Wooden Bird And Cloud Ladder

Come through, says Gaius. We'll build it in the back garden.

Sweezus carries the five plywood panels.

Arthur the ladders.

Katherine the rope and pulleys. 

Gaius the paint, and electric drill.

Terence watches the items being carried through the kitchen.

Can I help? asks Terence.

If your toe's fixed, says Sweezus.

It's fixed, says Terence, jumping down from the bench and landing less upright than he expected.

You see what happens? says Margaret.

Yes, says Terence. 

He runs outside, where the others are looking at the diagram.

I understand, says Katherine. It's a combination wooden bird and cloud ladder.

Lu Ban's work, says Gaius. 

Elegant, says Katherine. So, let's get to work. Lay the plywood panels out side by side.

Sweezus lays out the panels.

Now the drill, says Katherine. Gaius, will you plug it in?

Gaius goes inside for an extension cord.

Margaret is in the kitchen, looking at her phone.

Come on out, says Gaius. We may need you.

You will need me, says Margaret. I'm just googling scientific lifting machinery, and how to make it.

No need, says Gaius. We have Lu Ban's plans, and Katherine is doing the drilling.

I'm sure she knows what she's doing, says Margaret. 

She follows Gaius outside.

Katherine begins drilling holes in the corners of the panels.

A bit big for nails, says Sweezus. Wouldn't a hammer.......?

No need, says Katherine. These holes are to poke the tops of the ladders through.

Yeah, says Sweezus. But there's only three ladders.

I realise that, says Katherine. The third ladder goes at the back in the middle.

It's bound to fall over, says Margaret.

No it won't, says Gaius. It will be up against a mountain.

An unstable painted backdrop, says Margaret. 

Let's see the diagram, says Arthur. 

He looks.

The third ladder goes behind the painted back drop, says Arthur. So that Candide and Cacambo can climb down again.

And me and Hedley, says Terence.

So where's the painted backdrop in the diagram? asks Katherine.

The rest of the panels, joined together, says Arthur. 

Hmm, says Katherine. You may be right. 

Yeah, says Sweezus. And the blue paint's for painting the mountains!

Can I do it? asks Terence.

You can start, says Gaius. Is your toe dry yet?

Yes! says Terence.

Right, set them up, says Gaius.

They're not joined, says Sweezus. We might need to get hinges.

We'll start with two panels, says Katherine. 

They lift one panel into place on top of the ladders, where it sits, horizontal, and slide the backdrop in front of the back ladder.

Gaius opens the tin of blue paint.

Terence grabs a paintbrush.

No one but Margaret expects anything is about to go wrong.