The Potential To Become

Some time has passed.

Sweezus and Katherine are in Blaxland, for Fish's sixth birthday.

Right now they are watching Cinderella with Butterfly and Fish.

Fish is only half watching, because he is busy at the table, making a Lego Bionicle.

Cinderella twirls around in a torn pink dress of her mother's. Round and round she spins. When she stops, her golden hair is full of sparkles and her bell-skirted tiny-waisted ball gown is a deep shade of blue. She looks lovely ( but then, she looked lovely before).

Doesn't she look lovely? says Katherine.

Butterfly nods. Mm. So lovely.

She is lovely, says Fish, attaching a claw.

Sweezus makes a note of this un-Fishlike opinion.

Cinderella progresses towards her happy ending.

Now Fish and Sweezus are upstairs. Fish is showing Sweezus his Lego collection, which is mountainous and largely disassembled on a low table next to his bed.

Wow! Awesome! says Sweezus. You've got heaps of Lego. Who's this?

That's a bad guy, says Fish. These are the good guys.

Fish presses nine tiny blue bullets into the blue ray guns of three blue helmeted good guys.

The good guys fire their tiny blue bullets at the bad guy, who falls over.

Now the nine bullets are lost, somewhere in the disassembled heaps. Sweezus starts sifting.

Soon twelve dead bad guys (and one puppy) are lined up in rows at the edge of the table.

This game has the potential to become tedious. Sweezus moves a few pieces, uncovering a small Lego carrot.

This could be their food, says Sweezus.

They don't need food, says Fish.

What else have you got? asks Sweezus, looking round the bedroom.

Fish doesn't answer. He is moving a Lego Dune buggy into position.

Sweezus stands up. On top of the chest of drawers next to a dinosaur is a new-looking book, "Bugs Spiders and Reptiles".

You like bugs? asks Sweezus.

I really like snakes, replies Fish.

Sweezus flicks through "Bugs Spiders and Reptiles", for a funnel web spider.

The smell of pork fat drifts up the stairs,

Dinner is ready.