Suicide? Murder? Its all child's play, apparently!

My son's one age appropriate obsession is the Backyardigan's. We watch an episode a day as a calming down thing before bedtime. The Backyardigan's characters have leaped off the TV screen and have invaded our lives completely. They are his favorite imaginary friends. Each family member is usually one of the characters (I am usually Tyrone the moose. Don't know why.). He has been Pablo the penguin for quite a while now. There are days when he won't respond to his actual name. sigh.

Today he informed me that Austin had died. "Oh, no," said I, thinking I was about to hear some awesome concocted story. But I had no idea what was coming.

"He took too much sleeping medicine and died," said Pablo. FYI, we sometimes give Pablo some homeopathic chamomile when he can't sleep, so I was following the sleeping medicine part. But DIED from it? Really? My mind is racing, was it suicide? Accidental overdose? Why are imaginary characters dying in my house, anyway? That one was a little shocking. It got better.

"I gave him too much," admitted Pablo, "That's why he died."

So now it has gone from accidental overdose/ suicide to murder? Yikes. I didn't know my son had it in him. All the while he is looking at me with these big blue eyes, a ginormous grin taking over his whole face.

"Oh, my goodness," said I, trying to think of a good reaction to have.

While I was still thinking, he adds, "I almost missed his mouth, but I managed to get it in." So there was a struggle? My head is spinning.

"Really," I squeaked.

"He was six when it happened. I was eight." Oh good, this is in the future! Its preventable, like in that horrible Tom Cruise movie with the cool computers. "Now I am 32," he states. So not in the future after all. Phooey.

"That's so sad," I say. "Austin is such a sweet kangaroo. He has always been so friendly and kind. He never pushes the baby or anything rascally like that."

"Oh, I can make him be alive again. I just have to give him more sleeping medicine," Pablo the re-animator declares. "Want me to go to the store and get some?"

"Please do!" I am thrilled there is a way out of this one. What a relief. My child won't be wanted for any crimes against fictional beings. A narrow miss.

Where does he get this stuff?!