Once upon a time, there was a young engineer named Max who loved building engines. He dreamed of building the fastest and strongest engine in the world. One day, he was hired by the navy to work on their fleet of ships. Max was so excited!

As he worked on the ships, he learned about an ensign who was in charge of making sure the fleet ran smoothly. The ensign was called the exec and he was very strict about his ships being in top condition. One day, the exec asked Max to build a special engine for a new ship called the fantail.

Max worked tirelessly on the engine and finally finished it. The exec was impressed with how strong and fast it was, but he still wanted to test it. So, they took the fantail out to sea and measured how far it could go in one fathom. To their surprise, the fantail went further than any other ship in the fleet!

The exec was so happy that he gave Max a special award for his hard work. From that day on, Max continued to build engines for the fleet, always making sure to put the best fenders on the ships to protect them from rough seas.

The end.

Reflections

• What did Max want to be when he grew up?
• Who was the exec in the story?
• Why was the exec impressed with Max's engine?
• What was special about the fantail ship?
• How did Max protect the ships from rough seas?