Making a Sandcastle

“Hey Jake!” called Midge as she and Booker-T went through the gate at Jake's house. “Where are you?”

“Hey Jake!” called Booker-T.

They stood staring at the front door and Jake didn't reply back to them.

“Do you think he is still inside sleeping?” asked Booker-T.

“Maybe,” said Midge. “Lets go inside through his doggie door and check up on him.”

They started to go to the backyard when Jake came around the corner.

“Hi you guys,” greeted Jake. “When did you get here?”

“A few minutes ago,” said Midge. “Did you hear us calling you?”

“I didn't hear you” said Jake. “I was in the laundry room and the washing machine was running.”

“Do you want to go play in that sand at the school,” asked Midge.

“What are we going to do in a sandbox,” asked Jake. “We don't play in sand.”

“I want to make a sandcastle,” smiled Midge.

“And how are we going to make a sandcastle?” asked Jake. “We don't have any hands.”

“I thought about that all night long,” said Midge. “We can hold the scoop in our mouth and fill the pail with sand.”

“After you put the sand in the bucket, if you can,” said Booker-T. “What will you do with it?”

“I think we can tip over the pail and then bang on the bottom of the pail so the sand falls out. I saw the kids do that one time. Don't you think we can?”

“I know you Midge,” laughed Jake. “So I have to say maybe you can.”

“You can dig in the sand, Jake,” said Booker-T. “I have seen you dig holes in the back yard to bury your bones.”

“I'm pretty good at digging holes,” smiled Jake. “But this will be different. More than just digging holes.”

“I can dig holes too,” said Midge. “and I know you can too Booker-T.”

“But we don't need holes,” said Jake shaking his head at them. “We need sand piled up to make a castle.”

“Aren't the kids going to school now?” asked Jake. “We can't play in the sand if they are out there playing in it.”

“Maybe,” said Midge. “But most of the time, they will be in the classroom. We can play in the sand while they are in class.”

“If the kids are out there we can go to the park and swim a little,” said Jake.

“Okay” agreed Midge as she and Booker-T followed Jake out of the gate.

They walked along the sidewalk to the school. When they walked int the school yard they found three little boys in the sand box and close by sitting on the wall were two young ladies.

“Do you think they are the mothers of those boys” asked Midge.

“Maybe,” said Jake as they sat down in the grass and watched the boys.

“Look Jake,” said Booker-T. “They are making a castle.”

“We can watch them a while and see how they are building it,” said Jake.

“But we can't do it the same way they are,” said Midge. “We don't have hands, remember?”

“You are the one who wants to build a castle,” said Jake. “Yes I remember we don't have hands.”

The three sat down to watch them.

“Why aren't they in school?” asked Booker-T.

“They look like they are too young for school,” said Midge.

“I don't think they started school yet,” said Jake.

They continued to watch the boys as they made their castle bigger and bigger. In a short time, the ladies walked over to the sandbox and told them it was time to go home. The boys got up and went with the ladies. They stood up and watched them walk away.

When the boys left, they went to the sandbox to check out the sandcastle that stood in the middle of the sandbox. They walked around the sandbox looking at it from all sides.

“They made it really tall,” said Midge.

“It sure is tall,” laughed Jake. “Maybe we can change the castle and make it smaller.”

They walked around the castle again staring at the tall sand piled up.

“Do you know what to do with it?” asked Booker-T.

“Maybe,” said Midge with a small hesitation in her voice.

“What do you want to do with it?” asked Jake.

“Maybe we should start by pushing some of this sand off the top and make it shorter,” said Midge as she used her foot to push some of the top down.

The three started pushing and digging to change the castle's shape and patted down the sand with their feet. After a short time, they stepped back to take another look at the castle.

“I think it looks good Jake,” said Midge. “What do you think?”

“It does look better,” said Jake. “Maybe a little more work and it will look a lot better.”

They did some more digging and pushing up some sand to the side of the castle and made it wider and Booker-T dug a small moat around the base of the castle. “Don't you think it looks good now?” asked Booker-T.

“Hey you guys!” called Gabby as he swooped in and sat on the edge of the tire. “What you are you three doing?”

“Do you like our castle?” asked Midge.

“How did you build the castle?” asked Gabby. “It does look pretty good.”

“We didn't build it,” said Jake. “We only worked on it and made it better.”

“Who built it?” asked Gabby.

“There were three little boys playing in the sand who made it,” said Midge. “We fixed it to be better after they left to go home with their mothers.”

“I like it,” smiled Gabby. “You did good.”

“I think we did good too,” agreed Midge. “Jake didn't think we could do it.”

“But we didn't make it from the beginning,” said Jake. “We only worked on what someone else already did.”

“I guess you are right,” said Midge. “But we did good at remodeling it.”

“I will agree we did that,” said Jake. “I hear the school bell. Lets go home before they come out the door.”

The three hurried to leave the school yard with Gabby flying above them.