So Much For Black

Next stop Narrandera, says Margaret.

Mint? asks Katherine.

Yes please, says Margaret.

The smell of mints permeates to the back seat, where Gaius is annotating his notes with his pencil.

And Terence is colouring the green and golden bell frog.

He wants to get it right.

Which parts are green? asks Terence.

Those parts, says Gaius. And the blotches are brown or golden bronze.

I've only got two browns, says Terence.

But you have two yellows, says Gaius. You could add yellow to one of the browns, to produce a golden tint.

Okay, says Terence. 

And use the other yellow for the strip down its side, says Gaius.

Terence decides to do the strip first, with the other yellow.

Because it's narrow.

Can we drive slowly? asks Terence.

No, says Margaret. We have a schedule. Narrandera by six o'clock. So we're not going slower.

Okay, says Terence. Can you tell me when it's going to be smooth?

It is smooth, says Margaret. 

How long is it smooth for? asks Terence.

Hard to say, says Margaret. 

Are you colouring something small? asks Katherine.

Long and skinny, says Terence.

Why don't you leave it till last? says Katherine. 

She doesn't know much about colouring. You don't leave a long skinny thing until last.

Terence decides to go for it.

He lifts the other yellow pencil out of the box.

He begins to colour the strip from behind the eye of the green and golden bell frog to its lower body.

Carefully. 

Bump.

What was that? asks Katherine.

A rock, says Margaret. Or a  dead possum.

Or a RUIN! says Terence.

His yellow has gone over the line of the strip and into the frog's eye.

What colour are their eyes? asks Terence.

Black, says Gaius.

So much for that.

No Birds Do

It's not far to Hay.

Margaret is considering stopping.

Does anyone else need anything? asks Margaret.

Not me, says Katherine.

Nor I, says Gaius.

Me, says Terence.

But no one else, says Margaret. 

Actually, I could do with some mints, says Katherine.

Then we'll stop for two minutes, says Margaret.

She pulls up outside an IGA.

Come on Terence, says Katherine. We'll have to hurry.

She and Terence get out and go into the store.

Katherine finds her mints straight away, but Terence can't find the coloured pencils.

We'll ask the assistant, says Katherine.

Terence runs up to the checkout assistant.

Where are the coloured pencils? asks Terence.

Aisle four, says the assistant.

Come on, Terence, says Katherine.

You go, says Terence. I want to ask some more questions.

All right, says Katherine, heading off to aisle four.

What questions? asks the assistant.

Do parrots come here? asks Terence.

No, says the assistant.

What if they had money? asks Terence.

Parrots don't need money, says the assistant. No birds do.

What if they had ten dollars tucked into their feathers? asks Terence.

That wouldn't happen, says the assistant.

Katherine returns with the coloured pencils.

The assistant scans them through, with the mints.

Nine dollars eighty, says the assistant.

Katherine pays. 

She and Terence leave the store. 

Here you are, dear, says Katherine, handing him the box of coloured pencils.

Margaret has already started the engine.

They get into the car.

Terence looks out of the window.

It would be good if a parrot looked in.

He would open the window and tell it where to find coloured pencils. 

Aisle four. And it wouldn't need money. No birds do.

Open your box of pencils, says Gaius. Let's see the colours.

Terence tears the box open.

There are twelve coloured pencils: Two yellow, one orange, one red, one pink, one purple, two blues, two greens and two browns.

Perfect! says Gaius. Two greens, two browns and two yellows. 

What about the red? asks Terence.

Not required for a green and golden bell frog. says Gaius.

What if it's eating a berry? asks Terence.

They don't eat berries, says Gaius. 

I'm sure they'd eat something that's red, says Katherine. A red butterfly, or perhaps a redback spider?

Perhaps. 

What delicious ideas.

Money Tucked Into Feathers

I wish I had coloured pencils, says Terence.

Well, you haven't says Margaret. Make the best of it.

If I had a parrot, my parrot would find coloured pencils, says Terence.

Where from? asks Katherine.

Where they were, says Terence.

Nonsense, says Margaret. A parrot wouldn't know where to find coloured pencils.

Perhaps the next town, says Gaius.

The next town is Hay, says Margaret, and we won't be stopping.

My parrot would be stopping, says Terence.

Indeed, says Gaius. You could send him ahead to locate coloured pencils. He could obtain them and rejoin us in Hay.

Don't you start, says Margaret.

I was merely conjecturing, says Gaius.

How would the parrot obtain the coloured pencils? asks Margaret.

We could have given the parrot some money, says Katherine.

Hah! says Margaret. And how would the parrot have carried the money?

A ten dollar note tucked into its feathers, says Katherine.

Terence is entranced, 

His parrot would have money tucked into its feathers, and would buy coloured pencils in Hay.

The parrot would wait for them in Hay.

Margaret would slow down and open her window.

No, not her.

Katherine would open her window.

No not her either.

Terence would open the back seat window. And Saint Roley would fly in, and drop the coloured pencils in Terence's lap.

Why did you need these? Saint Roley would ask him

To colour the green and golden bell frog in Gaius's notes, Terence would say.

Take care when colouring while the car is moving, Saint Roley would say. 

I'm always careful, Terence would say.

Which is true, in a way.

Not Killing a Fly

We must get going, says Katherine. It's a three hour drive to Narrandera.

Would you like me to take over? asks Margaret.

That would be nice, says Katherine. Do you know where we're staying?

Gateway Motel, says Margaret. I've already booked it.

A motel? says Gaius. 

Yes, says Margaret. A triple room. I hope you don't mind.

What's a triple room? asks Terence.

A room for three people, says Margaret. It's cheaper than a room for a family.

They walk back to Katherine's car.

Gaius is hoping there are three single beds in a triple.

Terence is counting the people.

Gaius, Katherine, Margaret and him.

That's more than three people.

Hey, says Terence. What about me?

You're small, says Margaret. You can sleep on a couch, assuming there is one.

Terence doesn't sleep, says Katherine.

I stay up all night, says Terence.

Katherine hands Margaret the car keys,

She nudges Terence.

What? asks Terence.

Katherine mimes holding a pencil.

Are you killing a fly? asks Terence.

Katherine whispers something to Terence.

Remember the pencil! says Terence.

Yes! Thank you, Terence, says Gaius. 

Margaret opens the boot. 

Gaius locates his backpack and feels around in the bottom for a pencil.

Yes. He has found one.

They all climb into the car.

Margaret starts the engine.

Soon they're back on the A20.

What did you want the pencil for? asks Katherine.

To highlight my notes on the green and golden bell frog, says Gaius.

I should like to see those notes, when you're done, says Katherine.

Certainly, says Gaius. Are you thinking of joining us in our frog observations?

Once I've seen all there is to see in Canberra, says Katherine.

Can I see the notes? asks Terence.

You can have the first page, says Gaius. There's a detailed illustration.

He hands Terence the first page of his notes.

This frog's black and white! says Terence.

You must imagine the colours, says Gaius.

What are the colours? asks Terence.

You should know this, says Margaret.  

Yes you should, says Katherine. What's the name of this frog?

Froggy? says Terence.

Proper name, says Margaret. 

Common name, says Gaius.

You've confused him, says Katherine. It's the green and golden bell frog.

I knew that, says Terence. Someone should colour it in.

That would be a fine use of your time, says Gaius. I don't suppose either of you ladies has thought to bring coloured pencils?

No, admit both the ladies.

Bumho....begins Terence. But remembers he's not allowed to say it.

So what happens now?

Ninety Percent Of Our Brothers

Gaius checks his phone for messages. 

Wonderful! Arthur has replied, says Gaius.

Does he remember the words of the poem? asks Katherine.

Let's see, says Gaius.

Arthur has sent a series of messages.

First message: OK get back to you

Second message: Time out scraped knee.

Dear me, says Gaius: I hope he's put something on it.

Third message: Saint Roley the Good. The frog one?

Fourth message: Saint Roley The Good/ Did He Eat us? No! Although He Could/ We Who Lost Ninety Percent of Our Brothers/ Through Development Schemes/ He shared With Us His Last Mollusc/ And We Shared Our Dreams/ We Wish Him Safe Journey/ Saint Roley the Good/ He Did Not Eat Us/ Although He Could.

There you have it, says Gaius. I knew Arthur would remember.

Ask him about his knee, says Katherine.

I suppose I should, says Gaius. 

He types: Thank you, Arthur. How is your knee?

But receives no immediate reply.

That was a good poem, says Terence. The green and gold bell frogs should win.

Good as it is, their poem isn't in our competition, says Katherine.

True, says Margaret. And how do we know they actually wrote it?

They would have dictated it, says Gaius. 

I miss Saint Roley, says Terence.

Have you managed to get that straw though the hole in your Ribena? asks Gaius.

No, that's why I need a parrot, says Terence.

How would a parrot help? asks Margaret.

Beak, says Terence.

Don't you have a claw? asks Katherine.

Yes, he does. Terence had forgotten his claw.

He jabs it into the foil-covered hole at the top of his Ribena.

Ribena squirts everywhere. 

Some drops even land in the brown Murrumbidgee.

As The River Flows Silently By

They leave Katherine's car and walk down to the banks of the Murrumbidgee.

They sit on the grass, under trees.

Margaret unwraps the rest of the sandwiches.

Gaius takes a large bite of apple.

What do I get? asks Terence.

This, says Gaius. taking something out of his pocket.

A Ribena.

Yay! says Terence, ripping the straw off the side. 

Take care! says Gaius. The new straws are made out of paper.

Okay, says Terence.

He stops ripping and proceeds to be careful.

Guess what, says Terence. 

What? asks Katherine.

Margaret told me her poem, says Terence.

Did she? says Katherine. 

It was only the first half, says Margaret. In fact,Terence was helpful.

Terence pokes the paper straw through the hole in his Ribena.

Or tries too.

Was he? asks Gaius. How so?

He gave me his opinion on whether I should use the first person, says Margaret. 

Did I? says Terence.

I see or you see, says Margaret.

A dog or a cuttlefish, says Terence. But it wasn't that sort of poem.

Are you sure you won't have a sandwich, Gaius? asks Margaret.

I won't, thank you Margaret, says Gaius. 

May we hear your poem, Margaret? asks Katherine.

Oh...why not, says Margaret. 

Katherine closes her eyes and leans back against a giant redgum. 

The Murrumbidgee flows silently by.

Margaret coughs and begins:

I see before me a landscape/ of horizontal limestone beds/ and calcareo-siliceous deposits/ in ochres and yellows and reds/ but nothing of green/ although fossils marine may be seen.

Bravo, Margaret, says Katherine. I like fossils marine.

Quamquam fossils, says Terence.

I toyed with the idea of quamquam fossils, says Margaret. But it seemed out of context.

Unless three of our poems were put together, says Katherine. Excluding mine. 

Everyone tries to remember Katherine's poem.

Yes! It referred to the fact that they were waiting for a message from Arthur.

Reminding Gaius that he should check his phone.

Three Apples

I thought we were eating the rest of our sandwiches, says Margaret.

We are, says Katherine, but let's buy three takeaway coffees, then choose a nice spot by the river.

While you do that, says Gaius, I'll find a supermarket, and purchase an apple.

Three apples, says Margaret.

Very well, says Gaius. 

He goes off.

He forgot to look for his pencil, says Terence.

Remind him when he comes back, says Margaret.

Katherine goes into the café and orders three coffees.

Margaret waits outside with Terence.

Mind if I run my poem by you? asks Margaret.

Do I have to run too? asks Terence.

We won't be running, says Margaret.

Okay, says Terence.

I'm not sure about the beginning, says Margaret. 

Try A dog has died, says Terence. That's what I do.

A dog has died? says Margaret.

It's not a question, says Terence.

It was, says Margaret. Why has it died?

It could be a cuttlefish, says Terence.

My beginning is not like that, says Margaret. Will you listen?

I'm listening, says Terence.

You see before you a landscape/ of horizontal limestone beds, says Margaret.

Woo! says Terence.

Or should it be I see? says Margaret.

Icy? says Terence.

I see a landscape before me, says Margaret. See the difference?

Yes, says Terence. I see.

I see before me a landscape/ of horizontal limestone beds, says Margaret. Does that sound better?

Yes, says Terence. Then what?

And calcareo-silicious deposits/ in ochres, yellows and reds, says Margaret.

That's good rhyming, says Terence. 

Katherine comes out with the coffees.

And Gaius appears in the distance with three apples in a compostable bag.