Gender Divide

Frankfurt.

Griff boards a Lufthansa flight bound for Adelaide via Hong Kong.

With him are Kobo, Nose and Third Sister.

Females. They should give him no trouble.

He settles himself in his seat, does up his seat belt.

Beside him, Nose does up hers.

Ouch! says Third Sister.

Sorry, says Nose. Did I clip you?

Yes, says Third Sister. But I'm okay. Do I get a seat belt?

No, says Kobo, who is wedged in between them. You don't need a seat belt. If we crash, wrap yourself around me.

How will that help? asks Nose.

Cushioning, says Kobo.

For you, says Nose. What about her?

Hush! says Griff. Stop all that nattering. Would you like to watch an in-flight movie?

Yes, says Nose. I would. What is there?

Griff flicks through the choices. Happy Feet Two.... Jackie First Lady.....Wonder Woman.

Wonder Woman, says Kobo. That sounds good.

Having watched the trailer, and seen the spectacular Woman, Griff thinks it looks good as well.

........

Gaius is on a domestic Lufthansa flight to Düsseldorf, with Ageless and Terence.

In the overhead locker is Tiny Sacrifice, still in the bread bag.

In the bread bag with Tiny Sacrifice is the stuffed Barbados racer.

Tiny has eaten the crumbs. There were hardly any.

He missed out on breakfast and dinner.

He tries a tentative nibble of the stuffed snake which resembles his mother.

Ach! Uch! One should never do this.

Under the overhead locker, Gaius is fumbling in his pocket for a small notebook he thought he had put there.

Under Gaius's seat, Ageless, who has been resting, is disturbed by a foot movement.

Found one? asks Ageless, (referring to the eternally missing pencil).

No, says Gaius, (referring to the newly missing notebook), but I did find a pencil.

Can I have it? asks Terence.

No, says Gaius. I need it to make a few notes. If I could just find that cursed notebook.... I don't know.... Griff must have it.

There is a banging sound, in the overhead locker.

A flight attendant comes running, and opens the locker.

Your bread bag sir, says the flight attendant. It was knocking. Perhaps it could go under your seat.

Certainly! says Gaius. I shall make use of the bread bag as makeshift notepaper. Thank you, flight attendant.

It is perhaps fortunate that the flight attendant is busy. She does not remain to see what drops out of the bread bag.

Tiny Sacrifice! says Terence. What happened? You changed colour!

Nothing, I'm just hungry, says Tiny Sacrifice. Where's Third Sister?

She went home with Griff and Nose, says Terence.

Whaaa...? says Tiny Sacrifice. (He had no idea, being all the time in the bread bag).

I know, it sucks, says Terence. She was the only one who could fly. She would have been my truly best parrot.

She can't fly, says Tiny Sacrifice. She's my sister.

She can, says Terence.

Did you see her? asks Gaius, stopping his note writing.

Yes, says Terence. She was just doing it when you came in and stopped her.

She was not, says Gaius. If she were, I should certainly have remarked upon it.

She said she was about to, says Terence. And I believed her.

Is there anything to eat? asks Tiny Sacrifice. I'm so hungry I....

He stops. You don't broadcast that you've nibbled an entity resembling your mother.