I Can't Sleep For The Noise Of The Frogs

I suppose we should find a hotel for the night, says Gaius. Any suggestions?

How's your budget? asks Simon.

Limited, says Gaius. I'm paying for everything until the money rolls in from the sale of the Sea Salt.

I understand that, says Simon. You could all sleep on the floor in my office. I'm sure no one would notice.

Wonderful, says Gaius.

But it isn't.

The office is small.

And their bicycles are already in it, along with a desk, and the bell frogs.

But it's late. And there's an early start planned for the morning.

Gaius lies down on the floor.

Sweezus places the hessian sack on the desk.

Arthur takes out the knife that he borrowed from the beachside café.

He starts cutting. Scissors would have been better. He scratches the desk.

The scratching noise awakens the bell frogs, in a sexual way.

They start puffing their throats out and making suggestive blurk-blurk sounds.

Gaius sits up.

No chance of sleeping, says Gaius. I may as well learn a bit of Spanish. Saint Roley, come here.

Saint Roley had been quietly reading his poem, Saint Roley The Good.

He stops reading and hops over to where Gaius is sitting.

Cómo estás? says Saint Roley.

He learned it from Lydia.

Where is the what? asks Gaius.

It's not where is the anything, says Saint Roley. It's how are you?

I can't sleep for the mating calls of these bell frogs, says Gaius.

Try that in Spanish, says Saint Roley.

You are a hard task master, says Gaius. All right. I'll try it in Latin, and then you can help me convert it. Errr..... non posse dormire propter sonitum ranarum.

That will do without further changes, says Saint Roley. Any Spanish person would know you were complaining about the noise of the frogs.

Are you certain of that? asks Gaius.

Yes, says Saint Roley. The frogs have stopped calling.

But they are not Spanish, says Gaius.

There you go, says Saint Roley. Even they understand it.

HE can't speak Spanish, says Terence. And the frogs have stopped talking because I poked their fat throats with a pencil.

Sweezus looks into the box, to see if Terence has damaged the bell frogs.

But no, they are simply lying down, trembling.

All thoughts of mating have fled.