The post you replied to wasn't written by me. I found it on SI.
As a general rule, I don't really come up with this stuff. People around me do. I just watch. And sometimes, I write about what I see.
When I lived in the country, I'd walk to town in the afternoon if I wasn't too busy. It was a pleasant journey, passing a pond, big trees, a small wood, and neighbours.
On one such walk, there was a giant pile of leaves in front of a house. Kids were climbing the tree, crawling out on one of the limbs, and dropping on the pile. They were having a wonderful time.
Their mother called them for dinner. The kids seemed deaf. Mother called again, only louder. Still not heard. Then Mother issued a threat: You'll get it if you don't come right now! Still no response. The second threat: You have until I count to ten!
Then she began counting. "One, two, three, four, five, seven, eight, nine, nine and one half." I wondered why she skipped "six?" And why she wimped out and added the "half" after nine, I couldn't figure out either. But then she disappeared into the house, only to emerge a moment later wearing both a jacket and running shoes.
Now that she was dressed more appropriately for carrying out her implied threats, her kids' hearing seemed restored totally. A miracle. They came running.
I shared my observations with my husband. He had no idea why she skipped "six" either.
Cheers, PW.
P.S. I have no idea why I submitted this story. But since I invested the effort to type it, I clicked Submit.
AI
