Several parts were labeled in uneven handwriting.
Big wheels.
Soft seat.
No getting stuck.
Secret snack box.
Her father studied the page.
Then pointed toward the last label.
“Secret snack box?”
She nodded seriously.
“For emergencies.”
“What kind of emergencies?”
She looked at him as though he had asked the world's most foolish question.
“When I want cookies.”
He burst out laughing.
Then studied the drawing again.
“What do the big wheels do?”
She pointed.
“They go over the grass.”
“And the seat?”
“So my back doesn't hurt.”
He nodded.
“And the star?”
Her expression softened.
For several seconds, she looked down at the notebook.
Then answered.
“That's so I can find you if I get lost.”
Her father became still.
He looked at the little star.
Then at his daughter.
“Sweetheart, I won't let you get lost.”
She shook her head.
“No, Daddy. I mean when I'm doing adventures.”
He smiled faintly.
She continued.
“If you're far away, I can look at the star and remember where home is.”
For some reason, those words struck him deeply.
He reached toward the notebook.
“May I?”
She handed it to him.
He examined the sketch more carefully.
Then asked, “What if we tried making something like this?”
Her eyes widened.
“Really?”
He nodded.
“We'd need help from people who know wheelchair design and fitting. But we could explore the idea.”
She stared at him.
Then her entire face lit up.
“Can it go on grass?”
“We can ask.”
“Can it go to the pond?”
“We'll find out.”
“Can it have the snack box?”
He smiled.
“That's the most important engineering requirement, obviously.”
She laughed.
Then leaned forward and hugged him.
He wrapped his arms around her.
For a long moment, they remained together beside the workshop door.
Then the girl whispered, “Daddy?”
“Yes?”
“Can we put the star right where I can see it?”
He kissed the top of her head.
“Absolutely.”
That evening, after his daughter fell asleep, her father opened the notebook again.
He sat at the kitchen table with a pencil, ruler, and several sheets of graph paper.
He studied her drawing.
Then began translating the child's imaginative ideas into questions a qualified equipment designer could evaluate.
How much resistance did the small front wheels create on grass?
Could different wheel geometry make outdoor movement easier?
Could the seating arrangement be adjusted as she grew?