The trip was very very long. It was always a long trip from the families house in east Kansas to grandmas. Grandma lived in Michigan. Little Joey would always ask his father where grandma lived and his dad would hold up his hand and point to a spot on the far left and toward the top of his palm, right where that little crease was the deepest. Joey always thought it was funny that grandma lived on his fathers hand in the deep crease. But his father was old and big and had grey hair and so. . .he was very smart. It was very late in the afternoon and the fighting and the yelling and the hair pulling in the back seat had ended almost an hour ago. Joey hated being the youngest and the smallest. It meant that every trip he would have to sit in the back between his older sister and even older brother. His mother and father sat up front. Sometimes they would hold hands on long trips, that was the only time Joey liked the middle seat, because he was the only one who got to see them hold hands. He always thought it was funny that they held hands, but he figured that since his dad was very smart he knew what he was doing. As the trip dragged on and the car was deathly silent and Joey’s sister and brother were sleeping and his mother and father were holding hands, Joey began to play the letter game. He would watch every sign hoping to see the next letter he needed to complete the alphabet. There was obviously no competition, but Joey liked the game so much that he would play to beat his own best record. Besides, when he played with his brother and sister they would always yell “You didn’t see that one first I did” and because they were bigger there was nothing he could do about it. While he was playing the letter game he read a sign announcing that the 'Wild Prairie Grass Restoration Site' was coming up. Joey did not know what a prairie grass was and he did not want to disturb the silence to ask his very smart father, but he was very pleased that someone had decided to restore them. Completely forgetting about his game, Joey began to concentrate on the horizon to try to find a prairie grass. It was difficult to see out of the left hand side because his brother had his pillow pushed up against the window. But he figured that a prairie grass would most likely be out in the fields on the right of the car. So he perched up in his seat, leaning far out to see past his sleeping sister. He watched intently for a prairie grass to come onto the scene. The car drove past an area with very high and yellow grass. Joey thought it funny to have such high and yellow grass so late in the year when it had gotten cold and the first frost had already come. But it was not high and yellow grass that he was concerned with, it was prairie grassess. The car turned ever so slightly right as it maneuvered the winding highway, just as it did Joey saw something in the high and yellow grass. He could not tell what it was but it was going very fast, faster than the car. It was coming from behind and catching up quickly. “Faster, dad, go faster!” Joey thought to himself. As he stared, the figure began to come into focus. It looked like a man, a very white man with very long hair in the back that flowed in the breeze. The mans face was chiseled and his eyes looked intently forward. The man was wearing no shirt and Joey assumed he was naked, but the high and yellow grass was covering the man from the waist down so he wasnt sure. The man was running very fast and Joey was very awestruck at his speed. It was not long before the man caught up along side the car. “Go faster dad or we’ll lose him!” Joey muttered. What was that, said Joey’s father. The noise scared Joey. His eyes darted to the front seat. His mother and father were no longer holding hands. How long had the prairie grass been out there, how long had he been mezmorized by its existence. “Uh, nothing dad, just wondering how much longer”. “Well were right about here” said his dad, pointing to a spot low on his palm.” Joey looked back out the window again. The prairie grass was still there, gaining, gaining, gaining, now passing. Joey’s eyes were glued, the prairie grass looked over at the car, not losing his pace as he turned. Joey turned his head away from pure embarrassment, his mother had always told him that it was rude to stare. But this might be the only time he would ever see a prairie grass. "sorry mom" he thought and quickly looked back up, the prairie grass was gone, but Joey was sure that in that split second, when their eyes had met, the prairie grass had smiled at him. Joey was now content having seen a prairie grass, he thought that maybe later, after they leave the crease of his fathers hand and get back to their home in Kansas he will tell his father about his encounter with the prairie grass and see what he thinks, because after all he is very smart. But for now he would enjoy his time at grandmas.

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