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“See, a link is part of a chain, and the best kinds of chains are chains of sausages.”

Sgt. Vincent Trent smiled as Lil' Robert Ludlow, his five-year-old neighbor, was holding forth – as usual – to whoever was caught up with him for that day.  He of course had no idea that he, the youngest on the cul-de-sac, was the last to learn anything.  He was just so engaging that it didn't even matter that he was the last to know.

On this day, big brother Andrew Ludlow, who was 10, was devotedly and patiently listening.

“You know, I never thought about it quite that way, Robert,” he said, “but yeah, sausage chains and the links from there are pretty amazing.”

“And you know what the best part is?” Lil' Robert said.

“What?”

“I was hearing Vanna and Velma [Trent] having a sad conversation about some of their relatives being held in chains – but that will never happen here.  Nobody is going to waste sausages here.  Nobody is ever going to hurt anybody here.”

“We're surely not, Robert,” Andrew said, “except ourselves by eating too many chains of sausages.”

“Yeah, but that's why we need to get busy and grow,” Lil' Robert said, and patted his stomach.  “There are so many good links in the world, and this stomach right here is getting ready for them.  Next week, when I'm closer to your size, I expect to actually be able to eat two or three of those big links.”

“Well, Robert, the stomach doesn't grow quite that fast –I still have trouble with those big links, and I'm five years older than you.”

“That's just a shame,” Lil' Robert said.  “Maybe I should ask for two drops of coffee in my morning milk with Papa.”

“I don't think that's how that works, Robert.  I think God has to take care of all the size things, when He gets ready.”

Lil' Robert sat down and thought about that.

“So we don't have any control over it?” he said.

“Nope, I don't think so,” Andrew said.

“Well,” Lil' Robert said, “I'm not here to argue with God.  I mean, if I got too big too soon, there wouldn't be any links for anyone else, so, God knows what He is doing.  But He's going to give me a lot of money when I get big, because I'm going to be eating a lot more links then.”