I heard a crackling, rattling sound, so Yvaine and I went to see what Merlin was up to. Merlin met us after we’d gone only a few steps, upset, and doing his sad “expecting to be punished” slink.[*] I patted him and murmured reassurance, and went to investigate.
So. I got to the kitchen, Yvaine running ahead, Merlin slinking behind… and there was a tiny Stonehenge of ice cubes on the floor.
MERLIN HAS FIGURED OUT THE ICE DISPENSER.
And once he was sure he wasn’t in trouble, he ate all the ice.[**]
Wait. How often has he done this when bored and home alone?
… [*] He’s had that since adoption; we never gave him any reason to expect it. [**] I figure that falls under the “if you catch it, you can have it” rule.
[Image Description 1: Yvaine ran ahead, and stood in the middle of the ice Stonehenge in the kitchen. Image Description 2: Yvaine still hopes for a carrot, but Merlin is eating the ice.]
I am still flinging tears of laughter about this. Clever boy. It was impressive enough when Merlin figured out the foot pedal opens the trash can lid, but that could have been accidental. Pressing the ice dispenser lever would take *work*.