Few things feel more comfortable, indulgent, and relaxing than closing out a chilly fall day by snuggling into bed and reading a book. Well, maybe “relaxing” isn’t quite accurate when you are joined by your introspective and inquisitive 7 year old who finds a way to turn even a fantastical Roald Dahl book into a deep and existential pop quiz. In order, conducted rapid-fire, and – I assure you – receiving pretty sub-par responses from his mother as her cognitive speed leaves a lot to be desired by 8pm on a school night:

• “Is Roald Dahl still alive?”
• “How old was he when he died?”
• “Do you think he’s in heaven?”
• “What *is* heaven?”
• “Okay. What’s a soul?”
• “Hm… so where does the soul live in my body?”
• (here’s where you can tell my answers were no longer satisfactory to him): “Can you ask Google?”

Maybe tomorrow I’ll suggest I just sing lullabies instead.