrong. The next morning, Mama Victoria went to Pete’s room early in the morning and tapped on his door. She knew Pete was an early riser. He liked to wake up before dawn and tinker with his gadgets. After he opened the door, she said in her soft, loving, motherly voice, “My dearest son, I want to share with you how much I admire what you have done with creating this amazing suit. I am so proud of you! But not only did you create this suit, you taught yourself how to sew, while also engineering it by creating a little freezer system so that you could survive as a frozen pop outside of the South Pole. I think that’s incredible! And you are the first one in the history of the Cold family to do such a heroic thing. I know you will succeed! I am very proud of you son, and you have my full support.”

Pete’s heart swelled with such joy and love that even there in the South Pole, he could actually feel a melt coming on

That would never happen because it’s so cold there. But he hugged his mama and said, “Thank you, Mama so much!” as a huge smile washed across his face. “The only thing I ask of you, Pete, is that you make this suit as perfect as possible so that you can pursue your dreams of living in a warm climate.” At that point, Mama Victoria was feeling a bit sad because she felt in her heart that one day her son would move far away from the family and she already missed him. Tears swelled in her big, beautiful eyes and yet, she supported her son with all her heart. Pete couldn’t wait to get started! That afternoon, he carefully laid out the twin suits and studied them. He asked himself, “How can I make these suits better?” His mind flooded with thoughts that he might be able to live wherever he wanted, even in a warm climate amongst humans, while remaining frozen and safe. He could barely contain his enthusiasm!

And so it was that Pete spent the next week working on his suits

He checked the piping, the switches and the freezer parts, making sure that they were in tip top shape, thinking all along, what if I live in Southern California? Or what if I move to Hawaii? Pete had never been so inspired! “I want a cold suit that I can rely on 100% of the time.” Pete imagined. He was so motivated that he even met with his engineering teacher from school to get tips on mechanics of the suit. They talked about how he could learn more in a short period of time. Pete’s teacher was very proud of him. Pete’s teacher told him, “I can spend time with you after school and teach you everything I know about engineering.” Oh, Pete was thrilled since he knew that engineering was the key to his future and it was something that he loved. After a few weeks of studying the suits and spending time with his teacher, Pete stitched up a new and improved cold suit. He felt confident that this new suit was 100% reliable. What an accomplishment! But now, a huge question popped into Pete’s head. “Where am I going to test my suit?” he wondered. There was nothing warm about the South Pole and a warm climate is exactly what Pete needed to make sure that the suit could resist heat and keep him safe. But there was another challenge. Pete was not old enough to travel by himself! And he would not be old enough for four more years, when he turned 18. At that moment, Pete’s big, warm heart practically fell to the floor with disappointment. But he was not a quitter and welcomed challenges! For he knew that good things come when tackling challenges. Pete sat down on his bed and began to think. And think. And think. And then, he came up with a grand idea… To be continued…

Daisy French on Social

Popular Stories

CATEGORIES