5.18: Alcock's reaction

Alcock again seeks out Lois the hippo and Hannah. He wants to talk through both what has happened and also how he feels about it.

“And there was no sign of any of the spiders but there was a feeling in the air of great violence. Masongill felt it too.” he finishes, a little lamely.

“But you hadn’t wanted to use violence against the spiders, despite them trying to eat the ‘tinies’ – the members of the Think Tank – two days before? And they had diverted the stream to flood our allotments. We can now go back to rebuild the little dam to move the stream back again. Our produce will be safe, again. What were you going to do about the spiders?” 

“I don’t know” Alcock admits. “I just didn’t want this... destruction.” 

“Though there is no visible sign of any destruction. Just no spiders. No, I do accept there must have been force. They wouldn’t just have gone. I just don’t think you can really hold it against Masongill and pTravis – and of course Lottie – if they had a different view of the ‘Is might right?’ question. They may not have thought about it as much as you, nor had your experiences. They probably have not even read T.H. White! But it is possible to think that sometimes there can be a ‘just war’ or a ‘just skirmish’, in this case.” 

“I suppose so. In fact, they also clearly had no idea what was going to happen when they performed the summoning ritual. 

I might have set them extra washing up duties as punishment for how they treated Moffat but they seemed to be doing that unasked after breakfast this morning when it wasn’t their turn and they are going to take him a pre-breakfast fruit juice every morning for two months.” 

“Then although you regret what happened to the spiders, who were horrible, really quite evil, by the way, I don’t think you can hold it against the youngsters. They have solved our problem. And, I am afraid, you may even have to put up with lots of excited chatter, for the next few breakfasts, about their so called ‘Order of the Sponge’.”

Alcock leaves the conversation still uneasy but he realises that there is little point in complaining against what seems almost an act of nature or a god.