No Birds Do

It's not far to Hay.

Margaret is considering stopping.

Does anyone else need anything? asks Margaret.

Not me, says Katherine.

Nor I, says Gaius.

Me, says Terence.

But no one else, says Margaret. 

Actually, I could do with some mints, says Katherine.

Then we'll stop for two minutes, says Margaret.

She pulls up outside an IGA.

Come on Terence, says Katherine. We'll have to hurry.

She and Terence get out and go into the store.

Katherine finds her mints straight away, but Terence can't find the coloured pencils.

We'll ask the assistant, says Katherine.

Terence runs up to the checkout assistant.

Where are the coloured pencils? asks Terence.

Aisle four, says the assistant.

Come on, Terence, says Katherine.

You go, says Terence. I want to ask some more questions.

All right, says Katherine, heading off to aisle four.

What questions? asks the assistant.

Do parrots come here? asks Terence.

No, says the assistant.

What if they had money? asks Terence.

Parrots don't need money, says the assistant. No birds do.

What if they had ten dollars tucked into their feathers? asks Terence.

That wouldn't happen, says the assistant.

Katherine returns with the coloured pencils.

The assistant scans them through, with the mints.

Nine dollars eighty, says the assistant.

Katherine pays. 

She and Terence leave the store. 

Here you are, dear, says Katherine, handing him the box of coloured pencils.

Margaret has already started the engine.

They get into the car.

Terence looks out of the window.

It would be good if a parrot looked in.

He would open the window and tell it where to find coloured pencils. 

Aisle four. And it wouldn't need money. No birds do.

Open your box of pencils, says Gaius. Let's see the colours.

Terence tears the box open.

There are twelve coloured pencils: Two yellow, one orange, one red, one pink, one purple, two blues, two greens and two browns.

Perfect! says Gaius. Two greens, two browns and two yellows. 

What about the red? asks Terence.

Not required for a green and golden bell frog. says Gaius.

What if it's eating a berry? asks Terence.

They don't eat berries, says Gaius. 

I'm sure they'd eat something that's red, says Katherine. A red butterfly, or perhaps a redback spider?

Perhaps. 

What delicious ideas.