Useful objects and fabulous creatures
It wasn't my fault. I just wanted to keep the cats off the lawn. The Catalogue of Useful Objects described it as a harmless deterrent. A local tabby arrived, halted, slunk away. 'It's magic,' said Poppy. 'It's the noise.' I explained how some creatures can hear sounds we can't. 'They've got magic ears,' said Poppy, dismissing ultrasound. Next door's dog came out, bounded towards her, then halted as if at an invisible fence. 'Will it stop unicorns?' Poppy asked, mouth turned down. 'I'm sure it won't.' She doesn't differentiate between real and imaginary. The daylight faded. Poppy dashed down the garden. I thought she had grown three feet till I realised she was mounted on a white, horned animal. 'Come on,' she told it. 'Mum has sugar lumps.' The unicorn moved towards me, hit the barrier. It bucked, turned and trotted off, taking my daughter with it.
