"O running stream of sparkling joy to be a soaring human boy!” _{Bleak House, Charles Dickens, 1853}

Did you ever notice what a terrific sound a little boy's voice makes? Wouldn’t it be grand to catch it in a bottle and then open as needed?

Tough day? Give the bottom a tap and out shoots that little screech from a poke in the anywhere. They're ticklish all over.

Can’t sleep? Pour a bit out and listen to uncontrollable laughter of two buddies spending the night together, unable to do anything but laugh harder when you holler for them to quiet down and go to sleep. (Eventually you go in the room to quiet them down. Five minutes later, your laughter joins with theirs!)

We could make a million with a bottle of this stuff.

Everything a boy does comes with some sound effect. For no reason at all, he’ll start to make a combination karate chop and whip cracking sound with every step – think of corduroy pants. When his Mom tells him to stop, he'll change the subject and a few minutes later, a new sound effect. She'll laugh at that one as he tells her what it is. 

When you hear him say something sarcastic . . . you're mistaken. Little boys don't do sarcasm. One needs cynicism to do sarcasm, and I can't recall meeting a little boy that knew cynicism. It doesn't come until much later and when it does, you're told to relax, take life slower. Like when you were a boy.

Listen to the words a little boy uses. He doesn't talk; he tries words on for size. Understand he enjoys the pleasure of language; he savors the letters and sounds rolling off his tongue and around his lips. If you overhear him in the bathroom and peek, you'll see him talking in front of the mirror. Just to see what the sounds look like.

A little boy’s voice is a breathy sound, and it warms you up and makes your tummy feel full. It scratches your back and makes you smile and look for something fun to do. It may be raspy, or high pitched, or quiet, but it always wants the world to know who its owner is.

It's usually preceded by a smile; a sincere, unselfishly given smile, and followed by a funny face or a "Hey I got a question," face. It sings constantly, not necessarily recognizable songs, but sort of hums and la-la-la-la's.

It's serious, yet can break into a laugh at any time and usually wants to, because what else is worthwhile, he will wonder, besides fun?

Maybe instead of a bottle, we’ll use a barrel.