Except for dragons.

Four-year old boy holding hand-crafted piece of art made of driftwood, cardboard, and tacks

Would you like to make something with me?
he asked, just after I had laid his little brother down for nap and was looking forward to 30 minutes of writing.

Um, yeah…right now?
I said.

Yeah!
he said.
I’m getting pretty good at making bracelets, or we could draw. But probably bracelets, because I can make three different kinds now.

——

Would you like to catch some creatures with me?
he said, handing me a bobby pin.

What’s this for?
I asked.

It’s for catching things,
he said.
I’m very good at it, and don’t worry, it doesn’t hurt any creatures. It just catches them carefully.

Okay,
I said,
how does it work?

Well,
he said,
you squeeze it together, and you can catch any creature you want.

Any creature?
I asked skeptically.

Yeah,
he said enthusiastically.
Any creature.

he paused.

…except for dinosaurs, dragons, and bunnies.

Really?!
I said.
That is a versatile tool!

Yeah!
he said,
and also you can’t really catch polar bears, but you can catch everything else with it.