So we arrived, paid our way in and set out down the hall that lead to our grand time. Oops, wrong hallway. The boy stopped to check out some nifty sound-manipulating device, and I looked down the opposite hall and saw... a very large metal door, closed. The majority of the entire opposite side of the long, narrow building had been cordoned off. We'd heard that COSI was having some financial trouble, but didn't know it was to that extent. Adventure! - along with another section, called I/O - was gone, probably already dismantled (I read later that it'd been closed back in September). I, for one, was devastated, and, when I told her (the boy was still busy with the sound thing), so was H. I was ready to look into getting our money back, and H was dreading telling the boy - who had a bag over his shoulder with a pair of binoculars, a compass and various other explorer's items - that Adventure! was not to be.

So we sat down on a bench, and H broke the news to him. Naturally, his face drooped and his head hung down a bit, and he looked deeply disappointed. We were ready for anger, tears, whatnot.

But after a moment of sullen silence, this seven-year-old boy looked up at us and said, "Well, I guess we shouldn't let that stop us from having a good time while we're here."

With that, we picked ourselves up and went on to thoroughly enjoy our day. Needless to say, the boy continues to amaze and inspire us. Truly, he is my favourite little boy.

-- End Transmission --