You’re fooling around in the living room. Your parents are out shopping. All of a sudden you throw a ball that knocks over your mom’s expensive vase. Here are five excuses for knocking down the vase:

1. We have a ghost in the house. He was looking for his mother’s ashes when he accidentally knocked over the vase.
2. Our cat was chasing a mouse in the house. She leaped after the mouse and knocked over the vase. Unfortunately, the mouse is still at large.
3. I didn’t do it. It was my brother’s fault. He got angry about not making the baseball team and hurled his mitt into the living room. He made a direct hit at the vase. I guess he really struck out this time.
4. I opened the windows to get some fresh air and wouldn’t you know it. A sudden gust of window blew the vase off the pedestal.
5. An earthquake hit our house while you were shopping. Can you believe it? Everybody is all right. Unfortunately, the vase did not survive the shake. Please forgive my tears, but I loved that vase. It was part of our family. I shall miss it. Good luck to that ceramic rainbow in the sky.