On the train home this afternoon, I avoided a seat with a puddle of water in it.  It’s not a particularly common occurrence, but it’s also never a good idea to sit down on the train before looking.  Several people at each stop performed the same dance: headed straight for the empty seat, then saw its contents and moved farther into the car.

Then came a young boy followed immediately by his mother.  The boy, anxious to pull himself into his own seat, reached up and stretched his hands across the chair, planting them right in the middle of the puddle — before his mother saw it, and before anybody had a chance to utter a word of warning.

His mother, disapproving but in good spirits, lamented while cleaning his hands, “See, you didn’t look before you leaped!  We don’t even know what’s in that water.”

The boy immediately announced,without missing a beat, and with a level of excitement normally reserved for new bicycles:

It might be pee!

Either he’s experienced this situation before, or this kid’s got a great future as a pessimist.