A young boy (the narrator) and his younger sister are discussing what they can put on their cereal (ketchup? mayonnaise?) since they are out of milk. They are out of milk because their father forgot to buy it.

The previous evening, their mother left home to present a paper on lizards, leaving their father in charge. She told their father (who was reading his newspaper) about household matters and the daily schedule and mentioned that they were “almost out of milk” (3). He seemed to hear her.

The father took the kids out to dinner because reheating the frozen meal left by their mom did not go well, and he forgot to buy milk. In the morning, the children tell their father that there is no milk for cereal (or his tea), so he walks to the corner shop to get some. A long time passes, during which time the children drink orange juice and think about eating pickles. The little sister practices her violin until her brother asks her to stop. Finally, their father comes home with the milk. When the children ask why it took so long, he comes up with the following fantastical story.