And the Eldest Magician said, “How wise are little children who see and are silent! What was the beast like?”

And the little girl-daughter said, “He was round and he was flat; and his eyes grew upon stalks; and he walked sideways like this; and he was covered with strong armour upon his back.”

And the Eldest Magician said, “How wise are little children who speak truth! Now I know where Pau Amma went. Give me the paddle!”

–“The Crab That Played with the Sea,”
Rudyard Kipling