Two Malevolent Dots

The middle of the night.

Gaius's shed, in his back garden.

Torchlight.

The Lucky lies on a plank of wood, inanimate.

Gaius wipes the eye of the Lucky with turpentine. Sweezus dries it.

Can I do the painting? asks Terence.

No, says Gaius. You can keep watch, with Philip.

What for? asks Terence.

Illyrians, says Gaius.

Wicked, says Sweezus. What are Illyrians?

They can bewitch with a glare, says Gaius. Kill, if they stare longer.

Bullshit! says Sweezus. No kidding?

They have two pupils in each eye, says Gaius. That's where their power comes from.

Let's see! says Terence.

Not yet, says Gaius.

He stirs the blue paint that Jinjing obtained earlier from Bunnings.

He paints a blue eye ring on the Lucky.

He mixes a little black with the blue paint to make it darker.

He paints another blue ring around the first ring.

Now for the pupils.

With pure black on the tip of his paint brush, he paints two malevolent black dots.

One. Two.

Now look, Terence, says Sweezus.

Terence and Philip stop keeping watch for Illyrians and re-enter the shed.

Let it dry first, says Gaius.

Terence is itching to touch it, but doesn't.

You'll win tomorrow, says Terence.

Hope so, says Sweezus.

I probably shouldn't have done this, says Gaius. After all, we're rivals.

You're a historian first, says Sweezus. And don't think I don't appreciate it.

What does that mean? asks Terence.

But no grown up answers. They are thinking about the likelihood of altering the future by means of a talisman.

Pretty unlikely. And it's late. They should all be in bed now.

.......

Caleb Ewan wins the Criterium on Sunday, proving nothing.

Sweezus's performance is average, proving the same.

.......

Monday: no racing, but Lucky's evil eye has dried hard as a marble.

Tuesday: Stage one, Tanunda to Tanunda. Lucky is missing....