SONG OF ROLAND (T-MINUS-ZERO).

Okay buddy,
I said.
Almost bedtime. Would you rather:
A) read some of the robot books you got at the library,
or B) play memory game?

No hesitation.
- Memory game. 

Are you sure?
I asked.
It's one or the other. 

- I wanna play memory game,
(Emphatic)
It's the best, and I'm really good at it.

Okay pal,
I said.
Just so we're clear: it's bedtime as soon as we're done playing one quick game, okay?

- Okay,
he said firmly.

FORTY MINUTES AND TWO GAMES LATER.
Good game!
I said.
I am a bit disgruntled at the result, but it was a jolly fine match.

- Yeah,
he said.
I'm really good at memory game.

Well...guess what happens now?
I asked.

Huge smile, and he runs over to pick something up, fails terribly to hide it behind his back, then returns to stand in front of me:
- Okay, close your eyes, Daddy.

Uhh, what's going on? It's bedtime. Remember? We're not reading books now.

- But I got something for you! Close your eyes!

I close them.

- You can open them now!

I open them.

- See what I got you?! I got you some robot books at the library. I got them for you. I thought you would like them.

Thank you...it's actually - 

Interrupts.
- I thought you would like them, Daddy. They're for you to read. Here, I'll show them to you.

And plops himself in my lap, well after bedtime, again, AGAIN, as I sit there pondering yet another ignominious defeat by the masterful countermove of a tactical genius. But then I saw a really cool picture in the first book about the future of robotics and forgot what I was disgruntled about, so I'm fairly certain I won in the end.