Mr Regretful

Gais is eating his breakfast. Scrambled eggs and a bun.

Chen is sitting in the same seat as Terence, busily writing.

Green body
Red and black neck ring
Red beak
Sad

Is that me? asks P. krameri.

Yes, says Chen. Why are you sad?

Not so much sad, says P. krameri. Regretful.

Chen crosses out sad, and writes regretful.

But why? asks Chen. Don't you like flying?

I hardly notice, says P. krameri.

Do you want to go home?

No he DOESN'T, says Terence. He's got a new life coming.

New life coming, says P. krameri. But lacking tomatoes.

Chen writes tomatoes, then crosses it out.

Exactly, says P. krameri.

Now for the other one, says Chen. Where is it?

Mouldy, says Terence. He's here somewhere.

Mouldy pops out from under the blanket.

Oo! says Chen. This one is cuter!

Excuse me, says Mouldy. Cuter than what?

Mr Regretful, says Chen.

Write him down, says Terence. Wait. You need a new column.

I know, says Chen.

She draws up a new column for Mouldy.

It's thin.

I'll write short things, says Chen.

She examines Mouldy.

Green feathers
Red nails
Fish-smelly
Bare underneath.

Hey! says Mouldy. How do you know I'm bare underneath?

You sit flat, says Chen.

Mouldy is impressed with her observational powers.

Perhaps you should go back to your mother now, says Gaius. Your breakfast will be congealing.

Okay, says Chen. I'll leave my paper with Terence. He can fill in anything else he can think of.

She picks up her toy parrot.

Leave it, says Terence.

She puts the toy parrot down.

She heads up the aisle to eat her breakfast.

Terence now has the paper, with three columns filled in.

I bet you can't write, says P. krameri.

No, I can't READ, says Terence. What does the first column say?

It's about the toy parrot, says P.krameri. It's name is Jinjing.

What did she write about it? asks Terence.

Soft
Red
Green
Talks, says P krameri.

Talks, says Terence. That's impossible.

Maybe she imagines it, says Mouldy.

Jinjing is pained to hear this. But no way is he going to explain to these people that to hear him speak they must press a button.