Dismemberment Off

Voices float from the plum box, mixed together:

kobo dear he didn't mean it-----

 no i did not mean it.......

o yes ageless you meant it....

beloved let me explain.....

explain away i'm not listening...

i'm listening....

thank you pinky, perhaps you might like to pass on what i say.....

say it ageless you know i can't avoid listening....

very well, when i said beloveds in the plural, i meant this....

o i knew it!....

Celia the red winged parrot lands on the edge of the plum box.

Excuse me. I'm new here. Terence's parrot.

Pinky: Pleased to meet you. I'm Pinky.

Kobo: We're in the middle of something. Go away.

Ageless: Yes, the middle of something. Stay. We need a circuit breaker

Celia: I'm here wearing two hats.

Pinky: O are they those fascinators?

Celia: No, they are hypothetical.

Pinky: Only, I know they are small.

Celia: These are big hats. Will you listen?

Ageless: Ladies? Shall we listen?

Kobo: I suppose so.

Celia: Hat one: to prevent a dismemberment. Hat two: to improve the ethical system of Terence.

Kobo: Are you spiritually minded?

Celia: I try not to be.

Kobo: Good. This dismemberment. I presume it's of Ageless.

Celia: As I understand it.

Kobo: We would never dismember Ageless. He does a good job on his own.

Ageless: True: I have recently regenerated. Hence the cobalt blue carapace and smart black chevrons.

Pinky: O yes, they ARE!

Celia: Excellent. That seems to be sorted. As for hat two, may I bring Terence over?

Kobo: If you think it will improve him.

Celia: Terence!

Terence: What?

Celia: The lobster, the clam and the pink rubber glove have demonstrated an admirable conflict solving ability. The dismemberment is off.

Terence: What does that mean?

Celia: What do you think it means?

Terence: It means I was RIGHT! You should have looked for my pot plans FIRST, not second.

Celia: I can still do that.

Terence: It's too late. I've done a new pot without them.

Celia looks at his pot,

It's terrible. Lopsided and mottled with toast crumbs.

Celia resolves to revisit her system of ethics.