Darkness And Tightness

Saint Roley rescues ten waxworms, and places them on the frog room table.

Gaius calls Belle, and asks her to send both his bicycle and Schopenhauer's to Nantes. She agrees to.

Humboldt finds in the store room a bicycle belonging to Pedro Vicente Maldonado, and borrows it, so he can practise. He's practising now.

Sweezus and Arthur negotiate with the head waxworm.

What do we get? asks the head waxworm.

You get free plastic food, says Arthur.

Which we have to hold back from eating, says the head waxworm. And when we do, it tastes awful.

What do you want, then? asks Sweezus.

Knowledge, says the head waxworm. Regarding the Sea Salt. How does it work?

You chuck a pinch, and it forms a letter, says Sweezus. And it's the first letter of something that's going to happen.

That might suit you humans, says the waxworm, but we know what's going to happen. Up to a point, after which.......all is darkness.

Well, that's kind of like .......... begins Sweezus.

What's he asking? says Gaius.

What happens when all is darkness, says Arthur.

Night creatures come out, says Gaius . But it's not total darkness.

It is for us, says the waxworm. Darkness and tightness. Is that how life ends?

Aha, says Gaius. No it isn't. How old are you?

No idea, says the waxworm.

Then I don't know how long you've got, as a waxworm, says Gaius.

Just a general idea? says the waxworm.

At some time in the future you will go through dramatic changes to become a pupa, says Gaius. This will take four to seven days. After this, for up to forty days, depending on the temperature, you will spend your time slowly becoming a wax moth.

A wax moth, you say, says the waxworm. The wax part sounds feasible. Not the moth part. Why should I believe you?

I'm a natural historian, says Gaius. But, there's always the Sea Salt.

Okay, says the waxworm. If it falls in the shape of a W, I'll believe you.

It is not often a hypothesis can be so easily tested.