Three Will Confuse Him

Headlights light up the Big Banana.

A Mini stops.

Unni gets out.

Get in, guys, says Unni.

Terence and the Magpie climb into the back of the Mini.

Farky is already there.

And in the passenger seat, sits a passenger. It's not Lulu.

Don't say anything, says Unni. Just listen.

Okay, says Terence. But we saw a...

Listen! says Unni.

Have you got a mirror? asks Terence.

Shut up, says Farky. All cars have a mirror.

Where? asks Terence.

There, says Farky, and there, and there's another one.

Three, says Terence. That will confuse my parrot.

Parrot! says the passenger. Does the kid think the magpie's a parrot?

Of course he doesn't, says Unni. Now listen everyone. Change of plan. We're pushing on to Currumbin. This is Barney. We're dropping him there.

Hi dudes, says Barney. What's the deal with the mirror?

We need one, says Terence. I'm going to teach my parrot to look in it.

Magpie, says Barney.

He doesn't have a name, says Terence.

I call him Magpie, says Unni.

But, says Terence, if he looks in the mirror he gets a real name.

Ahem, says the Magpie. Trick is, I have to actually recognise myself in it.

How bloody hard would that be? asks Barney.

European Magpies can do it, says the Magpie. They're the smartest birds ever. But they're corvids. I'm a passerine.

Here's a mirror, says Unni.

She always keeps one in her back pack.

Look, says Terence. That's you.

Don't TELL me, says the Magpie.

Sorry, says Terence. Look again.

The Magpie looks again.

Now, MOVE, says Terence.

The Magpie moves. So does the one in the mirror.

Quardle-oodle-ardle! It's working!