I'm A Gypsy

My nephew, Paxton, is five.  He is very inquisitive and asks me a lot of questions.  Most of the time, when I don't know the answer for something, or the answer is a little too grown up and takes a lot of explaining, I will make up stories.

For example, this summer when we were at my sister's wedding there were some mushrooms growing in the grass.  Paxton liked to go over to them and stomp on them.  He was wearing nice wedding shoes, so I told him the obvious.  That fairies make their homes out of mushrooms so stomping on them meant they would have to move, or worse, that an entire fairy family could get killed if they were sleeping inside their house.  He was a little shocked at first.  So I told him I was pretty certain the fairy family was out of their house running to the fairy grocery store or fairy post office.  But he stopped stomping on mushrooms.  Gross.

I had to see a pediatrist about a growth on the bottom of my foot.  She ended up treating it with acid and the skin blistered and peeled away--like a burn.  Bottom line--It was gross.  It didn't hurt, but it looked disgusting.  Once when Paxton saw it he freaked his melon.  "WHAT HAPPENED TO YOUR FOOT?!"  Ah.  Perfect opportunity for a story.  I myself have no idea how I got this plantars wart/growth/gross thing on my foot.  So, of course, I had to make up a story.  One night when I was sleeping it was very cold outside and a baby dragon floated into my room and crawled under my covers to get warm.  I accidentally kicked the baby dragon in my sleep and HE BIT MY FOOT! But don't worry.  These dragons only live in South Dakota.  He wasn't scared, but he was horrified that I would make this story up.  My mom, his mom and I keep telling him that I make up stories when I don't know the answer or what happened, but it is still fun to see his reaction.  However, it has made referring to that thing on the bottom of my foot a little easier as I now just call it the "dragon bite".

Anyway, the funniest story came today when he and his mom and sister were visiting me at a coffee shop when they stopped through town. 

Me:  I just can't wait until I have my own place and you guys can come over and hang out sometime!

Paxton:  Ummmm.  Why do you have to live in different places all the time?

Me:  Well, it's because I'm actually a gypsy.  I live in a covered wagon with potions and tapestries on the wall.  And jars full of fairy dust!

Paxton:  A COVERED WAGON??!!  Do you have jars with eyeballs?  What about boogers?

Me:  Yes.  Yes.  And yes ground-up boogers in jars, very good for spells.

Paxton:  Oh.

Love,
Aunt Nik