Martyn Green
Coordinator,
Baywater Anglers
“Yes, I have. I don’t know why. It’s got to mean something.”
“Oh yes, dear, it means rather a lot. You’ve been 'avin too many scallops again, you know how it unsettles your stomach. You sittin’ there, moanin’ and groanin’ and I knows, you know, too many scallops!”
“Thank you, Doctor P!”
“Well, it’s no use thankin’ me now. I told you last night, you know I did. ‘If you eats all them scallops, I said – don’t you go pulling faces at me, you know oi’m right – if you go eatin’ all them scallops you’ll be up all night and if you’re not it’ll only be because you’m dreaming again. You mark my words!’ Did I say that or didn’t I?”
“You did Nanny P.”
“Oh, so oi’m a nanny now, am I? Oi’ve been a doctor for all of five seconds and now oi’m a nanny again.”
Lenny smiled. “You did warn me, it’s quite true.”
Prunella sniffed. “You see, oi know what oi’m talking about.”
A glint of mischief touched Lenny’s eyes. “I know. That’s why I put half of the scallops away for my tea tonight. Mindful of your good advice, I only ate half of them last night.”
Prunella peered upwards, turning his last remark over in her mind just in case he was poking fun at her – again! “Did you now? Well, it seems you’m getting a bit of common sense after all. 'Bout time yer did, 'stead of thinkin’ with yer stomach all the time.”
The great lobster grinned, mindful of the ribbing his friends would give him if they could only see him being scolded by this tiny little prawn. Then his expression turned serious. “Prunella…”
“Oh, so it’s Prunella now, is it? And what be you after, yer great clodhoppin’ lobster?”
“Provisions, Prunella. I am rather afraid that I am going to have to go and have a look at that dreadful place once again.”
The prawn’s shell turned a milky white and her front claws, almost without her knowing it, drifted upwards. “You 'aint serious? Oi thought you had better sense than to go off gallivantin’ beyond that there wall over there. It’s dangerous over that wall, you know it is. You stay right 'ere, that’s moi advice.”
“I appreciate your concern, Prunella, really I do, but that’s three times I’ve had the same dream in a week. It must mean something...” He lifted a claw to forestall her reply, “..and you don’t need to tell me I’ve had scallops three times this week either! I am sure that it is not the scallops!”
