With the flip of a switch

I hear the tears, crying, and it grows louder. It feels like he is right here next to me, not in the other room, separated from me by one closed door and a number of steps.

He’s crying hard. He’s desperate. Crocodile tears streaming down his pale cheeks, as they do. He lost the game. He’s 5, newly.  Losing a game causes havoc and crying. So much crying.

Oh wait. Wait, is that laughter I hear? Just like flipping a switch.