The Lure Of The Shipwreck

Next morning Gaius sleeps in.

All that diving. All that excitement.

The terrible omen.

He wakes up at noon.

It's raining slightly, at the Lucky Bay Camp site.

Gaius lies in his sleeping bag, listening to the rain, and the conversation of his fellow campers.

Sweezus: Rain. Fuck it.

Ferdy: It's not that heavy.

Sweezus: I hate rain.

Arthur: Why?

Sweezus: It wets you.

Arthur: But it doesn't stain.

Ferdy: That's a good point.

Sweezus; Yeah, imagine if it stained. Rain that stained. Then no one could go anywhere.

Arthur: If the stains were orange, you could go somewhere.

Sweezus (looking down at his orange Bender Mash beach shorts) : Yeah. That's just the shorts dude. What about if I got orange spotted hair?

Ferdy: You wouldn't look that much different.

Arthur: No, you wouldn't.

Sweezus: You saying I'm some kind of ranga?

Ferdy: No way. Just that orange spots wouldn't show up much on brown.

Sweezus: What if it rained purple?

Arthur (looking down at his purple Brave Soul Paisley Skull shorts): I'd be all right then.

Sweezus: Yeah, man, you'd be laughing. I'd look like I'd sat on some grapes.

Gaius decides to break into the conversation, rather than join it.

Gaius: Arthur, what do you say to a spot of diving? I'd let you borrow the diving suit and the rebreather.

Sweezus: He's coming surfing. That's if the rain stops.

Gaius: Nonsense. The mission comes first. And I can't go out on the Georgette for a very good reason.

Arthur: What is it?

Gaius: I prefer not to say. But then again, perhaps it's my duty to warn you. A chimaera has been spotted. And we all know what that means. A shipwreck. Or a volcano.

Arthur: I'll definitely go then.

Gaius; Good man. Don't forget Baby Pierre and the string and the camera.

The rain stops. The sun comes out.

Sweezus and Ferdy head off down the beach for some surfing.

They pass a kangaroo, sunbaking.

No kidding. That's what they do.

Arthur collects Baby Pierre, the string and the camera, and goes down to the boat ramp.

Wee! says Baby Pierre. It'll be more fun with you coming.

There might be a shipwreck, says Arthur.

We'll be all right under the water, says Baby Pierre.

So will I, says Brianna, from inside the tangle of string.

Today only Andrew Dempster and Mary Emily are going out on the Georgette.

Mary-Emily is glad to see Arthur.

She is certain that he's that French poet.

........

Ageless and Kobo are on their way back to Esperance after spending the night on Woody Island.

Ageless is carefully clutching the paper patty pan he retained from Kobo's morning tea cupcake.

It is red, and lined on the inside with a layer of greasy brown crumbs.

It reminds him of his red knitted hat which he has left behind somewhere.

He mentions it.

You didn't bring that ridiculous hat! exclaims Kobo.

It's very useful, says Ageless. But I've mislaid it.

Good, says Kobo. And why are you keeping that patty pan?

You'll see, sweetheart, says Ageless. Once you've washed it, you'll see. A pretty little vehicle for a beautiful lady.

I don't do washing, says Kobo.