The Bar at the End of the Universe

Fry is in one corner of the bar, with a needle and cotton, and a look of intense concentration as his thread refuses to pass through the eye for the fourteenth time.

On the table is a piece of blue cord, a sew on badge, a partially destroyed t-shirt and a ( piece of paper. )

After the fifteenth failed attempt, he glares at it in irritation.

Fry is sitting on the grass outside, with a pile of wood, some tools, a book, a notebook, and a small white dachshund.

First he inspects the book. Then he measures the dog, and writes it down.

Then as an afterthought, he holds the dog's tail up, and measures its length again, including tail wagging length.

Then he clamps two pieces of wood at right angles and starts attempting to drive nails through the two pieces.

A lengthy discussion is taking place in one corner of the bar, with a couple of boxes on the table.

"You're both sillies." Brooke declares.

"I'm not silly." Fry says. "I'm not being in his debt. I've decided." He digs a wad of notes out of his pocket. "And today I'm paying him back last year's, and this is the bit of it I spent. He won't notice because so much money will have gone out."

"Me too." Coral says. "Not because I'm mad, I just don't want to owe. It makes me feel wibbly."

"Well we're keeping it, aren't we Gil?" Brooke folds her arms. "I don't feel wibbly about anything ever."

"Whee!" Gil zooms around with a cuddly firework bear, having left the box of money at the bar for safekeeping.

"He can decide later, he hasn't spent any of last year's anyway." Coral says. "So can Eddy. Don't tell Wilford, Brooke, you'll hurt his feelings."

Brooke snatches her box and runs off with it outside to light the fireworks. Fry and Coral take theirs over to the bar, and count out the coins and notes. After the boxes disappear, the two older siblings look at one another.

"Did we do the right thing?" Coral asks.

"Probably not. But he probably won't notice." Fry says. He gets a two pound coin out of his pocket. "I've got some change, shall we get some chocolate before we go out and make sure Brooke doesn't set her eyebrows on fire?"

Fry has had a good day. As a reward for passing his exams, his parents have let him have a phone with an actual touch screen. He's currently going through the very important process of choosing all the settings.

His eye falls on a TV show on in the corner, which he is soon laughing at.

Fry has decided, at the tender age of nine (nearly ten) that it's about time that someone in his household took charge of things in a competent manner.

On this occasion, this has taken the form of a very thorough schedule of piano practice, followed by an exact hour lying next to the fire intently reading a booklet.

[oom: Fry starts a new school year. Noah is very naughty.]

Fry is in one corner of the bar, working on the story his teacher has asked him to write, with the title 'The cat'.

So far, he has got:

'Once upon a time, there was a cat.

It was forty six centimetres long, not including the tail.'

Outside on the grass, four children are playing a game.

There are three small sports cones, in a straight line, a plastic cricket bat and a soft ball.

"Wait, how do we play again?" Coral asks, as Brooke takes the bat and waves it around wildly.

"Stand at the first cone." Fry says. "The bowler throws the ball. If you hit the ball you can run to the first cone and back to get one point, or to the second cone and back to get two points, or you can stand still and score nothing. If anyone catches the ball when you hit it you're out. If the fielders get the ball back to the bowler before you get back from running you're out. If you hit the ball and it goes behind you you're out. If you miss the ball it's a 'wonky' and you get one more chance but you have to stand on one leg, but if you hit it you can then run for double points. If you miss it again it's a 'double wonky' and you have to take it standing on one leg with one eye closed but if you hit it you can then run for quadruple points. If you miss it a third time you're out. Each player gets ten lives and the team with most points wins."

"Hang on, we can't play in teams, they won't be even." Coral protests.

"Me and you against Brooke and Gil." Fry says. "Because Brooke is the best hitter and Gil is..."

"I'M A UNICORN!" Gil declares, putting one of the cones on his head.

"What were the rules again?" Brooke asks. "I wasn't listening."

"Tough." Fry says. "Gil, take the cone off your head, it's time to start."

"Uh oh." Gil says, tugging at the cone.

"What?" Coral asks.

"Don't be silly, Gil." Fry goes over to try and tug the cone off Gil's head, but it doesn't budge.

"Uh oh."