The Probable Cabbage

The baby maugean skate drifts upwards.

What is the pointy thing, floating up there on the surface?

Can he eat it?

He draws nearer.

And sees the illustration.

What is this?

A wonky fish blob?

Or a cabbage?

A cabbage, inside a sock?

If it is, this is significant.

He now has a dilemma.

He wants to tell his fellow baby skates what he's found.

But it might drift away in the meantime.

He decides to risk it, and shimmies away.

Anything happening? asks Roo-kai.

Ripples, says Terence.

That may mean a skate's been attracted, says Roo-kai.

Yay! says Terence. That's number one.

But none of us actually saw it, says Roo-kai.

Want me to fly out there and hover? asks Little Mystic.

That would be a valuable contribution, says Roo-kai. Except for one thing. You might scare them away.

I'll whistle, says Little Mystic. As though I'm just randomly passing over.

Good idea, says Terence. Get going.

Little Mystic flies out and hovers above the upside down paper boat.

Hover hover. 

Whistle-dee-dee!

Nothing doing.

He hovers away a bit.

Whistles.

And flaps back to his original position.

Just in time to see......

Three maugean skates circling the upside down paper boat.

He flies back to Roo-kai and Terence.

Three! says Little Mystic. I saw three.

Yippee! says Terence. What were they doing?

Circling, says Little Mystic.

Woo! says Terence. Maybe they want to get on board and be captains.

Fanciful thinking, says Roo-kai. What a pity we can't hear their conversation.

Yes what a pity.

The maugean skates are debating the message of the probable cabbage.