Maggie entered the spacious dining room and scanned the crowd, looking for some sign of Sam. Around her, family members of various sizes, shapes, and ages scampered to their seats. Those who had passed the time in their life of scampering walked deliberately, but with a distinguishable bounce in their step.

Not finding Sam, Maggie approached the nearest chair and pulled it out.		  
 
 
 

"Thanks!" A blonde cousin no more than three feet tall pounced on the empty chair. "This is my spot."
Maggie started wandering around the perimeter of the room, hoping to find Sam. Or a flashing neon sign telling her where to sit.

Finding neither, Maggie reluctantly took an empty seat at the far end of the table and looked around, waiting for the seat's owner to swoop down and reclaim it.

"Aaarhhh!" Maggie spurted as she felt a hand grip her leg.

"Hey there hot stuff," Sam said as he stealthily stuck his head out from under the table, scanning the room. "Have you seen George?"

"Who's George?"

"You know, little kid, blonde hair, likes to play with fire trucks, eat pork rinds a lot. I'm hiding from him."

"Maybe. I'm not sure. "

"No biggie." Sam crawled out from under the table. "So you found our seats, huh?"
She nodded.

"TIME TO EAT!" Sam's grandpa called out as his grandma clanged an old-fashioned dinner bell with the handle of a wooden spoon. More...