Freedom In A Boat

Next morning, at Seacliff.  Blue sky and sunny. Moderate waves.

Margaret is launching her tinny.

Ageless is already in it, with Baby Pierre.

Ho ho! says Baby Pierre. I love sailing.

We're motoring, not sailing, says Margaret.

Baby Pierre doesn't believe her.

Gaius is in the car park with Daniel O'Connell, waiting for Belle and Terence.

Belle arrives on a scooter, in a red dress, with Terence behind her.

Gaius! says Belle. You came.

......

Gaius! says Margaret. You came.

Hello, Margaret, says Gaius. This is kind of you.

Oh, come on Gaius, says Margaret. You prickly old toad!

Gaius can't imagine what inspired such an epithet.

How was the poisonous cave? asks Margaret. Did you bring back any samples?

He brought back a new parrot, says Terence.

That's me, says Daniel O'Connell.

Oh! a spider! says Margaret.

Don't fist him! says Baby Pierre.

Shouldn't he be in a bottle? asks Margaret.

Madam, says Daniel O'Connell. I have lived in poisonous cave. Then a bottle. And now I'm enjoying my freedom.

In a boat, says Terence. Freedom in a boat.

Good point Terence, says Belle. It's quite a confined space, when you think about it.

It is, says Margaret. Get in.

........

The tinny bobs up and down on the moderate waves.

Belle is in the middle. Her red dress blows up in the breeze. She pushes it down.

She opens a waterproof zipper bag.

What's for lunch? asks Terence.

Cheese and Apple Polenta, says Belle.

And.....says Margaret......Monkey Bread!

Yay! says Terence. What colour is it?

Brown, says Margaret. I thought Gaius might like it.

Gaius is not listening. He is instructing Ageless what to look for, when he goes down.

Now Ageless, I want you to make a note of any small organisms you see among the seagrasses. That includes epiphytes and epifauna. If possible, make an estimation of their numbers. But your main task will be to listen for fish noise, and compare it to the amount of fish noise you remember, from earlier times.

First, says Ageless, I'll have some of that Monkey Bread.

Monkey what? says Gaius.

Here, says Margaret. Try a piece of this, Gaius.

She holds out a large sticky object, made of brown lumps stuck together, smelling of cinnamon.

Go on, she says. Break a piece off.

He does. It tastes sweetly of caramel, cinnamon and butter.

Mm. It is rather too rich for his liking.

Trust Margaret to take things too far.

He puts the Monkey Bread portion down on the front thwart beside him.

......

Ha ha, laughs Margaret. I can't tell the difference.

She is laughing at Baby Pierre.

She thinks he looks very similar to the chunk of Monkey Bread Gaius rejected.

Baby Pierre is offended.

It's only because you look rather more greasy than the last time I saw you, says Margaret.

That's because he spends too much time indoors, says Belle.

I didn't know I looked greasy, says Baby Pierre. What can I do about it?

Dive down to the seagrass with me, says Ageless. You can be my recorder.

I thought you had an excellent memory, says Gaius.

I do, says Ageless. But Baby Pierre will get clean, as well as absorb information.

Lucky! says Terence. I never get to go anywhere.

This is so patently untrue, (he is out in a tinny!), that it's best to ignore him.