Preparations For A Long Expedition

The lunch is over. Gaius is packing.

Terence is watching his prune, which is sitting in water.

Are you coming with us? asks David.

He's not allowed to, says Elodie.

It's not fair, says Terence. Brown water.

Try it, says Elodie. It might be nice.

You said red, says Terence.

I was thinking of rust, says Elodie.

David says nothing, but he thinks: Ha! She's a slippery thinker.

Why aren't I allowed to? asks Terence. I went last time. I learned to make pots.

I don't know, says Elodie. Why don't you ask Gaius?

Terence plods into the bedroom, where Gaius is packing his crocs and a spare pair of chinos.

Hi Terence! says Baby Pierre.

I was LOOKING for you! says Terence.

I was here, says Baby Pierre. You should have shouted.

What are you doing? asks Terence.

Packing, says Baby Pierre. I'm going to Western Australia with Gaius to look for my cousins.

They're not your cousins, says Gaius. I merely said you have something in common.

Yes, says Baby Pierre. That's like cousins.

What? asks Terence.

I have the sign of the claw, says Baby Pierre. They have different patterns.

Yours is dirty, says Terence.

Is it? asks Baby Pierre.

He hops up to look in the mirror. But the mirror is unhelpful.

Let me see, says Gaius. Yes, you could do with a scrub.

Ha ha, says Terence. And I don't want to go anyway. I've got a new parrot.

Who is it? asks Baby Pierre.

A real one, says Terence. Celia.

Where is she? asks Baby Pierre.

She went to give pizza to Nobby, says Terence.

What does she look like? asks Baby Pierre.

A yellowish green body, wings with red and pink trimmings, says Gaius. An aprosmictus erythropterus.

Woo! says Baby Pierre.

She lost her sister, says Terence.

That's hard to imagine, says Baby Pierre.

Terence is over wanting to go somewhere with Gaius. He has just remembered that Gaius is boring and always says words like erythropterus. Better to stay here and hang out with Celia. If she comes back.

He stomps out to the kitchen.

David and Elodie are watching the prune, and each other.

Shu is looking out of the window.

Above I see the deepness and blueness of sky.

Not his best line you might think, but it reminds him of Arthur.