' It wasn't
long before I was frantically leafing through the encyclopedia I hauled
out to the dining room table as we talked. After all, to this (then) six-
year old, I was 'grandpa', and grandpa, to a six-year old, knows, doesn't
he? Finally, I succumbed to Grandchild's demands.
'OK. I'll write a story, but first I got questions. Holler Mom to the
extension phone. Tell her to bring notepaper and a pencil.'
'Hi, Dad, what's happenin'.'
'Don't ask me, ask my grandchild; she gave me the job. But I wasn't
born yesterday, ol' gramps is switching this around to a family project,
so are you ready, I hope. OK? Write this down and call me back with
the answers. I need a boy character and a girl character. Give them
names. Next, where do they live? Just 'in space' ain't enough. Where in
space? On the moon? On Mars along with that double-jointed six-
wheeler we sent up a few years ago there to sniff around in potholes and
climb over rocks? Where?
'Maybe the characters live on one of the Asteroids? How about one of
Jupiter's dozen or so moons? How about putting them on a pebble or a
grain of sand that whirls along somewhere in an outer ring of Saturn?
Or you folks have a family story conference and make up your own
answers.
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