allowed to interfere. They must be your ideas.’
‘What do we have to do?’
‘Act out a problem. Each term will have seven people, but only five on stage at any one time. ‘
‘Will I still be in the team?’
Everybody looked at India, with her crutches leaning against the chair.
‘That’s up to the team to decide,’ said Mrs. Tasker.’Work things out. I have to get something from the office.’ She left.
The children talked loudly.
‘Could India’s broken leg be part of the act?’ asked Art.
‘But would we have to cost it?’ worried India. ‘We’re only allowed $50 for props.’
‘How much is a cast worth?’ asked Mike. ‘When I broke my nose playing footy,my dad said it would have to stay crooked.’
‘Can’t see the difference.’ Mario inspected Mike’s face. ‘Still ugly. And you missed the goal that time too,’ he remembered. Then he sneezed again.
‘At least I wasn’t born ugly! And you weren’t even playing.’ Mike said crossly.
Mario insulted most people. He always got in first, just in case they wanted to say something bad about him.
Insult swapping didn’t interest Art.
‘See you later. I’ll drop Tiny off at home for you, India,’ he called and vanished before Mario insulted him, or India yelled at him.
‘Excuse me.’
The chemist looked over his counter piled with jars, tubes and packets of pills. He wore a white jacket and his bald head shone under the light as he bent forwards. Art wondered if he polished it with Mr Sheen.
‘Yes?’
‘How much does a cast cost?’
‘What kind?’
‘A plaster cast.’
The chemist laughed. ‘I’ve never been asked that before. Well, I suppose it depends whether it’s new or used.’
Art thought for a moment. ‘Second-hand.’
The cast was on India’s foot, but it was old. Sort of. India had worn it for several days now. Since she fell off the camel.
‘Is it on a person, or loose?’ asked the chemist.
‘On the person.’
‘How much of the person? Full body? Arm? Leg?’
‘Leg.’
The chemist laughed. ‘Is it the fibula? That’s the little bone inside the leg.Is that the one?’
‘Probably,’ said Art. There couldn’t be that many bones to break in a leg. Later, India looked it up for him. Only two large bones in the bottom of the leg. Seven in the neck. And 208 in the whole body. You never knew when a detective might need to know that!
‘Cost of materials, about fifteen dollars.’
‘Great,’ said Art.’ That was less than fifty.
But then the chemist added,’ Of course, there’s the doctor’s fee- about $130.Most doctors would include the cost of the plaster in their fee. All up, it’s worth about $130,I suppose.’
‘Oh,’ said Art. That might be a problem.
Art wasn’t keen on joining the competition. There might be a lot of reading. If India’s leg could still be in the team because the cast cost more than the fifty-dollar limit, India mightn’t need him. He’d have to find a way of making the cast cost less./
‘Ah!’ Art had an idea.
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