Their Own Tree!

Gaius and Pierre-Louis are on their way back to the clearing.

Gaius is in a good mood.

Not only were the flatty tails delicious, but his possum joke in Latin went down well.

Not to mention the lagers.

And the lemon meringue, which he would not ordinarily have ordered.

Your possum joke went well, says Pierre-Louis.

I made it up on the spur of the moment, says Gaius. It just came to me: POSSUM.

Very funny, says Pierre-Louis. Everyone  got it.

Eventually, says Gaius. 

You should write it down, says Pierre-Louis.

I shall when I get back to the clearing, says Gaius. 

They keep walking, every now and then tripping on a tree root.

Clash clash! 

They hear the sound of sticks clashing.

That's not a sound I would have expected to hear in the forest, says Gaius.

Nor me, says Pierre-Louis. And we are nearing the clearing. I hope nothing has happened to Terence.

Perhaps the drone has become stuck again, says Gaius. 

And Terence is hitting the tree with a stick, says Pierre-Louis.

Why hasn't he sent Squattu to release it? asks Gaius.

They speed up and arrive in the clearing to an unexpected scenario.

Ma and Dad Possum have raided Gaius's pencils (or someone has).

They are staging a fight.

Dad is trying to cut down the tree (their own tree!) with a pencil.

Ma is trying to stop him, with another pencil.

Banjo is jumping up and down.

It's unclear whose side Banjo is on.

Terence is trying to keep the drone at the right level to capture the action.

Easter Morning is laughing.

Squattu is nibbling on an apple.

What's going on here? cries Gaius.

We're making a movie, says Terence. A funny one.

It certainly looks funny, says Pierre-Louis. 

It'll be funnier when you edit me out, says Squattu. Otherwise it will look like we staged it.

But I don't know how to edit, says Terence.

Stop, delete, start, says Pierre-Louis. Just guessing.

Don't do it yet! warns Gaius. I want to watch the whole thing.

Are you still filming? asks Ma Possum. This pencil has broken.

My pencil! says Gaius.

So has mine says Dad.

Two pencils broken! says Gaius. Did we bring a sharpener?

 I think so, says Pierre-Louis.

You'll laugh and laugh when you see this movie, says Terence.

We've had a evening of laughs, says Pierre-Louis. Gaius told a possum joke at the pub.

What was it? asks Terence.

You won't understand it, says Gaius. It was 'Potesne hoc animal nominare?' and the answer is 'Possum'.

Ha ha! laughs Terence. 

The possum family, Squattu and Easter Morning will need a translation of the question (and the answer) before they will think it is funny.

But Terence just needs the answer.