A Shrimpy Life Span

(My six-year-old brother and I are enjoying a bit of rock-pooling on the beach. My brother has found a shrimp which he calls ‘Shrimpy’, and puts him in a bucket.)

Mum: “C’mon, almost time to go home.”

Brother: “Can I keep Shrimpy as a pet?”

Mum: “No, he’s a wild animal. He belongs in his habitat, not a bucket. Put him back.”

(Very reluctantly, my brother tips Shrimpy’s bucket into a stream that runs down the beach. Shrimpy seems to wave goodbye, until suddenly he runs up against a sea anemone, which starts eating him.)

Brother: “SHRIIIIIIMPPYYYYYY! NOOOOOOOOOO!”

(A beat later:)

Brother: “Woah, cool sea anemone.”

Me: “Which is shorter, Shrimpy’s life span or my brother’s attention span?”

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