My Surprise Is Not Butter Chicken

Back at the cabin, Ageless is fuming.

Where is his pot?

Let's go back three or four minutes.

Ageless: Beloved! I have a surprise for you and Pinky.

Kobo: I hope it's delightful.

Ageless: It's better than delightful. Ladies, come out of the plum box.

Kobo: Pinky, wake up! Ageless has a surprise.

Pinky: Oo!

Kobo: We're ready.

Ageless: Sit there while I open the freezer.

Kobo: I hope it's not food.

Pinky: Is it food, Ageless?

Ageless (dragging a chair to the refrigerator): No, it's not food.

They watch Ageless climb onto the chair.

From the top rung of the chair back, he can just reach the handle of the freezer.

He opens the freezer.

Inside the freezer are two frozen dinners. Butter chicken.

But where is his pot?

Kobo: So it IS food!

Pinky: Butter chicken! We would never eat that!

Ageless: My surprise is not butter chicken. This must have happened while I was in the corner feeling poorly.

Kobo: Ageless dear! Poorly?

Ageless: Urrrrgh! Crackle!

Kobo: You're splitting. You must find a safe spot near the water where you can moult in private.

Ageless: My darling! Will you come with me?

The door opens and Terence bursts in.

Ageless topples.

Ageless : Craawwwwwk!

Terence: Serves you right. You stole my clay and made a rubbish pot and it MELTED!

Ageless: Melted?

Terence: Floated away.

Kobo: Was that our surprise?

Pinky: Was it?

Ageless: It was not rubbish. It was the best I could do.

Terence: You have to make another one, for the crocodile.

Kobo: A crocodile! How exotic.

Sweezus and Arthur come in.

Sweezus: What's happened to Ageless?

Ageless: I fell off the chair when Terence burst in just after I learned that my red pot had been replaced by butter chicken.

Arthur: Butter chicken. Let's see.

(It's frozen butter chicken from Woolworths, but Arthur is hungry).

Arthur: Is there an oven?

Sweezus: Use the microwave, buddy.

Arthur: Want one?

Sweezus: Yeah, I'm starving.

Ageless: Uhhhhh! Who will carry me down to the river?

Sweezus: We've just been there. We're not going back.

Terence: You SAID!

Sweezus: I know I said. But ...

Arthur: It's ready!

Gaius and Humboldt come in.

Gaius: Arthur! How prescient! We were just saying how hungry we were.

Arthur: Is this yours? We were about to eat it.

Gaius: In that case we must share our butter chicken.

A noble outcome, at which everyone is mildly disappointed.