Hello.

Hi, kiddo...

Hi, Uncle Hector. Can I play with your kitty? It's so cute...

Do you have candy?

I don't have any candy, but you can play with my cat. He's old, so you have to be gentle.

He's old? So, he will get the Blissful Sleep treatment soon?

...

*cough*

Perhaps...

Then I'll be very gentle!

They said on TV that the elderly should be led with kind persistence to that big building.

I'll pretend our house is a huge palace!

What are you playing?

I'm sad. Mommy and daddy had a fight.

Don't worry, they'll make up.

Really? Good, 'cause I don't feel like telling my kindergarten teacher about their fight.

I don't want to do that at all!

What are you playing?

You know what I do want to do? Learn more about astronauts! Marcus told me that astronauts who don't have any oxygen in space go "Pop!" That made me laugh...

I laugh every time I think about an astronaut going pop in his... his...

Spacesuit?

Yeah...

What do you want, Zlata?

Can you build us a sandbox - one filled with unlimited toys?

And real shovels for digging up treasure? And edible sand?

With a real shelter below it - one with the Wise Leader in it?

And with your cat not going there...

I'm sorry, Zlata, but I'm not planning on building a sandbox.

Why not? This building is boring without a sandbox! I have to play with the same things every day!

A sandbox would make it so much better!

Just think of all the things we could make out of sand! Sand pies, sand cakes, more sand pies...

I simply don't have the resources.

Marcus and I have decided to start a petition to build a sandbox and then send it to the Ministry.

But that would make my work here much harder!

What good are you if we can't have a sandbox?

I'm sorry you feel that way.

Not as sorry as we are about not having a sandbox! Our parents pay taxes, so you have to listen to us!

Who's your friend?

Marcus, our neighbor. He's fun and nice, and we were born on the same day!

We play games! We played firefighters yesterday!

But his dad took the matches away from us. He ruined our game!

Your dad did the right thing,. Matches aren't toys!

You don't understand... How can I be a firefighter if there's no fire to fight?

The whole point of being a firefighter is to make sure there are NO flames anywhere!

Then build us a sandbox; nothing will burn in it.