H.o.p.(out of the blue starts telling me a story):
One day, a mouse was digging in the ground because he wanted to be a paleontologist and a rock star…
Ho ho.
Because I caught it, he regaled me thereafter with a number of variations.
* * * * * * * *
We were talking about ecosystems earlier.
Me: You know what an ecosystem is, right?
H.o.p: Yeah! (Jumps up and zigzags the room with hands cupped to mouth.) Echo, echo, echo, echo….