Things went in one ear and out his other all too frequently, in Barnaby’s experience. Hailstones and raindrops, falling leaves, the odd disoriented pigeon – and he was none the worse for wear for any of them, for of course he could not feel them.
Nevertheless. Barnaby noticed the sunflower seed soaring through him, and although it had no physical effect it did serve to knock the deep and important thought he was in the middle of having right out of his mind. Rather irksome, that. It might take days to come back to him.
As sunflower seeds did not oft go leaping about through the air of their own accord, Barnaby swirled around, casting his eye to the skies – had it come from the beak of a bird, mayhaps? – to along the street, where his eye fell upon –
“O, thou little brazen-faced punk*,” he muttered, eyes narrowing instinctively at one of the more recent banes of his death. Or rather, “muttered” – it was loud enough to carry indeed.
*or else from punk "prostitute, harlot, strumpet," attested by 1590s, of unknown origin.
Nevertheless. Barnaby noticed the sunflower seed soaring through him, and although it had no physical effect it did serve to knock the deep and important thought he was in the middle of having right out of his mind. Rather irksome, that. It might take days to come back to him.
As sunflower seeds did not oft go leaping about through the air of their own accord, Barnaby swirled around, casting his eye to the skies – had it come from the beak of a bird, mayhaps? – to along the street, where his eye fell upon –
“O, thou little brazen-faced punk*,” he muttered, eyes narrowing instinctively at one of the more recent banes of his death. Or rather, “muttered” – it was loud enough to carry indeed.
