The Mind Reader

A family scene in the woods.

A man and his wife were walking through a park with their son. As they passed a plastic jungle gym coated with a layer of protective rubber, the father looked down and smiled.

“Jack, I have a riddle for you.”

Jack smiled up at his father, David, who seemed very old to Jack, but was actually only 29. Jack was seven. His mother, Carolyn, was 31 … and annoyed.

She rolled her eyes and sighed, heavily. “Do you have to do this now?”

David frowned, slightly. He looked her in the eye and raised an eyebrow, but said nothing.

“Can’t we ever just walk without talking? Silence can be lovely, if you allow it to be.”

“No, Mommy! I want to solve it,” Jack cried, and his mother’s face softened.

“Ok,” she sighed.

Jack and David smiled. The latter clapped his hands and rubbed his palms together like Mister Miyagi and started to speak.

“As I was going to St. Ives, I met a man with seven wives….”

“Oh not this one,” his wife groaned. “You’re only using this one because you made me sit through Die Hard 3 again last week … for the millionth time.”

David scrunched up his face and pulled his lips over his teeth as if he’d just eaten a lemon before launching into his impression of Bogart. “It’s entertaining, see. Now pipe down, wife, and let’s find out if Jacky-boy can solve it.”

Carolyn grinned and playfully punched him on the arm, then nodded. David paused, thoughtfully. “Where was I?”

“You were going to St. Ives and met a man with seven wives.”

“Yes. I met a man with seven wives. Each wife had seven sacks. Each sack had seven cats. Each cat had seven kits. Kits, cats, sacks, and wives … how many were there going to St. Ives?

“One.”

David and Carolyn looked at each other in shock.

“Our son’s brilliant!” she screamed.

The boy smiled, sheepishly, but Jack's father noticed his son's grin was somewhat s**t-eating. The answer far too quick. Something was afoot.

“Either that or he watched Die Hard 3 when he wasn’t supposed to,” David said like Clint Eastwood, through squinted eyes.

Jack said nothing, but his face turned red and his eyes became shifty.

“I thought so,” David said with a grin and playful pat on the shoulder. His son stared up at him for a moment, eyeing him the way a person would a wizard or magician, if that person wasn’t already way too jaded to be impressed by such childish things.

“Dad?” Jack began.

“Yes son?”

“Can you read my thoughts?”

“Yes son,” his father answered with a grin, as they continued through the park in silence, to the delight of Carolyn.  

Reviews

[Saad]

The manner you describe the exchange of dialogue is good :)