Through the Kisandra Prism (16 page)

Another scrawny Taarb painfully squeezes out of a crevasse: it has oriental features and bows deeply to his Lord, Tarrbanabus.

‘Mine Gott!’ exclaims the taller Taarb, ‘where have you been…you little person…you are always late…you were thirty years late getting here to start with! ‘

‘Ahh my most polite guest,’ says Tarrbanabus ‘Feast your eyes gentlemen.’

‘Polite yes,’ says the shorter Taarb, ‘except for a lapse in manners between nineteen thirty nine and forty five!’

‘But this is most unfair,’ complains the taller Taarb.

‘That is life gentleman, even in Golgin Hade,’ answers Tarrbanabus, ‘some are always luckier than others – besides, injustice is also one of your punishments.’

Grunwalde suddenly looks up at the overhanging crag: Tarrbanabus and the three Taarbs had vanished. Slowly and sadly she got to her feet and walked down a rocky path along the river bank and stopped by the Goose-girl’s weir; she looked down in the water where the last of her tears fell. She then washed her face in the clear giggling flow. Grunwalde began admiring her reflection; her period of mourning her parent’s demise was now over! Grunwalde smiles when her reflection in the river changes; another different lovely face appears; the Silky Changeling had returned from the cold green North sea!

The lovely, green-tinged Silky rose out of the water – smiling at her Queen - water cascading of her lovely naked body.

‘You have served me well,’ says Grunwalde Angharad placing her hand on the Silky’s head. ‘Attend the funeral of my parents… then return to the house. When darkness falls, leave silently. Leave all the doors and widows open to the night… to the rain and winds… there are no heirs to the property. Walk to the river. Swim out to sea and return home to far off Sulky Bay. Your tithe to me is all but paid.’

The lovely Silky Changeling smiles, and without answer turned into the exact replica of Myfanwy Jenkins and walks towards Tala Pandy; to the dark, empty house of the Jenkins family soon to be deserted. ‘Stuck up little cow,’ says the Fairy Queen.

Time warping is one sorcerer’s secret art;

Given to the Star-worshiping Fairy Queen.

When only one true hour has slipped away;

In fact, three have actually passed between!

Blodwyn’s parents were soon to become the victims of time warping again; although they would not be aware of it. Time can not only be passed, but can also be tricked. Time warping only affects the individual or individuals not the masses. The Fairy Queen can stretch one true earth hour into two hours or a dozen as she wishes; the bewitched are blind to the bewitchment of passing of time.

Time is a measurement and like any measurement time can be adjusted, altered, stretched out, or shortened. Time is fickle and frivolous, like the lackadaisical atom. It enjoys tricking us; so time is easily corrupted by a sorcerer. We have all been victims of time’s trickery and hence the expressions:
Time has just flown by
,
Hasn’t time dragged? ‘My whole life feels so short!’

Back in her room Blodwyn packed her rucksack, she intended to be totally prepared if the Galla Quall Time-ship came for the Sillian and for her. It was now the third night and so far, nothing had happened.

She knew from experience that rushing to get ready always resulted in forgetting an important item. Like all females she liked to be prepared: it could save her life. She also knew these gentle but capable aliens, the Galla Qualls, the most advanced in the Antares Cluster, would come at night; for they were considerate to other life forms.

Blodwyn somehow knew Admiral Sebus, the oldest Galla Quall, would keep his word and come for the Sillian; it would provide the ideal opportunity to also come for her; he could not have forgotten his promise. Every thing was ready and packed, tucked away under her bed. For two nights she waited by her window – watching, listening. She knew a massive Galla Quall, Typhon war hawk, Time-ship could never position itself above Tala Pandy without the people below thinking the world was coming to an end; even if the spaceship was cloaked or masked fifty miles above Earth. It would have to be a much smaller frigate that would land.

Finally, on the third evening when her mother was at chapel, Blodwyn heard her father Brian cursing the television downstairs. He had been watching an exciting international rugby match between Wales and England on the sports channel when the vision and sound suddenly vanished ten minutes before the end of the match.

‘Blodwyn…Blodwyn come quick,’ she heard her father say, ‘the bloody television is up the creek – just in the last quarter of the match.’

Blodwyn rushed downstairs but try as she may the interference persisted, then the screen became lifeless: all the lights went out.

‘Gordon Bennet!’ exclaims her father, ‘that’s the end of that then…of all the bloody luck. Wales are leading by just one point… Damn and blast it!’

Blodwyn ran outside, she had a strange feeling; the whole town seemed to be shrouded in the cloak of darkness. This was this it! The Aliens had come for her. A dim, shadowy figure seemed to be gliding up the garden path towards her, her heart beat quickened: it was her Mother.

‘Brian Jones!’ Blodwyn’s mother called out, ‘I could hear your blaspheming a hundred yards away. This is not the only house that has been cut off…you are not the only one God has singled out to miss the rugby – the whole of the village was watching the match. ‘Atmospheric interference.’ says Sergeant Thomas, he could not even get through to the next village.’

‘Damn the next village – half of them are English anyway.’ Blodwyn heard her father mumble under his breath as he went up to bed.

In her room later that night Blodwyn waited, ready. Candle light flicker, danced eerily on the stone walls. This was the night! Suddenly the open window frame was filled by a massive eagle owl with large ear-tufts. It was the Queen of the Fairies, her friend Myfanwy who soon stood in front of her.

‘Come quickly,’ says the Fairy Queen…they are here and have gone to get the Silly-Anne on board.’

‘What about my parents?’ Blodwyn asks.

‘They are already in bed asleep and will have the second longest and most restful night’s sleep in their lives. I have already cast my spell – that includes both your fat lazy, Tom cat squeaks and that little runt Charcoal the Jack Russell. I am sending just one Sisling with you,’ continues Myfanwy, ‘Boochi - Boodi was damaged in a meteor storm and has now returned to chrysalis. Now hurry, the Galla Quall is eager to leave, the Time-ship is disrupting the whole of Britain. The air force may scramble fighters soon! Make for the big ravine above the enchanted glade – Admiral Sebus will meet you there.’

Blodwyn closed the front door quietly behind her, disappearing into the soft June night; the town was still in darkness, perfect conditions to walk unnoticed. She hurried past the dark house that once belonged to the Jenkins and her best friend, Myfanwy. The Silky was standing in the front garden like a pale, graceful marble statue, gazing out to sea: the grey stone house looked sad and empty.

Bright stars, a sickle moon and lifelong knowledge of the path guided her to the ford. As she climbed the stony mountain path she was breathless with excitement: she was leaving Earth for the near and distant past! If given a choice she knew exactly what periods she would visit.

She would love to walk on Earth during the Cretaceous period, the real Age of the dinosaurs; visit Earth when it was just one great land mass, called Pangaea. Next to Africa and witness the struggle of the different species: all trying to become us.

And finally to return to her small village of Tala Pandy seventy years ago and see if the beautiful girl that approached her in True Arcadia with detached affection was indeed her Grandmother, who died before Blodwyn got to know her.

She reached the enchanted glade; her friend Myfanwy the Fairy Queen Grunwalde Angharad was waiting.

‘Look,’ says Myfanwy, a jar of Barium sea-slugs sent by the King of the Cilla who has fallen in love with me.’

Blodwyn noticed that the sea-slugs were about the size of a large courgette and looked like giant maggots: they were still very much alive and were glaring back at Myfanwy with hostile suspicion.

‘Fallen in love with me, you mean,’ corrects Blodwyn, ‘when I impersonated you and all your bad manners at the alien banquet. I bet you have not even seen a Cilla?’

‘Noooo,’ replies Myfanwy, ‘but I know what a Quall looks like.’

‘Pray-tell,’ says Blodwyn, she had a feeling Myfanwy was lying.

‘Galla Qualls look like… raving mad kinkajous… and have the body of a pregnant slow-worm with two wiggly little tails on an enormous bum…oh and their breath stinks like dog’s poo simply because…’ Myfanwy has to think…because they can only eat dog’s poo.’

‘Just tell me where they are?’ says Blodwyn.

‘They are coming to pay their respects to me,’ answers the Fairy Queen giggling nervously. Blodwyn realized the new Queen of the Fairies had never met any alien before and was rather agitated.

A robust reptilian Ida Jaade Centurion appears out of the night, his natural red crest at half-mast. The Ida Jaade was carrying Sebus, the Galla Quall in his arms – like a baby, the big reptilian alien gently laid the aquatic alien on his feet, or what ever Sebus used as feet.

Thin blue robes always covered a Galla Quall’s means of locomotion. Myfanwy giggled, hand over cherry-pie mouth as she began inspecting the Quall without greeting, like someone who might inspect a new unusual present; looking him up, down and occasionally underneath his pale blue flimsy robe!

‘Spooky… spooky…gross!’ repeats the Fairy Queen. Now isn’t that the queerest thing.’ was all the Fairy Queen could keep saying; her emerald green eyes sparkling. The alien watched Myfanwy circling him; with his own inner thoughts.

Blodwyn felt embarrassed for this very intelligent, respected and sensitive alien. Admiral Sebus the oldest and wisest of the Qualls had never seen the beautiful Queen of the Lings before in the flesh but had good knowledge of her reputation, power and of course inexcusable bad manners. Sneaking one more quick look, Myfanwy exclaims again:

‘Now isn’t it the queerest thing! Do you know he hasn’t got any what-sits or thingy’s?’

Blodwyn, now fed up with the blatant bad manners of the Fairy Queen shouts,

‘Shut up you rude little cow Myfanwy, or I will give you a good hard punch in the gob and pinch a handful of your belly fat!’

‘I find this uneven terrain difficult to negotiate,’ says Admiral Sebus,’ breaking the awkward silence following Myfanwy’s gawking inspection.

While Blodwyn quickly rechecked the contents of her rucksack; she heard Myfanwy say to the Galla Quall:

‘Of course, I have known Blodwyn Jones for ages – she is my best friend… It was I that sent her to find the Alter Dom you know. But she can also be a nasty spiteful little bitch… do you know she tried to murder me twice with an axe….and then strangle me to death…I have lost count of the times she has bitten me.’

Blodwyn whispers to Myfanwy,

‘You just wait you lying little cow…!’

Sebus diplomatically interrupts,

‘A great deal of time has passed since I last walked on Tarrea-two, Greetings Blodwyn…Jones, I hope you are ready for this great adventure?’

‘Thank you for keeping your promise… yes, I can’t wait.’ Answers Blodwyn.

‘I presume this is the lovely Queen of the Lings?’

Immediately Lings appear, all their little mouths were stuffed and sticky with pollen toffee: they were chewing like demented woodworms. Sislings flew around the new arrivals inspecting and scrutinizing just like their queen had just done.

Some Lings gently touched the moist skin of the Galla Quall and the rough scales of the Ida Jaade; they remembered him from when he first visited Venus in the distant past; he had given them their first taste of the Lings’ favorite food; pollen toffee. Inspection over, the Fairy Queen held up the jar of sea slugs for a closer look.

‘Do these ugly little maggots bite?’ she asks, returning the invertebrate’s hostile stares.

‘Yes… both ends bite!’ answers Admiral Sebus.

‘Now isn’t that the queerest thing,’ answers the Fairy Queen. ‘Then, I will bite both ends off first!’ the Fairy Queen exposes her gleaming white teeth and chomps them threateningly at the watching alien sea-slugs.

‘They should be eaten whole… as the Cilla eat them,’ says Sebus.

‘Ooookay …now look at me,’ exclaims the Fairy Queen. ‘See if I can swallow one of these squirming little sea-squirts whole!’

‘Act with some grace and decorum – like a Queen!’ hisses Blodwyn quietly at her friend.

‘Myfanwy ignores her advice, ‘this little wiggling *** will disappear into my beautiful little pudding-hole – with lots of grace and decorum… watch everyone!’

Blodwyn gave up; Myfanwy had to be the centre of attention. As she checked that all her subjects were watching, Blodwyn turned to the Galla Quall.

‘Are they safe to eat?’ she asks.

‘Yes,’ answers Admiral Sebus, ‘but they are extremely tenacious.’

‘How tenacious?’ she asks.

‘They will take at least two earth weeks to die and be digested,’ says the Quall, ‘… that is if they don’t escape first! You see we Qualls do have a sense of humor.’

Blodwyn giggled. Myfanwy held up a wiggling sea slug, which was determined to keep out of her sweet little cherry-pie mouth. Nevertheless she managed to force the struggling creature into her ‘pudding-hole’ and began the swallowing process; managing several giggles and a few hops while doing so. She looked like some kind of greedy snake swallowing a large toad. Myfanwy’s eyes bulged; she wiggled her fingers at her side, and did a little jig to help the squirming creature down. The large sea slug slipped out of sight down the Fairy Queen’s, milky white, delicate throat!

‘Amazing!’ says Sebus the Galla Quall, ‘even Serpentils who swallow their food whole, would be impressed.’ (Serpentils swallow rabbit sized rodents)

‘Ug…uggg… gross!’ exclaims Myfanwy, ‘I think it pooed in my gob. The little sea-squirt feels as if is trying to leave my stomach and go somewhere else – shall I swallow another?’