Unusual Force

Is that your egg? asks Terence.

Yegg, says Little Mystic.

How come the shell didn't come out? asks Terence.

Little Mystic moves away from the glutinous pile.

He examines it.

No pieces of eggshell.

This can mean only one thing. The eggshell has stayed inside him.

Who cares? says Terence. Something came out. And guess what?

Little Mystic is not into guessing.

No more catching worms, says Terence. It's heartless.

I wozint, says Little Mystic.

You have to catch insects, says Terence. 

Little Mystic cheers up.

Insects. 

And in fact, the glutinous pile is already attracting some insects.

But they are not the right sort.

Gaius returns.

He peers down at the glutinous pile.

Hmm, says Gaius. No eggshell. Perhaps it wasn't an egg after all. But it has come out quite glutinous. And therefore we can conclude that it was no mineral. Perhaps an egg, with no shell. But then why did it crack when I tapped on his tummy with a pebble...?

Terence and Little Mystic wait for him to finish his musings.

It seems he has finished.

Let's go back to the water says Gaius. Terence needs to wash his face, and you, Little Mystic, need to wash your nether parts. And who knows, perhaps we shall spot some tasty insects.

Which ones are tasty? asks Terence.

It depends who you are, says Gaius. Little Mystic is a juvenile masked lapwing, so I imagine he likes earwigs, beetles and slugs.

Little Mystic doesn't know if he likes earwigs, beetles and slugs, but he follows Gaius and Terence to the water.

And mosquitoes, says Gaius. But they are not easy to catch.

Surfing-with-Whales has been splashing away in the distance.

 He sees them and waves.

He freestyles towards them, until he gets to the shallows. He stands.

That was awesome, says Surfing-with-Whales. I was floating out there looking up at the mountains.

Very nice, says Gaius. 

And this guy in a kayak came by, says Surfing-with-Whales. He reckons you can hire them.

Really, says Gaius. Stand still. Don't move. 

He whacks Surfing-with-Whales on the arm, with unusual force.

Inexplicably, unless of course he has seen a mosquito.