Stage Six: King William Road - Shocks

Crowds are gathering for Stage Six of the Tour Down Under.

It's Family Day. There are face painters and airbrush tattoos.

Balloonists, a jumping castle, artists.

A BUPA mini Tour for children aged six to twelve.

Arthur and Pablo are talking to Emma and Irma.

Emma: That sucked yesterday.

Arthur: Richie winning?

Emma: No, that was cool!

Irma: It sucked there was no prize for eleven year olds. You lied, Arthur.

Arthur: Just as well. You're not eleven.

Pablo: How old are you really?

Irma: Thirteen.

Pablo: You lied to Richard Dawkins. Ha ha!

Emma: And we said we were Catholic

Irma: No we didn't. We said we went to Catholic school.

Pablo: That's very good. Wait a minute! Were you lying?

Irma: Well, we go intermittently.

Emma: Alternatingly.

Irma: It's a twin thing.

Arthur: But you don't look alike. How do you do the twin thing?

Pablo: These girls. I think they lie about everything.

Emma: Not everything. Look we've both got tattoos.

Pablo: Let's see.

Emma: See. It says ARTHER.

Arthur: Yours is spelled wrong.

Emma: So is hers.

The girls run off laughing to the Dirty Girl Kitchen where you can make your own breakfast.

Vello and David appear, with cups of coffee.

Vello: Hello boys. How's Sweezus this morning? Disappointed?

David: Another Tour when he didn't get King of the Mountain.

Pablo: Sweezus is fine. He's with Terence over there. He's showing him Oppy the Kangaroo.

Richard Dawkins rolls up on his Oxford bicycle, with Gaius.

Richard Dawkins: Where did those girls go? I want to speak to their parents.

Arthur: They're in the Dirty Girl Kitchen.

Richard rolls off in the direction of the Dirty Girl Kitchen.

Gaius: Everyone ready for the final race this afternoon? I must admit I'll be glad when it's over. I have things to catch up on. There's been a frilled shark caught in Eastern Victoria....

David: Me too.

Vello: You too what?

David: I'll be glad when it's over. I need to lie low for a while.

Vello: Katherine?

David: Coming home. Yes. And I fear that she is going to invite me to Blaxland to visit the children.

Vello: She is. I heard it from Belle et Bonne, who heard it from Margaret.

Gaius: Jumping Jupiter! Margaret? Back already?

Golly.

Team Philosophe may not recover from these shocks dealt to two of its members.

Not to mention that Richard Dawkins has been sidetracked by tattooed faux-Catholics.

And time ticks on. Soon it will be lunch time.