You Scream, I Scream

We were sitting at a restaurant one evening. Our dinner was completed and we were expecting the bill from our waiter. He offered dessert to us, but we declined. As he departed, Ellie began a curious monologue that had reminiscences of the Saturday Night Live character performed by Will Ferrel; the man that could not control the volume of his voice, consequently, anything he would mutter to himself became announced proclamations. The gears and pulleys that regulate her mental processes were transparent, as the word, "dessert" still hung in the air.

With a red crayon in her hand, and a blank, distant look on her cherub face, she began, "Maybe I can just hit me on the head." She simulated a jab with the crayon towards her forehead without blinking or shifting her gaze. "Then I be sad, and then I get..." She paused before slightly leaping to punctuate her thought with a scream, "...ICE CREAM!!"

We looked at one another in disbelief of her outlined plan. The burst of laughter from Abbie, Emma, and me broke her stare as she realized that we were aware of her mischievousness. She displayed a wide smile and curled her body self-consciously. Physically defending herself with an expressive, "What? Did I say that out loud?"

"Have you hit yourself to get ice cream before?" Abbie asked as the laughter subsided.
"Yeah," She answered honestly. "With Grammy Sally." she confessed sheepishly.