Maternal Instincts

Thankfully the land in front of us was gentle, with plentiful cropping and husbandring of animals. We were about to pluck a goat to make moccasins when a farming woman gesticulated wildly at us.

Sghe summoned us over and, after determining that we weren't from around these parts, beckoned us to follow her. She led us into a large barn, made a 'shh' gesture and motioned for us to peep through a window. Lying in a bed, sleeping peacefully, was a camel.

The farmer said 'molti bambini' and led us to a nursery, where a gorgeous litter of supercars lay – some idling, some screaming and spewing gas. They were all swaddled in red and many were numbered, possibly indicating the order in which they were born.

The midwives all wore red too. Chester was given a red shirt and allowed to approach a baby.

The woman led us to another barn where it was deja vu – another sleeping camel and another litter of supercars. This lot were all different colours, but had similar body shapes.

We suddenly understood what had happened. Our camels must have been pregnant when we obtained them in Dubai, and they had managed to find their way to Lake Scomo. Through evolution, the supercar gene had become dominant, mostly eradicating the typical camel features of humps and fur.

Mostly it had worked out okay, except for the red baby with three eyes.

We looked around for another barn containing a litter of baby grand pianos, but were unable to find one. The woman pointed at Lexie's belly and said 'prego'. Mary must be starting to show.