Brief Encounter With a Snail Man

I love clouds, says Lavender, loudly.

Why don't you look out of the window, says Bunny. You can see clouds out there. Here, I'll lift you up.

Lavender still doesn't like Bunny.

I mean BOOKS about clouds, says Lavender. Mrs Hume's reading one. When she gets back from visiting the Twitcher, I'm going to sit next to her.

Me too, says Baby Pierre.

We like Mrs Hume, says Lavender.

See if I care, says Bunny.

.......

Mrs Hume approaches the sick bay. She hears noises inside.

She pulls the curtain aside and a man hurries out.

Oh, sorry, says the man. Just looking for something.

A snail? enquires Katherine.

How did you know? says the man.

Our Twitcher has eaten it, says Katherine. That's the Twitcher in there.

I didn't see anyone, says the man.

He's under a tea towel, says Katherine.

They both go back in to the sick bay.

I'm Doctor Moussalli, says the man, I'm a snail man. I'm taking some snails to Dubai.

Pleased to meet you, says Katherine, I'm Katherine Hume. I'm going to Pamukkale to bathe in the calcium pools.

How pleasant, says Dr Moussalli. Now where is this Twitcher?

Katherine lifts up the tea towel, revealing the Twitcher.

It's a Giant Australian CUTTLEFISH! cries Doctor Moussalli. How delightful! I'm a cuttlefish man as well, at Museum Victoria. But wait, did you say he's eaten one of my snails?

They peer down at the Twitcher. The Twitcher doesn't look well. He is lying at the bottom of  his portable saltwater aquarium, in a cloud of snail-coloured ejecta.

It obviously didn't agree with him, says Doctor Moussalli. That sometimes happens. Snails eat cuttlefish. Cuttlefish eat snails. No morality. But you can't argue with them.

Pardon? says Katherine.

Only joking, says Doctor Moussalli. Well, I'd better keep looking for the rest of my charges. Perhaps we shall meet again, Katherine. Small world, a plane.

He leaves, and Katherine raps sharply on the portable saltwater aquarium.

Whaaa! squawks the Twitcher. Hiccup! Oooh! Bluuuh!

That's it, bring it all up, says Katherine. Better out than in, that's what I always say.

Who was that man? says the Twitcher, weakly.

A doctor, a snail man, says Katherine. You've eaten his snail. He didn't seem too upset though. He must have plenty more.

More? says the Twitcher.

But he seems to have temporarily mislaid them, adds Katherine

A gluttonous gleam appears in the eye of the Twitcher.