A Sacrifice for Science

You can't sacrifice your claws for science! said Baby Pierre.

Why not? said Ageless. It would be a good deed.

Your first one,  said Baby Pierre. But it's cruel and horrible. How will you eat without claws?

Ooh, Ageless! said Lavender. No claws! You'll look ugly. Will they ever grow back?

Ageless waggled his handsome new claws at Lavender, and Baby Pierre.

Not these ones, you ning nongs, he said.

Arthur twigged it at last.

Ah! said Arthur. I know! The ones in the billabong. The ones you cast off.

Exactly, said Ageless. How much, Dr Yates?

I think Lavender's suggestion is reasonable, said Dr Yates. Thirty dollars it is.

Yay! said Lavender, we can go fossicking!

Wait a minute, said Ageless. Whose money is it?

You said it would be a good deed, said Lavender. Don't you want to go fossicking?

No, said Ageless. Does anyone?

I do, said Arthur. And I have a knife.

Arthur and me, said Lavender. And we have a knife!

But no money or transport, said Ageless.

It looked like a stalemate, but no.

If you double the price, said Arthur to Ageless, Lavender and I will go back on the bike. You keep thirty dollars, and give us thirty dollars, we'll  go fossicking, pick up the claws from the billabong, and you can pick us up on your way through.

An excellent plan, agreed Dr Yates. Except for the doubling of price.

And the bicycle has a flat tyre, said Gaius.

No problem, said Marigold Brick. I have a bicycle repair kit in the Jeep, and I'm sure Dr Yates will cough up.