Little Monsters

As of today, August 6, 2016, I have eleven days between me and the surgery that will take my life to a new normal, one without constant pain, or anti-inflammatory-caused stomach irritation or (details that I'll spare you) that come from regular doses of iron pills.

But who's counting.

Let's check in on our friend the Ruler and her Advisors and see what's going on in the land of the Yessir Yessir Highway.

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The Ruler of a small but pleasant realm, accompanied by Chappie and the Wizard, was descending the stairs leading to one of the deepest dungeons in her castle.

Her mission was grim. The danger, immense. The three descended cautiously, checking for signs of trouble at every step.

At the very bottom of the stairs lay a great monster, recently imprisoned in the Ruler's castle by the Emperor, her boss to the fourth power. 

The Emperor had fought battles all over the land to bring the monster under his control, leaving in his wake many burned bridges and patches of scorched earth. 

The cost to the kingdom in capturing the monster had been great. Now, groping in the darkness down to where the monster lay, the Ruler's job was to bring forward from its vast bulk the reward for which the Emperor had fought.

They reached the bottom of the stairs. The blackness was complete.

"Wizard," whispered the Ruler, "can you cast some light?"

The Wizard lit a match.

"Is that the best you can do?" asked the Ruler, as the tiny light guttered, barely illuminating the Wizard's fingers.

"Sorry," said the Wizard, "wrong pocket." The Wizard tossed the match to the floor and produced from inside his robe three military grade hand lanterns. The combined candle power illuminated the whole room.

Grateful for the brilliance, the Ruler decided not to ask why the Wizard had not given them the lanterns at the top of the stairs.

They were standing in a smallish room, with stone for the floor and walls, and one barred door. 

The monster lay behind the door.

"Do you know the spell to open the door?" the Ruler asked the Wizard.

"Think so," said the Wizard, lifting the bar and turning the knob.

The door opened.

A terrible odour emanated from the room. Directing their lanterns into the space beyond the door, the three gasped as one at what they saw waiting for them.

The monster was in fact not one, but a hundred misshapen, ungodly, misbegotten abominations all swarming together in a mass. None of them appeared complete. Many were missing limbs or sensory organs or mouths. Some were just gooey blobs. 

Nestled in the middle of the seething pile of half-made beings was one especially ill-formed monstrosity. It looked to be half ground hog, half crow, with one appendage for digging into the dirt and another for flying.

The Ruler recognized that this grotesque entity must be the Emperor's prize.

"I think we've found it," said the Ruler. "What say the Official Orders?

Chappie pulled a scroll out from under his tunic. Taking the scroll, the Ruler broke the seal, unrolled the vellum and read her new orders by the light of Chappie's lantern.

"Our orders are to name it."

"Name it?" asked the Wizard, initiating the Did You Read That Right protocol.

"Name it," said the Ruler, completing the protocol.

To be continued ...

Thanks for reading!

Have a great week!

Karen