Ryan and The Elastic House

Ryan went to visit his grandmother and grandfather in California. They lived in a very tiny house, with room enough for only

the two of them. Every time Ryan visited there was barely enough room for Ryan and his mother and dad. Ryan also had a

young brother. Ever since Robbie arrived it was almost impossible for all of them to squeeze into the tiny house.

Ryan told his grandmother he would build her a bigger house; then there would always be room for visitors. There was only

one problem, the lot the house was sitting on was the same size as the house. There wasn’t room to build a bigger house

without making the lot bigger.

Ryan thought about it and thought about it and thought about it. Maybe he could make the house elastic so it would stretch out

in all directions, as needed, without going beyond the lot. But how do you make a house elastic?

Again, Ryan thought about it and thought about it and thought about it. If he used the wood from an Indian rubber plant he

could build a frame that stretched. But what could he use for the walls?

Ryan thought about it and thought about it and thought about it. Then he remembered all the inflatable toys he used in his

swimming pool. He could use them to make walls that stretched.

Ryan began gathering all the Indian rubber tree plants he could find and all the inflatable water toys he could find. He

collected toy inner tubes, plastic mattresses, and toy animals; any and all the water toys in his neighborhood.

When he had collected all that he needed he started building a new house for his grandparents. He built and built and built

until he had a house the same size, on the same lot as the other house that had been too small. He knew this one was

different, it would stretch.

When he was finished building the house he discovered he had forgotten about floors and ceilings. What could he use for

floors and ceilings that would stretch with the walls and framework?

Once more, Ryan thought and thought and thought. This was more difficult than the walls and framework. He thought of a

trampoline, like the one his dad had, but that wouldn’t do. Anyone walking across a trampoline would start to bounce up and

down and would never be able to walk across a room to the other side without bumping his head on the ceiling. Besides, his

grandparents were too old for a trampoline.

The only solution Ryan could come across was to make the floors and ceilings solid so they would not stretch. After all, if the

walls stretched what more was needed? Ryan obtained all the Lincoln Log sets he could from his friends and used them to

build the floors and ceilings.

The house was finally ready for his grandparents to move back into. It was just the right size for the two of them, until Ryan

came to visit to visit again. Then the house stretched out so there was room for the grandparents and Ryan and Ryan’s

parents, and Ryan’s little brother and little sister and the dog and the cat and the . . .