        He tore his attention away from the book for a moment, and looked back at the alien.  He had been reminded of the Black Lab he’d had as a kid when it brought the book over in its mouth.  Did it want to play fetch?  Surely it could have found a better object than a book to throw—there was a forest less than ten yards away.  Besides, who came all the way across the vast reaches of space to play a game of fetch?