Interference And String

There you have it in a nutshell, says Maclou. Why is the wind more conventional?

Huh? says Arthur, who has moved on.

Dear Maclou, says François-René. You are missing the point. The idea of the sky blinding someone is conventional. The wind, less so.

Heavens! says Maclou. I had no idea poetry could be so demanding. And that's just one line!

Yes, sighs François-René. Now I must decide whether to make use of deliverance.

Deliverance, a fine rhyme for indifference, says Maclou.

You would think so, says François-René.

Better than reverence, says Maclou.

Oh, but that's a good one, says François-René. Arthur, what about reverence?

What about interference? says Arthur.

Which is rather unkind.

......

Some way back, Gaius and Belle peer down the slope at the edge of the Grand Randonnée.

We can't wait for Arthur, says Gaius. Something must have happened.

It'll soon be evening, says Belle. What shall we do?

Me and Baldy'll go down, says Terence. They're our parrots.

Not parrots, says Gaius. Oystercatcher chicks. Get your nomenclature right.

And you're NOT going down, says Belle. Then there'll be four of you to rescue.

Do we have a rope? asks Gaius, suddenly thinking a rope might be handy.

No, says Belle. We don't even have bicycles now.

That's a point, says Gaius. However, we'll deal with that later. I must go down.

Yes, we can't leave them, says Belle. Listen to them, crying Aie Aie ! It's heart-breaking.

And I must recover the box, says Gaius. The Rance estuary tidal ranges are recorded on it.

Are you sure that you did it? asks Belle. I know you were going to.

I remember it clearly, says Gaius. I used a purple pencil. Now, steady. Here goes.

He is about to step over the edge of the Grand Randonée, when help arrives, in the form of two cycling botanists.

The two we met earlier. They have been taking their time, identifying rock roses, asters and lotus maritimus, (not figwort) and various types of vetch.

Hello again! says the first cyclist (Albert).

In trouble? asks the second (Francine).

Oh YES! says Belle. Our chicks have gone over the edge. Gaius was just going down but we don't have a rope. Do you have one?

Not a rope, says Francine. But I do have some string.