The Uncanny Relevance Of Lyrics

Kobo listens.

Sweezus breathes deeply.

His head is above her. His mouth is so near.

She sings the second ( darker) verse of the sea dragon lullaby:

ruby ruby
sleep now
one eye on the frogfish
we growl when we're cross
growl-sheeehaaahh-pop

To be honest, Kobo has made this verse up on the spur of the moment.

As Sweezus sleeps, sounds from deep under his pillow enter his ear.

we growl when we're cross......

Cross-s-s-s, hisses Sweezus.

Oops, mutters Kobo. Bad choice.

She goes back to reading her Kindle. The tattooed Marie is now dying of cancer. That's unexpected.

Arthur stirs in his slumbers.

Uhh. His ear has stuck to his head.

He hates it when that happens.

But he has not heard the word Sweezus uttered.

He unsticks his ear or attempts to.

Only Gaius is not restless. He is happily dreaming of car parks.

So passes the night.

.........

By contrast, at Centennial Park in Kalgoorlie, all is gay noise and youthful festivity, insofar as it can be, when a venue is dry.

Once you are in, there is everything.

Water, popcorn, sausages, mocktails, slushies, giant slides, things like that.

Baby Pierre and Brianna are watching an exhibition of parkour.

Wow, says Brianna, how cool is that!

Pretty cool, says Baby Pierre. Me and my cousin, we do parkour

Is he round? asks Brianna.

No he's in Adelaide, says Baby Pierre.

I meant shape-wise, says Brianna. Round like you are.

No he's more pear shaped, says Baby Pierre. You'd like him.

Oh! says Brianna. That's heaps insulting. Like...as if I'm pear shaped!

Ageless would have been glad to know that Baby Pierre had inadvertently insulted Brianna.

But he is sitting in a deck chair, burping up tuna, in front of the main stage.

And NOW, says a loud voice through a megaphone, are you all READY? Are you? Okay, give it up for.... MARLISA!

Marlisa appears on the stage. She is fifteen. She has long black hair. She is pretty. She knows how to belt out a song.

(Which is why she won X-Factor).

She sings her hit song, Stand By You.

Ageless is struck by the relevance of the lyrics;

When you fight for every breath
And the waves are overhead
I'll stand by you.

He belches loudly, fighting for breath, as young people wave over head.

It's uncanny.