₦airaland Forum

apologies for the use of the name, will change it if necessary.

however, i think the lady is a celebrity now, albeit an unintentional one.

The Crowd and The Squid

The water facade shimmered faintly in the daylight, and fireflies darted around, like tiny dark gems with little pinpoints of light flashing every now and then. The young man wondered how he could see their lights glowing in daytime.

He sat by the shore and decided he’d settle there for the night. He was tired anyway. The colts were still busy in the distance.

His companion took his shirt off and said he was going for a swim. This seemed like a good idea, so the young man decided to do the same. He took his shirt off as well and carefully entered the water. The other man yelled he would follow suit.

The bay felt as refreshing underneath as it had above ground. The young man swam leisurely, coming up for air at intervals, but mostly going down to the depths and observing the wildlife on the lake bed. He saw different types of fishes, various colours and hues, and some startlingly blue sea fauna.

Something streaked by him, and he couldn’t get a good look at it because just then he had to surface for air, which he did, then dove back under and tried to follow the creature. He swam in the last direction he had seen it, and eventually, his effort was rewarded.

It was a huge squid. Maybe four feet long, with flashing lights of different intensities streaking on and off in rhythmic pulses. The lights seemed to be mostly in its midsection and also arranged along its tentacles. It swam gracefully, pausing occasionally to look at him with its round, luminescent eyes, and then streak off effortlessly.

He would have followed it further but had to surface for air. He did so and noticed, to his consternation, that he was further away from land than he had thought.


Back on the shore, the other man was engrossed in a conversation with a colt.

A little further away, a crowd of people had gathered. The young man trod water while he watched them. A woman was talking excitedly, pointing at the water, and the young man guessed she was talking about the squid, which was swimming leisurely a short distance from them. Its strobe lights were in full display, and could be seen clearly through the water. It circled slowly, occasionally jumping out of the water and spreading its tentacles and fins for a maximum glide. With its flashing display, it was quite a show, and the crowd by the shore was in stunned silence during the performance.

The woman at the front of the crowd was quite overcome with emotion and held tight to some men on the front line who seemed to be soothing her and holding her up when, occasionally, she seemed in danger of falling down. The young man heard them calling her Ra Morhtarr. Someone eventually brought her a chair and somebody else started fanning her in the humidity.

The squid glided a few more times, then headed out of the bay, to the open sea. The crowd threw a few fish into the water, obviously hoping to entice it into coming back, but it seemed the squid had other places to go, and everyone watched as it retreated slowly, flashing through the water. The crowd dispersed, Ra Morhtarr and her companions also headed elsewhere, and the young man swam back to shore.

The Young Man and His Companion


The young man noticed the sun was getting lower and it would be sunset in a few hours. He pointed this out to his companion, and suggested they find a place to stay for the night. The other man considered this, then shook his head, indicating nay.

What do you suggest then, asked the young man.

I suggest we stay here for a while, double back and keep watching the colts, replied the other guy.
The young man argued with him for a while, but got nowhere. He eventually reached a compromise- they would watch the colts and scout around at the same time.

His companion disagreed with this, but the young man held his ground and threatened to continue the journey alone. This idea seemed to frighten the other man somewhat and he quickly changed his tune and agreed they needed to look for a place.

The colts were far behind them now, but the young man could still see them intensely and quietly going about their duties. They took the work very seriously and only took occasional breaks, Whoever did, was immediately replaced by another colt who then took up where the first one had left off. Their intensity was quite disconcerting and the young man wondered for how long they kept at the work, was it throughout their lifetimes? Because it looked that way.

They do other things you know, said his partner. The young man looked up with a start: the other guy had a habit of suddenly passing comments out of nowhere, all the while observing him slyly out of the corners of his eyes.
Ok said the young man. What other things do they do, seems you want to tell me.

Well, the second guy replied, after a while, they take some time off, as you have seen, and go off in search of balance. Wherever they find balance, they remain and continue their work from there, until a colony is formed. One such colony is what we’re looking at now.

Very interesting, said our hero.

They walked on and soon came to a wide bay.

It was a very peaceful one, and somehow reminded the young man of the ocean he had encountered at the beginning of his journey, prior to the storm.

i have some stuff which i jotted down [pen and paper] about two years ago.

as soon as i locate the material, will inculcate it into this story.

Breaking Social Ties


The colts were of different types, not all uniform.

They seemed to be divided into groups, and he observed the various groups hard at work doing different things. A group directly in front of him was pulling what looked like long strips from trees. They pulled the strips, examined them from various angles, then carefully walked over to another group and deposited the strips on the ground. Then they went back to get more.

A few of them passed by the young man while on their short journey. He used the opportunity to gaze at the strips they were carrying, trying to see what they were.

They looked like ties. No two strips had the same texture. Some looked brittle, as if they were made of glass, others seemed soft and spongy. All were brightly coloured, glowing faintly in the evening light. The colts carried them cautiously to their destination.

Those look like ties, the young man told his companion. He noticed the other man had fallen silent or at least wasn’t as chatty as before.

Yes, they are, the other guy replied. They’re social ties.

What does that mean our hero asked.

The other man gazed at him carefully, out of the corners of his eyes. It seemed he was trying to assess his expression.

Its just what they’re called, he said.

What‘s the other group going to do with them? Asked the young man.

They break them replied his walking partner. Then some of the different pieces are salvaged and used elsewhere.

I see, said the young man.

He decided to observe the group of colts where the ties had been taken, and he did indeed notice the ties being broken. Before long, there was a huge heap of broken ties and he saw yet another group picking up individual pieces and carrying them in various directions. Some brought wheelbarrows to cart away the loot, while others made do with segments.

There was steady input, however, from the first group bringing in the ties.

They constantly search for the tie bearing trees, said his partner.

The young man looked up with a start- he’d been engrossed in what he was observing and had almost forgotten he was walking with a companion albeit one who had appeared out of nowhere.

This is very interesting, he said. We learn something new every day.

The other man seemed to relax a little, they continued their journey.

its miniature- check the post again.

as per galloping, i didnt use that term at all, where are you seeing it?

doe is a female deer.

quotes from the willy wonka movie and their literary allusions:



http://home.comcast.net/~tom.brodhead/wonka.htm



WONKA: We are the music-makers, and we are the dreamers of dreams.


from Ode
by Arthur O'Shaughnessy [1844-1881]

We are the music-makers,
And we are the dreamers of dreams,
Wandering by lone sea-breakers,
And sitting by desolate streams.
World-losers and world-forsakers,
Upon whom the pale moon gleams;
Yet we are the movers and shakers,
Of the world forever, it seems.

With wonderful deathless ditties
We build up the world's great cities,
And out of a fabulous story
We fashion an empire's glory:
One man with a dream, at pleasure,
Shall go forth and conquer a crown;
And three with a new song's measure
Can trample an empire down.

We, in the ages lying
In the buried past of the earth,
Built Nineveh with our sighing,
And Babel itself with our mirth;
And o'erthrew them with prophesying
To the old of the new world's worth;
For each age is a dream that is dying,
Or one that is coming to birth.