Shark Death

Yes, but would the shark die?
Being sick is never fun, but its effects are exacerbated when you are unfamiliar with your surroundings, or say, hiking 2 miles to see a beautiful remote waterfall in southern China. Day 7 of our big trip started with a mad dash to the toilet at 4:30 a.m. and continued at that pace every twenty minutes or so until we loaded up the van for the 5 or 6 hour ride to the falls. I wasn’t sure how I was going to survive the ride, but I also didn’t want to be the spoiler. Luckily, with 4 kids and a smoker (our friend), stops were frequent enough. I mostly slept in the car (thanks, Benadryl!), so when we got to the falls, I felt good enough to pay the $16 admission fee and brave the heat. We hadn’t really gotten very far when I started wishing for my bed and my mommy. The scenery was beautiful; the waterfall magnificent, but I could barely focus on anything other than keeping my head up. At one point, when we were at the base of the 77 m high falls, Coleman came up to me, peppering me with “important” questions.
Coleman: “Mom, if a shark was at the top of the falls, and it fell down to the bottom, would it die?”
Me: “Coleman, honey, momma doesn’t feel very good right now.”
Coleman: “No, mom, if a shark fell down the waterfall, would it die?”
Me (audible sigh): “There would never be a shark in this water, because they live in salt water and this is fresh water.”
Coleman (getting frustrated): “I know, mom, but if a shark WAS at the top of the waterfall and it fell down to the bottom, would it die?”
Me: “Sharks live in the ocean, this is a river.”
Coleman: “YES, but would the shark die?!?!”
Me (finally realizing that the boy just needed a “yes or no” answer and then he’d leave me alone): “Yes, Coleman, the shark would die. Nothing could survive falling that far.”
Coleman processed this for a moment and then asked, “Would it bleed?”
You are now on the inside of the Neher’s newest inside joke. Coleman is always asking questions, some that are improbable, but mostly as a tool for gathering information from the world around him. It is a great way to get a glimpse inside his busy mind. He knows that his questions are always welcome, even when I’m sick or if they are on the sci-fi end of the spectrum. He also has a one track mind when it comes to equality between him and his siblings (unless it’s to his advantage, of course). Now, whenever he gets fixated on a subject, one of us just asks, “Yes, but would the shark die?”