Finn establishes the difference between day and night despite confusing signals from the adult and mechanical world...

After almost three weeks in the world certain things were becoming clear to Finn:

1: Though named after a giant he was, if truth be told, rather on the small side.

2: Mum was great.

3: Dad was daft.

The fourth thing that Finn felt close to understanding involved certain changes, cyclical in their nature, that could be observed in any 24 hour period.

During the day an orb of fire blazed away making the beans wilt and mum fret.

At night a paler, cooler, sphere hung in the sky that, though less energetic, appeared to Finn to be a benevolent friend.

There were more subtle differences. During the day dad wasn't quite so daft. With a good shot of coffee in the morning pops could be quite articulate. At night daft dad tried to put nappies on upside down. He tended to sway and stumble and groan.

Similarly mum was more grumpy at night. She seemed less eager to feed Finn, slower and more bumbly.

These differences Finn had noticed despite the best efforts of the adult and mechanical world to confuse him. For example daft dad had a habit of singing (badly) to Finn the following song:

Night and day
You are the one
Only you beneath the moon
And under the sun

Whether near to me or far
It's no matter darling where you are
I think of you
Night and day

This suggested there was no difference between night and day BUT THERE WAS.

Then there were the feeble, mechanical lights, that tried to imitate the sun as they dangled from the ceiling. It could be night BUT STILL LIGHT. There was something wrong there and certainly potential for confusion for one whose brain was as yet only partially developed.

Showing signs of his future heroic status Finn stood by his careful observations and decided that yes there WAS a difference between night and day.

Sooner or later he would change his behaviour and do as mum and dad clearly wished - sleep at night and play by day. But he felt it was important to establish who was boss. He would let them sweat and groan a while longer.

After all, he liked to wander in the dark at night with dad in the garden, even if it meant listening to more nonsensical songs!