Faraway stories
<p>A few years ago, my dog Luke and I were climbing the steep hill steps from a nearby beach. My cell phone rang. I was surprised to hear my 4-year-old grandson's chirpy voice: "Hello, Grandma Margaret!" <em>Well, hi!</em> I said; <em>what are you doing right now?</em> Like his father at that age, he spoke in complete and thorough sentences: "I'm having a doughnut with my dad at a restaurant." <em>Wow,</em> I said, <em>that sounds fun. Are you together, just you and your dad? </em>"Yes," he said importantly. His dad whispered something to him. My grandson asked politely, "What are <em>you</em> doing right now, Grandma Margaret?"<em> Well, </em>I said,<em> I just played a game with my dog and a seal at the beach. I threw a stick in the ocean for Luke, and</em> <em>he jumped in the waves and swam after it, then a seal came over and poked at the stick, then Luke brought the stick back to me. All three of us played that game a lot of times. Have you ever heard of that before, a seal and a dog playing with a stick together?</em> "Yes," he said. (Silence while his father and I considered that.) I plowed on: <em>Do you think it would be fun to write a book together about you throwing a stick for a dog and a seal? Maybe you could tell me the story and I could write it down, or you could draw pictures for it.</em> "Yes," he said patiently; "I'm having a <em>chocolate</em> doughnut." And that did beat all faraway stories about seals and beach dogs. </p>