#bergen_county

He beams at her. "Until they get big like you. Then they have even MORE room for Nonsense."

That spurs a little laugh.

"Fair enough."

And he chips away at his little block of bass wood. "Does bass wood float? Or does it need flippers and a bubble-ring?"

"You know, the ones with the air in them that people use at the beach on TeeVee. And they run sloooooow over the sand." A grin.

"It does float, yeah. So your fish could float..."

A pause. "He might float sideways, but that's okay with wooden fish."

He sets the knife down and holds up the piece of wood! It's... a lumpy piece of wood. But maybe if you squint a little bit, there could be a fin here, a gouge there for an eye? And a frown. No, it's upside down. A slash for a smile! "It's really a bass-wood now."

"Exactly. So, you could carve more if you wanted, or you can shape by sanding. You want me to show you some good cuts to make him fishier?"

He looks it over again, and frowns a little. "Is it not fishy now?"

"It is fishy!"