Out Of His Depth

Sweezus, Arthur and Vello are sitting in the dark on the step outside Gaius's backpacker cabin in Kingscote.

Sweezus has just ventured the opinion that it is a headfuck.

It's not that bad, says Arthur.

No bikes, no surfboards, no Terence, says Sweezus. We fucked up bigtime.

It would have helped if we had Irene's number, says Vello.

Yeah, says Sweezus. And our phones.

A bike rolls up and stops in front of the cabin.

Followed by another one.

Gaius and Shu get off.

Greetings! says Gaius. I hope you weren't worried about Terence. He's with us.

He takes off his backpack, and drops it onto the gravel.

Terence steps out.

I had the BEST day, says Terence. I've got a grasshopper.

He holds up the jar.

Sweezus peers in. It's too dark to see anything.

Gaius finds the key to the cabin, and they all go inside.

How was the shipwreck? asks Shu.

Awesome, says Sweezus. The Froggs are like, real professionals....and Arthur wrote a poem underwater.

Shu looks at Arthur. How did it go?

Arthur can't remember. It's on the slate. And the Froggs have still got it.

Something about the sea infused with stars and lactescent, says Sweezus.

Devouring the azure verses, says Vello. It was quite good. It took the heat off.

Heat off? says Gaius.

Me. I felt a bit out of my depth, says Vello. I'm not used to it.

You did okay, says Sweezus. No one suspected you weren't Jacques Cousteau.

As to that, says Gaius, when are we supposed to be giving our talks in the Town Hall?

Tomorrow, says Shu. Tell me, would David Suzuki be likely to talk about stones?

He'll talk about anything, says Sweezus. He's a legend. Are you going to talk about stones?

Well, says Shu, modestly, today I made a significant discovery.

He shows them his fossil eye stones.

The others lean forward to look at them.

Wow! Amazeballs!

The stones are getting too much attention.

What about my grasshopper? says Terence. Look, he's moving.

Terence tips the grasshopper onto the floor.

It lies there recovering from pickle fumes.

It doesn't have wings, observes Arthur.

Yes it does, says Terence. ( He looks). Oh no! It doesn't!

It's a member of the family Eumastacidae, says Gaius. A family of primitive, slender, wingless, short horned grasshoppers.

Poor you, says Terence, to the grasshopper.

The grasshopper tries to look inconspicuous.