1 Mother 2 Another

With our unseasonably warm weather
we’ve been deluged by mayflies, insects that look like
extremely large mosquitoes. They’re everywhere. All this to
preface the following conversation from a couple days ago:


Cora, the four-year-old: “Mommy, can I please have a
snack-sized plastic container?”


Me: “What for?”


Cora: “We’re catching mayflies and are saving them up
to give to the cat in a few days as a present.”

Me: “You’ve caught mayflies
before and just given them to the cat to eat; why do you need the
plastic case?”


Cora: “We want to catch a BUNCH over the next several days
and give them to her all at once.”


Me: “You know the mayflies will die in the container,
don’t you?”


Cora: “We know. That’s ok. I’m sure she’ll
eat them dead, and this way we’ll have a bunch. Maybe a week
or so of saving up the mayflies and she’ll have a
feast!”


Me (pictures of roaches and flies coming to feast on the dead
insects): “No. You may not keep dead mayflies in the
house.”


Cora: “Why not?”


Me: “Because the dead carcasses will attract other animals
that eat dead animals, and I don’t want THOSE kinds of
animals in the house.”


Cora runs away to the next room and says to her sister Maddie:
“Mom said no. We can’t keep dead mayflies because
they’ll attract scavengers.”


Maddie: “Like what?”


Cora, thoughtfully: “I guess like Tasmanian Devils, since
they eat dead carcasses.”


Maddie, scornfully: “No, there are no Tasmanian Devils in
North America! Hey,” she continues brightly, “Turkey
vultures are indigenous to North America! I bet the dead mayflies
would attract turkey vultures.”


Pause.


Maddie, in a dangerously thoughtful voice: “Hmm, I’ve
always wanted to see a live turkey vulture . . . “


This is my life.