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| Sunday, 28 September 2003 |
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Weekend Meander The Sigiriya Syndrome Consternation in the forest.We are beside ourselves. Titania and the rest have not returned from Sigiriya, the royal fortress in distant Sri Lanka where we were graciously invited by the national carrier of that beautiful island for a weekend off from daily duties-not that our 'duties' in our forest home are all that arduous. But the situation now is serious.Merlin will have to be consulted immediately because we consulted him when Queen Titania and the rest asked to go back to Sigiriya-the royal Lion Rock of Sri Lanka-because they were so besotted with it that they just had to go back. We were not in favour of the queen and Bottom,Puck and the rest going all that way again,without us, because it is so far away, and our Tit belongs here. But some strange force seemed to draw her back to that distant place where leopards creep and elephants roam the glades where humans have no business to be in. Not that there are leopards running up and down the rock itself, and certainly there are no elephants. We were wondering whether the queen could have been bewitched by someone or something, which is why we sent an urgent message to Merlin to come to our part of the forest for a consultation. Merlin said that the only remedy for the cure for the longing to go back to this Lion Rock so many thousands of miles away-here we talk in terms of miles,not American kilometres- was for the queen to go back,with her entourage, of course,to this royal fortress that had taken her fancy so much that she wanted to go back within one week of the official visit. We were beside ourselves, that's why we asked to see Merlin. He came at once with his owl on his shoulder, but we didn't like the look on the owl's face. What Merlin said was that the queen should be allowed to go back to Sigiriya and that he would see to it that that guide of hers would not be there. That was the assurance on which we allowed Titania to go back. But she has not come back. Does that mean that that guide is still there with her? It could not be possible that Merlin would go back on his word.But you never know with these wizards. You also never know with those spirits who have done wonderful things in this world and have gone to the next in other forms... We were waiting for faxes, e-mails, IDD calls and what have you for information, but nothing was coming in. We were seriously thinking of consulting Robin O'the Hood for his advice, or even his physical contribution to getting the queen and the rest back with us. But that would have to be a last resort as Robin is very busy with their own lives, catching archbishops, bishops,the Sheriff of Nottingham and their likes who are not up his street. He robs the rich to give to the poor, as History will record it several centuries from now, and the Bishops were his prime targets. Of those left in the forest were the little Blithe Spirits of the Night. They were sad-sad because they knew that the queen is not here. But being little ones,they could hardly come up to our apartment in the trees even to ask about the queen. The point is that the key people are away in Sigiriya. We feel rather lost without Quince, but he has to be there to look after the queen. We decided to send a message to Merlin who we were told was in Sherwood. The message was sent by mobile; actually one of the little Blithe Spirits of the Nights has her own little mini mobile which she tucks under a wing. She sent the message to Merlin to meet us in our private apartments in the forest. Merlin arrived,owl and all,in great haste. We asked what had happened to Queen Titania as he, Merlin, had personally promised that the queen's bearded escort would not be on Sigiriya on her second visit to the royal fortress. But how can one be sure of such things? 'Your majesty,do not worry. The queen is safe-I can see it on my special TV mobile now. It's right here, tucked into my flap over my stomach. Only I and Owlie know where it is. Right now she is somewhere on the royal rock and yes, her escort is with her, as he has to be. Yes, he is the one with the beard and the bright eyes...or is it soft eyes...anyway, the eyes that have it that seemed to have done something to the queen. Now, your majesty,please don't get me wrong. It could be that he had simply hypnotised her without intentionally wishing to do so. He is said to be very attractive. We are not fazed. We are of royal, magical stock. Nothing can touch us because we have very special powers of self-protection, so the queen's personal escort, however attractive, can do nothing to us. However, if she so wishes, and is attracted to him more than she is to us..well.. so be it. Flash from Sigiriya, Sri Lanka: Queen Titania and her official escort have gone missing from the top of the royal fortress of Sigiriya. They were last seen sharing a coke on the site just below the top. Her majesty was seen to be in the best of health and in the best of spirits. She was wearing a green chiffon outfit spangled in gold. She wore a denim cap to protect her hair from the ravages of the fierce Sri Lankan sun. She was supported by Bottom and Puck, with Quince also in attendance. A minute ago the queen was seen clinking glasses of pink champagne with ...with someone who can hardly be identified...let us see...It is almost lunchtime there and no one climbs the royal fortress once the sun passes the noon meridian. Some foreigners have gone against the rules and tried to climb after lunch and come back in a sorry state. They say that the spirit of the prince who made his home on the rock does not let them go easily. End of message.' Latest flash: 'Her majesty was seen a few minutes ago with a bearded 'person' who villagers say is the spirit of the prince Kashyapa who is said to be an ancestor of the queen, in fact.' We summoned the stewards. Scotch on the rocks, please. Oberon |
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