Rare And Endangered

A philosopher's imagination! Schopenhauer is delighted.

Why yes, he does have a philosopher's imagination.

He is already imagining morning tea time.

It will be somewhere in the Tamar Valley, in a pretty village, by the Tamar.

They will all sit on the grass, and share the bag of melting moments that he purchased from the bakery......

They ride down the West Tamar Highway until they come to Riverside.

Let's stop for morning tea, says Schopenhauer.

...........

Sitting on the grass beside the lovely Tamar River, Schopenhauer, Gaius, Arthur, Unni, eating melting moments, their bicycles leaning against surrounding graceful trees......

Schopenhauer has positioned his bicycle carelessly, due to dealing with the bag of melting moments.

The Platonic Ideal slowly topples over.

Gaius leaps up to save Captain Louttit and the barnacles.

Too late.

Captain Louttit is on the grass amongst the lycopus australis (endangered), and the calystegio sepium (rare), waving his legs but otherwise intact.

The barnacles have disappeared altogether.

Arthur! calls Gaius. Come and help me find the barnacles!

But before Arthur has even swallowed his melting moment, a shadow falls across the hand of Gaius.

He looks up.

Are you a disjunct? asks the woman of the shadow.

Certainly not, says Gaius. Why do you ask?

The others are around here somewhere, says the woman. I thought you might be one. I'm sure I don't know all of them. We're on a field trip.

So, you are all disjuncts, says Gaius drily. A wonderful name. I am Gaius Plinius Secundus.

Helen Jones, says Helen. I see you have found a patch of that rare plant, calystegio sepium.

To be honest, says Gaius, I am not looking for calystegio sepium. I'm looking for barnacles.

Helen snorts derisively, then recollects herself. A Disjunct Naturalist is prepared to find anything, anywhere.

Arthur appears. He spots the educated barnacle under a blade of grass and picks her up.

My goodness! says Helen Jones. A barnacle of all things!  May I take a closer look?

Arthur hands her the educated barnacle.

To Helen, the educated barnacle looks like an ordinary Surf Barnacle, or catomerus polymerus.

And sounds like one, because she has clammed up.