Encounters with Poison

Spilly said tonight at dinner, "Daddy, can poison kill you?"

Her Daddy said solemnly, "That's what poison IS. It's something that can kill you. And we have poisons in this very house."

"REALLY?" Her eyes grew round.

"Yes. We have bottles that have poison in them, and we use them to clean with. And there's a picture on the bottles that tells you it's poison. And as a matter of fact, I will show you that picture right now. And you must never, never touch these bottles."

Then he got up from the dinner table, went into the laundry room, and came back with a cleaner.

Spilly said in a hushed voice, "Is that POISON?"

"It is poison. And see the picture here. Is that a nice picture?" He pointed to the skull and crossbones.

She whispered, "No."

"That's right. It's not very nice, is it? That picture says, 'Don't touch this. It's poison.'"

She stared at it for awhile. And then she breathed, "Can I touch the bottle right now?"

"Yes," her Daddy said. "You can touch it right now, but only right now."

So she reached out and put her finger on the bottle, snatching it away again as if she'd been burned. And she looked quite scared.

Her Daddy said, "It's okay. The bottle didn't hurt you. It's what's inside that is the poison. That's what you must never, never touch."

She nodded solemnly. Then she whispered, "It didn't hurt me. But it DID give me a pimple."