#fenixtj

"I suppose I could."

"You should! When Dama Ash took us, we got to make sandcastles!"

"Perhaps Vaeltilde will have some suggestions, since she has lived near the beach for this time."

"Did you bring your swimsuit?"

"I did not pack it."

"Are you sure the boggans didn't?"

"No, I'm not at all certain of that. Part of what I would like to accomplish on this trip is to let those we visit show us what they wish to."

"Ohh.."

"Not to say we can't ask for things, Ellie, but sometimes it's nice to show off your best stuff to an appreciative audience. Like.... when you have princess dolls and share them with your friends and they really love them?"

She nods. "Have them show off first, and then maybe then the beach."

"And eat all the food, even if it's yucky."

“And explore their libraries, so we know what books they are missing.”

Jessica nods. "Sounds like a plan."

"She's all about the libraries"

"Libraries are important." Jessica agrees.

"Miss Constance thinks so" Ariel says

"I do too."

"My dad says you can tell a lot about people by the books they have."

"Great. now I have get the right kind books" Ariel sighs

"You need music books."

"That would tell us you like music. And what kind of music you like." She points out.

"Oh...I LOVE all sorts"

Jessica nods. Happily, Cynder pretty much takes care of herself in terms of the journey. "And maybe biographies of composers and musicians, or about instruments?"

"Or stories to turn INTO songs..."

"Bevera has lots of story songs..."

"Yes, stories to turn into songs."

"Well, yeah, Dolly Parton wrote "I will always love you" to say good bye to Portner wagner. He didn't want to let her out of her contract for his show but she haed a career, but that song convinced him... then, years later, he got old and sick...and she came to the hospital... and as he was dying and he sang it to him to say good bye" THIS Ariel knows

"Really?"

"Really, she's a great lady...oh, and she made sure all the poor kids in like parts of willows got BOOKS, Salma"

Clearly, Ariel has a heroine

A blink. “You must be mistaken. Poor mijas y mijos do not get books. They get jobs.”

"In America, it's illegal for little kids to have jobs."

"Not thanks to Dolly Parton, she made the imagination library"

"Wait, so making me clean my room was against hte law?" Ariel blinks

"No." firmly.

"Darn" Ariel grumbles "Knew it sounded too good"

"Well, like, in old days kids would work in factories but it's illegal now."

Jess nods agreement.

Ariel looks at Salma "Salma, you won't be made to work like that around us either" A nod "I mean, chores yes, but not like the mines or something"

Ellie looks worried.

"Absolutely not."

Ariel beams "See. Chief Jessica is a friend to childlings. And So is Mr. Duff. They'll probably have like two or three daughters.. maybe a son, but we won't hold that against them"

“Of course not, fruit doesn’t grow in mines, and it’s too dark to fry churros. Will we meet Senora Parton?”

Duff blinks at something Ariel said

Ariel says "I wish. One day I'm going to go to the greatest amusement park on EARTH... the most magical happiest location... I mean Dollywood"

Jessica may have gone selectively deaf.

"Oh, Disney would be all right too" She concedes "They have the princeses"

"I'd like to go to Disney."

“They don’t have anything so fantastic as we are to see on this trip.” Salma observes.

"I hope we enjoy yourselves, but this isn't a vacation trip." Jessica reminds gently. "We are Touring to introduce Ellie to the people of Renaissance, and vice versa."