Rare Move Backwards

Snake is still sad, says Terence.

Why is that? asks Gaius.

He can't picture, says Terence.

Picture? says Gaius. Do you mean picture the Drip?

He's a bracelet, says Wittgenstein. You can't expect him to picture.

He's got eyes, says Terence.

Only sequins, says Roo-kai.

I know! says Terence. I'll draw him a map!

But if..... begins Wittgenstein.

A superb idea, interrupts Gaius. You may borrow my pencil.

Yippee! says Terence. And some paper.

Gaius tears a blank page from the back of his notebook.

And something hard, says Terence.

Gaius gives him the notebook.

Right, says Terence. This dot is us. 

If that dot is us, says Roo-kai. Where will the Drip go?

Anywhere, says Terence.

No, says Roo-kai. The Drip is behind us.

Turn the paper upside down, says Wittgenstein.

Or forget about the Drip, says Gaius, and draw a map of where we're going.

No, says Terence. I'm doing the Drip. Snake wanted to go there.

He turns his piece of paper. The dot is now the end point.

This is us, says Terence. Now what?

Another dot, says Roo-kai. Here. That's Cassilis. Now draw the road.

Terence draws a road between Cassilis, and the dot which is them.

Let me see, says Gaius. Very good. Now for the turnoff, and the carpark, with the walking track at the end, then the bridge and the boulders, the ferny glade, the large rock and the river.....

Stop! says Terence. Snake says he doesn't want to.

Want to what? asks Gaius.

Go backwards, says Terence.

That is fair, says Gaius. Snakes rarely move backwards.

Have you labelled your map yet? asks Wittgenstein.

No he hasn't, says Roo-kai.

Then all is not lost, says Wittgenstein. Turn the paper again.

He won't need to, says Gaius. The dot is not labelled as us.

I suggest he does it now, says Wittgenstein.

Indeed, Terence, you should do it now, says Gaius. 

Why? asks Terence. 

Because we are getting closer to Merriwa, says Gaius. The dots are converging.

What does that mean? asks Terence.

Getting closer together, says Roo-kai.

What's this stupid road called? asks Terence.

The Golden Highway, says Gaius. Yes, I thought you'd like that.

But he misjudges Terence's expression.