The Liberator

Proust and Albertine converse as they climb up the rope.

Proust: Are there other Daniels?

Albertine: In my aunt's Book of Daniel? Yes.

Proust: I was referring to real ones.

Albertine: They are real ones. The first one is Daniel, or Belteshezzar, the interpreter of dreams. The second is Daniel Radcliffe, the boy wizard.

Proust: Your aunt is in error. Daniel Radcliffe is not a boy wizard. He is an actor.

Albertine: He plays a boy wizard. The third is Daniel Craig, the secret agent.

Proust: Another actor, playing James Bond. Your aunt is deranged.

Albertine: Quite likely. The fourth one is Daniel Boone, the pioneer and folk hero.

Proust: Who does he play?

Albertine: You mean, who plays him?

Proust: No, that would not seem to be necessary.

Albertine: Ha! Now you get it.

Proust: Hmm. Let us see if I get it. Are there any more of them?

Albertine: Daniel O'Connell, the Liberator. Irish reformer. A real person.

Proust: What did you say? I'm at the top now.

Albertine: I said DANIEL O'CONNELL. The LIBERATOR!

Proust: Oh yes, of course. Him.

.......

As this conversation proceeds up and down the rope, the louder words bounce through the underground passage to Arthur and Gaius.

That is, the words bounce down and along.

Upwards too, but no one is up there, until Proust is.

And then, as we know, he has trouble hearing, which is why Albertine has to repeat them.

The result is, Daniel the spider.... but we need to bounce backwards in time, a few seconds....

Here we are back a few seconds, (anticipating the future, but not knowing it exactly).

Gaius is holding the bottle aloft.

It is illuminated by the light on his helmet.

He is not looking at it particularly.

Then he is.

And what he sees is: Daniel the spider eating the last of the water scorpions.

He is annoyed with himself, for not foreseeing that this might happen.

He unscrews the lid of the bottle.

Here. Hold this, Arthur.

Arthur takes the lid, and shoves it into his pocket.

Gaius reaches into the bottle. Lifts out Daniel by his cephalothorax.

Daniel is in the air now and the first thing he hears is:

(having caught up those few seconds)

DANIEL O'CONNELL, the LIBERATOR!

And he thinks to himself: A proud name. I like it.

And then he thinks further: Perhaps a liberator ought not to eat water scorpions.

And in another few seconds he will justify his misdemeanour: But of course, now they are free.