Hammer And Sweet Influence

Half an hour later, Margaret and Ying are still waiting for the hammer.

Margaret is cross.

I'm just going to wait here until Arthur brings it, says Margaret, picking at a schistoic quartzite.

Watch your fingernails, says Ying.

Oh yes, dammit! says Margaret.

He may not come back, says Ying.

Of course he will, says Margaret. He's reliable.

Yes, says Ying, doubtfully.

In any case says Margaret. Katherine and Gaius.......

She kicks at a phyllite, and dislodges a thin piece of slate.

........

Katherine, Gaius and Arthur are in Katherine's car eating jelly beans.

First the blue ones and green ones.

They all taste the same, don't you find, says Katherine.

Katherine, says Gaius. That is quite inconceivable.

What do you think, Arthur? asks Katherine.

Arthur is sucking a blue one.

When you suck a blue one, says Arthur, the sea looks green.

Gaius is sucking a green one.

Great Jumping Jupiter! It doesn't look green at all to him. It looks..... bluish.

What are you sucking, Katherine? asks Arthur.

Katherine can't remember. She spits the jelly bits into her hand.

She wouldn't normally, but she is on holiday.

The jelly bits are nondescript grey.

Arthur and Gaius look at one another.

Katherine gazes out to sea.

It sparkles emerald green, shimmers sapphire blue, riddled with indigo and brown striplets, while white spume crashes upwards and falls in yellow sun-splashed fountains of fine rainbow spray. In other words, fairly colourful.

My goodness, says Katherine. It's a nondescript grey! You're right Arthur. You've discovered a new scientific hypothesis.

Nonsense Katherine, says Gaius. You don't discover an hypothesis.

Ah ah! laughs Katherine. It isn't clear whether she is laughing about her jelly bean colour deception or about Gaius saying 'an' hypothesis. (Although laughing ah ah is a clue)

Next they start on the red ones.