From: braley@binkley.cs.mcgill.ca (The Didi-Sprite)
Subject: Song of Sixpence - Part Ten
Originator: braley@binkley.cs.mcgill.ca
Organization: SOCS - Mcgill University, Montreal, Canada
Date: Fri, 2 Oct 1992 20:49:49 GMT



----<--<@                     --'-<-,<@                       @>-->----
				     @>-->----


        SNOW IN THE MEADOW!!!!!

     Immediatly after hearing of snow, Sundog immediatly charges off to
the meadow.  He sails down from Miami Mountain, skis throwing light
powder up to arc in the sun, then he goes right into a X-window . . .

. . . . arriving in a light sprinkle at the meadow, severely
dissapointed.  He waves to Didi, then struggles out of his gear.  After
leaning his skis against a tree, he gives the Sprite a huge *HUG* and
apologizes profusely: "I've been so busy with school that I've barely
had a chance to write anybody!  I'm so sorry that I haven't writin you
sooner!"
     "Grad school is hellacious this semester.  I've got tweleve hours
with almost constant reading, I've started work on my thesis, and still
have to get my graduate committee together!!  Aaaah!  Sarah's really
busy too, we barely have any time together!!! AAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!!  That's
the big thing, not being with Sarah constantly.  The wedding plans are
going smoothly, at least.  My pastor of twelve years left and we've got
to find another priest to do the ceremony, but that's the only real
sticking point right now."
     Sundog looks around at the meadow on a crisp fall morning.  "Soon
it will be winter," he sighs happily. "The frost and ice and snow and
wind will return, and life will be comfortable again.  OH!!"  He reaches
for the pack on his back. "My stuff for the party!"
     "I'm from southern Ohio, and that part of the state was settled by
lots of Germans, so it's OKTOBERFEST time in and around Cincinnati!  So,
I've got a few things for the German party types here."  With that, he
produces a large container of mettwurst, hot and spicy, along with a
big jar of sauerkraut.  He digs into the pack again - "It's a backpack
of holding!" he grins, with a wink to the RPG players - and pulls out
another container filled with lightly toasted beer bread.  A third
container is loaded with apple pastry's, all with white frosting across
the top.  Finally, he lunges deep into the pack, then staggers back, a
silvery keg of beer cradled in his arms.  "Dark, of course!" he gasps,
red in the face, before setting it down with a thump.  "I've brought
apple cider for those who don't like beer," Sundog says, sitting down
next to the keg, "but you'll have to dig that out yourself!  It's good
stuff, made by an orchard right near my home."
     "Well, that's Cincinnati Oktoberfest stuff, hope everybody enjoys
themselves.  Happy Birthday Liralen!  I'm Sundog, in case we haven't
met, by the way."

                                              --- Sundog ---

~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Didi-Sprite shivers.  She does not hold the same enthusaiasm for
snow as Sundog does ... having to live with it for about 4 months out
the year.  Fortunately, somewhere not far away ...

<TINKLE>

<<Surreptitious rummage around in a large bag that appeared out of nowhere>>

Aha! Maybe this will work. <<Pulling out a large gun-like object,
Thunderchild points to the meadow, and fires>>

- - - K A B O O M - - -

My secret weather gun (so secret I didn't even know I had it until just then)
has worked perfectly!

<<The weather in the meadow changes, slowly at first, then changing to a
cloudless sky, bright sunshine, with the sun warm but not hot, and a light
sunshower, complete with rainbow>>


                          o$""oooo                                  o  "  ooo  "
             ooo$$""""""""$    "o$ooo                                "" o"   "o
           o$"                      $$o                            """  $     $
          o$$o       o              " "$                            o""  "ooo"
         o$          """$o""     o     $oo$"$"$"$"$"$"$oooo           o" o o o "
         $     $ooooo$          "      oo"o$o$o$o$o$o$o"o"o"$"ooo       o" $ "o
         "o o                  o"      $$"             """"$o$o"o"$oo
          "$"             ooo "       o"$o$"""$"""$""oooo     ""o$o"o"oo
           $         "$ooooo          "o$ oo$ooo$ooo$ o ""$"oo    ""o"o"$o
           "o                      oo " $"      o    """"ooo" $"oo   ""$o"$o
            ""$"              """     o$    $"o$ $o"$       ""o " $oo   "$o"$o
               $o       o        "$$"""    oo""o$o""oo         ""oo ""o   "$o"$o
                 """"""$ooooooo$oo"       "oo"$   $"oo"           ""$ o"o   "$o"
          o$         o         o           o"$"ooo"$"o               "o ""o   $"
                "  o$     "    "           ""o"o$o"o""                 $" o"o  $
         $     $  o"     o    $              "" $ ""                    "oo "$
        o        $$ooo   "                      $ oo                      $ " $
        "    $     o"  "     $             o""o $"oo"                      "$ o$
       o    o    o$"  o$    o               "oo"$                            "o
       "    "    $    "    "                    $                             "o



If that's what the weather is like there all the time, then maybe my device
just didn't work at all! BTW, if the rain bothers anyone, I have another
gadget that will stop the rain, on request, personally.

Next gadget.

<TINKLE>

Anyone wish to be able to fly? I *might* just be able to conjure up a pair of
wings if anyone wants them - guaranteed 110% no defects (hey, this is VR, I
can do these things, no?)

Um, what next? I suppose some food would be in order. How about a few
casseroles that my mum makes really well, like a beaut tuna one, and some of
her *absolutely taste-bud ticklikng* jelly slice for desert. If I can find
anything else, I'll certainly bring it along.

<TINKLE>

Well, I have to go power up the Cyclone power armour/motorbike, so I'll see
you at the meadow.

Party on, people!

<TINKLE>

And, Happy Birthday Liralen!


                                                --- Thunderchild ---

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


Splash wanders through the bar and, following the instructions
on Mike's note, out into the meadow and a long the lane to the
field.  A group of celebratory Callahaners is gathering.  Splash 
is looking tanned and relaxed, having just walked in from the 
Western Australian spring sunshine.  Over his shoulder hangs a 
small nondescript satchell, with a nondescript bulge in it.  
He's also leaning slightly with the weight of an obviously 
heavily-laden Esky (a large Australian insulated box - 
ideal for picnics, etc).  As he reaches the crowd of well-
wishers he looks amongst the many smiling faces; he spies the 
birthday gal and makes his way over.  As he reaches her, he 
drops the Esky on the ground and gently places the satchell 
next to it.

"Happy Birthday Liralen!" he exclaims, envelops her in a hug
and gives her a kiss.  "Recovered from the traumas of house-
additions yet?"  Splash grins.  "Just in time for the change
in season I hope.  Well, I have just the thing to keep you
warm during the impending boreal winter ..."  

So saying, he digs into his nondescript satchell and comes out
with a little package, sort of round in shape.  Liralen unraps
the small parcel and extracts a paper-weight ... the sort that
has a snow-man and snow flakes in it.  But this one is
different ... as she takes a closer look, Liralen notices that
the flakes are golden in colour, and instead of a snowman in a
snow-covered meadow there's a sun-bronzed figure lying on
sand.  A quick shake sees what looks like a shower of golden
sunlight glistening about the reclining figure on the sand.  

There are bursts of laughter all round, and Splash grins
slightly.  "Just a token of the Australian summer.  Now
sonething a little neater ..." and he digs into the satchell
again.  This time he comes out with a larger parcel, about the
size of a basketball, wrapped tightly in dark paper.  It too
is roundish in shape, and there are giggled comments about
larger paper-weights.  Liralen opens this one a little more
cautiously, because it's a bit weightier.  As she undoes the
tape holding the paper together, cracks of intense light
appear from the parcel, becoming a bright warm glow as all the
paper is removed.  Liralen is left holding a glass semi-sphere
of bright light.  Splash explains:  "This is a sample of
Australian summer sunshine, encased in a special containment
field.  It's operated by need ... when you need a little
sunshine the sphere will light up.  It's glowing brightly now
because of the events of the last few days, and will whenever
you need some extra light in your life.  When you no longer
need the sunshine it will reduce in intensity and grow
smaller; this means you can take it with you wherever you go."

He turns and digs around in the satchell once more and this
time pulls out a small bottle.  With a big grin he says "This
is another small amusement gift, which seems appropriate." 
The label on the bottle reads "Genuine Fremantle Doctor". 
"It's a sample of our local seabreeze, which is called the
Fremantle Doctor.  Our summer days get quite hot - up to 43
degrees C (almost 110 degrees F, if my calculations are
right).  The thing that nature provided to help ease the
situation is the Fremantle Doctor, which usually comes in
about mid-afternoon, cooling things down, and allowing us to
survive for the next day.  I can't imagine the sun-sphere will
ever actually get _that_ hot, but it might get quite warm
depending on your need.  If you overheat, open the bottle! 
Happy Birthday Liralen ... may all your days be sunny."

After another big hug Splash turns to Didi and Kitten and
says: "Where do you want the grub?  I've brought a whole load
of summer fruit and fresh salad veges, since they're now in
season here.  There are fresh red tomatoes, avocados and other
crispy salad veges, and for desert I've brought a whole pile
of ripe strawberrys, and several different melons, which are
also in season now, and a big jug of fresh whipped cream. 
There's nothing better in summer."

Didi points him in the right direction, and Splash staggers
off with the heavy Esky to prepare some salads.

                                        --- Splash! ---

~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Didi-Sprite
Montreal * Canada

braley@binkley.cs.mcgill.ca