Resigned To His Fate

Do we have to come? asks Terence.

I suppose not, says Gaius. You and Captain Baudin can wait here.

I'll supervise Terence, says Captin Baudin.

Thank you, says Gaius. And Roo-kai will be hovering nearby.

I'm sorry about this thing with Du Fresne, says Baudin.

Not at all, says Gaius. You are not Du Fresne's keeper.

Gaius cycles back to Two Wells, to recharge his phone.

Terence is alone with Baudin.

He can't see Roo-kai anywhere. Where is he?

I'm going to look for Roo-kai, says Terence.

No, you're not says Baudin. You'll stay here with me.

You're not my keeper, says Terence.

I am, currently, says Baudin. You're the ship's boy, I'm the captain.

Where's our ship? asks Terence.

Anchored out there at sea, says Baudin.

Is this a pretend? asks Terence.

Yes, says Baudin. A pretend. Go and build me a dinghy.

Okay! says Terence. What with?

Whatever's at hand, says Baudin. Look sharp, boy!

Terence runs off to see what's at hand.

Sticks and prickles, low red and green smelly stuff, pebbles.

No proper wood.

But wait, if it's just a pretend, he will build a pretend dinghy. 

He sets to work gathering sticks and prickles, red and green smelly stuff  and pebbles to go on the top.

No, on the bottom.

The prickles can go on the top. And Baudin can sit on them.

Terence is busy, building the dinghy.

Roo-kai flies down.

What are you doing? asks Roo-kai.

Building a dinghy, says Terence. But there's no proper wood. Where have you been?

I flew back to see Waca, says Roo-kai.

WACA! cries Terence. Where is he?

Where you left him, says Roo-kai. He's a little bit sad.

Where did I leave him? scries Terence. 

Back at Saint Kilda, half-buried , says Roo-kai. I thought you knew that.

NOOOO! cries Terence. Was he crying?

He was resigned to his fate, says Roo-kai. But he appreciated my visit.

Terence feels bad.

Glitch In The System

I do hope Du Fresne is all right, says Gaius.

He'll be fine, says Baudin. If he boarded the paperbark canoe, he would not have capsized it.

Of course not, says Gaius. A competent sea captain would keep his balance. But...we did hear a burble.

Probably a glitch in the system, says Baudin.

If he contacts you again....begins Gaius.

I shan't ask him if he fell into the lagoon, says Captain Baudin.

Can I ask him? asks Terence.

Certainly not, says Captain Baudin.

Gaius has reached the coast road. 

He stops cycling, and looks at the sea.

Why have we stopped? asks Terence.

To enjoy the moment, says Gaius. And listen.

Weeershsh! (the sound of the sea)

Tinkle tinkle! (which could be an elegant parrot)

An elegant parrot! says Gaius. 

Crackle crackle!

That will be Du Fresne, says Captain Baudin. Let me off here.

Gaius helps Baudin down.

What did you want me to ask him? asks Baudin.

Ask him how the orange-bellied parrots are doing, says Gaius.

Crackle crackle.

Captain Baudin shuffles away, and disappears behind a thornbush. 

Sluuuurphhfff! Terence finishes his Ribena.

Gaius takes a bottle of water from his back pack, and takes a few sips.

Captain Baudin comes out from under the thornbush.

Du Fresne sends his apologies, says Captain Baudin.

What for? asks Gaius.

He has been detained by the Friends of Melaleuca, says Baudin. It seems they did not appreciate him commandeering the paperbark canoe, which was for exhibition purposes only.

Dear me, says Gaius. Will they detain him for long?

He is being questioned as we speak, says Baudin. He would appreciate a word from you, in his favour.

Certainly, says Gaius. But how will that work? Do I speak into your head?

Ha ha! laughs Terence. You have to go under a prickle bush!

No need to make fun of lobster communications, says Captain Baudin. The system is unsuited to humans. Du Fresne has given me a number for you to call.

Excellent, says Gaius. I shall call them at once. What is the number?

Baudin gives him the number.

Gaius takes out his phone.

Curses! says Gaius. Low battery. We'll have to go back to Two Wells.

An Offensive Supposition

We shall now return to the coast road, says Gaius. 

Can I have my red drink? asks Terence.

Yes, says Gaius. Open it before I lift you onto my bicycle.

Terence opens his red drink the proper way.

Straw in mouth, insert straw into foil-covered hole, start sucking.

I like how you did that, says Captain Baudin.

It's science, says Terence.

I can respect that, says Captain Baudin.

Gaius heads for the coast road, Terence behind him, Baudin in between.

What did Du Fresne say about the Needwonnee Walk? asks Gaius. 

I wasn't really listening, says Captain Baudin.

Yes you were, says Terence. The means was M bedded.

What does that mean? asks Captain Baudin.

Inside your head, says Terence. 

What is he talking about? asks Baudin.

He thinks you must have heard what Du Fresne was saying, says Gaius. 

I heard it. That doesn't mean I was listening, says Baudin. But if you insist, I'll replay it.

Yay! says Terence. He can replay it!

Your system is more sophisticated than I suspected, says Gaius.

It's a natural science, says Baudin.

He fiddles with something on the side of his head.

Whirr. Clunk. Crackle crackle.

Ready? says Baudin.

He presses a protuberance.

The voice of Du Fresne is heard droning:

Scraape...here I am on the Needwonnee Walk...it's a long boardwalk through scraaape.... through the forest...aha what is this? a dome-shaped hut, a traditonal basket ...scraape... no a nest full of eggs let me.... oops... not real ones... scraape.... now I'm in moorland....very scraaaaape....marvellous...a lagoon .....that's my kind of scraaape...and a paperbark canoe... I wonder if... burrbbble...

Sorry about the poor quality, says Captain Baudin. 

Not at all, says Gaius. Most interesting. What did you think of it Terence?

It was good at the end, when he burbled, says Terence

If somewhat alarming, says Gaius. Do you suppose he attempted to get into the paperbark canoe, and capsized it?

An offensive supposition, says Baudin. 

Everything In Itself

Captain Baudin has eaten the last of the prawn chips.

He can no longer drown out the crackle crackle.

You do have a message, says Gaius. Why not answer it?

Maybe he needs to go under a rock, says Roo-kai.

It will just be Du Fresne, says Baudin.

With news of the Tzeets, says Gaius. 

Possibly, says Baudin. All right, I will answer.

He skitters away round the corner.

Must be some kind of secret device he's got, says Roo-kai.

Indeed. says Gaius. Perhaps it's embedded.

What's embedded? asks Terence.

Inside his head or his body, says Gaius..

Like the prawn chips, says Terence.

Not like the prawn chips, says Gaius. The prawn chips will make their way through him.

Won't the message go through him? asks Terence.

You are confusing the medium with the message, says Gaius.

What's a medium? says Terence. Wait! Don't tell me. I know.

I don't think you do, says Gaius. It means a means of communication

Ha ha, laughs Terence. It means a means!

A means of...., begins Gaius.

But Baudin has returned.

I knew it, says Baudin. Du Fresne has gone off on a tangent.

Dear me, says Gaius. What does that mean?

It means a means, says Terence.

I mean in terms of the Tzeets, says Gaius. 

He has gone on the Needwonnee Walk, says Baudin. 

With the Tzeets? asks Gaius.

No such luck, says Baudin. The Tzeets are not with him.

Did he describe the walk? asks Gaius. Perhaps it's of interest per se.

What's persay? asks Terence. 

In itself, says Gaius.

Like everything, says Terence.

Exactly, says Gaius.

Except the for the prawn chips, says Terence. They're in Captain Baudin.

Eating, Loudly

In the IGA store, Gaius and Terence are shopping.

Gaius has chosen cheese and apples for himself, and Ribena for Terence.

Can I get something for Roo-kai? asks Terence.

I suppose so, says Gaius. Any suggestions?

He likes molluscs, says Terence.

Hmm, says Gaius. They may not sell molluscs here.

Ask, says Terence.

Gaius goes over to the counter.

I don't suppose you sell molluscs, says Gaius.

Yeah we do, says the guy behind the counter. Pipis. Going fishing?

A treat for our parrot, says Gaius.

Parrots don't eat pipis, says the guy behind the counter.

Not as a rule, says Gaius. Wait! Are they frozen?

Yeah, says the guy behind the counter.

Any fresh oysters? asks Gaius.

All gone, says the guy behind the counter. We've got jars of smoked ones.

Gaius is considering a jar of smoked oysters when he sees a large packet of prawn chips on the counter.

I'll take these, says Gaius.

Up to you, says the guy behind the counter.

Gaius pays.

What did you get for Roo-kai? asks Terence.

These prawn chips, says Gaius. And if he doesn't like them, I know someone who will.

Me! says Terence.

Not you, says Gaius. Captain Baudin.

And me, says Terence. Can I open the packet?

No, says Gaius. Come on, we're leaving.

Outside the store Roo-kai is still hearing the crackling.

Captain Baudin is humming loudly, to drown out the sound.

Guess what! says Terence. We got you something!

Very kind, says Roo-kai. What could it be?

All they had was these prawn chips, says Gaius. 

I've never tried prawn chips, says Roo-kai.

I have, says Captain Baudin. In Chinese restaurants.

I thought you didn't go into shops, says Gaius.

Restaurants, I will sometimes enter, says Baudin. 

Try one, Roo-kai, says Terence.

Later, says Roo-kai. 

I'll try one, says Captain Baudin.

Crackle crackle. 

What's that? asks Gaius. Are you receiving a message from Captain Du Fresne?

Of course not, says Captain Baudin. It's the crackle crackle of the packet.

Crackle crackle. He tears open the packet with his mouth and his dominant claw.

Crunch crunch.

He eats several prawn chips, loudly.

Answer The Crackle

Do you need assistance? asks Gaius.

No thanks, I'll manage, says Captain Baudin.

He climbs slowly up Gaius's back wheel, via the spokes.

And hoists himself into position in front of Terence.

What do I hold onto? asks Terence.

My carapace, says Captain Baudin. Fear not, you can't hurt me.

But in fact Terence can.

Uh! Try to avoid that part, says Captain Baudin.

Sorry, says Terence. 

Ready? says Gaius. Then let us proceed. 

I'll fly overhead, says Roo-kai.

Gaius cycles north.

By the way, says Gaius, how do you keep in touch with Du Fresne?

The usual way, says Baudin.

Roo-kai is listening.

He disappears under a rock, says Roo-kai.

Does that mean you can't keep in touch while we're travelling, says Gaius.

Unfortunately yes, says Baudin.

We'll stop for lunch soon, says Gaius.

Yay! says Terence. What can I have?

Water, says Gaius. 

Boo! says Terence. I need a red drink.

Want me to fly ahead and look for a shop? asks Roo-kai.

If you would, says Gaius. I need to stock up.

Roo-kai flies inland, and arrives in Two Wells.

He looks about. Turns and flies back again. 

Any luck? asks Gaius.

We're quite near Two Wells, says Roo-kai.

Excellent, says Gaius. We'll go there, if everyone's agreeable.

Yes! says Terence. I'm agreeable!

Aye, says Baudin. But I don't enter shops.

You can wait outside with Roo-kai and the bicycle, says Gaius. 

They arrive in Two Wells.

Gaius and Terence go into the IGA supermarket to stock up on supplies.

Baudin remains on the bicycle, outside the store.

Crackle crackle.

What was that? asks Roo-kai. 

Nothing, says Baudin.

No, says Roo-kai. I know a communication type crackle when I hear one. But how does it work?

A lobster secret, says Baudin. Evolved over many aeons.

To what advantage? asks Roo-kai.

Crackle crackle.

Baudin doesn't answer Roo-kai.

And nor does he answer the crackle.

What's Not Wonderful?

Crackle crackle.

Captain Baudin sighs.

He slides under his crusty black rock.

What is it? asks Captain Baudin.

Just to say, says Du Fresne, I'll be keeping you posted.

There's really no need, says Baudin.

Thought I'd follow up on the breeding exploits of the two subjects, says Du Fresne.

Don't do that, says Baudin. 

Crackle crackle, says Du Fresne. 

Once again, Baudin edges out from under his rock.

Sorry about that, says Baudin. Du Fresne's breaking up.

Gaius will be interested to hear the news, says Roo-kai. And he'll be here soon. Let's go up to the road.

They make their way up to the road.

I see a bicycle approaching, says Baudin.

You have a sea captain's eye, says Roo-kai.

Baudin is pleased that his sea captain's eye has been acknowledged.

Gaius cycles closer, and draws to a halt.

Greetings, says Roo-kai.

Ahoy! says Captain Baudin.

A red knitted hat...let me guess...Captain...umm... begins Gaius.

Captain Baudin, says Roo-kai. He has news of the Tzeets.

Wonderful! says Gaius. Is that not wonderful, Terence?

What's not wonderful? asks Terence, who had been sitting behind Gaius, and not listening.

Captain Baudin has news of the Tzeets, says Gaius.

They made it to Melaleuca, says Roo-kai.

Excellent, says Gaius. Your efforts have been rewarded. Did the albatross assist them? 

Yes, says Baudin. But minimally. They flew to Melaleuca on their own.

And how do you know this? asks Gaius.

Captain Du Fresne has been keeping me posted from Melaleuca, says Baudin.

Doubly excellent, says Gaius. Did you ask him to follow up on the breeding activities?

Err..mmm....yes, says Baudin. 

Then you must join us, says Gaius. We are heading to the far end of the bird sanctuary.

Oh I couldn't, say Baudin.

Of course you could, says Gaius. Climb up behind me. There's room between me and Terence.

Terence is about to say no there isn't when he remembers 

It's no fun behind Gaius's bottom.