Spider Dancing

Only when he has finished his prescient song does Baby Pierre notice what's happened.

The Black Jumping Spider is on the seat beside him.

Inside her plastic bubble.

Is she waving?

He waves back, which is hard for a pebble.

Of course, she interprets it wrongly.

....

At the next stop, someone sits down next to Baby Pierre.

That is, on the bubble.

The person stands up in a hurry, and moves on, down the bus.

But now the top has popped off the bubble.

And the spider is out.

......

Where are we going? asks the spider.

To the University, says Baby Pierre.

Ai! My worst fear, says the spider. No, my second worst.

What's your first worst? asks Baby Pierre.

(He doesn't care really. He's wondering what his own is).

Last night, says the female Black Jumping Spider. In the garden shed. My partner.

Did he beat you? asks Baby Pierre.

No, he went inside, for hot chocolate, says the spider. And he didn't come back..

It's just one of those things, says Baby Pierre. It happens to spiders. Take Daniel O'Connell.

Why? asks the Black Jumping Spider.

He didn't come back, says Baby Pierre. Three times already.

The rotter! says the Black Jumping Spider. Three times. How is it possible?

To be fair, says Baby Pierre, remembering his mission, he's a very good dancer. And you're going to meet him.

What type of dancing? asks the spider.

Spider dancing, like (who was it?) .....James Joyce.

Well, in that case..... says the spider.

The bus stops, near the University.

Baby Pierre hops off. The spider jumps down behind him.

Forgot your hat? says a passenger, throwing it out of a window.

Thank you, says Baby Pierre. What about the .....?

Too late. The bus pulls away. They are now travelling without the plastic bubble.

They head for the university campus.

In the grounds there are very few people. It's Saturday.

The Rector, as we know, is away.

As luck would have it, however, Diego is taking a break from his work in the Eng and Tech lab.

There he is, Diego, sitting under a tree.

In his hand, a yummy bocadillo.

In his head, well, we know he knows something..........