ALL GOD'S CHILDREN

REALMS OF FRANKLIN:

Newts, Flutes, Parachutes!

the thirty-fourth tale

written by Mark Bousquet

"Ben, I’m not fooling,

what do you think you are doing?

This isn’t the place or time,

To speak in dumb rhymes!"

"Toomi, chill out,

don’t you hear how you’re talking?

I can hear you, don’t shout,

We’ve got to go, so start walking!"

Glad to see you’ve returned,

Readers most learned,

There’s a new tale to tell,

Oh, don’t mind the smell.

The Oprhans and Empire,

inside the Realms of Franky,

I’m Madcap, not a liar,

Now don’t cry in your hanky!

Every realm Frank created,

Is here locked up tight,

Do you know how long I’ve waited?

Now sit back and hold tight!

"This isn’t funny, Ben-Vell,

I don’t know what’s wrong,

But I’ll see you in Hel,

And soon, before long!"

"What can I say, Toomi,

I know less than you,

So stop acting gloomy,

Because you’re rhyming, too!"

Trapped in this place,

Of rhymes and of scribbles,

Cartoons for a face,

And food, not a nibble!

Somewhere else in the realm,

Across the next tier,

The senses overwhelmed,

Of Angel and Eshir.

"Esh, I’m confused,

and I look awfully funny!

For you, here’s news,

There’s a bright green bunny!"

"I saw him before,

when you were sleeping,

so loud, you do snore,

that I was left weeping!"

"I’m sorry, I am,

for keeping you up,

quiet as lamb,

I’m not, look at that pup!"

"Yes, yes, the red doggy,

blue bears and pink sheep,

beware the orange froggy,

that cries out, Beep-beep!"

"What is this place, Eshir

and what are we to do?

Should I ask this grey deer?

Or perhaps this white newt?"

And the newt slightly coughed,

"Ask me, not the deer,

he’s always leaping off,

and just full of fear."

"You talk, this is crazy!

I’m losing my mind,

Angel, stop being lazy,

An escape must we find!"

"An escape," said the newt,

"is that all you seek?

listen for the magic flute,

it’ll be by in a week!"

"A week!" Eshir grumbled,

"We can’t wait here that long!"

And then the sky rumbled,

"It’ll sing you a song!"

Angel wondered just how,

A flute they could find,

"Is that a pink cow?

We’re in a tight bind!"

The newt sighed very loud,

"Are you in such a hurry?

Just look at that cloud,

I expect lots of flurries!"

"Just tell us," Esh pleaded,

"should we go east or go west?"

Said the newt, "You’re conceited,

I like Angel the best!"

"Then tell me, with good cheer,

which way we should travel,

for the longer I’m here,

my mind will unravel!"

"Go then, if you must,

in the direction called Right,

but beware of the dust,

it’ll give you a fright!"

So they left the newt sitting,

Atop his green pad,

I needn’t tell you, no kidding,

Eshir was quite mad.

Across the field they walked,

Choosing Right and not Down,

Often they talked,

Though they both wore a frown.

This was a land of scribbled lines,

Not to mention bad rhymes,

Born of Silverstein and Seuss,

As Creator ran loose.

But let’s leave Ugly and Cutie,

And go looking for lovers,

I’m talking Ben-Vell and Toomi,

Around them, bliss hovers.

Toomi said to Ben,

"This isn’t any fun,

let’s get out of here and then,

our mission will be done!"

"Take it easy, will you?

You’re splitting my brain,

I don’t know what to do,

Hey look, there’s a train!"

"A train?"

"A train."

"This is completely insane!"

Insane though it was,

They didn’t complain,

As they rushed for the buzz,

Of the crayon-drawn train!

Boarding they spied,

A scene most appealing,

Cakes, soda and pie,

Stacked right to the ceiling!

"Look at this pudding!

Look at this cake!

Now, don’t loose your footing,

On that frozen cream lake!"

"This is called Popfizzle,

and that, a Fuzzplum,

what is a Cupsizzle?

Was this chef really dumb?"

"Dumb, I think not,

I find his work really neat,

Look at this spot,

At the bubble-gum meat!"

"Ice-burgers, cotton pie,

glasscakes and cheese-wheezies,

What shall I try?

It all looks so pleasing!"

They ate and they ate,

They chewed and they chewed,

Always full was their plate,

Of this tasty great food.

The train started moving,

And they ate as it went,

Their stomachs were grooving,

To the food heaven sent!

And while these two dug in,

Chilly gum and bubblesause,

Others listened for wind,

Completely at loss.

Soon they entered some dust,

And watched closely their footing,

Neither one of them fussed,

Or wished for ale pudding!

"The newt said beware,

this dust will bring fright,

hey, what is that chair,

doing with that kite?"

"Angel, you’re dumb,

that’s no kite in the air,

it looks like a dragon,

this dust hides its lair!"

"Dust dragons and chairs,

this place makes no sense!"

"Angel, don’t you dare,

that would be really dense!"

But Angel didn’t pay,

Her friend any mind,

And ran on her way,

Though the dust made her blind!

"Hey, you, up above,

yes, I’m talking to you,

are you dragon or dove?

What will you now do?"

The dragon descended,

And said rather loud,

"A drink I have blended,

I call it GumCloud."

And the great creature then gave,

Angel a drink,

As Esh tried to wave,

At a passing by sink!

"Tell me, great lizard,

what is this strange place?

With this heavy blizzard,

Of dirt in my face!"

"This is a land that Frank,

made from his doodles,

often did he draw blanks,

don’t trust his odd noodle.

More I can’t say,

Because I haven’t a clue,

Just keep going that way,

to find the big flute."

"You know of the flute?"

"I do, yes it’s true."

"Please don’t keep mute!"

"Please don’t look so blue!

I don’t know how much more,

that I really should say,

I talk when I snore,

And could give you away!

Left is the direction,

You want to be heading,

You’ll need some protection,

Beware of the wedding!"

Onward they moved,

And kept pushing on,

With nothing to prove,

They’d walk until dawn.

But as they rose over a hill,

They saw them a sight,

That gave them a chill,

A wedding this night!

"Careful, Eshir."

"Why should I look out?"

"Didn’t you hear?"

"I have some strong doubts."

But as they got close,

Their eyes couldn’t focus,

Though they heard big a toast,

Full of weird hocus-pocus!

"Do you take this ring,

and this man along, too?"

"What pleasure he brings,

Yes, yes, yes, yes, I do!"

"And you sir, do you,

take both woman and ring?"

"Yes, yes, yes, yes, I do!

My heart it doth sing!"

"Then by the power I’ve got,

Big Ups to the Creator,

Just sign on the dot,

And I’ll see you later!"

"Esh, do you hear?"

Asked the red-headed cutie,

Their eyes were made clear,

To a green skinned beauty!

Angel cried, "Oh, no!

This is hell!"

"Why even I can’t believe it,

Toomi married Ben-Vell!"

"And look at the Preacher,

see him there by the fire?

It’s our would-be teacher,

The Earth hero Empire!"

"Wait, listen close,

Shut up and go mute!

I hear me a dose,

Of our goal, the newt’s flute!"

And listen she did,

And listen she heard,

And she didn’t kid,

When she flipped Esh the bird.

"Are you joking, Eshir?"

She asked as a dis.

"Didn’t you see,

that slow wedding kiss?"

"Oh, please, get out,

we haven’t the time,

get rid of that pout,

I’m sick of these rhymes!"

Eshir wasn’t too happy,

At anything he saw,

With everyone so sappy,

He clenched tight his jaw.

Grabbing Angel’s hand tight,

He ran for the sound,

Of the flute in the night,

To that he was bound.

Across the wedding floor, he ran,

And spied the music’s riff,

And with nary a plan,

He almost fell off a cliff!

"That’s it, that tears it,

I don’t care what’s the cost,

Out of here we’ll split,

We can’t be anymore lost!"

He grabbed the flute and blew once,

As the others watched on,

They thought him a dunce,

He couldn’t play even a song!

It didn’t matter, though, not really,

When five gifts appeared then,

They stopped touchy-feely,

And thought back to When.

The gifts, it appeared,

Fulfilled the words of the newt,

And no one did jeer,

When they saw parachutes!

They put them on and jumped,

Right off of that ledge,

Their adrenaline was pumped,

As they fell from the edge.

Falling and falling,

Nature seemed to be stalling.

Where were they going, they wondered,

As they couldn’t see ground,

Could it be that they blundered,

And would fall ever down.

And then they did see,

A most curious sight,

They wanted to flee,

With all of their might.

A big yellow man,

Stood very quiet,

And opened his mouth,

The Orphans, his diet!

They had no real chance,

Becoming oddly communal,

In the stomach they danced,

Of the Living Tribunal.

It was just like that story,

Of the man in the whale,

A situation real hoary,

Two girls and three males!

Then they felt rumbling,

And lost all their footing,

And then they were stumbling,

Expunged like bad pudding!

SPACE

Empire and the Orphans of War floated in space, trying desperately to pull themselves together. In front of them, larger than the Everything itself, it seemed to them, stood the Living Tribunal. It spoke to them authoritatively, "You have been given but a taste of the Realms of Franklin, enough to tell your King that there is nothing here that he could ever want."

The Orphans watched in awe as the Realms were closed off once again. "What about Madcap?" Ben-Vell asked.

"Madcap is the Guardian of the Realms," the Tribunal answered gently.

"But-" Ben started to ask.

"Go," the Tribunal said firmly. "And never come back."

END REALMS OF FRANKLIN

A big yellow man, / Stood very quiet, / And opened his mouth, / The Orphans, his diet!

Y G G D R A S I L

comments to northern022@hotmail.com

I have no idea why I wanted to write that story, but I did. I hope I haven’t lost any readers in the process … thanks for reading everyone.

Next month, things get serious. AGC 35. EMBERS OF HALA, PART ONE.

-- Mark Bousquet …

Northern Bear Productions

3 October 2001