If Later Was Now

The mango.

Terence eyes it. 

He has been promised a suck of the stone.

It lies on the ground where Gaius has put it, while he slices the cheese and the apples.

What are you thinking? asks Little Mystic.

Me or the mango? asks Terence.

You, says Little Mystic. 

I wish later was now, says Terence.

So you could have a suck of the stone in the mango? asks Little Mystic.

Yes, says Terence.

I'm your parrot, says Little Mystic. Why don't you ask me to help?

What would you do? asks Terence.

Want to see? asks Little Mystic.

Terence wonders which one of them would be in trouble, him or Little Mystic.

He looks at Gaius, who is slowly slicing an apple....

And Surfing-with-Whales who is playing a game on his phone.

Okay, says Terence.

Little Mystic takes a step towards the mango.

Roo-kai flies down.

Think before acting, says Roo-kai.

Terence wants me to do it, says Little Mystic.

That is not the only consideration, says Roo-kai.

How do you know what he's going to do? asks Terence.

He is planning to pierce the mango, says Roo-kai. But he is forgetting.

What am I forgetting? asks Little Mystic.

Your beak is blunt, says Roo-kai. You will ruin the mango.

Then he'll be in trouble, says Terence.

And no one will get any mango, says Roo-kai. Or a suck of the stone.

Even if the mango was ruined, says Terence, the stone might not be.

True, it is hard to ruin a stone inside a mango, says Roo-kai.

But what? asks Terence.

Yes, there is a but, says Roo-kai. I'm glad you thought of it.

I didn't think of it, says Terence. I just knew there would be one.

There is, and it's this, says Roo-kai. Gaius will probably throw it away if it's ruined.

What if I ask him not to? asks Terence.

He will ask questions, says Roo-kai. Who did it? Did they do it of their own accord? If not, who encouraged them to do it?

Who did it? asks Terence.

Yes, says Roo-kai.

I did it, says Little Mystic. So maybe I'd better not do it.

Gaius stops slicing apples.

Right! says Gaius. That's the cheese and the apples. Now for the mango.

What luck, says Roo-kai. Gaius is going to cut up the mango.

Yay!

Everyone is relieved.

Except for the mango.