Ripped From Forked Branches

Jerry comes out of the Jetty Café, followed by Mum.

Guess what? says Terence. I'm number two now.

Jerry pinches his nostrils together.

I'm sure Terence doesn't mean that kind of number two, says Mum.

What kind? asks Terence.

Never mind, says Mum. Tell us what happened.

Arthur's poisoned, says Terence. Green stuff's coming out of his knee.

How alarming, says Mum.

She hurries over.

Arthur is sitting on the ground with his knee up. Dad is still dabbing. It is true that the stuff on the cotton ball is green.

Let me help, says Mum.

I'm just wetting the bandage to loosen it, says Dad. Then it should peel off easily.

It'll peel off easily right now, says Mum, leaning in and ripping off the bandage.

Ooh! says Dad. Rachel! That was harsh.

Yeow! says Arthur.

Still, he admires her for doing it. And all pain is inspiring.

Inspiring. He could write something now. Something with yellow and green bandages, waited on by red-tailed birds, sticky, like underworld  manna, ripped from forked branches, tasting of cheese....

See, says Terence. Arthur is poisoned.

I don't think so, says Rachel. He just needs a clean bandage and some breakfast.

Good idea, says Gaius. I could do with some breakfast.

Try the café, says Rachel. They do roasted oats and brown rice porridge, or pan roasted Swiss Brown mushrooms on café toast with parsley and preserved lemon, or French toast with banana and bacon and Canadian maple syrup....

Porridge sounds good to me, says Gaius. Arthur, come in when you're ready. I'll order.

Arthur is too involved with his poem to realise that he is going to get porridge, when he would have preferred banana and bacon with maple syrup.

Dad puts on the new bandage. Tapes it.

Okay buddy? We have to go now. Keep it clean. I'll leave you to dispose of the rubbish

He, Rachel and Jerry get into their car and drive off. They have until the last ferry to do all of Bruny Island.

The Beautiful Firetails offer to get rid of the rubbish.

Arthur doesn't care where it goes.

Off they fly, with the fish bandage, the green cotton ball and the single use tweezers.

What treasures!