“You know how in zombie movies, zombies sometimes have chainsaws?” the younger asked me as we were walking to school.
“Er, I suppose so,” I said, wondering vaguely what movies my just-turned-seven-year old has seen featuring chainsaw-wielding zombies.
“Well, I have an idea for a movie called ‘Eggs of Death,’” she continued.
“Oh yes?” I said, feeling that I was missing something.
“Yes. The zombie disguises himself as a baker and instead of a chainsaw he has one of those egg-beaters, you know, the kind like this?” She motioned turning a rotary whisk with her hands.
“Right,” I said.
“And then he beats people with it.”
“Gosh!” I said.
I couldn’t help adding, “but why is it called “Eggs of Death”? I mean, it’s not the eggs that are causing death. Shouldn’t it really be “Egg-beaters of Death”?
She considered.
“No,” she said slowly, “because he also throws eggs at people. And the eggs are ACTUALLY BOMBS.”
“Ahh,” I said. “Well, in that case, the title makes perfect sense. And, in any case,” I added, feeling slightly rueful for questioning her title, “in any case, ‘Eggs of Death’ IS a really good title for a movie!”
She gave the slight shrug of someone who was not in the least concerned to receive external validation of what was so self-evidently true.