Long Night Passes Into DNA

Reception has finished his duties.

He is free to go home.

He turns on the sand, and damn! sees a piece of grilled flying fish that a party-goer discarded.

Strictly speaking, it should go back to the kitchen.

But there's plenty of room in the sea.

He picks up the grilled flying fish, and heads down to the frothy sea edge.

Someone come and GET me!

He peers into the darkness.

A small cement head is half submerged in the water.

Swoosh-shwerp. The water recedes for a moment, revealing Terence, his cutlass shorts clean.

Turn around, kid, says Reception.

FINALLY! says Terence. No one came!

I came, says Reception. But not for you. I'm chucking this piece of grilled fish in the water. Want it?

NO! says Terence.  I want to go home. I want Grandpa! I want my lost parrots.

Aw, says Reception. How many parrots?

Terence lists all his lost parrots. They don't all sound like proper parrots.

The last one is Nose.

Nose, says Reception. I met that one. She was a bandicoot.

She was TRYING to be a parrot, says Terence. Then she got pirate pantaloons and turned into a pirate.

It ain't that easy, says Reception.

It was easy for her, says Terence.

I bet it wasn't, says Reception. A pirate's life is hard. She's probably sorry.

This is a good thing to say. Nose is probably sorry.

Terence brightens, and stops feeling resentful.

.......

The long night becomes shorter.

Tangerine and Mastigo drop Kobo at the hotel, before they head off to Gun Hill.

Say hi to the lion, says Kobo.

Shizz! The lion! says Tangerine. I promised him a can of red paint.

He doesn't deserve it, says Mastigo. He failed in his duty.

True, says Tangerine. His ball can stay brown a bit longer.

......

Kobo turns to see Ageless watching her, slit-ways.

Where's Terence? asks Kobo.

Taken care of, says Ageless. Come to beddie-byes, beloved. I want you to look at my crack.

It's a dent, not a crack, says Kobo.

But it's getting bigger, says Ageless. Come, sweet pea,,,,,clik,,,,,clik,,,,,

She comes.

........

Gaius and Griff are in bed already. They are sharing a twin room. Snoring in unison.

Tiny Sacrifice lies in his swaddle tucked inside the pocket of Gaius' chinos.

Waiting for his DNA test tomorrow.