Giorgio goes to Zucchini Park

Once upon a time there was a boy named Giorgio.

Giorgio loved everything that had to do with electricity, technology and this kind of things.

One day Giorgio was pacing around his apartment looking for something to do when a grown up’s magazine caught his eye. 

In this magazine there was an article about a sort of bicycle … not a real bicycle … a thing with a seat, 2 pedals but no wheels. It was a pedal generator. By pedaling one could generate electricity. This was exactly the kid of thing that Giorgio really, really wanted to have.

The article was discussing a bit about the bicycle and more about lots of other things that Giorgio could not really understand. On thing he did understand, one of these bicycles was in a park in Giorgio’s city, Zucchini Park.

But Giorgio didn’t know where Zucchini Park was.

The next day, as he was leaving school he overheard two school mates. “So are you still up for going to Zucchini Park, today?” Said one. “Yeah!”. Said the other.

“Are you guys also interested in pedal powered generators?”.  Asked Giorgio. Julio and Lee looked at Giorgio with puzzling faces … So Giorgio asked “Are you guys going to Zucchini Park? Can I come?”.

The three boys got on the subway on their way to Zucchini Park.

They got there in the middle of the afternoon. “This is Zucchini Park?” Asked Giorgio a bit surprised. This was not the park that Giorgio expected. There were lots of people, mostly just standing there, only a few trees and no grass areas at all.

Many people had signs; others listened to someone standing on top a box and at every sentence repeated what she has just said. 

Others people where sitting on the ground, and others where handing out flyers. It looked as these flyers where offering 99% discount on something. “that’s almost the whole thing” Thought Giorgio. “I hope it is about the generator”. But no image of any generator was on these flyers. Giorgio wondered around. 

Julio and Lee wanted to look at a large board full of Legos. It looked, as it was a Lego representation of the park. Giorgio wondered off to look for the generator.

After looking for some time, there it was. Giorgio stood in front of a golden thing pedals and seat sticking out. This was it! Nobody was riding it and a woman was standing right near by it.

“Can I ride it?” Asked Giorgio.

“This is not a bicycle, is a generator.” Answered the woman.

“I know. I have been wanting to have something like this forever … can I try it?”

The woman smiled and nodded with her head. Giorgio started pedaling.

“Did you build it yourself?” Giorgio asked. A few minutes later Giorgio was talking with the woman and with a few other people and was gathering all the information’s he needed to build one just like it.

Finally Giorgio dismounted from the generator. He was satisfied. “What are you guys doing here anyway?” Asked Giorgio to the new friends. “We are trying to make things right.” Said one. “Make sure there is no injustice”. Said another. Giorgio was not sure what they were talking about. “Had they all being unjustly reprimanded by their mom?” He thought. Then another guy, that had noticed Giorgio’s puzzling face, asked: “Have you ever played Monopoly?”. “Yes, a few times”. Said Giorgio. “Have you notice how, as the game goes on, those who have more keep getting more and those who have less keep losing their stuff?…” – “Well … Yes, I always loose at monopoly.” Answered Giorgio. “Well, it’s not just Monopoly, it’s happening in real life, but we don’t want the game of life to have this kind of end. We will make it fair, not everything for one person and nothing for the rest”. Now Giorgio knew what they where talking about.

With a big smile Giorgio reached his friends. They where still playing with the Legos right where he had left them. They played together a bit more and then left on their way home.