No Actual Teeth Marks

She wants a share of the pickle, says Terence. She says it's not fair.

I'm not saying it's not fair, says Alexander-Red-Hook. I'm saying the control crab, which is me, should eat the same amount of pickle as the remaining experimental subjects, which is them.

I totally agree, says Alexander-Groovy.

It's too late, says Gaius. I've cut the pickle into three.

Cut each third into four, says Alexander-Red-Hook. We'll eat three slices each.

How does that work? asks Terence.

Why don't we try it and see, says Gaius. It will be a lesson in the mathematics of sets.

Can I do the cutting? asks Terence.

Yes, says Gaius. Here is the knife. Try to make all the slices equal.

Terence now has the knife. It's a real one!

The three pieces of pickle lie on a plate.

Cut the middle one first, suggests Alexander-Red-Hook. It's the easiest, because it doesn't have a round end.

Okay, says Terence.

He cuts the middle piece of the pickle in half.

Now cut each of those halves in half again, says Alexander-Groovy.

Alexander-Curly has not been paying attention. He has been thinking about the lost eggs.

They were wrapped in a paper with a poem on. It would be nice if they could go in the pickle jar with their dead mother.

He idly picks up one piece of pickle and bites off a chunk.

Hey! cries Terence. Look what you did!

What? says Alexander-Curly, startled. I thought we were having one each!

Not yet, says Terence. I have to cut each piece into more pieces, so SHE can have three.

Three ! cries Alexander-Curly. How does that work?

I don't know yet, says Terence, and you've made it HARDER!

What's he done? asks Alexander-Red-Hook.

He's eaten a chunk of one of the pieces of pickle before it was cut into four pieces, says Alexander-Retro.

Was it a middle piece? asks Alexander-Red-Hook. Or an end piece?

Everyone looks. There is only one end piece. And three middle pieces that look almost the same. Except that one has crab teeth marks. (Not actual teeth marks)

Look, says Terence. Four pieces. And only one is bigger. So all I have to do is cut the end off this one and throw it away.

He wields the knife boldly. Shoom!

The round end piece shoots off in a downward trajectory.

It lands under the fridge, where no one is likely to find it.

And so ends Terence's lesson on set theory.