From: ablanch@physics.su.OZ.AU (Shonias)
Subject: The Chronicles of Narnia - Part 8
Organization: School of Physics, University of Sydney, Australia
Date: Sun, 12 Apr 1992 09:47:46 GMT


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Off in the distance, the sound of thunder crashing can be heard.  All look
disappointed that such a wonderful picnic will be disrupted by rain, but no
clouds are to be seen, and the noise is indeed distant.  From over the hill,
the Wizard walks, in his usual attire of robes, hat, staff of yew and that
mysterious bag.  In no time at all, surprisingly quickly in fact, he is
standing in front of DM.

"Greetings young DM", he announces, "your birthday I believe".
"Yes", answers DM meekly in front of the old man, "it is."
"Well then, please have a seat".

With this, the Wizard proceeds to pull out a small foldable table from his
sack, and two stools, which he gestures DM to sit at.  The Wizard then continues
to produce an amazing amount of things from this mysterious sack.  A bottle of
an inviting ale, which he pours into two goblets, and some cold meets, bread
and cheese.

"A toast on your Birthday DM", he says and smiles foolishly.  His eyes betray
some sadness, and yet still a warmth towards DM.  

They both drink deeply, and DM feels much refreshed.

"One more thing for you DM", smiles the Wizard.

With this, he pulls out his sack two small furry balls, with tiny feet and many
tiny hands.  They purr and glow in the old mans hands.

"Go get him", commands the old man.

With that, these small balls of fur, which are quite obviously warm fuzzies,
attack DM in a tickling frenzy.  They leave him a giggling mass.  When they
finally stop, DM finds himself sat alone at the table, with the Warm Fuzzies
grabbing tightly onto his legs.  Left are the remains of the food and drink,
and a small card which simply says, in a rather nice handwriting style,

"Happy Birthday Most Gracious DM, signed The Wizard".

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Danny(Santa) has incarnated himself as a squirrel for the party.  This way he 
gets to sit up in the trees (safe from would be ticklers) and get a good field 
of fire with the peanuts when the puns start...  He hasn't got a present yet
(that dratted Danger Mouse went and bought the entire works of the author he
was going to buy him, 3 days before his birthday!) and isn't going to promise
anything (He still owes Didi one and feels he is going to have to disown the 
name Santa).

He makes a point of throwing lots of peanuts at the latest Wizard especially 
when he starts ogling all the females.  Is quite happy to dance with anyone 
willing (doesn't feel bad about being clumsy as anyone dancing with a squirrel 
deserves anything they get :-)  Ha stolen Julia's piece of bungee cord and
is using it to jump down to tickle people and then make a quick getaway.

Shonias sees through this weak attempt at "tickle-proofing" that Danny 
has affected. She calls to the Wizard, "You, my good sir, would not let 
me down I trust, you have at least one of those fast-fingered fuzzies
well designed for tickling squirrels?"

DM is all too pleased to see the squirrel and fuzzy come tumbling down
through the leaves in a mass of arms and uncontrolled giggling!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


  Nicarra can be seen at the edge of the woods.  In spite
of where she is, there is a desk in front of her, with a
workstation on it.  She types, compiles and gets a screen
with logical gates on it.  Nicarra frowns, leaves the one
screen and does more editing.  This time, once compiled,
she gets a screen of lion.  The Lion.  An eyebrow rises.

"Daughter, you haven't been watching the time."

Nicarra looks at her calendar.  "You're right.  But I have so much
to do."

"There is always time for your friends.  You know that, 
daughter."

"Indeed, I do."  Nicarra leaves the desk, and joins
the throng at the picnic.  

After much looking, she finds the mouse.  "Happy Birthday, DM.
Many happy returns for the year."  She gives DM a big birthday
hug, and joins the general fun.  Lythe, the green firelizard,
returns to Nicarra after having been in the firelizard chorus.
And Poldrith, the rarely seen gold dragon, suns herself at
the other edge of the lake.

Shonias, seeing DM taking a breath after all these birthday wishes,
decides that he didn't really need a breather after all...

"David, I hope this one was a good one, and I hope this year holds
good fortune and happiness." She wraps her arms around him, and squeezes
him hard, "I luv ya, David"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

   The brumby has been wandering around the grassy meadow, grazing at
this and that, and trying to heed kitten's warning. The bunch gathered
around the entrance to the Place have been singing and dancing and
generally making a lot of noise. The noise changes in nature and the
brumby is drawn closer to see what has happened.
   Most of the commotion surrounds a certain rodent, and all is revealed
when the brumby glimpses a birthday cake. A birthday! And he is missing
it! The brumby leaps into a canter to cross the intervening distance. He
ducks through the crowd, still at a canter, and slides to a stop on his
haunches in front of DM.
   "Have I made it? Happy Birthday."

Shonias looks up, "Of course you have made it, you have less distance to
cover after all! Good to see you Brumby! And be sure to search out that
Sprite, you won't be forgiven if you don't say hello!"

-- 

Storm clouds were gathering as the party finished the last of their sumptuous
meal. All around the clearing where they were gathered, sounds of satisfied
tummies could be heard. The buzz of animated discussion wafted out into the
trees.

Just then, the storm broke with an appalling crash of thunder. Fat drops
of rain lanced down. In one mystically coordinated spontaneous action, 
everbody jumped to their feet with whoops of excitement, tearing off their
clothes to dance naked in the rainstorm.


xxxxx
Malcolm


After this spectacle, Didi, Kitten and Shonias look at each other, all at
once struck speechless (I do hope someone is recording this, it may never
happen again!)  "Ummmm, Didi, these Australians seem to have rather strange
habits... first bungee cords... now this" Kitten looks uncertain as to
whether she should be taking notes, looking horrified or just joining in...

Didi however seems to have less doubt, and joins in straight away!

Shonias calls to DM  "Come on DM, this is VR, and we have just removed
your modesty gland!"

[ proceedings deleted for the sake of... decency!   :) :)  :)]


After all the commotion has died down, Shonias calls a toast,
"To our favourite rodent, to his happiness, to the reversal of
trends <There is a conspiritorial wink to DM> and... dammit
to my complete inability to express my feelings for him."
She throws the crystal glass she is holding into the fire, which
(of course) is just beside her, and as she turns away, a few notice
a single tear...




~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thankyou to all those that helped us get this together, especially
Didi and Kitten who I completely failed to warn that I wouldn't
be around when I said I would.

Happy Birthday David.


Shonias




--
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Any time, any place,
I'm just the fool who puts the smile on your face.
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