Last fall, I tried writing a children's book for my niece, Emma. It was about a gorilla named Jacqueline who lives in a zoo and the zookeeper is teaching Jacqueline sign language. One day, the zookeeper teaches Jacqueline the sign for "I love you." Excited Jacqueline signs "I love you" to all the animals around her but none of them understand. Not discouraged, Jacqueline tries to sign "I love you" to all the people visiting the zoo, but they all think the gorilla is just doing funny things with her hands. Jacqueline tries one last time and signs to a little girl walking with her parents eating ice cream. The little girl gets so excited that she drops her ice cream cone and rushes down the stairs toward Jacqueline's cage, signing back to Jacqueline.
I like that ending even though it doesn't go anywhere. I don't want it to go anywhere. I want Jacqueline and the little girl to live in that ending. It's beautiful and who the hell am I to take that away from them even if they aren't real?
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