Fates Of The Morally Defective

The point is, says Ageless, Rabbie Burns didn't go to Jamaica.

The point is, says Kobo, he was willing to work on a slave plantation. Unless, of course, he changed his mind when he found out what the job was.

He changed his mind, says Ageless, for a literary reason. His first book of poems was published, and sold out immediately. So he stayed in Scotland, to be famous.

Where's Jamaica? asks Lavender. Is it in Barbados?

Ha ha, laughs Ageless. Is Tasmania in Hawaii?

Is it? asks Lavender.

No, says Ageless. They are quite far apart.

I'm just trying to understand what the point is, says Lavender.

The point is, says Kobo, that Burns isn't a suitable character to look after the children. He is morally defective.

He took me to the beach once, says Lavender. He knew where it was.

On the bus, says Kobo. That is hardly the same as knowing where Barbados is located.

He has no need to know where Barbados is located, snaps Ageless. Let me get on with my story.

Kobo opens her book, as a warning.

We caught the train home, says Ageless. We were in a quiet carriage. That means No Talking.

Kobo starts reading. The Dream of the Celt. Poor Roger Casement! Such a good man, to end up in prison.

No talking! says Lavender. Why?

Some passengers don't like other people talking, says Ageless. They choose a Quiet Carriage.

Did you not like people talking? asks Lavender.

The train was full, says Ageless. We had no choice but to sit there.

Kobo wonders how Ageless will make a narrative out of Not Talking. A narrative that is more exciting than the story of Roger Casement. Roger in Africa, in 1884. Seeing the cruelty of King Leopold's rubber plantations in the Belgian Congo. Later, meeting Joseph Conrad......

I sat next to Fish, says Ageless. We had a box of pencils and a notebook. We communicated in whispers.

What did you say? asks Lavender.

We whispered about what we would draw with our pencils, says Ageless. The rules were simple. We must draw things that change. And we could use any colour.

What did you draw? asks Lavender.

I'll show you, says Ageless. Give me a pencil.

But they are in Gaius's kitchen. Gaius never has a pencil.

Ageless draws a flat line in the air with his claw.

Things that change?

Will it draw Kobo's attention away from the fate of Roger Casement?