the thing that made me laugh hardest today

My 4-year-old niece spends far too much time around boys because of the shortage of female offspring in our family (her closest cousins are my 2 boys, and 3 more boys on her mom’s side).

Chief among the kidly preoccupations is the making of costume battle things out of wood, paper, duct tape, glue, and sometimes Lego. They then gear up and play in the fort they built in our backyard. As far as I understand it, the saga involves a generations-long bloody feud between two royal families. Or at least I think it’s why they sometimes wear elaborate head-gear and capes. The dialogue is nothing short of riveting. Except that sometimes it sounds like 20 kids, instead of 3, in the backyard.

Anyway, we were out doing some shopping when this happened:

• Niece helps an old couple with their fallen bag at the grocery store.

Lady:  Oh, thank you!

Niece:  (in a made-up voice that sounds like a cross between a chipmunk and the possessed Linda Blair in “The Exorcist”)  You’re welcome.

• Niece runs up to her cousins.

Niece:  (excited)  Kuya! I used my weird voice, and the people looked at me funny.

I wish I could show you a photo of the old couple post-”weird voice” treatment.