Passing Dark Hours

Three hours later, back in Weipa.

Kobo consoles the Blue Claw.

Ageless just landed in Cairns. You won't be Team Leader. Pity. You'd have been a good one.

Never mind. I didn't feel ready, says Blue Claw.

What's this all about? asks Humboldt, who had been miles away, dreaming of Chimborazo.

Kobo had a message, says Pinky. It was from Ageless. He thought he would die.

Message? says Humboldt. Has there been a message?

Yes. Kobo got it, says Pinky.

They have a supernatural connection, says Celia. Didn't you know that?

Really, says Humboldt. No, I didn't know that. Has it proved useful?

It has helped to pass the dark hours, says Kobo. Ageless gets bored because he is immortal. I am trapped in this clam.

You ARE the clam, surely, says Humboldt. Oh dear. Have I made a faux pas?

Are you your travelling clothes? asks Kobo. Are you those trousers? That grubby white shirt?

Yes, it is rather grubby , says Humboldt. I shall be glad to get home.

The sky is cloudless. There is a good chance of that happening.

So, says Blue Claw. For me, it's back to being a Sprinter. What role do you play?

Me? says Humboldt. Depends. I fancy myself as a climber. I lived for years on Mount Chimborazo. It was where I met Pauline.

Is she your girlfriend? asks Pinky.

He hasn't got a girlfriend, says Celia.

How do you know? asks Humboldt.

No phone, says Celia. To have a girlfriend you must have a phone.

Ageless hasn't, says Humboldt. But I suppose that's because he has the supernatural connection.

Prtt! says Kobo. I wish he did have a phone.

If I had a phone I could call Pauline, says Humboldt. Look up, she used to say. Look up. It was her favourite saying.

As if the spirit of Pauline had made a supernatural connection, Humboldt looks up, just as Tom MacDonald is returning.

Tom swoops in his Gypsy Moth. And waves at Humboldt.

A tiny thundercloud appears on the horizon.