Hilarity Or Wailing

Lavender is put out by the spider legs blowing away.

Elodie will be disappointed.

But minding the spider legs isn't the main thing.

What did Elodie say?

Give Arthur the message.

There's a message! says Lavender.

What is it? asks Arthur.

What is it? asks Sprocket, at the same time.

It's for Arthur, says Lavender.

Sprocket loses interest. The message isn't for him.

Sprocket is sitting on the poncho next to the tin.

He hears sounds of hilarity, coming from it.

He lowers his ear to the air hole, which he has noticed.

Now he can hear better.

It isn't hilarity. It's wailing.

He lifts up the tin.

Lavender could have prevented him, in normal circumstances, by saying: Don't lift up the tin! Fifteen spiders are in it!

But she is giving Arthur the message, which is in two parts and hard to remember.

"Short one. Any suggestions?"

Who's it from? asks Arthur.

Elodie, says Lavender.

Weird, says Arthur.

A female spider runs over his shoe.

He whacks it without thinking. Her legs fly off in several directions.

The other fourteen run for the shrubbery.

You let them out! cries Lavender.

They were wailing, says Sprocket.

It took us AGES to catch them, says Lavender.

Honestly!

Elodie returns with four squashed spiders.

She places the four squashed spiders on top of the tin.

She doesn't yet know the tin is empty.

Hello Arthur. Did Lavender give you the message? asks Elodie.

Short one, says Arthur. What does that mean?

It means your team is short of one rider, says Elodie, and he wonders if you have any suggestions.

Who wonders? says Arthur.

Can he really have forgotten?

Is he so involved with Sprocket's artistic vision, that he's forgotten the Tour De France and his commitment to Team Condor and his team captain, Sweezus?

His role model?

Only temporarily.

Arthur does have a suggestion. Assuming that Sprocket can ride.