The One Who Wasn't

It didn't work! says Terence.

It worked momentarily, says Gaius.

But then it didn't, says Terence.

Gaius looks into the water.

He sees many baby cuttlefish, looking up.

It seems you have their attention, says Gaius.

Terence looks too.

Yes, he has their attention.

Who wants a turn in the Nachoo? shouts Terence.

The baby cuttlefish look at one another.

Even the one who was about to go into the Nachoo when the Nachoo was pulled out of the water, is doubtful.

What happened can happen again.

No one wants to, says Terence.

Pity, says Gaius.

Why not send Ageless down, says Denis.

Send me? says Ageless.

Ask him to go down, says Denis.

Ageless, says Gaius. Will you go down and find out why no baby cuttlefish are willing to enter the Nachoo?

Leave it to Lobster Guy, says Ageless. 

He slips into the water, near the cuttlefish babies.

They back away.

Remember me? says Ageless.

No, say the cuttlefish babies.

You wouldn't, says Ageless. You were eggs last time I saw you.

We weren't EGGS! scoff the baby cuttlefish.

One of you wasn't, says Ageless.

Me, says the one who wasn't.

You! says Ageless. Is there a reason you jumped out of the Nachoo?

It was scary, says the baby cuttlefish. There were spikes at the entrance.

That has been rectified, says Ageless. But then you came back?

Yes, says the baby cuttlefish. I want to learn mapping.

Mapping? says Ageless. Proper mapping?

Yes, proper mapping, says the baby cuttlefish. And so I swam back here and saw the Nachoo and swam into it.

And straight out again like last time, says Ageless. What was the problem?

I went in head first and couldn't see anything, says the baby cuttlefish.

That's right, says one of the other baby cuttlefish.

So we said, go in bum first, says another one of the babies.

And I was just going to, says the baby cuttlefish.

So why didn't you? asks Ageless.

Because it zoomed away really quickly, says the baby cuttlefish.

Lobster Guy will fix this, says Ageless. Be ready next time.

He clambers out of the water and onto a rock.

Lower the Nachoo, says Ageless. 

Then what? asks Terence.

And wait, says Ageless. The baby cuttlefish will be backing in slowly. It wants to learn mapping.

Well done, Ageless! says Gaius.

Lobster Guy, says Ageless.