Chapter Four

Reigning Terrors ~ The Wolf Pack

The Castle was ruled by Jellyfish, that we all know. But the entire kingdom of the Place was controlled by animals - the much-feared, much-resented Wolf Pack.

The Wolf Pack comprised 16 savage animals, infamous for their ferocity and beastly ways.

Leading the Pack was The Godfather - purported ringleader, mastermind and ultimate authority on all matters, big and small, relating to the Place and the Castle.

Second in command was tall and gangly Monkey. It was a matter of public record that the Monkey coverted The Godfather's esteemed position in the hierarchy.

Also making up The Wolf Pack was The Brother Pig. Appearance-wise, this plump swine was far from being intimidating. Yet The Brother Pig was not one to trifle with. When antagonised, he has no qualms about tearing unwitting Placemats into bits with his razor-sharp teeth.

Alongside the Brother Pig is an ugly creature known as the Devil's Advocate. A parasite by nature, the Devil's Advocate lived on the energy of the Devil. The latter was a charismatic elder, loud and arrogant in his ways.

The Hyena was one of the only two female species in the Wolf Pack. Boasting a head of wiry and untame hair, the Hyena could kill in the most misleading manner. Her cackling laughter would burst the eardrums of a passing Placemat in a second.

Partnering the Hyena was the She-Cat. Manly in appearance and demeaour, the She-Cat was nonetheless a female. Calculative and precise, the She-Cat controlled the treasury of the Place, making her one powerful feline.

Among others, these beasts held the kingdom of the Place firmly in their grip. Unreasonable and controlling, the Wolf Pack mandated that no matter, even those of relative insignificance, would be allowed to pass them by. Except of course the welfare of Placemats. That, they couldn't care less about.

And so it was such.

The survival of all Placemats hung precariously in the balance as their indeterminate futures lay in the paws of the reigning terrors that were the beastly Wolf Pack.

Continue reading Chapter Five

Chapter Three

Be Gold or Begone

You should by now be rather well-acquainted with Jellyfish. It it thus appropriate to introduce, at this point in the tale, his ally and comrade-in-arms, Ms Sea Snake.

This slinky lady is a two-headed reptile. Endowed with the innate ability to slip out of tricky situations, Sea Snake's reputation precedes her. Always greeting others with a cheerful smile and nice words, Sea Snake is a slippery creature indeed - not many are aware of her two-faced nature. Those who have incurred her wrath lead precarious lives, always conscious that she may swallow them whole.

Sea Snake and Jellyfish share a horrible secret. A secret that is to be protected with their lives, or preferably with the lives of others.

They are Gold-Finders.

Sea Snake and Jellyfish had both come to being from a territory far away from the kingdom of the Place - the Golden Standard.

When they came to reside in the Castle, these two creatures burdened themselves with ideas, notions and a heavy mindset cast in Gold. They thought not to discover the Place for what it was, but to sought to mimick the Gold they were so accustomed to. Life in the Castle soon became a tedious affair as they tried to replicate the Golden Standard. It was common knowledge that "at [their] old place", things were thought to be bigger, better and worthy of imitation.

Before long, the royal slogan of the Place was "Be Gold or Begone!".

How the Placemats wished they were gone is another story all together...

Continue reading Chapter Four

Chapter Two

Peculiarity in The Place

The Place was a peculiar one to begin with. Yet in recent times a bizarre situation unfolded - bizarre enough to gather the attention and concern of the community.

This is the bizarre story of a particular nymph named Royal Pet.

Ms Pet was a relatively new, relatively insignificant resident of the Place. Or so it seemed. She worked carelessly as a tour guide for the few stray visitors that the Castle attracted.

Tourism may not have been thriving business in the Place, but it was nevertheless felt to be important by the Castle and Jellyfish.

Royal Pet worked under the supervision of Ms Salsa Sauce (who was a saucy lady indeed) for about a year now. If there ever were two nymphs alike, these two would be it. But that's not to say that they got along very well.

It was evident to all that Ms Sauce did her best to revive the dying tourism business of the Place. Things weren't picking up as rapidly, perhaps, as Jellyfish would have liked, but it nevertheless was a job rather well done.

In the oddest twist of events, however, Saucy Ms Sauce died a sudden and largely tragic death! The position of Head Tour Guide was thus left unfilled for an entire day before Ms Pet nymphed her way into it.

This move shocked some Placemats and alarmed several. The Castle was soon arife with gossip and rumours - how, why, how, when, how!

Well, you see, the culture of the Castle was such that no one - and I do mean no one - could be promoted. To fill a senior position, the Jellyfish merely recruited yet another nymph from the Golden Standard.

But those privy to Castle information hardly batted an eyelid.

In the small community that is the Castle, walls do have ears. Soon, tongues were wagging about a special relationship between Royal Pet and Jellyfish. To add fuel to the fire, Royal Pet was often sighted entering the holy ground that was Jellyfish's private abode - the Tank.

Speculations were amok! Imaginations ran wild!

Royal Pet was after all a nymph.

The true story, however, soon came to light. Reliable sources relate that Royal Pet was actually a relative of Jellyfish!

Now most Placemats found this absolutely ridiculous. How could a canine and a cnidarian belong to the same family, you ask. Well, it seems that a Coral cousin of the Jellyfish married into Royal Pet's canine clan.

Bizarre!

In any case, Royal Pet now lives happily in her kennel, conveniently erected alongside the Tank. The real drama shall only unfold when Royal Pet realises that Jellyfish has brought in someone else to be Head Tour Guide.

Until then...

Continue reading Chapter Three

Chapter One

Welcome to my world..

Once upon a time, far far away from normality, there was a distant land called The Place, inhabited by citizens known as Placemats.

The kingdom of The Place was spread among three lands; on one of which the Castle stood. And it is in the Castle that this story begins.

In the Castle lived creatures of all sorts - giants, nymphs, animals and humans, to name a few. Some were ugly beyond comprehension, others were of stunning beauty. Inspite of these differences, they all lived under one roof, under the mighty rule of the Jellyfish.

The Jellyfish was simply a jellyfish and like all other jellyfish he was spineless and had an IQ of 4. How he become the reigning power of the Castle remains a mystery to all.

The Humans, mundane and routine-based creatures, accepted the ruling of the Jellyfish as a natural fact. They questioned not their content little lives and worked and played within the boundaries drawn.

The Giants, on the other hand, didn't think of things that way. They were creatures of big hearts, and of bigger minds. They carried ideals close to their hearts and the ways of the Jellyfish did not sit well with them.

Nymphs were commonplace in the Castle. They flaunted their beauty unbashedly, flitting from one creature to another creature. It is of historical record that nymphs were traditionally treated with disdain for their coquettish ways. Under the rule of the Jellyfish, however, these nymphs enjoyed a much different status.

It was this myriad of creatures that made up the small citizenship of the Castle. A small community living in close proximity, merrily going about their daily chores.

Surely that makes one wonder what really goes on behind that pleasant facade.

Wonder no more...

Continue reading Chapter Two

Introduction

I lived to tell the tale.

And this is my story.

The characters depicted are real; the events, true. Reading along, you may think it to be fiction. But this is the way my mind's eye sees what is before me.

Be forewarned.

Only those living this reality with me will relate.

Caveat lector: The Tale is a personal and satirical poke at the ridiculousness of my reality. I seek not to scorn persons, dead or alive. No malice is intended. Only humour.

Read Chapter One

Content Guide

The Tale

Introduction
The author has her say

Chapter One ~ Welcome to my world...
Introducing the Place, the Castle and Jellyfish

Chapter Two ~ Peculiarity in the Place
Introducing Royal Pet and Salsa Sauce

Chapter Three ~ Be Gold or Begone
Introducing Sea Snake and the Golden Standard

Chapter Four ~ Reigning Terrors - The Wolf Pack
Introducing the beastly members of the Wolf Pack

Chapter Five ~ A Sad Story
A sorry story of an inconsequential, and more on Sea Snake

Chapter Six ~ Castle de Amour
Introducing the Crocodile and Standoffish Goldfish

Chapter Seven ~ Bearing with the Blackfaced Bear
Introducing the Blackfaced Bear and the incident with Sea Snake

Chapter Eight ~ The Great (Illegal) Assembly
A story of the power of unity... and unions.

Chapter Nine ~ The Curse of the Black Plague
Of tiresome lifes and untimely deaths

Chapter Ten ~ Making a Mountain of a Molehill
A folklore introduction of the Mole

Chapter Eleven ~ Enlightenment and Levitation
The achievements of one Giant brings hope to all

Chapter Twelve ~ War!
A battle lost; another won

Chapter Thirteen ~ Extra! Extra! Hear all about it!
Juicy updates on the latest happenings