Worth More than Gold

Jacob has a sly sense of humor and it comes out it in his schoolwork.  His teacher says that he doesn't say much at all during school, but his creative writing is full of surprises.
It's evident they've been learning about comparisons (metaphors, similes, etc.) lately.
Here is one of his recent creative writing assignments.

What is worth more than gold?

"My brother Danny is worth more than gold because he puts a roof on my head.  He gave me an awesome cardboard box to sleep in.  He gives me really good comments on my food like he says this popcorn is saltier than a jackrabbit on Thanksgiving Day.  He plays Madden with me on Saturdays.  He also plays football with me.  One of his good qualities is his muscles are bigger than a bear.  He sacrifices so much for our room to be sort of clean.  This is why he is worth more than gold."

His essay is full of half-truths, but the truth is Jacob does sleep in a cardboard box!  When we got a new dishwasher last month and the delivery man asked me if I wanted him to discard the box for me I thought of my dad.  When he was selling office furniture occasionally he'd bring home a giant cardboard box for us to play with.  We would load it full of blankets and pillows and toys and it became our play house in the unfinished basement.  At one time I remember having multiple boxes connected like tunnels  When it got so beat up that the house walls were falling down, we'd flatten it and use it to slide down the stairs with (despite my mom's protests).  I think we even turned one into a sort of human hamster wheel to roll around the backyard in.  So of course when the flood of those memories came to my mind, I told the delivery man that I'd keep the box for my kids.  Alyssa and Emily used it in their room as a hut for a few days.  Then supposedly Jacob made a deal with Alyssa that he'd give her some money or treat if she'd give him the box.  He put it on top of his bunk bed and has been sleeping in it ever since.  Jacob also is our designated popcorn maker (and tv tech guy) when we're watching a family movie.  He takes pride in adding the perfect amount of salt and butter and figuring out how to use the remote when the rest of us are struggling.  They say that the person of least interest has the power and when it comes to keeping their room clean, Jacob has the power.  Daniel's desire to play with friends and go on outings is usually the highest in our family, so he's willing to sacrifice to do more than his share of cleaning up the room so he can earn the privilege of playing, although Jacob is close 2nd in the room cleaning department :)