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| Sunday, 3 October 2004 |
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Weekend Meander The Games almost begin.... Oberon was visibly uneasy, Titania somewhat upset to all appearances,but also a little excited as they walked together across the red carpet leading to the Games area. They wore matching outfits, specially designed by Starveling with his tag on them! Methinks our Starveling is going to get into the international Clothes Show, otherwise their majesties would never approve the tag on their garments. Actually, they were both floats in muted green and gold, now that it is autumn,with old-gold cloaks trimmed in orange and gold. They wore antique gold crowns and russet suede boots for the cold. The international media milled round the Royal couple ,Press photographers clicked and TV cameras whirred. Ob and Tit made their way to the cleared Games area. There was an air of expectancy everywhere. Security had been beefed up, as they say,at every tree-trunk because of the presence of the Sri Lankan Advisor at the forest gates. In fact, some of Robin O'the Hood's best men were manning some of the posts,taking no chances. Hot-shots like Will Scarlet, Alan a'Dale and the like. The good Friar himself was manning the main gate, so there was little chance of the SLA gaining entry. Tuck was waiting, deadly club in one hand, hunk of the best forest venison in the other, as he likes to eat while fighting. Who knows, we might have still many moons to see before they find that eating while fighting might be a very good thing,and battles might be won and lost depending on the kilos of food that have been consumed in the process, not by battalions but by individual fighters. As Ob and Tit made their way to the special thrones that had been set up for them to view the Games opening,one of the forest advisors rushed up with a special security message. "I have special intelligence. It isn't safe for the King and Queen to sit so close to the Gates," he announced,reading from a scroll. "Who is this?" Ob asked his aides who were surrounding the Royal couple. "Your Majesty, he is one of those who is in training for forest security," they said. "I don't know them. Send them away!" Oberon commanded. "Very well, Your Majesty," and with that the unofficial advisors retreated into the forest recesses. Just then, Bottom rushed in, in a state of panic. "They say the SLA is persistent. He is here with a sizeable contingent." "But we did not invite him to the Games," Oberon said with great imperiousness, adding, "that being so, ask our chuckers-out to get rid of him forthwith." The order was given. Quince rushed in: "He says he has credentials from Sri Lanka to attend the Games." "Let him then furnish those credentials for us to see." That was Will Scarlet who was an Earl in his own right and wasn't given to suffering fools, charlatans and the like easily. Now, Will Scarlet is one of Robin O'the Hood' best and most trusted lieutenants. No nonsense with him. He wears a scarlet cloak-thus his name-and has been a loyal servant to King Richard throughout the Crusades Then Bottom rushed in, highly perturbed. 'Your majesty, what shall we do? Shall we give the ..... "No, Bottom! The Games have to begin and the queen and I are here to perform the Grand Opening Ceremony," Oberon said. Fanfares and trumpet volleys from the First Battalion of the Royal Forest Trumpeters. Quince rushed in announcing the Games programme. "Your Majesty, the first on the cards is archery." A great cry of joy went up at that. Robin himself appears, clad all in formal Lincoln Green. He makes a sweeping bow to Ob and Tit. But one of Titania's Ladies-in Waiting sees that there is a teardrop in the queen'e eye. The Little Blithe Spirits of the Night rush up to wipe away the teardrop with a little velvety leaf. In no way will we allow our Queen to be sad. Why should she be when she is the Queen of the forest right here in England and not in some distant foreign outpost?' they chorused. "The Queen shall not be sad!" Suddenly a stentorian voice was heard. Where was it coming from? It seemed to be coming from the great gates of the forest. But the fact is that the Queen was sad because she still seemed to have some feeling for the SLA who saw to her every need up the Royal Rock. "This cannot be allowed to go on!" Oberon thundered. 'We have to get Merlin at once. He will see that the intruder is driven away.' Suddenly, coloured smoke of the most beautiful hues rose up from the gates of the forest, and a voice said: "We have our own sorcerers. Merlin is not the only one." And in one unbelievable moment, Queen Titania had swooned onto the greensward, at Oberon's feet, in a faint. Chaos and consternation reigned. Bottom and Puck were rushing around while Mustard Seed, Cobweb and the rest were assembling a huge golden net which they proceeded to place over the queen. Suddenly in rushed Bottom. "Give her Maj this! Give her Maj this! It will revive her! Your Maj, do I have your permission to administer this most well-known decoction to the queen?" Bottom asked Oberon. A nod of assent, and the next thing you knew, Mustard Seed and Cobweb were pouring little sips of bubbly down Titania's royal throat,from the most exquisite spoons of silver and mother-of-pearl while Bottom presided over the administration of the medication with his own glass of bubbly in his nervous hand. Karel R.R. |
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