In part 1, the Little Sumo pretended to fight vampires and demons. He threw his beans at an imaginary demon and lost one bean. He went to look for it, just beyond the steps outside his house.
*
He searched to the left, but he could only see Mummy’s bike there. He searched to the right, and could only see Daddy’s plant pot with some basil growing in it. He looked behind the pot, which had not been moved for a long time. There was no bean there. But there was a strange little hole, about the size of his lost bean. The hole was round, and completely black. It looked like a tiny plug-hole in the ground, like he had in his bath tub. “Maybe the bean has fallen in the hole,” he thought.
The Little Sumo bounded back up the steps and ran into his house. “Daddy! Daddy! He said, breathlessly. “What should I do if there is a black hole outside?”
*
Part 2:
Daddy glanced up from his computer. “What’s that? A black hole? Hmm, that’s a difficult one. Black holes are dangerous. I’d stay away from them, if I were you.”
“Why are they dangerous, Daddy,” asked the Little Sumo.
“Well,” said Daddy. “I suppose it is because they are always hungry. They will eat anything – rocks, ice, gas, planets. They even eat light.”
“Do they even eat beans, Daddy?” asked the Little Sumo, a little nervously.
“Hmmm, beans? Yes, I suppose so. They eat beans too.”
“So how can I beat a black…” the Little Sumo started to say.
But Daddy stopped him. “I’m working now, Little Sumo. I don’t have time to talk about black holes. Why don’t you go out and play some more on the steps?”
So the Little Sumo ran back outside and down the steps, and went to see if the black hole was still there, behind the basil. It was still in the same spot on the ground. It certainly didn’t look like something which would eat beans. It didn’t have any teeth. The Little Sumo still had three beans left, so he decided to see if he could feed them to the hole. He picked one out and dropped it into the middle of the hole. Nothing happened. The bean just vanished without a sound. He couldn’t hear any of the normal noises that he associated with eating, such as chewing or swallowing. One second the bean was in the air above the hole, and the next it was gone. The Little Sumo dropped in his two other beans, and the same thing happened. He wasn’t sure if it was just his imagination, but the Little Sumo thought that the black hole looked a little bit bigger.
If it is not making any chewing or swallowing noises, then maybe it hasn’t started eating the beans yet, he thought. If I put my finger in quickly, maybe I can pull them out.
Without thinking any further, he stuck his index finger into the hole. His finger felt strange inside the hole. It wasn’t hot, and it wasn’t cold. There didn’t seem to be any sides to the hole. He thought he should be able to feel the sides if he wiggled his finger around, but he couldn’t. He did think he could feel his beans though, moving around against his finger. So they hadn’t been chewed! His finger also felt like it was being squeezed on all sides. It was a bit like having a very tight plaster on. The Little Sumo didn’t like the feeling. So he decided to pull his finger out of the hole.
But, oh, dear! Even though he pulled his hand backward, his finger did not come out. Instead, the hole came up out of the ground, still attached to his finger! It looked very odd. The Little Sumo’s three other fingers and thumb were still on his hand as normal. But he could only see the stump of his index finger. The end of the finger was completely covered by something that looked like a black marble. And it was definitely bigger than it had been before!
The Little Sumo shook his hand back and forth vigorously, but the black hole didn’t fall off. This did not look good. Hadn’t Daddy said that black holes were dangerous? He might get really mad if he found out that the Little Sumo had stuck his finger into one.
I’d better ask Mummy, he thought. Maybe I can get my finger out without anyone noticing.
So he hid his right hand, the one with a black hole attached, behind his back. And he climbed up the steps and entered his house. He had to do everything quite slowly and carefully, because he was using his weaker left hand. But he opened the door, and found Mummy.
“Mummy, he shouted. “What should you do if you get stuck inside a black hole?”
*
Poor Little Sumo! Is he going to have to carry a black hole around with him for the rest of his life? Will it get even hungrier? Will Mummy’s advice save him?
Find out next time!
Vocabulary:
a planet – an object in space that is larger than a moon but smaller than a star, such as Earth or Mars
the index finger – the finger that is next to the thumb, which is often used to point at things
to wiggle something – to move something from side to side, or up and down, with small, quick movements
a plaster – something you stick to your skin to cover a small cut
a stump – the bottom part of a tree, or leg, etc., which is left after the rest has been removed
vigorously – in a way that involves great effort or physical strength
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