immy was a cute little
red model car, and he just couldn’t
understand why at just 3 years old he felt old. The harder he tried, the
worst he felt. He started each day with a sput-sputter and with a whine
and a groan. Instead of zooming along down the road, he coughed and moaned. He just did not know what was wrong with him. Other friends his
age were still zooming around as easily as ever. What was he doing
wrong? He just didn’t know.
(photo: NBEN-RENB)
As Timmy was going along one day, all of a sudden he heard a siren
in the background. "What could that be?" Timmy wondered. As he
turned and looked behind,
he saw a flashing light coming up behind him. It was getting closer and closer.
Oh NO, no... it couldn’t be… but it was....
"What else could go
wrong", thought Timmy, as he pulled over. It was the vehicle
inspector. Timmy waited and worried as the vehicle inspector pulled up
to talk with Timmy. Feeling this bad and now the vehicle inspector, it
just was not Timmy’s week.
As the vehicle inspector arrived, Timmy said hesitantly, "Hello,
how may I help you?"
The vehicle inspector asked, "What is your name?"
"Timmy", stammered Timmy nervously.
"Well Timmy, you don’t seem to be feeling very well today, I
want to check you out", said the inspector.
"You are right, I haven’t been feeling very good. Maybe
you can tell me why I have no energy, why I sput-sputter when I start,
and why I cough-cough all down the road." replied Timmy.
The vehicle inspector began his testing. First he began by looking at
how much air Timmy had in his tires, all the while shaking his head and
saying "Hmmm". He then opened Timmy’s hood and checked his
oil, tisk-tisking all the while. He checked Timmy’s coolant and looked
sad. The vehicle inspector asked Timmy to start his engine, he listened
as Timmy sput-sputtered, cough-coughed and whined and groaned.
The vehicle inspector was beginning to scare poor Timmy with his
Hmming, tisking and looking sad. As he continued around behind Timmy, he checked Timmy’s waste
system, his exhaust pipe.
"Yes indeedy, indeedy yes" said the vehicle inspection.
"Timmy, you have pollutionitis."
"Pollutionitis, POLLUTIONITIS" exclaimed Timmy "What
on earth is Pollutionitis?"
"Well…", said the vehicle inspector,
"Pollutionitis
is when you do not take care of yourself correctly.
Your condition gets run down and then your condition effects you and
others around you."
"How?" wondered Timmy aloud.
(photo: NBEN-RENB)
"Well, it makes you go slower but you eat up more gas, it makes you
cough and sputter and spreads the pollutionitis to others through the
air just like the cold or the flu. It changes the air, the plants, the
animals and the people around you. It can even make them sick too."
said the vehicle inspector. "You need to go to the vehicle hospital
so the vehicle doctor can check your tires to make sure they are okay
with the right amount of air and are in good repair. This will make it
easier for you to go down the road and you will not eat as much gas. You
need to have your oil and oil filter changed and your air filter checked
out so that your engine will feel and work better. You need to have you
engine tuned up so that you spark will return. Timmy, you need to get
rid of the pollutionitis."
"I do want to feel better, and I sure do not want to cause anyone
or anything to feel bad too." said Timmy. "That is good", stated the vehicle inspector as he handed
Timmy a chart. "You must take this with you and give it to the
vehicle doctor."
Timmy thought this was great, and off he went down the road to the
vehicle hospital.
Timmy introduced himself and handed over the chart to the vehicle
doctor. The vehicle doctor checked it out and said, "I see that you
have a case of pollutionitis, we will soon have you right as rain, come
into the vehicle bay and we will fix you right up."
As the vehicle doctor went along with fixing Timmy up, Timmy was so
happy he dozed right off and snored away while the vehicle doctor was
fixing him.
Two hours later Timmy awoke to the gently nudge of the vehicle
doctor. "You are as good as new. No more sput-sputtering,
cough-coughing, whining and groaning for you. Your tires now all have
the same amount of air in them and they are in good shape. Your oil, oil
filter and air filter have all been changed. Your engine is all tuned
up, so your spark is renewed but remember you must take care of yourself
and come visit me very 6000kms so that the pollutionitis does not
return. You need..."
(photo: NBEN-RENB)
"Thank you, ohhh, thank you!", interrupted Timmy as he
started his engine, "I feel so much better!". Timmy zoomed out
of the vehicle hospital beeping good-bye happily as he zoomed on down
the road with zip and spark. He hummed to himself,
"No more
sput-sputting, cough-coughing, whining or groaning for me. No siree, no
indeedy, NO pollutionitis for me."
