We are standing on a hill, Sam and me, under a crescent moon. We've grown bold and brought a flashlight with us so we could dawdle along and not worry about hurrying home before darkness falls and obscures the way while scorpions scamper beneath our feet. Our first star twinkles on and we make our wishes and Sam aske me what I wished for. 'Grace, strength, and courage,' I say. And he says, 'That's not a real wish. You already have those things inside you, you're supposed to wish for something you don't have.'
And this makes my heart soar and sets me free and, like a kid again, not always dutifully determined to save the world first, I close my eyes and wish again for the first real thing that comes to mind--vanilla ice cream with chocolate sauce.
