A ransom of words

RANSOM demanded in utter urgency, ransom paid pronto—10 to 20 pages of a storybook, read aloud by their grandmother held hostage by such caprice. After such a tradeoff, sibling tykes Musa and Oyayi Delgado, respectively five and four years old, would willingly take 40 winks or welcome the sandman, whichever comes first. No weaning from such a read-me-a-story habit, elders indulge them.

The habit makes the children become acquainted with, yeah, acquire their first hoard of words.