The Drone at the Wrong Door

It's 7:40 on Wednesday morning, and Kai is in a hurry. He's eating cereal with one hand and looking for his school shoes with the other. The school bus comes at eight, and today he's got a math test.

Then something starts beeping outside. Kai opens the door of apartment 6A. A small white drone is hovering in the hallway, with a box under it. A screen on the drone says: "Delivery for apartment 6B. Nobody is answering. Can you take this package for your neighbor?"

Kai looks at the door across the hallway. Apartment 6B is Mrs. Quintero's apartment. She's old and quiet, and she never opens her door. Some kids in the building think she's unfriendly.

Kai presses the green button on the screen, and the drone puts the box in his hands. The red label on it says: FRAGILE. MEDICAL. What is he going to do now?

He crosses the hallway and rings Mrs. Quintero's doorbell. Nothing. He knocks on her door. Nothing. But he can hear a TV inside, and it's very loud. "So she's at home," Kai thinks. "Why isn't she opening the door?"

He takes a piece of paper and writes in big letters: I'VE GOT YOUR PACKAGE. I'M AT YOUR DOOR. KAI, 6A. He pushes the paper under her door and waits. One minute later, the door opens.

Mrs. Quintero reads the note, then looks at the box, and her eyes open wide. Inside the box, there's a tiny hearing aid. She puts it in her ear and presses a button.

"Oh! Can you say something, please?" she asks. "Good morning," says Kai. Mrs. Quintero smiles. "I can hear you! My old hearing aid broke last month. Without it, I can't hear the doorbell, so the drones always go away."

Downstairs, the school bus is honking. Kai runs to the stairs. "Thank you, Kai!" Mrs. Quintero calls after him. "And next time, ring the doorbell. I'm going to answer!"