Steve All The Way

Everything keeps working out well.

Belle and Surfing-with-Whales have arrived at the airport on time.

Belle has brought the curly whiskers, in a sandwich zip-top.

Gaius has helped Prong fix the whiskers onto her beak.

They have shown customs the parrot passport.

Prong has been placed in a cage.

They have boarded the plane.

Can I have the cage? asks Terence.

It will have to go under the seat when we take off, says Gaius.

Which is my seat? asks Terence.

You don't get one, says Gaius. You're described as an artifact.

What does that mean? asks Terence.

You're part of my hand luggage, says Gaius. I didn't think you would mind. 

So where can I sit? asks Terence.

Under the seat in front of me, next to Prong's cage, says Gaius. You can come out when we're up in the air.

Can I go and see where Belle's sitting? asks Terence.

All right, says Gaius. Then come straight back to me.

Terence walks down the aisle of the plane looking for Belle.

Many heads turn.

Look at that! says a passenger. Does he remind you of someone?

Yes! says their fellow passenger. Perhaps he was in a movie.

No. I'm an artifart, says Terence.

The passengers laugh.

Terence finds Belle in an aisle seat.

What are you doing here? asks Belle.

I haven't got a seat, says Terence.

That won't do, says Belle. No one's sitting next to Surfing-with-Whales yet. If no one turns up, you can sit next to him.

Yeah you can, says Surfing-with-Whales. You can help me play Minecraft. You can be Steve.

Yay! says Terence. What do I look like?

Blue shirt, brown hair, says Surfing-with-Whales.

I have to go back now, says Terence. See you later.

No worries, says Surfing-with-Whales.

Terence goes back to Gaius, and wriggles under the seat next to Prong's cage.

I might be playing Minecraft, says Terence.

Good for you, mutters Prong.

The Air China plane takes off.

No one has claimed the seat next to Surfing-with-Whales.

So Terence gets to be Steve all the way to Shanghai. And then again from Shanghai to Barcelona.

He is happy.

Although his parrot is not.