On the beach, Jack asked his grandad to help build a sandcastle. Grandad had been a builder for forty years.
He checked the ground and planned the moat while Jack did all the building.
Then Grandad handed him a bill. Jack asked what he was supposed to pay for….
Jack took two buckets and a spade to the beach. His grandad, Bill, brought a tape measure.
Jack asked what it was for.
Bill said he had built houses for forty years. He wasn’t going to guess where the walls belonged.
They chose a patch of damp sand. Bill tested it with his shoe.
A little soft.
Jack said that was why it went in buckets.
Bill suggested moving two yards further up. Jack carried the buckets.
Bill looked at the sea.
We’ll need drainage.
Jack began digging a moat.
Not so close to the walls, Bill said.
There aren’t any walls yet.
That’s when you want to plan.
Bill drew lines in the sand. Jack asked whether the castle would have towers.
Bill said they should agree on the floor plan first.
Jack filled a bucket and turned it over. It made an excellent tower. He added another.
Bill moved the spare bucket so nobody would trip. Then he moved it again because it was in the access route.
Jack joined the towers with a wall. His sister brought shells. Their mum planted a little flag on top.
Bill stood back and checked the castle from three sides.
Looks good, he said.
Jack thanked him for helping.
Bill asked whether he had kept the receipt for the buckets.
Mum told Bill it was a sandcastle, not a housing estate.
Old habits, he said.
He took a small notebook from his pocket and began writing. Jack dug a road to the drawbridge.
When the castle was finished, Bill tore out the page and handed it over.
It listed one site visit, a ground check and advice on drainage.
Jack looked at the total.
But I built all of it.
Bill nodded.
Jack asked what he was supposed to pay for.
That’s why the labour’s free.
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