Through the Kisandra Prism (12 page)

‘Are you a she-male or a he-male?’

‘We are sophisticated-hermaphrodites.’ answers the Alien.

‘Ugg… you sickco…you do to yourself, in the dark!’ exclaims the Queen of the Fairies pulling a face.’

‘No Your Majesty, we produce both elements for fertilization – it’s an evolutionary process – we are all females now - our males were useless, small, lazy half-wits. But they were tasty eating if you could catch then – you had to be quick mind you - they did not take long.’

All males will soon become redundant…after all, they only have one purpose and goal in mind – and they are not very good at even that.’ chuckle, chuckle.

‘Do you lay eggs then?’ enquires the Queen of the Fairies.

‘Every hundred years… they are delicious… I can’t stop eating them… also the hatchlings… I am afraid to say…even so they are sweet little things, scurry here and scuttling there, trying to hide from mummy. I am about to begin laying another clutch soon.’ ( The cannibalistic tendencies of this alien, was nature’s way off keeping the Sillian population to a minimum).

‘I would eat my children,’ announces Grunwalde Angharad, ‘medium rare with butter and a little garlic… I will try a dozen of your eggs – washed first and while we are dealing with that end – I’ll have a dozen yards of gossamer silk. I think… I will pass on your little smelly little scuttling brats.’

‘Then… Your Highness, may I ask a favor in return?’

‘Depends… providing you don’t want to suck my big toe,’ answers the Fairy Queen.

‘Would Your Majesty change into some terrible creature, endemic to Earth?’ asks the Sillian, ‘it would be a great privilege to say: ‘I witnessed the beautiful Changeling Queen transform herself.’

‘There are many terrible and frightening creatures on this planet,’ warns Grunwalde.

‘I am beginning to enjoy being frightened.’ answers the Alien.

Myfanwy concentrates; her atom molecules melted and mingled, spilling onto the rocky earth and then reshaping themselves. Soon on the ground lay the powerful thick, colorful, coils of a very large reticulated python. The snake raised its big triangular head, hissing at the Sillian, eyeing it with glassy, intent eyes. The alien stares back at the giant constrictor without apparent fear; it in turn sniggers and hisses back at the serpent.

‘What wonderful magical power,’ says the Sillian, ‘the likes of which I have never seen before.’ The Alien cursorily stretches out one of its six hooked appendages to touch the reptile’s large, scaly head.

In one lighting movement, the python strikes – gripping onto the creature’s arm with inward curving teeth – making escape impossible. Quickly, the snake arches and effortlessly drops a coiled loop over the Sillian’s head and shoulders, griping the Alien’s torso. The giant constrictor squeezes.

The Sillian emptied its single lung in a loud surprised hiss: the python tightened its grip.

‘I cannot… in…hale!’ gasps the Sillian, as another thick coil tightly embraced his ribcage and squeezes. A grinning Sisling hovered close to the alien’s face with eyebrows raised, showing its razor sharp teeth.

‘My ribs… are cracking… Your Majesty…!’ croaks the Alien, with its last suffocating breath.

‘Stop!’ shouts Blodwyn ‘you are killing the Sillian.’

The giant python reluctantly released its grip leaving the Sillian gasping and clutching its damaged and broken rib cage.

Blodwyn knew Myfanwy was showing the Alien her power.

‘I have never seen such a frightening creature,’ gasps the Alien, ‘my two hearts are beating dangerously fast and several of my ribs have broken.’ The deformed Alien continues to stare, still fascinated as Myfanwy turned back into her beautiful self as Grunwalde Angharad, Queen of the Fairies.’

‘Stay underground,’ orders Myfanwy – wait ‘till you are sent for – do not kill anymore sheep…or humans for that matter.’

The Sillian bowed deeply to the Queen of the Fairies.

Grunwalde Angharad turns on her heels and disappears into the dappled shade, leaving the surprised Blodwyn alone with the grotesque Alien!

‘Thank you for not divulging the true cost of a Sillian on the open market,’ says the Alien focusing its small eyes on her.

‘My name is Blodwyn,’ she answers, ‘I hope you will remember that if I am ever caught in your sticky trip lines!’ The Sillian nods slyly: “could this deformed and dangerous alien be trusted” she wondered?

‘If you are ever ensnared by another Sillian… Blodwyn, you must tell your captor that you once witnessed the beautiful Queen of the Changelings summon me,
Tagamentaries Mengentarporus
asking for wise counsel about a Sarris Shadow-Chaser. You must tell them that in return, at my request, the Queen of Changelings turned into the most frightening creature that squeezed the air from my body and broke my bones… till you saved my life. This story will save your life. It will dull any Sillian’s appetite, but sharpen their curiosity.

‘But how will another Sillian know I was speaking the truth?’ Blodwyn asks.

‘Simple. No one ever thinks of asking a Sillian its name!’

‘Thank you,’ says Blodwyn,

One more thing,’ says the Sillian, ‘please place these beautiful blue beads around my neck.’

The being held up its hooked appendage, ‘we are not very dexterous I am afraid.’

Blodwyn took a deep breath and quickly fastened the beads around the alien’s short sinewy neck. The gruesome Sillian disappeared back into its burrow with lightening speed; quickly reappearing with a small leather pouch.

‘A gift of Antares gold ducats,’ hisses the Sillian …we Sillians are also astute…and good judges of character.’

The leather pouch was heavy. Before she could utter a word the being had disappeared back into its dark borrow closing the trap-door behind it in one movement; again, just like a trap-door spider: she shuddered. Blodwyn quickly left the scene; she counted the coins. A dozen shiny, thick, pure golden ducats. What could she do with the alien gold coins as they were? “Given enough thought all problems can be solved,” she remembers and quickly walked home. Blodwyn was just in time to help with the first cut of hay of the year.

That night on the bank of the river the Queen of the Fairies accompanied by two Sislings stood in the moonlight; she slowly entered the water and submerged. Within seconds a thin, bluish, green life-form emerged from the flow and ran into the woods over the water’s surface. The being had a pot belly, a pug snout and long fingers and toes: the Sarris Shadow Chaser! The Sarris ran into the gloomy woods with incredible speed – chased by the two red flashing, angry Sislings – they quickly returned and reported.

‘The life-form has disappeared – before we could even sting it.’ They complained. The Sislings were both wrong and right at the same time. The Sarris Shadow Chaser had stopped its flight and had stood under a leafy rowan tree, as still as winter moonlight – the pursuing Sislings had flown straight through it. For you see a Sarris has no substance; for it feeds on Items of no substance, like feelings of love, hate and exciting experiences.

‘Now is it not the queerest thing,'

says the lovely Queen of the Fairies.

How gracefully I dance and sing;

compare me to a sky lark, on the wing.

Watch me daintily step, hop and twirl;

my voice ringing so sweet, true and clear;

Like the dainty dulcet notes of any spotted Maris or blackened Nearl.

Myfanwy Jenkins was an only child and in simple terms was ‘spoiled rotten,' by both her doting parents. Both mother and father were small, dour, dark and dull looking professionals. Not a single golden hair sprouted on any part of their bodies. It was difficult to imagine how two such plain looking people could have conceived such a beautiful daughter; apart from a mistake in hospital: or adultery.

It was certainly not the latter; Tala Pandy was too small a village for any goings-on to be missed by the curtain twitches and shutter lifters. Therefore one would have to assume that it was a long, dormant and distant gene that had at last woken to claim its place in the Jenkins' long bloodline… of small, dark and dull looking people.

Nevertheless the Jenkins were very proud of their tall, graceful, flame-haired and beautiful daughter who towered over them; Myfanwy could do no wrong; she was like a cuckoo chick in the nest of two small reed warblers.

The Silky Changeling who took her place in the Jenkins' household was an exact replica. However, a Silky Changeling is still a Silky at heart; for that is the nature of Silkies.

Mr. and Mrs Jenkins noticed sudden changes in their daughter's habits and behavior which they often puzzled over; firstly there was Myfanwy's sudden liking for fish – especially sushi. Normally their daughter would rather kill herself or sulk in her room for days when offered fish of any kind.

Myfanwy developed other strange habits like lying in a cold bath for hours and demanding fresh fish sandwiches laced with seaweed.

Another odd thing that they observed when walking with their daughter over the hills and the beaches of Cardigan Bay, was that Myfanwy had taken to sitting in shallow streams and puddles with her clothes on. The once fastidious Myfanwy also began drinking from streams and swimming to the bottom of deep, ice-cold mountain pools.

One day, while her parents were deep in conversation, walking along the tidal margin discussing their daughter's strange behavior, suddenly they were shocked to see their delicate daughter as naked as the day she was born, swimming a hundred yards from the shore in the freezing sea: Myfanwy waved. Her parents noticed her clothes scattered on the damp pebbles; as if the call of the sea had been too strong to resist. Both were seriously worried; they feared that their precious daughter would catch pneumonia and secondly that there were other large creatures swimming on either side of her. Perhaps these creatures were dangerous: in fact unbeknown to them they were other wild Silkies.

Myfanwy swam to shore at her parents' frantic calls and while her mother wrapped a picnic blanket around their precious daughter, her father kept his eyes open for any wandering ne'er-do-wells who might enjoy an unexpected eye-full.

The Jenkins put their daughter's strange behavior down to hormonal changes in their sixteen going on seventeen year-old teenager; they consoled themselves at the fact that at least she was not on drugs… mugging people or drinking alcohol. For her seventeenth birthday they had planned a surprise present. It would be delivered late at night and locked in the garage. Their only chance to do this was when she was at Blodwyn's party. However, while the new car was being delivered they were surprised to notice an inquisitive nut-hatch still active at that late hour: it would remain a secret no longer. The bird was a Sisling Changeling.

But not everyone believed the real Myfanwy Jenkins was all sweetness and light; when cross she could be a spitting wildcat – all teeth and claws, as her life-long best friend Blodwyn Jones knew only too well. During their many tussles the more robust Blodwyn Jones had to pin her best friend down and keep every part of her body away from Myfanwy's beautiful white teeth!

The two girls were now walking together, enjoying a bright, sunny summer afternoon stroll,

‘Now this is my plan,' says Myfanwy, ‘my parents are going to Port Maddog tomorrow. They have secretly bought me a new car for my birthday, it is locked in the garage. The Silky Changeling knows where the keys are hidden and will be waiting for you. Show her how to drive the new car to the ford of the Pandy River, I will be waiting there. Then I will take over and you can then give me my first lesson.'

‘I don't like the sound of that at all,' replies Blodwyn. ‘Firstly it is not yours to drive yet…if we are caught I will loose my provisional license… my mother would kill me. You will have to take driving lessons first.'

‘But you said Mr. Davis the driving instructor smelt of gin – touched your knee and fell asleep while you were doing a five point turn.'

‘I still passed my test,' answers Blodwyn.

‘I only want to drive my car just once,' says Myfanwy.

‘I don't like the sound of that either,' Blodwyn replies.

‘I mean of course only once, today – then I will return it.'

‘Is the car insured?'

‘How do I know?' replies Myfanwy.

‘Then I am not going to drive it,' says Blodwyn.

‘Just tell the Changeling how the car works – that's all – just to the ford, then we can go for a spin to the next valley and check out the local lads.'

Blodwyn gives in, ‘I will give you one lesson, but there will be no looking for boys – just keep your eyes on the road.'

‘I promise my dearest, best friend,' answers the Queen of the Fairies.

The following day at around six on a balmy June evening, Blodwyn walked up the crunchy, pebbled drive of the Jenkins' house. The Silky Changeling was already waiting in a brand new, shiny blue convertible with the roof down, she smiled sweetly. Blodwyn gave the Changeling a good idea of how a car worked.

‘Now place the gear stick into first and lift the clutch gently… pull away slowly … very slowly,' she instructs.

While Blodwyn was checking the main road, the Changeling put the car straight into reverse and put her foot down on the accelerator: but not slowly. The new car backed straight into the heavy oak doors of the garage with a great crunch!

‘Ho…my God!' exclaims Blodwyn, getting out and viewing the damage. ‘The boot is completely caved in!' she exclaims. She glared daggers at the Changeling, who just calmly smiled back at her.

‘You have caved in the back of a brand new car! What are we going to do?'

‘Drive,' answers the Silky Changeling without turning a hair. Blodwyn took a deep breath to calm her nerves.

‘Now, please go forward…slowly…very slowly.'

The lovely Changeling did go forward – but not slowly. This time the new car hit the heavy, tall granite gate pillars; now the front of the brand new car was also caved in!