Chapter 1

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DEDICATION

For the kids who see broken things and think, "I can help with that."

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Leo loved fixing things.

When the handle fell off the kitchen drawer, Leo fixed it with a screwdriver. When his sister's doll lost an arm, Leo glued it back on. When the garden hose got a hole, Leo wrapped it with tape until it worked again.

"You've got the gift," his grandpa said. Grandpa Al had been a handyman for forty years, and he'd taught Leo everything — how to use a wrench, how to sand wood smooth, how to measure twice and cut once.

"Measure twice, cut once," Leo repeated. It was their motto.

One morning on the way to school, Leo noticed something. The swing in the park — the good one, the one that went the highest — had a broken chain. It hung sideways, one end dragging on the ground.

"That's been broken for weeks," said his friend Mia, walking next to him. "My little brother cried about it yesterday."

"Why doesn't someone fix it?"

"I don't know. My mom called the city, but they said they'd 'get to it.' That was three weeks ago."

Leo looked at the swing. He looked at Mia. "I could fix that."

"You're eight."

"I fixed my grandpa's mailbox and it's been fine for a year."

Mia tilted her head. "Can I help?"

"Do you know how to use pliers?"

"No. But I can learn."

And just like that, the Fix-It Friends were born.

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That Saturday, Leo and Mia met at the park with Grandpa Al's toolbox (borrowed with permission) and a new chain link that Grandpa Al had found in his garage.

"It's a simple fix," Leo said, studying the broken swing. "The link snapped. We just need to open it, loop it through, and close it."

"Simple for you," Mia said.

Leo showed her how to hold the pliers. "Squeeze hard, but steady. Don't jerk."

It took them twenty minutes. The chain link didn't want to cooperate, and Mia dropped the pliers twice. But when they hooked the chain back together, the swing hung straight again.

Leo sat on it. He swung back and forth, testing. The chain held.

"Not bad," said Mia.

A little boy appeared — Mia's brother, Sam. He'd been watching from behind a tree.

"You fixed it!" Sam yelled, running over. He jumped on the swing and pumped his legs until he was flying. "HIGHER! HIGHER!"

"It works," Leo said, grinning.

"What else can we fix?" Mia asked.

Leo looked around the park. The fence had a loose board. The bench had a wobbly leg. The water fountain dripped.

"How much time do you have?" he said.

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On Monday at school, Leo and Mia started The List.

1. The swing in the park (DONE! - Leo & Mia) 2. The wobbly bench at the bus stop 3. Mrs. Chen's gate won't close 5. The book return box has a jammed slot 6. The basketball hoop net is torn 7. The water fountain at school drips all day 8. My bike has a flat tire - Jayden 9. The railing on the front steps of our building is loose 10. The community bulletin board fell off the wall 11. The little free library box has a broken door 12. My grandma's music box doesn't play anymore - Sofia

"We can't do all of these," Mia said.

"Not alone," Leo agreed. "We need more friends."

At recess, they recruited. Jayden joined because he wanted his bike fixed. A boy named Omar joined because his dad was an electrician and had taught him about wires. A girl named Ruby joined because she was the strongest kid in second grade and could hold heavy things while other people worked.

Five Fix-It Friends. Twelve broken things.

"Measure twice, cut once," Leo said. "Let's start with the easy ones."

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The Fix-It Friends split into teams.

Leo and Ruby tackled the bus stop bench. The problem was simple — one bolt had come loose. Ruby held the bench steady (she really was strong) while Leo tightened the bolt with a socket wrench.

"Done," Leo said. "Three minutes."

Mia and Omar went to look at the library clock. This one was trickier.

"It's not the clock," Omar said, standing on a chair to look behind it. "It's the battery. It's corroded."

"Can we fix it?"

"My dad has batteries. And he showed me how to clean the contacts. I'll bring stuff tomorrow."

Jayden, meanwhile, had found a YouTube video on fixing flat tires and was watching it at home, taking notes in a spiral notebook.

"I'm going to fix my own bike," he announced proudly the next day.

"That's the whole point," Leo said. "We don't just fix things for people. We teach people to fix things themselves."

When they repaired Mrs. Chen's gate, Leo showed her seven-year-old grandson how to tighten the hinge screws. When they reattached the bulletin board, Ruby showed the building manager which anchors to use for heavy things. When they mended the basketball net, Mia taught three kids how to tie the right knots.

"You're putting yourselves out of business," Grandpa Al joked.

"Good," said Leo. "That means more people can fix things."

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Most of the fixes were easy. Tighten a bolt. Replace a battery. Tie a knot.

But Item 12 on The List was different.

Sofia's grandmother's music box was old — really old. It was made of dark wood with a little dancer inside that was supposed to spin when you opened the lid. But the dancer didn't spin, the music didn't play, and the lid didn't close right.

"My grandmother brought it from the Dominican Republic when she was a girl," Sofia said, holding the box carefully. "It plays her favorite song. Or it used to."

Leo looked inside. The mechanism was tiny — gears and springs smaller than his pinky nail. This wasn't a loose bolt or a dead battery.

"I don't know how to fix this," Leo admitted.

It was the first time he'd said those words, and they felt heavy.

"Maybe we can't fix everything," Mia said gently.

"When you don't know how to fix something," Grandpa Al always said, "find someone who does. The smartest person in the room is the one who knows when to ask for help."

"I know what to do," Leo said.

He took the music box to Grandpa Al. Grandpa Al looked at it for a long time, turning it gently in his big hands.

"I can't fix this either," Grandpa Al said. "But I know someone who can."

He took Leo to a tiny shop downtown — Marta's Music and Clock Repair. Marta was an older woman with magnifying glasses on a chain around her neck and steady hands.

"A Swiss mechanism," she said, peering inside. "Beautiful. The mainspring is just wound too tight. And this gear..." She pointed to something Leo couldn't even see. "Needs a drop of oil."

In five minutes, the music box was playing again. A soft, tinkling melody filled the shop.

"How much?" Leo asked, reaching for his allowance money.

"For a young person who's trying to fix the world?" Marta smiled. "No charge. But come back sometime. I could use an apprentice."

When Leo brought the music box back to Sofia, the melody was still playing. Sofia's eyes filled with tears.

"That's my grandmother's song," she whispered.

She ran home to show her grandmother. From outside, Leo could hear the old woman laughing and crying at the same time.

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By spring, the Fix-It Friends had completed every item on The List and seventeen more that people had added. They'd fixed fences, tightened railings, replaced batteries, unjammed locks, patched bike tires, and reattached a mailbox that had been leaning for two years.

Then came the big one.

The community center on Park Street — where kids went after school for homework help and basketball — had a leaky roof. Every time it rained, buckets lined the hallway. Three ceiling tiles had collapsed. The main room smelled like mold.

"The city says they'll fix it next year," said Ms. Johnson, who ran the center. "Next year. These kids need this building NOW."

Leo looked at the ceiling. This was way bigger than a music box.

"We can't fix a roof," Omar said.

They made a plan. Mia wrote letters to every hardware store in town asking for donated materials. Omar's dad gathered electrician friends who owed him favors. Ruby went door to door on her block asking if anyone knew roofing. Leo called Grandpa Al.

"I'm retired," Grandpa Al said.

"You fixed Mr. Henderson's roof last summer."

"That was a favor."

"This is a bigger favor."

Grandpa Al was quiet. Then he chuckled. "Measure twice, cut once?"

"Measure twice, cut once."

On a Saturday morning, fifteen adults and eleven kids showed up at the community center. Grandpa Al led the adults on the roof. Omar's dad handled the electrical work. The Fix-It Friends organized tools, carried supplies, and swept up debris.

It took all day. By sunset, the roof was patched, the ceiling tiles were replaced, and the hallway was dry for the first time in months.

Ms. Johnson stood in the main room and looked up at the new ceiling. "How do I thank you all?"

"Keep this place open," Grandpa Al said. "That's thanks enough."

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The school year was ending, and Leo had a problem he couldn't fix with a wrench.

The Fix-It Friends were going to different schools next year. Mia was moving across town. Omar's family was transferring to a school closer to his dad's new job. Even Jayden — who had become the best bike mechanic in the neighborhood — was heading to a different district.

"The Fix-It Friends can't just end," Ruby said at their last meeting, held on the repaired bench at the bus stop.

"It doesn't have to," Leo said. He'd been thinking about this. "We taught a lot of people this year. Sofia's cousin can fix a bicycle chain now. Mrs. Chen's grandson tightens his own hinges. The kids at the community center know how to patch a screen."

"So the Fix-It Friends aren't just us," Mia said slowly. "They're everyone we taught."

"Exactly."

On the last day of school, he gave one to each Fix-It Friend.

"Wherever you go," he said, "you can keep fixing things. And you can teach other people to fix things too."

"Measure twice, cut once," they all said together.

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One year later, Leo walked past the empty lot where the community garden had started (that was Zara's project, next door to the park). The swing he and Mia had fixed was still swinging. The bench was still steady. The bulletin board was still on the wall.

But there was something new.

THIS PARK IS CARED FOR BY THE FIX-IT FRIENDS AND EVERYONE WHO BELIEVES THAT SMALL HANDS CAN DO BIG THINGS

Leo didn't know who had made the sign. He suspected Ruby — she'd gotten really good with a paintbrush.

He stood there for a minute, reading the words. Then he heard a sound behind him — a boy, maybe six years old, standing next to the water fountain with a confused look.

"It's dripping," the boy said.

Leo smiled. He reached into his backpack, where he always carried a small wrench now.

"Want me to show you how to fix that?" he said.

The boy's face lit up. "Can you?"

"We can," Leo said. "Together."

He knelt next to the fountain and handed the boy the wrench.

"First rule," Leo said. "Measure twice, cut once."

"What does that mean?"

"It means look carefully before you start. Understand the problem. Then fix it right."

The boy gripped the wrench with both hands, ready to learn.

And the drip stopped.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Crimson Ark Publishing publishes fiction for readers of all ages, drawing on the spiritual principles and rich cultural heritage of the Bahá'í Faith. Our stories explore themes of unity, justice, courage, and the transformative power of love — through characters and communities that reflect the beautiful diversity of the human family. Every book is an invitation to see the world not only as it is, but as it could be.

Visit us at crimsonarkpublishing.com