Trojie's face twisted in indecision. "Well, this is tempting, girls, I must say, but ... there's all this scripting to do, and things are just piling up...'

"We could pile up too," said Pads. "It would be warmer, for a start."

"Fire would also make it warm. And kinky!" July suggested.

"Fire bad! Tree pretty!" Trojie noted, only half-quoting.

"A tree? How about The Plank? It's wooden," Pads grinned.

"No, no-one even knows what that is, aside from something to snigger gratuitously at. I know. Gremlins!" July was sure about this plan.

"You're mad," Trojie and Pads said in unison.

"Yes, but it'll work."

"Look, consider me persuaded to the piling-up plan, let's just leave the gremlins out, shall we?"

"Fine, but can we have fire?"

"July, you are a special person. Maybe later."