Take The Socks With You

Terence loves his snake shorts.

Multiple black and white snakes on a black background. The snakes even have snake rings.

He starts counting the rings.

He gets up to thirty eleven.

I'll count them, since it means so much to you, says Humboldt.

He counts them in twos, to speed up the process.

Two, four, six, eight, etc. He stops at forty, in order to educate Terence.

Forty at this point, says Humboldt. But there are more rings on the tail, very close together. Now, count along with me.

Forty eight, says Terence.

Forty one, says Humboldt.

Let me see, says Gaius. He peers at the snake shorts. You are both wrong. One, two, three......There are twelve rings in the tail section. That makes fifty two altogether.

I hadn't finished, says Humboldt.

I had, says Terence

Is this important? asks Ageless lobster.

Terence will be hoping there are forty eight or more, says Gaius.

I WAS, says Terence. But there isn't.

Fifty two is more, says Ageless. Probably a bandy bandy.

You know of the bandy bandy? asks Gaius. It's the reason we're going to Weipa.

O yes, says Ageless. I have met with a few on my travels. They cross the road on humid nights.

Jumping Jupiter! says Gaius. That's exactly what I've heard. The question is why?

Where they live, it's humid, says Ageless.

Then why mention it at all? asks Humboldt.

I didn't, says Ageless. What else have you heard that they do?

They wear socks, says Terence.

They do not! says Gaius. Belle bought you those socks because she couldn't find snake shorts in the Monoprix.

Take them with you, says Ageless. Are they cotton?

I don't know, says Gaius. Was there another parcel by any chance, addressed to me?

Yes, says Ageless. Now where did I put it?

He shuffles into the pantry. Comes out with a box.

Inside the box are one dozen sharpened lead pencils, and a Swiss army knife.

Belle has remembered.

Humboldt wishes that he had ordered something.

He would have liked a smartphone.