Everything In The Universe Is Connected

Gaius is being shown around the Field Centre by Serban and Dumitru.

I must take notes, thinks Gaius.

Surely he has packed a pencil.

Dumitru and Serban are telling him about the forty five species so far identified in the cave.

Snails, shrimps, water scorpions, spiders, says Dumitru.

Flies?  asks Gaius.

No flies, says Serban. But the spiders spin webs. Tiny springtails get caught in them.

And leeches prey on earthworms, says Dumitru.

Earthworms! says Gaius. What variety! Does either of you have a pencil?

The worse the air gets, the more animals there are, says Serban, looking for a pencil.

Fascinating, says Gaius. How do they survive?

It is uncertain, says Dumitru. There seems to be no source of food. No water drips down from the surface, due to a thick layer of clay. The water must come from below.

Pencil, says Serban.

Thank you, says Gaius. Any paper?

Serban suppresses a smirk. Of course there is paper.

This water, says Gaius. Is it coming up through sandstone?

Yes, says Dumitru. Spongy sandstone. The water has been there for thousands of years, but tests show there are no food particles in it. The food comes from the frothy foam on top of the water which looks like wet tissue paper.....

Paper! says Serban.

Thank you, says Gaius.

He writes Frothy Foam on the paper

This frothy foam.......says Gaius.

He is about to ask another intelligent question.

But here we will leave him for a moment.

Outside in the sunshine, Arthur and Proust are enjoying their first taste of Ursa.

After several sips, their enjoyment goes sour.

Perhaps it's the sweetness. Perhaps it's the absence of alcohol.

They both stop drinking.

You like it? asks Luminita.

It reminds me of my childhood, says Proust.

Don't get him started, says Arthur.

No, no, I should love to hear of your childhood, says Luminita. Was it in France?

Yes, says Proust. At that time I used to go to bed early.......

Arthur needs to act fast.

He sucks up another mouthful of Ursa, in a manner that leaves him with a frothy foam moustache.

Proust is watching.

Proust notices Arthur's frothy foam moustache.

Under the layer of tiny bubbles can be seen (only just!) a fine tracery of bubble gum. Does the boy never ....? It's insupportable.....

Proust remembers the donuts, which Arthur ate on the Wizz Air flight, and the confectioners' sugar. Why, he wouldn't be surprised if there were still grains of that on his chin....

He reaches into his pocket, for his aloe vera tissues.

One can only try. No doubt Arthur will reject him.

But here we will leave them for a moment...

Why? Where are we going?

Down into the Movile Cave. We have already gone down the rope ladder. We have negotiated the passageways. We have come to the lake and it smells, although we can't smell it.

On top of the lake lies a foamy froth composed of autotrophic and methanotrophic bacteria.

It looks like a mat of wet tissue, lying on finely drawn out strings of bubble gum.

With, here and there, the odd grain of confectioners' sugar, glinting.

Only teasing.

There's no light to see by.

But we have answered Gaius's question.

And Proust has stopped talking.