Wednesday, January 20, 2016

[Heliotrope] What they got right

In the classic stars wars movie "A False Hope" Alec Guiness talks about seeing things from "a certain point of view", but I think that the bemusement the book talks about when speaking here about how humans are ignorant in their view of the geography of fairy, assuming everyone knows everyone else is a bit false.  Reading the book it does seem like everyone knows everyone else.  Coindicence is magnified far more in Terra than it is on Earth but that seems magnified even more in Fairy.

Consider if you will the whimsical mention of Balbus the Badger and the Little Tin Teapot.  In their original stories, Balbus the Badger is visited by the Three Mice that See, and he proceeds to tell them the wisdom of accepting their lot in life.  Mr Kind thanked him and nodded, walking on.  Mr. Right told him that was balderdash and that there were clearly moments in life where you had to change things and then just ended the conversation entirely.  No one knows what Mr Necessary said but Mr Necessary and Balbus the badger are not speaking of it.  Though a meticulous tracking of the descriptions of Balbus before and after the incident hint that the scar he had under his left eye only existed after.  Was this a case of Mr Necessary not liking what he had heard? Was it him? Likely yes, but such a reaction seems even extreme for him.  We'll never know.  The Little Tin Teapot is best known for the famous tempest that sometimes lived inside of his walls.  From time to time, the teapot would have a vast and powerful storm known as Cumulo Desparo come and dwell inside him, often during the winter months when he found it quite cold.  The problem with this is was at least nine incidents of someone picking up the teapot at some fair or the other, paying good money for it, and then getting the shock of their life as gale force winds, thunder and lightning soaked their living room.  This happened over and over again so many times it was bordering on the ridiculous.  Which is why they clearly kept telling the tale.  One might accept that a magical storm swelling teapot might distribute weather accidentally two or three times, but word gets around...even back then.

So when this badger and teapot meet at the wedding of a minor queen despite only very very tenuous connections, one has to wonder.  By my estimate, Outer Fairy had at least ten or twenty million inhabitants at the time, and yet here these two are, meeting. It's like obscure 18th century fan fiction.  But the book is too well cared for an meticulous for it to be something so simple. Is there a fate? Is there a destiny?

I don't know but an unseen hand is definitely at work.



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