How To Be Silent

Amanda is up in a tree when she receives Arthur's selfie.

She drops a few zip ties, while getting out her phone.

Doesn't matter. She has more of them.

She looks at the photo.

Arthur is quite a good looking young man. Could do with a haircut.

But his eyes are pale blue, irradiated with dark blue. How unusual.

She remembers she is meant to be looking at the bird in the background.

Yes, it could well be a forty spotted pardalote, side on.

She counts twenty spots.

She calls Arthur.

Well done, you've spotted your first one. Place a dot on the survey map.

Haven't got one, says Arthur.

Send your drone robot, says Amanda. I'll give him a copy.

Okay, says Arthur.

Jinjing is tired of being a gopher.

I'll go, says Jinjing, But I might take a break before I come back.

Bring some food, says Arthur.

Better idea, says Jinjing. How about you go, and I wait here. I know how to be silent.

Arthur knows how to be silent, but he also wants food. And lurking is boring.

He will go back and find Amanda.

No. First he will go back to the Jetty Café and pick up some food. That banana and bacon breakfast.

Okay, says Arthur. If you see any whatsits or hear any wheet-wheets, let me know.

Sure, says Jinjing.  I'll make a note. Now go, and go quietly.

Arthur tiptoes away.

Wheet-wheet!

That was fast, thinks Jinjing. I wouldn't have expected to hear one so soon.

But who is this crashing through the low shrubbery?

It's Terence.

He had been doing his task. Listening. He had heard a wheet-wheet sound. He had silently tapped Gaius on the shoulder. Gaius had turned rather suddenly, and all his bird notes had scattered. Gaius had been... not angry... but flustered. Maybe worse than flustered. But not angry, no.

However, after that, Terence had decided to follow the wheet-wheet independently.

Which had led him to Jinjing.

Can we talk? asks Terence.

Of course, says Jinjing. Why not?

I'm not allowed to, says Terence. I'm listening.

I'm listening too, says Jinjing. I heard a wheet-wheet.

No, I heard it, says Terence. I was supposed to tap Gaius, and I tapped him.

What went wrong? asks Jinjing.

Everything, says Terence. His papers blew off.

Was he angry? asks Jinjing.

No, says Terence, but I'm now independent.

That's good, says Jinjing. You will grow as a person.

Debatable. But it was a nice thing to tell Terence.