Wrinkles At Night

Deepest night in the Coorong.

The sky emu beams darkly down.

Something craarks in the scrub nettle.

Gaius is sleeping.

Terence is making plans to find a red parrot-pea in the morning.

A horrid thought strikes him.

He pokes Gaius. Gaius snorts and rolls over.

Terence whispers his question.

Is it a pea or a parrot?

Gaius rumbles.

Terence waits.

Nothing happens.

He could go down to the water and wake up Saint Roley.

Saint Roley is a bird, he'll know if a red parrot-pea is a parrot.

Terence gets up quietly, and tiptoes down to the shore.

Saint Roley is standing on his thin legs in the shallows, facing outwards.

Terence pulls at a feather. Saint Roley squeaks, krvee!

Krvee yourself, says Terence. Wake up, something bad's happened.

You may as well tell me, says Saint Roley. I was feeling sad about my brother. Something bad might distract me.

Okay, says Terence. Gaius told me a list.

And? says Saint Roley.

And, says Terence, the third one was a red parrot.

That's good, says Saint Roley.

IT WAS! says Terence. But what if it's not a parrot?

It must be a parrot, says Saint Roley.

It might be a pea! says Terence. Red parrot-pea.

You didn't say pea the first time, says Saint Roley. That makes all the difference. It will be a pea.

He sees Terence's face crumpling.

Or a P, he adds helpfully.

Gaius appears behind them, having woken up when he heard the far-off sound of an engine.

What's this about a pee? says Gaius. Never mind, don't tell me.

Is a red parrot-pea a parrot or a pea? asks Terence.

It's a common coastal flowering bush, says Gaius. We'll ask the ranger to show you one in the morning.

Terence stomps back to the campsite with Gaius.

It's a BUSH. The worst answer.

It would be the worst night ever, except for what else has just happened.

Katherine has returned, with three still-hot potatoes.

What a welcome surprise, says Gaius, wolfing two hot potatoes down quickly.

Terence is given the third one.

He places it carefully on the sand.

He lies in the sand on his tummy, and watches his potato.

All night, as it slowly wrinkles....