TxtATale #3

TxtATale: (Please be patient) Once upon a time in a large castle seated on a great cliff there were servants rushing about in preparation for a great ball. A vast list of distinguished guests were expected to attend in all their finery. The host of this elaborate night was none other than Father time. He wanted to gather together all the great powers in hopes of persuading them to offer their gifts to the New Year so that 2008, would be a memorable one. You see father time was growing week and tired showing that soon he would need to retire and let his nephew Hickory take over. Hickory was brilliant at running all the worlds clocks and kept perfect time. Unfortunately he wasn’t very good in making the personal adjustments required when time needed bent a touch. He also kept himself very busy with his work and hardly took moments to enjoy for himself. So many doubted his abilities.Among those expected was Madam Prosperity, generally a cold and icy woman. Two of the 7 famous sisters, Freya Kypris of the Palace at Lust and Adephagia of Gluttony Shire. Nodens Silvanus was sure to come and please the ladies. His reputation falsely extended his power to heal to include the gift of restored youth and beauty.

However Father time didn’t realise that some of his guests had an agenda of their own this evening to gain more power and status. Except Lady Fortuna, shy and flighty she attended simply due to her crush on Hickory. Fortuna was afraid his consistent routines would detest the unpredictable life that she endured. When she was a young girl she would climb the tower to the chime room and listen to the cacophony of ringing that drowned out other noises. This is where she met Hickory. Sadly her luck was temperamental and one day she knocked over a tall clock that started a dreadful chain reaction and her mortification.

The ball started well with glimmering candles along the walls, sweeping dresses brushing the floors, and the echoes of laughter filled the arched stone ceilings. Nodens quickly agreed to give good health as his gift for the coming year. Prosperity also agreed to donate to the cause in some moderation. Freya had a different idea in mind for the evening. She spent her time trying to seduce the busy and distracted Hickory who kept checking his watch. Meanwhile her sister of Gluttony, who she called Adeph was plying Fortuna with cakes and sweets that were not very good for her. For you see Freya wanted to marry Hickory herself so she could use her feminine persuasion to convince him to slow down time giving way to passion and love. Nodens Silvanus was concerned how time would haunt the aged and infirm if it were slower. He mentioned this to prosperity whom seemed indifferent. While dancing with Nodens, Lady Fortuna mentioned her unrequited crush on the young nephew. He felt that it would be a brilliant chance to place a small Fortuna sized glitch in Freya’s plan. Sadly just as he was trying to engage Hickory in a manly conversation about women Fortuna slipped into a bowl of punch.

Hickory was a lovely gentleman and offered to lead the poor girl profusely blushing into a warm room in the castle with a blazing fire so she could dry a bit. Her luck had a turn for the worse or perhaps the better as she tripped on one of the stairs and fell clumsily into his arms. There was a moments breath before Hickory decided to enjoy the unusual place he found him self in by kissing the beautiful girl. At that moment time seemed to slow or even stop and suddenly he understood what it was for time to bend as needed. As soon as she was dry Hickory raced to tell his uncle. Freya was very unhappy to hear about how the young nephew had learned this important life lesson. She began to throw a fit cursing all the guests in attendance. When the two sisters stormed out of the ball the others made it a New Years Resolution to give up bad habits like sweats or ill fated love.

Time and Luck were married living an unpredictable but passionate existence. They lived happily ever after. The End!!!

May the coming year bring you health, prosperity, luck, love, strength in your resolutions, and unpredictable adventure!!!!