Original subtitles

It is estimated that there are some 10 quintillion insects

alive at any one time.

But forget about them. This is about ME - Lloyd!

I'm a fly!

Oof!

You're going where?

The new pasta restaurant. I can't wait!

They say the portion sizes are as big as your head.

Great. And I suppose you want ME to maggotsit, don't you?

No, not happening.

I've got better things to do with my time, thank you.

What better things?

Read my comic, have a party or... something.

You're NOT having a party.

Yeah, I said party or something. I'll probably do... something.

It's OK, Lloyd, we don't want you to maggotsit.

You what?!

Mm, it's a big responsibility. I'm not sure you're ready for it.

Molly or Polly will pop over later.

You don't trust me? How could you not trust me?

Let me maggotsit! I'll be great at it!

Well, I don't know - that's 224 mouths to feed

and to burp and to count into bed

and, don't forget, you have to read them a...

Yeah, I can do all that. Let me do it.

You go enjoy your big pasta.

Oh, well, alright.

Just this once.

PB, Lloyd's in charge.

Yes! No!

I didn't think that'd work.

Told you. He just has to think it's HIS idea.

Pfft. Unbelievable.

I'm going to sit those maggots like they've never been sat before!

In a bit.

Listen up, maggots.

You're under my care tonight, and I don't want any trouble.

I therefore present

the bedtime plan!

Ta-da!

Pretty simple.

Food. Burp. Bed.

And that's it.

It's not.

You forgot bedtime story.

Bedtime story? Do you have any idea how long that'll take, PB?

This is a job I'd actually like to finish

with time to do other stuff after.

What other stuff?

Uh... Well, you know, party or something.

It's on the post-bedtime plan.

Party. Something.

Well, I can help. We can share!

I don't need help. This is MY job, not yours.

Mum and Dad are counting on ME

and, by extension, Abacus, who IS helping, but just a bit.

Tiny bit.

Come on, please?! Let me look after SOME maggots.

Just a hundred. Please?!

Agh. Here. You can have one maggot. OK? No more.

Yes!

Agh!

Take good care of that one, PB!

I'm not getting blamed for your bad maggotsitting.

Right.

What's first?

Oh, eat the food!

Don't spit the food!

And stop wandering off!

Oh!

Abacus, I said keep them in an orderly line.

I'm trying, Lloyd, but they don't listen!

Argh!

Ah!

Right. Where was I?

Oh, yes.

Two.

Ow! Who threw that?!

Oi! Stop that!

Ow!

Tonight's special is a prime core of apple...

Agh!

...lightly mashed with a hint of skin,

carefully arranged into a fun smiley face.

Eat the apple, not the sitter! This is not the plan!

Nuh-uh.

That was a hiccup, not a burp. The plan clearly says burp.

You know how to burp, don't you?

This one doesn't work. Try this one.

Lloyd, check this out.

You just prod them.

Huh?

There we go! That's a burp!

And now to bed.

81.

82.

83.

84.

105.

106.

Whee! 107.

108.

223.

We did good, Abacus. We did good.

"And all the wormy, squirmy wasp larva

"wriggled and jiggled and tickled

"inside the very unfortunate caterpillar.

"And, when they were big enough, they released paralysing chemicals

"and used their jagged jaws to..."

Still on your beddy-time story?

Well, we're done. Maggots all tucked-up asleep.

Mum and Dad thought I couldn't do it, but I did.

With minimal help from Abacus.

I was really more of a burden.

It's post-bedtime plan time.

Beddy-bye!

Abacus, we nailed it!

Our evening is now maggot-free

and we deserve some fun.

Party or something?

Something.

And I'm in charge,

so, it should be something we CAN'T do when Mum and Dad are in charge.

We could open all the cupboards and then...

...leave them open.

Let's just go with party.

Yes!

I've never been to a party. Who will we invite?

Well, we don't want any party poopers,

so, it'll just be you and me.

Are you having a party?! I love parties!

Can I come? And Cornea.

You, me and Cornea. Best party ever.

♪ This is part four of my party song!

♪ It's my favourite part of the party song!

♪ Parts one to three were just a warm-up for me

♪ But from this part on... ♪

Cornea, how many parts are there to your party song?

Only 26, give or take.

♪ This is part five of my party... ♪

I'm gonna go check on the maggots.

♪ I'll sing it twice because it's not very long

♪ This is part five of my party... ♪

"And a few of the wasp larvae lived happily ever after."

When you've pupated I'll show you the pictures.

No! Agh!

No. What? No, no. It can't be. No.

No!

They've gone! The maggots!

All 223 gone!

Are you sure? Maybe you miscounted.

Does this look like I miscounted? They're not here!

Did you read them a scary bedtime story?

I didn't read them any!

No bedtime story?!

I don't have time to read 223 bedtime stories, PB!

You don't read a separate bedtime story to each of them.

You read one bedtime story to all of them.

Oh.

No wonder they wandered off.

Who can sleep with no bedtime story?

What have I done?! Mum and Dad trusted me!

They trusted me!

And, by extension, me!

It's OK. There's still time.

I just need to find them all before Mum and Dad get back.

Argh, so much for our nice evening out.

This wouldn't have happened if the portions were as advertised

because you had said, "Not nearly as big. As big."

I'm so doomed! What am I going to do?

I need a distraction.

♪ Party, party, party song!

♪ Part 14 of my party song

♪ Techno part of the party song!

♪ Song! Song! Song! Song!

♪ Song! Song! Song! Song! Song! ♪

Oh. Hi, cornea. What brings you here?

Found one!

Uh... Found two more!

Um...

Five here!

Uh...

It's so hard to find a good dance partner, Gena, but you're a natural!

Oh, I'm so sorry, Malcolm. You can't see any of this!

I'm gonna be sick!

I'm currently spinning Gena through my legs, over my head

and into a full circle... Oh!

...with a little bit of topspin for effect!

Oh, no need to flap, Gena. Go with it.

Agh!

Oh! A maggot!

I found one! I found a maggot!

This is the bit I find particularly difficult without a partner.

I found a maggot!

221, 222,

200 and...

Abacus, this is rice!

It is? I'm so sorry! I was... I was panicking!

Gena! Are you sure you don't want to dance a little longer

instead of entering the house RIGHT NOW?

No! There's still one missing!

They trusted me, and I let them down!

They'll never forgive me.

I'll be kicked out, disowned, and I'll deserve it.

The shamed son who lost a sibling.

What's that about a lost sibling?

I say, you're stronger than you look, Gena!

I... But...

Lloyd didn't want help, but I insisted,

and, so, he gave me a maggot to look after,

and I lost it!

You lost the maggot?

Yes.

No. No, PB.

PB didn't lose a maggot. I did.

No, Lloyd! I lost the maggot.

If you disown anyone, it should be me.

So, how many maggots are lost?

One. One, I think.

One. And I'M the one who lost it.

I'm sorry. I said I could maggotsit, and I thought I could,

but, clearly, I can't, and I failed

and I accept the consequences.

You lost ONE maggot?

Oh, that's great!

Did you hear that, Malcolm? ONE maggot.

That's nearly NO maggots.

Oh, we lose maggots all the time, Lloyd.

How can we not? There's hundreds of them.

Always wandering off.

Malcolm once lost... How many was it?

I don't like to talk about it. Never bring it up again.

A lot.

But they always turn up. They know where home is.

Oh! Look who I found.

But you were counting on me, and...

Lloyd, we'd not have let you maggotsit

if we felt you weren't up to it.

You lost one. It turned up.

The point is you owned up to it,

and that shows responsibility.

So, I'm not disowned?

Of course not!

Honestly, I was more worried you'd forget to read them a bedtime story.

And then in the next panel,

Arachnofly punches Birdbee right in the stinger.

And there's a nice 'pow' sound effect in a spiky bubble.

Captions by Red Bee Media

Copyright Australian Broadcasting Corporation