A Prod In The Interests Of Science

Mouldy, First Dirty and Second Dirty retreat to the sand at the start of the boardwalk.

Heh-heh, says Second Dirty. That was funny. Number one is coming.

Maybe it's right, says First Dirty.

They can't move, says Mouldy. So how can one be coming?

Coming up, says First Dirty. From the bottom.

But that would take thousands of years, says Second Dirty. And it wouldn't be called number one.

True, says Mouldy. Let's think outside the box.

What's inside the box? asks First Dirty.

Number one is another thrombolite, says Mouldy.

What's outside it? asks Second Dirty.

Anything else, says First Dirty.

Not just ANYTHING, says Mouldy. It must be as old as them, or older.

And it must be able to move, says First Dirty.

Come and go, says Second Dirty.

If it comes, says Mouldy, and then it goes, we could go with it.

If we had bikes, says Second Dirty, we wouldn't need it.

They think of Baby Pierre.

He has a bike, with green wheels. How come HE is so lucky? And he pretended to be their friend and invited them to come with him to look for tiny spiders and then he went off in a HiLux without saying anything. Zero. HE won't be back.

Ding! A bicycle bell dings in the distance.

They look at one another.

It may be a bicycling tourist. Or it might be......

Baby Pierre skids to a stoppie.

He is prepared. They will be angry.

Look what you guys made me do! says Baby Pierre.

No need to take that line, says Mouldy. We knew you were coming. And we've been  busy.

Busy doing what? asks Baby Pierre.

Teaching a lesson to the thrombolites, says Second Dirty.

What lesson? asks Baby Pierre?

Look after number one, says Mouldy. Looks like YOU know that lesson.

But here I am, says Baby Pierre.

They have to admit it. Here he is. With one bicycle.

Now what? asks Mouldy.

There's a plan, says Baby Pierre. Is it Wednesday?

How do we know? asks First Dirty. Time means little at Lake Clifton.

On Thursday morning, says Baby Pierre, we'll be rescued. All we have to do is wait here.

Let them complain about that!

How did they react to the lesson? asks Baby Pierre.

They said number one isn't here now but he's coming, says Mouldy.

Maybe they meant me, says Baby Pierre. I'm going out on the boardwalk to see if they hail me.

He rides out and stops. Wheels his bike up and down in the moonlight. But they do not hail him.

He is not number one.

Number one has not visited for at least forty years.

It came in a dinghy and wore a pink wetsuit and prodded them in the interests of science.