Curse Of Your Father

The Tour Down Under is over.

Vello has invited Team Condor to join Team Philosophe for pizza in the Velosophy office.

It's a small office. There isn't much room.

Terence is under the desk, with Jinjing and the Lucky.

Sweezus, Arthur and Philip are out on the stairs.

Well, this is nice, says David. Everyone eating pizza together with no hard feelings.

Even you, says Terence, to the Lucky. You must have soft feelings.

We should ditch the Lucky, says Jinjing.

You have hard feelings, says Terence.

But he thinks about ditching the Lucky.

What are your plans, now the race is over, Gaius? asks Vello.

I thought I would try an experiment involving sand crabs, says Gaius. I read in Science News that microplastics are affecting the sand crabs' mortality.

Is that so? says Vello, Anyone for another slice of this pizza?

It's not very popular, says David. It smells off. Perhaps it's the truffle.

He takes a slice anyway.

How fascinating, says Sören Kierkegaard. I'm concerned with mortality myself, given my circumstances. Will you be visiting local beaches?

I will, says Gaius. Perhaps you'd care to join me? Arthur is going surfing with Sweezus. I'll need a right hand man.

Accepted with pleasure, says Sören Kierkegaard.

What circumstances? asks David.

The curse of my father, says Kierkegaard. He believed all his seven children would die before him, due to some terrible unnamed sin he'd committed.

And did you? asks Vello.

No, replies Kierkegaard. Only five of us did.  But it's enough to make you anxious.

I should say so, says David. But how is a study of the mortality of crabs related to the so-called curse of your father?

I'm quite sure it isn't, says Kierkegaard.

So am I, says Gaius. It's related to microplastics, in the sand and the ocean. The study I read about was conducted in Oregon, But we have sand crabs here.

Hey, says Sweezus, coming in from the staircase. Any more of that sundried tomato and salami one?

No, says Vello. Try this, It smells off but we think it's the truffle. David had some, and he's still upright.

Eeeurk! says David, lurching sideways.

But he is just clowning.

I hear you're off surfing, says Vello.

Me? says Sweezus. Yeah. Me and Arthur and Philip

Excellent! says Vello. You can combine business with pleasure. I want an article on Philip. Where is he?

On the stairs, says Sweezus. He might not want me to write it.

I'm sure you can convince him, says Vello.

He's head of the Danish TTF! says Sweezus. It's not like I can just...

But Vello has control over when Sweezus takes his holidays.

Bummer.