Preceding His Death An Adventure

What has happened? asks Gaius.

They killed it! says Terence.

I'm not asking you, says Gaius. If there's one thing we can be sure of, it's that Kobo and Pinky have not killed it.

We are perfectly capable of killing a snake if we choose to, says Kobo.

Really? How? asks Humboldt.

Well, says Kobo. Pinky, being in the shape of a hand. Me, being a fossil.

Ooh! Yes! says Pinky. The snake approaches. But we don't panic. I stiffen my fingers. I wrap them around Kobo.

Mmm. Go on, says Kobo.

I grasp her firmly and then! says Pinky. I crash her down on the snake's head and smash it to pieces, but Kobo is not harmed in any way.

No I'm not not harmed, in fact I'm elated, says Kobo.

A fine tale, says Humboldt. But untrue.

Indeed, says Gaius. Terence, how do we know it's untrue?

We never said it was true, says Kobo.

That's how, says Terence.

The snake's head is not smashed to pieces, says Gaius. Something else happened. Where is Ageless?

Skulking, says Kobo. As he ought to. Some bad things have happened.

Bad things, says Pinky.

Well, on the bright side, we've had some luck, says Gaius. We have a vermicella parscauda, asleep in the plum box.

Shouldn't we be asking what bad things happened? asks Humboldt.

Gaius sighs. I suppose so. What happened, Kobo?

We wait on the concrete block by the glittering water, says Kobo. Ageless, Pinky and me. A snake approaches. We are half expecting it. It slithers to the edge and gazes out to sea. We ask it: What do you see? It replies: Preceding my death, an unlikely adventure. Crik crik, says Ageless, how about you and me steal a scooter for these girls? They haven't got legs and they want to run on the sand. The snake agrees. This may be the unlikely adventure. He and Ageless slope off, to look for a scooter. But they come back without one.

We're resigned to not going, says Pinky. But then Ageless says: Despair not ladies, this snake and I shall form a wheel contraption. Let me think it out. Give me a minute.

The snake is not looking happy, says Kobo. It may not like the idea. Ageless says: Make a loop and I'll go in the middle, supporting the girls in the centre. Pinky and I tremble. How will it go?

We didn't know, says Pinky. But it sounded scary.

We said we were scared, says Kobo. So they did a dry run. The snake made a loop and Ageless got in the middle. But flat to the ground, they didn't go anywhere. So they reformed it, in the vertical. Then the snake rolled away with Ageless in the middle.

This is fascinating behaviour, says Gaius.

It is indeed, says Humboldt. Ending in the death of the snake, as evidenced. How did that happen?

When finally they came back, the snake was in a bad way, says Kobo. It died of bumps and exhaustion. I blame Ageless entirely.

It sounds as though he was trying to please you, says Gaius.