"Papa, Tink took my stuffed gunkee!" Janner's large blue eyes stared up at Esben's imploringly, as if to say, "I know you can do something about it, Papa, because you can do anything." Esben melted before his son's gaze and turned to chastise Tink. However, Tink, though only three years old, foresaw what was coming and had raced into his mother's arms, still clutching the gunkee and sucking his thumb. He knew how to make himself adorable. Husband's eyes met wife's eyes.

"Esben," said Nia while looking at Tink sympathetically, "Tell Janner that Tink can play with his gunkee."

"But, Nia, really..." Esben glanced back down at Janner whose eyes had now filled with tears. How could he deny his son?

Just then, Artham appeared around the corner of the castle carrying Leeli. "What's the matter here?" he inquired jovially. Sighing, Nia cast an eye at Esben, and he took the cue.

"Tink took Janner's toy, and, like any good ShareSkreeist*, Nia wants me to tell Janner that's okay," he explained with a wink at Nia. She tossed her head and looked away so he couldn't see her smile.

"But Uncle Arthie, it's my gunkee!" pleaded Janner as the tears rolled down his cheek. Kneeling down, Artham looked him gravely in the eye and said,

"You are right, Janner, it is yours. And if you don't want your brother to play with it, well, I shouldn't make you. But if your brother had a flabbit that you wanted to play with, wouldn't you want him to let you play with it? And if so, shouldn't you let him play with your gunkee?" Janner stared at him with eyes round as saucers, obviously processing what his uncle had just told him. Then, nodding slowly, he replied,

"Yes, sir." Artham smiled approvingly. Before he could rise, however, Janner added, "But if he didn't let me play with it, I would still take it anyway." Letting out a laugh, Esben said,

"Well, now you understand your brother a little more." Nia just shook her head with some amusement. Janner and Tink ran off to play, Tink still clutching the much-discussed gunkee. Artham followed with Leeli. Several minutes later, the two boys reappeared, and Janner now held his beloved toy.

Still smiling, Esben put his arm around Nia. "Sometimes you just have to leave them to themselves and let them resolve their differences on their own. If they have to fight it out, they'll fight it out, and when it's over they'll be none the worse for wear. Though I'm not sure Artham ever fully recovered from our fights..." Nia finally let herself laugh.

"Oh, Esben, do you have to make a joke out of everything?"

"Who, me?" answered her husband, stepping back as if offended. "Mr. Sombre himself? Now what on Aierwiar could you mean?" Nia only shook her head.

"Sometimes I wish you'd grow up," she threw at him as she walked towards the castle. He grinned.

"No you don't," he called. She halted and turned to smile at him adoringly.

"No, I don't."

*A misguided group of Skreeans led by Marl Karx who believed that the land of Skree and all its resources should belong to everyone in common. They led a revolution against the rulers in Skree and planned to spread the rebellion throughout all of Aierwiar. However, their movement fell apart when someone asked to share Marl's drink. Marl, a germophobe, vehemently refused, and his followers realized that their rebellion could not continue. See The Shareskreeist Manifesto by Marl Karx (Symar House Publishers, 237).