Somebody said:
"Daddy says this living room is tooo small."
"Because there's too many of us all stuck together in here, that's why."
"See that wall? Daddy says he's gonna rip it out, and make one big room instead of two little rooms."

So the plaster flew, and the lath and the studs came down, and all were thrown out the back window and left in a heap, to be covered by raspberry bushes in nearly no time.

Next day, a big chunk of plaster from the new and improved king-size ceiling fell down, BANG, THUNK, WHOOSH,
narrowly missing the head of Somebody.

Somebody else said:
"Daddy says he's gonna yank down that ceiling."
"Because Somebody could get beaned, next time."

Mommy said:
"Here we go again!"

So, with broom handles and baseball bats, with bowls for helmets, (Daddy was in the War), they all helped convince the rest of the ceiling to COME, ON, DOWN. Out the back window and onto the heap it went, to be covered by raspberry bushes in nearly no time. Life was good, but it couldn't last.

Somebody said:
"Daddy says we have to stop jumping around upstairs."
Because every time we jump around up here, plaster bits fall in his coffee."

"Okay." They all agreed, but it didn't help. They were children, and children... JUMP.

Mommy said:
"Daddy says he's gonna put plastic sheets up on that ceiling."
"Because the plaster's still falling in his coffee and we don't have the money to put up a new ceiling, yet."

They all said:
"Okay. What do we do?"
They all took turns holding the ladder so Daddy wouldn't fall, stapling up the plastic.

One day, Somebody saw a mouse waddling on the plastic.
After that, during T.V. commercials, they would watch his fuzzy stomach while he walked.

Somebody said:
"Daddy says it's a 'Dear' little Mouse."

Somebody who thought she was Somebody, said:
"That's "Little 'Deer' Mouse, stupid."

One night, instead of the mouse, there was a little brown bat.

It didn't move.

It was stuck in the plastic.

Somebody named him:
"Baggy the Bat."

Like "Winnie the Pooh", only smaller.

Mommy said:
"Daddy says it's probably dead."
"It looks dead."
"And he'll get around to it when he gets around to it."

But two days later, it was gone.

"Daddy says he didn't do it,"
said Somebody.

"It must've got away,"
They all thought.

But that night...

Somebody hollered:
"DADDY!"
because the bat was flying around her room, making squeaky noises.

Somebody got the Shotgun.

"Why did Daddy do it?"
They all asked, next day.

"Daddy says bats can have rabies, and you can't take chances with rabies, you know,"
said Somebody.

They all stared at the ceiling over the bathtub. There was a REALLY, BIG, HOLE,
because of what the shotgun did to it.

Mommy said:
"Daddy says he's gonna put plastic over that hole."

And You know...

Nobody said Nothin'.