I am walking through the kitchen towards the trash can.
I notice - sitting perfectly still - on the edge of the counter - near the pantry - a BUG!
I yell across the kitchen, "Little Billy - come get this bug."
He walks across the tile floor to where I am standing. He looks around and says, "Where - what bug?"
I point to the counter, "There - see it? Get it!"
He keeps his hands at his side, bends at the waist, cocks his head sideways, puts his face really close to the tiny creature and says, "What makes you think I want to get it?"
I step back a few steps - fearing the bug is going to lunge or flitter off the counter in my direction and say, "Because that's what boys do - they get the bugs."
He looks up at me strangely, wrinkles his nose and says, "That's what boys do?"
I say, "Yes. Now, get the bug! And be careful - it's a stink bug. Don't let it stink on you." I step forward close enough to push him towards the bug.
He jumps back and says, "It sings? What do you mean ... it sings?"
I walk over near the sink, retrieve a paper towel, walk back and hand it to him and say, "I said STINK - STINK. Now - GET THE BUG!"
On the upside ...This bug - this stink bug - just sitting on the edge of my kitchen counter - watching and listening to our conversation and not twitching even so much as an eyelash - suddenly ... stands up on his hind legs, puts his little hands on his hips, opens up his tiny little bug mouth and begins to sing ....... "A ---- Weem A Way ... A - Weem A Way ... A - Weem A Way ... A - Weem A Way ... A - Weem A Way ... A - Weem A Way ... A - Weem A Way ... A - Weem A Way ......... In the jungle ... the mighty jungle ... the lion sleeps tonight," and Little Billy and I both look in the bug's direction in total astonishment. We glance back quickly into each others shocked faces while the bug continues, with his little arms now stretched high in the air above his stinky little head, in a very high pitched bug-like voice, "In the jungle ... the quiet jungle ... the lion sleeps tonight," and he is really belting out the song now, and has thrown in a few fancy Broadway-stage dance moves to enhance his very entertaining night-club performance. Then ... the bug stops singing ... points his tiny little finger at Little Billy, throws back his head ... and laughs - HA HA HA!
Okay - So what really happened was ... I grabbed the paper towel from my brave little man's hand, squashed the "singing" bug inside of it and threw it into the trash.
(I really wish it had happened the other way ... that would have been a story Little Billy would have never forgotten).