"Where will the story take place?
'Where there are palm trees, of course.'
'What kind of palm trees? For example, there are coconut palms, and
there are date palms, and there are also banana palms.'
'Grandpa,' impatiently, 'I want them all!'
That's one decision.
'Should I put the palm trees on a steeple on top of a tall skyscraper?'
'Just a minute now, Grandpa, who ever heard of palm trees growing on a
steeple on top of a skyscraper? That would be silly. Forget it.'
'How about in the middle of a freeway?'
'C'mon, Grandpa, be serious. A palm tree wouldn't last long in the
middle of a freeway. Cars would bump into it all day long. Nope,
freeways are out, too.'
'By the sea? By the sea? By the beautiful sea?
'Hm, that's a possibility.' Long pause. 'OK, let's go with it.'
'Check. Keep in touch. Over and out.'
'Grandpa?'
'Yes?'
'You and Grandma. Love ya.'
A picture began to form. Three palm trees close to each other on a
beach. They have thick trunks and huge fronds. One palm tree is a
coconut palm, another is a date palm, and the third is a banana palm.
Little waves tumble over each other to the shore, and some distance
behind them are rolling waves and a white, churning surf. Beyond the
surf is the endless sea. A summer breeze is blowing, raising whitecaps.
Two small islands are far out where the sea meets the sky. Add soft,
fleecy clouds. The sky, even with the clouds, is empty. Skies and birds
go well together. There! Three gulls, flying in from the left, low,
skimming the waves.
What's missing? Aha, children! A boy and a girl, about your age. What
are their names? That's your job, Granddaughter. Ask Mother which
letters to draw on a sheet of paper to spell them out. Put the paper into
an envelope, and ask Mother to address the envelope to Grandpa. Don't
forget the postage stamp.
The names arrived in this morning's mail. 'Suzanne' and 'Roger' fit our
characters well. I see you've named their adventures 'The Palm Tree
Stories.' Fine, that's when we'll call them.