And Ruined My Life

It's a disaster. Cwaca is broken. 

Sticky carrot and wooden duck parts are smeared on the floor. 

Stay where you are, Terence, says Gaius. I'll get someone.

He edges past the sleeping Pierre-Louis, and goes in search of a flight attendant.

Now what?

Terence steps over the Cwaca-parts, and heads down the aisle to Monique.

Monique's sleeping, mumbles Monique's dad.

Wake her up! says Terence.

No, says Monique's dad. Come back when it's morning.

Can I at least have her duck? asks Terence.

She doesn't have it, says Monique's dad. She left it with you.

Wah! No she didn't.

Terence goes back to his row.

Vello is asleep, next to the window, with the duck in his pocket, not visible.

Gaius's seat next to Vello is empty. Pierre-Louis is fast asleep too.

A flight attendant looks up from where she is squatting. 

Careful dear, says the flight attendant. There's been a slight accident. I'm just wiping it up.

She is using a wet-wipe and a spray bottle of disinfectant.

But it was... begins Terence..

A terrible mess, says the flight attendant. Was it your toy? Never mind. Someone had dropped grated carrot all over it. From the coleslaw. And they must have picked out the carrot. There was no sign of the cabbage.

She finishes wiping, and stands up.

Where is it? asks Terence.

In the garbage disposal, says the flight attendant.

Pierre-Louis moves in his sleep. 

Plop. Plop. Plop. Plop. 

Four wheels drop onto the floor and start rolling sideways.

For goodness sake! says the flight attendant. Who sleeps with wheels on their lap?

The wheels reach the aisle and start rolling forward.

She hurries after them........

And doesn't come back

Gaius returns.

An attendant should be here shortly, says Gaius. 

She's already been, says Terence. And ruined my life. 

It can't be so bad, says Gaius. Didn't you have two ducks?

Terence lists all the problems with duck number two.

1: it acts like a grumblebum. 

2: it doesn't talk, just looks sad. 

3: it's a duck not a parrot

4: and it's missing.

Yes, I do understand that your life has been ruined, says Gaius. Squeeze in next to me, and we'll play Cannot But Be. But we'll have to be quiet.

How kind of Gaius. He would prefer to have slept. 

Instead of playing that daft game with the flexible rules.