Page 91 of The Examiner

Jem Badhuri

I feel like giving away my photographs, as they didn’t get me a good grade – but my dad likes to display any work I do, so I’ll take them home.

Patrick Bright

Here’s a thing: I thought your grade was unfairly low. Your photographs were more clearly inspired by the final project than anything the rest of us came up with.

Jem Badhuri

Thanks, Pat. I agree. Where did you get the scorpions? Aren’t they from hot countries?

Patrick Bright

They are, but there’s an artist I know through the shop. She mounts dried insects in frames, even dries them herself. I begged some specimens from her.

Jem Badhuri

Why would anyone do that? Scritchy-scratchy things! Yuck!

Patrick Bright

Not at all. Insects are grand. Perfect miniature machines with exquisite detail and symmetry. Flowers are nature’s artwork, but insects are nature’s engineering.

Jem Badhuri

I’ll take your word for it, Pat.

Doodle message group [Private] Jem and Jonathan, 29 February 2024:

Jem Badhuri

Congratulations! You only got a B– but that’s high for you.

Jonathan Danners

Thanks. And for your help.

Jem Badhuri

Alyson must be delighted with an A– in her least favourite medium. Gela said her film is easily as good as anything Ludya would make.

Jonathan Danners

There’s no point complaining to Gela.

Jonathan Danners

What I mean is, she knows the two of them worked together. *We* worked together, after all. It was part of the brief.

Jem Badhuri

I don’t always pick up on these things, so have to ask or risk saying something that triggers someone. But out of interest, are you and Alyson still an item? Or has she gone back to her husband?

Jonathan Danners

One: what makes you think she ever left him? Two: if you don’t want to trigger someone, don’t say anything.

Doodle message group [Private] Jem and Jonathan, 5 March 2024: