Martin wanted me to photograph his fantastic snail.**(see note #1)

“Snails are not rolled up worms,” I said. “Have you forgotten everything I taught you about snails?”

“I will try again,” said Martin.

He then made a small trough, poked two holes for eyes, and added some gamepiece-people antennae.**(see note #2)

Iris immediately insisted she could do better.

She spent the rest of her session with Papa trying to take the dough away from him.

Soon after, Iris watched patiently as I quickly re-fabricated Martin’s snail

into a long-bodied, small-shell snail with scraggly eyeballs.

I sat it to eat at the dollhouse table with the dollhouse mama, then I went about making food.

She watched as I magically changed the snail into a lizard,

then she proceeded to practice dissection techniques.

**NOTES**

note #1: Actually, he wanted to photograph my fantastic frog.

note #2: Gamepiece person: