Cutting Down the Maple Tree

Yesterday Caleb ran through the living room with a butter knife in his hand. He'd been playing outside, and he looked like he had some plan brewing.

So I said, "What do you need the butter knife for?"

"Sam's rocket got stuck in the maple tree," he said. Sam is the neighbor boy.

"So what do you need the knife for?" I asked again.

"We're going to cut down the maple tree to get the rocket," Caleb said.

I was so stunned I couldn't even laugh. After a minute of silence, he walked out, and I called after him, "We are not cutting down the maple tree!"

"Okay," he said. He put the knife away and ran back outside.