M walked in on me while I was shaving this morning and quickly closed the door and leaned on it. She smiled and said hello and then turned around and looked at the crack between the wall and the door. She turned back to me, satisfied with something that was escaping my sleep addled brain and chatted about three year old things; a dream about horses and going to school today and the like.
After about half a minute later she paused, inspected the door again and pushed on it so it closed again.* The door squeaked, she looked through the crack and then leaned back on the door and started talking to me about visiting Kellen or Locky today. She talked about her friends for about another half a minute before doing the door inspection again. At this point I realised something was up.
“What’s going on M?” I asked.
“I’m looking for the lion.”
M peered back at the door again and I followed suit. She looked back at me again with a slightly anxious expression.
“I don’t want the lion to get in,” she said.
I frowned at the door as it all suddenly dawned on me; the storybook last night.
“Do you mean the Library Lion?”
“Yes.”
“Oh.”
M looked back at the door and took a step away from it as I put my hand on the handle.
“I don’t think there are any lions in our house,” I ventured.
“Why?”
“Well they can’t fit through our front door,” I said.
M looked out the slowly widening gap as I opened the door to the bedroom.
“I’m pretty sure there are no lions in the bedroom.”
M took a further step back and around behind the opening door; I hadn’t inspired her with confidence.
“Yep, just as I suspected,” I began. “No lions.”
M peered around the door into the bedroom. Seeing no lions she followed me out of the bathroom and paused staring intently at the next door; the one to the hallway. I noticed her mental leap straight away.
“Do you want to know another reason why there are no lions in our house?” I asked.
“Yes.”
“There are no lions in China.”
“Why are there no lions in China?”
“Because lions come from Africa.”
“Oh,” she droned as she looked at me thoughtfully. “Are there lions in Australia?”
We chatted about lions as we went downstairs, but the knowledge that there are no lions in China, reinforced by the fact that lions are from Africa was what she needed. I think we might shelve that book for a while. It is a fantastic book, but we don’t need M freaked out again.
*Our door was made and installed in China so it was disadvantaged from the start.
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