Squopped By An E-mew

The camper has vanished.

Paloma must have gone back to Adelaide, says Vello. She said she was going.

Now what? asks Terence.

My tent's still here. Let's see if she's left anything in it, says Vello.

Terence pushes his way through the tent flap.

Yes, there are his shorts neatly folded, on top of Gaius's back pack.

Yippee! cries Terence.

Vello pokes his head in.

Good. Now put them on.

Terence doesn't want to, until he's made sure that the ant has dropped out of his bumcrack.

He stands still for a minute.

Nothing there feels like an ant.

He pulls on his gecko shorts.

And emerges.

Very good, says Vello, I don't suppose she's left anything else, like a packet of biscuits?

Terence goes back in. And comes out with a note.

Binoculars missing!

That will teach her to go without saying goodbye, says Vello. How are we supposed to return them?

We can't. says Terence. That means we can keep them.

Gaius won't want to, says Vello. He's a stickler.

Is that like a tadpole? asks Terence.

Yes, says Vello, not wishing to explain that a stickler is not like a tadpole.

So how...? begins Terence. Yerk! That ant's on my leg now!

It may not be the same one, says Vello.

It IS! says Terence.

Let's go back, says Vello. We need to tell Gaius about the binoculars.

Terence presses down on the ant with his finger.

Vello is already heading for the bulrushes.

Terence follows.

But before he goes through....

A tiny bird stops him.

Squee-squee!

What? says Terence.

Squee-squee-me, says the bird.

It's grey brown with a blue chin and throat and a tail filamentous.

An E-mew wren.

Squop! it commands him.

Terence squops. No reason not to.

The E-mew comes right up to Terence and pecks the squashed ant off his leg.

Then it flies off, unaware it was the adventurous Max he's just eaten.