Chapter Seven

Bearing with the Blackfaced Bear

Once upon a time, in a faraway land, stood the Castle...

Oh hang on. You've already heard that one. Now hear this.

The latest addition to the Castle is the Blackfaced Bear. And while it's commonly felt that Blackfaced Bear's name may not truly justify the blackness of the black, and the bearishness of the bear, the moniker is largely accepted as accurate.

Blackfaced Bear entered (with quite a huff, I must say) the Castle by invitation of Jellyfish. He had meant for her to work for him, but things quickly evolved such that she was working against him.

Now, as any Placemat would know, this did not sit well with Jellyfish. He was the reigning supreme! The one! The only..('Spineless little twerpt', Placemats would add with a chuckle)!

But I digress.

Blackfaced Bear was as vocal as any bear (and stubborn and aggressive), and had an unfortunate ear-piercing, eerie growl that she was evidently unafraid to flaunt. Grunting and panting, she attacked her subordinates with the gusto of a hungry predator.

And blackfaced as she was, she hobbled around the Castle with a perpetual frown and snide remark for luckless Placemats who crossed her path.

So one fine day, Blackfaced Bear was doing as she always did when she bumped head-on into Sea Snake. Both ladies glared at each other antagonistically.

Tension thickened the air.

Bystanders watched with bated breaths.

This could be it! The showdown!

And suddenly! Sea Snake tossed her two heads in a show of mock magnanimity, threw the growling Blackfaced Bear a faint nonchalant smile, and sashayed off. That left Blackfaced Bear feeling very indignant and silly indeed!

The audience of Placemats quickly scampered off, each harbouring a knowing smile.

This, they knew, was only just the beginning...

Continue reading Chapter Eight

Chapter Six

Castle de Amour

The Castle may be a cold, lonesome territory but behold ~ love blossoms in the oddest places.

The Crocodile, a relatively longterm resident of the swamp beside the Castle, was a middle-aged and wrinkled reptile. He toiled as a procurer, soliciting blackmarket items that only the dodgiest of Placemats would buy. Loudmouthed and uncouth to boot, most Placemats shunned the sleazy Crocodile.

Now the Crocodile was an animal, of course. But deep down in his lonely heart, he yearned to be a Human. His simple brain believed that by acting Human, he would be Human. And so he mimicked the lifestyle of a typical Human - he got married and had two croclets.

His family and him lived in their murky swamp and went about their daily business in that mundane, boring attitude that Humans adopt.

But the Crocodile was after all, an animal. It was extremely difficult for him to suppress his animalistic instincts. So he started living a double life - that of a typical Human with his wife and children, and... the not-so-secret life of an animal.

His activities were after all common knowledge in the Castle.

This sordid life of the Crocodile was highlighted by bouts of cannibalism. He preyed solely on feminines, luring them into his swamp with the sweet words of his sugar-coated tongue. He coaxed and he hoaxed unsuspecting preys into his slimy grip.

And like any other of his species, the Crocodile swallowed his prey whole, leaving no corpse, no bones, no trace.

The grapevine spoke of two such known cases. Females who suddenly vanished into thin air.

Never to be seen again.

***

Not too long ago, the Standoffish Goldfish migrated to the Castle.

She was a demure little fish who spoke few words. Her large bulging eyes perpetually scanned the surroundings, in a meek fearful manner. Her quiet demeanour and clean appearance attracted good impressions from her new colleagues and friends. Other Placemats brushed off concerns about her standoffish-ness, attributing it to Marine culture or simply shyness.

And then she met the Crocodile.

The Crocodile took to the Standoffish Goldfish immediately. He showered her with his gilb words and sweet praises. He brought her gifts of marsh from his swamp and caught mudskippers to amuse her.

Little Goldfish was captivated.

She gradually learnt to be comfortable in his company and broke her initial silence. Before long, Placemats could see her prancing around infront him, tempting him with flirtatious looks.

Most Placemats looked upon this sequence of events with a soft sigh and light shake of the head. Yet another innocent had fallen prey to the vile Crocodile.

Continue reading Chapter Seven

Chapter Five

A Sad Story

In a dark dungeon of the Castle, along a tired wall, this scribbling was found-

***

The Place is no place for Giants to be
It's small and cramped and not for me
But they captured and they tortured me
And paid me only a small fee

I've always wanted to break free
Gave it not one chance, but three
I strived to change what was bad
Only to drive myself quite mad

Just when enough I have had
She whispered sweet words by my ear
Stuck a dagger in my rear
And gloated with an ugly sneer

Her laughter echoed, oh so fake
As she trampled on my neck to break
And before I knew what of this to make
Gone she was - The Sea Snake

***

And below the scribbling lay the sad rotting corpse of a nobody.

Continue reading Chapter Six