I was sitting at the counter eating a late dinner when Clara came running up behind me.

“Dad!  Dad!”

I slowly turned around and looked down from my stool.  “Yes dear.  What do you need?”

“Wellllll…” she bowed ceremoniously, “I have something to show you.”

“Sure, what’s up?”  I said.

She grinned and whispered, “I found a way to show ‘six’ with only one hand.”

I waited.  We stared at each other for a few seconds.

“Do you want me to show you?” She said finally.

I nodded, “Yes, because I dont understand how you can make yourself grow extra fingers, so I think you are probably insane.”

“Okay.  Well watch this!”  She looked at the ceiling for a moment and then quickly held up a clenched fist next to her cheek.  Her face contorted into a wide eyed look of surprised horror with her mouth in a tight ‘Oh’.  She held it that way for a long time while I waited.  Eventually she stopped and smiled.

“What do you think?” She asked happily.

I waited a second before responding.  “I think I was right. You are probably insane.”

“No no no no.”  She laughed and waved her arms. “Look!” And then she pointed “one nose, two eyes, both ears and then my mouth.  See?  And no fingers. So ‘Six’.”

“I get it now.  That makes sense.”  I started to turn back around and then stopped halfway. “Hey!  Now we can give each other high sixes from now on instead of fives.”

Her brain worked quickly back and forth with her eyes and then suddenly froze in realization before bolting away.

I shrugged and went back to my dinner.