Barrier Crows

We dropped in at Whole Foods on the way home from preschool.  Having spent the morning updating our finances on Quicken, I took the prudent course and left my purse in the car while we dashed in to get some coin sleeves and exchange the soy whip which wouldn't squirt (apparently Whole Foods received a defective batch which had coagulated so my fervent attempts to squirt it over the pumpkin pie were doomed to failure.)  Wren was running barefoot (because he was hot) and with a bank-teller lollipop in his mouth.

He took it out the lollipop from time to time to taste "free food!" like grapes and later some goji berries.  Tasting the sweet red berries he exclaimed:

"Oh my GOD, those are awesome.  Like raisins!"

This amused other shoppers but must have made them consider eating raisins, since they are much cheaper.

As the ragamuffin rushed out of the store, veering round the Real Change desperados, he saw a crow and stopped.  

"Its OK, you can chase the crow," I called out.

Wren rushed at the crow which flapped and hopped a short distance and then looked at him.  He paused, then rushed back to me with a shriek.

"Was that a crow?" he asked.

I said it was a crow.

"No,"  he said, climbing into the car and grabbing Soft Shirt for reassurance,  "that was not a crow.  That was a barrier crow.  That is a special kind of crow.  It has sharp feathers by its beak and by its eye."

"Uh huh?" I said, buckling him in.

We drove for a block in silence.

"Barrier crows eat fruit and vegetables," Wren continued, as if without interruption to the conversation then added with an lowered tone, "they also eat meat."

"Is this real, or imaginary?" I wondered aloud

"This is real, in our world.  Not right here but in our world.  In Granny's world."

"Oh, ok.  Cos they sound a bit scary."

We drove past the vegetable stand on the corner of 65th and 15th.

"See, that shop sells fruit.  If they saw that the barrier crows just walk in and take the food."

We continued along 65th.  Bump, over a plate left in the road from construction.

"They also dig holes.  They dig holes and climb trees and this is a bit imaginary.  They cut down plants with their claws and beaks!  They cut the plants off like this.

I don't like barrier crows."

We saw a flock of crows (you can't really write murder without sounding overly melodramatic) rising out of the conifers near our house.  Frankly, if Barrier Crows occurred in those numbers I don't think we'd stand a chance.

I told Wren I don't like the sound of them either. 

Wren says "A man is coming to whack those Barrier Crows who are
eating all her food."