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A Long Long Time Ago Just Before A History Making Decision

“Husband, what are you working on at such a late hour?” Ellimayee pointed to the scroll filled with hieroglyphs.

“I’m going over the plans for the Great Spheres, my wife.” King Rabletop III explained. “As magnificent and grand as the prototype is, it took far too long to build, and we simply don’t have that time to build as many as are needed to make our mark in these lands.”

“I told you the globe was not such a great idea when you began. Please tell me, why have you changed your mind so suddenly now?” Ellimayee bit her lip so as not to smile.

“I had a vision. This afternoon.” Rabletop tapped the scroll before him. “Well, it was more of a shadow than a vision.” He looked up and pointed in front of him with both hands. He then opened his hands, and palms facing outwards spread them wide before him. “The Sun was setting beyond the Great Sphere.” Ellimayee and Rabletop both bowed their heads for a moment. “And as the Sun set” They bowed again. “The shadow didn’t impress me. It wasn’t angular enough. It needs to be more edgy.”

“Why not go for the pyramid, my husband? They are very angular, and would look very impressive before the setting Sun.” They both bowed.

“I’m not sure, my wife. I recently met Alan from a far land who was lost, and he mentioned pyramids. It would seem as copying if we had them also.”

“Nonsense, husband.” Ellimayee said sternly. “You are king. You have the final say.”

“He was king also,” Rabletop said with a sigh. “And also Son of the Sun.” They bowed again.

“But he isn’t from our lands. His pyramids will be different from ours.” Ellimayee was almost pleading with her husband.

“I’m thinking more of this shape,” Rabletop pointed to a glyph on the scroll. “A cube.”

“A cube?!” Ellimayee said in exasperation. “A CUBE??? That’s almost as flat sided as a sphere. A cube will certainly not look impressive on our land.”

“Maybe not one or two,” Rabletop smiled, “But many will. Some stacked on top of others. Placed in lines, pointing toward the Sun.” They both bowed again, and Rabletop gestured before him once more. “Ah yes. I’m now having a vision. These cubes will be our way forward.”

“Your milk’s getting warm.” Ellimayee tutted as she left Rabletop with his plans.

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A Duck Escape

Very pleased to meet you, I’m sure
‘Though I’m not all that high off the floor
I like land, air and wet
But better than that
I like nibbles and bread and much more!

Got any?

I need a surreal escape today, and this little chap has provided just that, with the inspiration for a Silly Limerick! And if you look closely, you will see that the duck is actually smiling (more so in his eyes)!

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Twists Within the Ups and Downs

They say the first step is all it takes to launch the future of your dreams. They also say that first step is the hardest.

It isn’t only steps into the future that prove difficult. Trying to get up to the rooms in the top of the Right Turret is just as hard – if not more so.

The Right Turret (pictured here on the left as the photo is from the back of the Mansion!) has an unusual Spiral Staircase that runs up (or down, depending on the way you are going!) with an added twist. Yes, you read that correctly. A Spiral Staircase with a twist. Two twists, actually. The first twist is that the rotation swaps over halfway up/down. You start climbing the stairs in a clockwise direction, and reach the top going round anticlockwise. The same with the descent. Anticlockwise to start, clockwise to finish. It’s as though the Staircase has a one-way policy top and bottom.

If that wasn’t odd enough, when you reach the halfway point, up or down, the bottom step moves itself up to become the top step. so you can end up taking the same step over and over again and not really going anywhere. It took me a while to work that one out. Half a day, actually. It can be an uphill struggle climbing and not going anywhere. Going down is much easier. You can stand where you are and let the steps carry you. Round and round, clockwise of course.

Now, it’s obvious to miss out the middle step, and reach the top quicker, but sometimes the climb is more fun than actually reaching the top in the quickest time.

At the top, however, that’s where the room is. Beyond the heavy wooden door lies the corridor. Yes, a corridor at the top of a Turret with several rooms off each side, and a final staircase at the far end leads to the Very Top.

The Very Top. The room that feels quite daunting to approach, with ominous shadows lurking where shadows shouldn’t. Whispers echo – possibly from the lurking shadows – or more likely from the vastness of the room at the Very Top.

Some ask if it is worth going through all the exertion of climbing to the top just to get to such a room. Sometimes it has to be done.

Even rooms at the top need dusting.

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Abandoned Lookout

I’ve just upgraded my Artrage program and doodled the above digital oil painting of an abandoned building that looks as though it is about to topple into the turbulent sea.

I have no idea what the building is, nor why it is so close to the water’s edge, although maybe it was used for boats to come and go in calmer times. Perhaps it was an early lighthouse or lifeboat station. Don’t know.

I just swirl the colour around and see where it takes me! I suppose that is another way of saying I go with the flow.

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A Long Long Time Ago Miles From Anywhere

“Rimaykullayki!” waved the strangely garbed visitor as he approached King Rabletop III whilst doing his morning exercises. The king stared forward without uttering a word.

“Rimaykullayki!” said the stranger again, not sure if Rabletop had heard him the first time. “I’m Alan. My ass and I are lost. I think we took a left when we should have took a right back there. We’re heading to Machu Picchu.”

Rabletop stood properly and looked at his strange visitor. “You’ve made me lose count now”, he grumbled.

“Sorry, my strangely dressed friend. Do you know if I’m heading in the right direction?”

“Strangely dressed friend? You can talk. What’s that bird growing out of your head?”

“Bird out of…? Oh, you are referring to my regal feathers. I am Apu Alan, King Alan, Son of the Sun.”

“King? I am the only King of the Land. I am King Rabletop III of this Great Egyptian Empire.”

“Shouldn’t you be an Emperor then? Of an empire?” Alan was genuinely confused.

“Never mind that!” Rabletop didn’t like being questioned, so decided to ask another question. “Son of the Sun? Does that mean Great Ra is your father?” Rabletop bowed respectfully and raised his hands up to the sky.

“No,” Alan replied. “My father’s name is George. I was appointed Apu Alan last week, and have since then been looking for a site suitable for Machu Picchu. I was told to search the lands for a well-hidden site deep within a rainforest. Obviously I’m lost as there’s only a couple of trees here. Do you know of any rainforests?”

“There’s an oasis just up the Nile,” Rabletop pointed back in the direction Alan had approached from. “Back that way. Way back. There aren’t any rainforests around here. It’s not very often we have rain.”

“Wait a minute.” Alan had a moment. “Egypt? The Nile? Land of the Great Pyramids?”

“Spheres.” Rabletop corrected. “Great Spheres. I take it you’ve heard of us?”

“Oh yes, but I thought you had pyramids.” Alan’s eyes widened. “When I find the site of Machu Picchu, I shall construct some of the greatest pyramids ever built there, and then construct more in the lands all around. Our great civilisations will differ because of your spheres and our pyramids. We will be known the world over for hundreds of years to come! Yes, the signs are all there!”

Rabletop pondered the pyramids, but still decided his spheres would be the way forward.

“I shall leave you to your sunbathing then.” Alan said cheerily. “I shall head back the way I came, and look for this oasis of which you speak. If it isn’t suitable, I shall continue on my journey. Rome wasn’t built in a day.” Once again Alan waved.

“Rome?” Questioned Rabletop. He watched his visitor and his donkey walk back over the triangular sand dunes and away into the distance, where they first became tiny dots and then disappeared from view completely. “Why does everyone want pyramids?” He bowed, looked up to the sky, and then restarted his morning exercise.