Benny looked at his telescope longingly. "Do you have to go to that dumb old party tonight? Jenny won't let me watch the eclipse. I can't miss it! Please?" Dad kneeled down in front of him. "I know this means a lot to you, but this is for my work. Believe me, I don't want to go."

"Where could they be?" asked Damien.Mom shook her head. "I don't know, but I'll keep calling. We can wait here, maybe they just went to the store."Damien frowned. "I hope so, but I don't think they'd all go."The two sat on the porch for over an hour before Mom's phone rang.

"Danny, we've talked about this. You can't have a dog until you can prove that you can take care of it. An apartment really isn't the right place for one anyway." Danny put the bright blue leash back on the shelf, and sighed. "I know I'd be able to do a great job of taking care of a dog. I'd never forget to feed or walk him, Mom."

"Why do you get to choose before you do one, Wes? It just isn't fair." Wes held up his hands. "One of us has to start the game, right? I'm the oldest, and I'll still have to take a turn. In the end it won't matter that I went first, but someone has to. Or we'll never get started. You do want to play, don't you Kevin?"

"At this rate I'll never get to see Heaven," he grumbled. "Damien, you aren't going anywhere until you finish folding the laundry." Damien sighed. "But Mom, it's Saturday. The only day of the week I can spend all day there!"

"What's all the fuss about, Pierre?" Pierre stopped sharpening his knife, and looked up. He put the stone next to him on the rough bench, and placed the knife in its sheath. "Don! This must be your first trip into town this summer. Did you have a good catch?"