Guess Baby

Finish your drink, says Arthur. Then we'll go and find different seats on the train.

Okay, says Terence. 

He slurps his drink noisily.

You can have my seat if you like, says the man. I'm going to the bar carriage.

Arthur looks around for the ticket inspector.

He is nowhere in sight.

Thanks, says Arthur.

The man gets up and goes off.

Arthur sits down.

Phew! says Terence.

Why phew? asks Arthur.

That man was trying to guess who we're going to rescue, says Terence.

Prong told me, says Arthur. That's why I came back.

He was getting warmer, says Terence. 

How warm? asks Arthur.

He guessed it was a toy, says Terence.

It is a toy, says Arthur.

It's not BEING a toy, says Terence. It's being a baby.

He'd never guess baby, says Arthur.

No, says Terence. He couldn't. After he said toy I changed the game.

What to? asks Arthur.

Cannot But Be, says Terence.

That was risky, says Arthur.

No it wasn't. He didn't know how to play it, says Terence.

He would have soon learnt, says Athur.

And then what? asks Terence.

What does baby start with? asks Arthur.

E, says Terence,

It might end with E, says Arthur, But it starts with B and has a B in the middle, 

Yikes! says Terence.

Exactly, says Arthur. 

I could have asked the wrong question, says Terence.

Turns out you couldn't, says Arthur. If you thought baby started with E.

What if it was a trick question? asks Terence.

Like what? asks Arthur.

Terence thinks.

What if there was an E baby with a bee in the middle? says Terence.

You would never have asked that, says Arthur.

I just did, says Terence.

But you didn't know about the B in the middle, says Arthur.

Who says? says Terence. I'm going to ask the man when he comes back.

Don't do that, says Arthur.

Why? asks Terence.

It's too close to what he was trying to guess, says Arthur. 

That's not why, says Terence.

Why then? asks Arthur.

Because you think I don't know the answer, says Terence.

Cannot but baby? says Arthur.

Cannot but ee baby, says Terence. But ee, get it?

Arthur doesn't answer.

Not because he doesn't get it.

But he's had enough.