He stands up, quite abruptly.

But he stares straight ahead, looking firm.

So it can’t be a spider, not this time.

“I am an inventor” he declares.

This is somewhat melodramatic even for him.

He’s still holding his sandwiches though.

Quite a comic image really.

I’m trying not to laugh though.  This is clearly important to him.

So I ask the inevitable.

“What have you invented?”

He sits back down.

“Well, nothing really” he shrugs.

He looks at his sandwich.  Crumbs are falling like snow.

“I think I’d like to invent something useless.”

“Why?”

“Because it feels like more of a challenge.

Everything has a use really.

It’s hard to think of something genuinely useless.”

I raise an eyebrow and my lips curl.

No.

I’m not feeling that cruel.

I’ll just look instead.

He won’t notice.

“This is what happens when you spend hours in your room

And you

Don’t

Answer

Your

Phone”

And I punctuate by prodding his kneecap with my finger.

“They say it’s bad to be alone.

But what do they know?

I’ve had some amazing adventures in my head.

Met some great people.”

“Who are they anyway?”

“The people I’ve met?”

“No, the people who say it’s bad to be alone.”

He shrugs again.

“Please sit back down

It makes me nervous to sit at the feet of someone

Especially when they don’t know where they are going

You might tread on my legs.”

So he slowly curls his legs under him.

“I’m sorry” he grins.