From: braley@binkley.cs.mcgill.ca (The Didi-Sprite)
Subject: Look, ma!  Portholes!
Organization: Yale CS Mail/News Gateway
Date: Mon, 4 Jan 1993 10:06:20 GMT


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In The Place, New Year's Eve festivities appear to be winding down,
although Kitten, newly appointed 'Wench', can still be observed
winding her way between tables delivering pizza and drinks and wonder-
ing out loud if there is any 'pinch-linament' behind the bar ... ouch!
And, there is still a fair assortment of mermen, mermaids, flounder,
crabs, and such, skulking here and there and generally enjoying
themselves.

Over in one wall, a pair of French doors shimmer into prominence once
more, then suddenly, as though changing their mind, they disappear
and two strange looking portholes take their place.  One of these oval
apertures cracks open just a bit and two dark brown eyes peer round the
edge.

"Pssst!  Psssssst!  Kitten!  Over here!"

Kitten looks round, drops her tray in front of the Tinman, and in true
feline form, bounces towards the 'Pssssssts'.  That old cliche about
cats and curiosity is true!

"It's you!"  she exclaims.  "What are you doing out there where it's 
cold!  Come in for heaven's sake!"

"Can't!"

"Why not?"

"Ramda has run off with my water wings!"  

Suddenly the portholes burst open and in flutters a giggling Didi-Sprite
looking only slightly the worse for wear after her brush with various
vampire- and werewolf-types.  (Isn't Paris famous for them?)

"Hi, Everyone!  I'm back!"  she calls out happily.  "I could sure use
a nice cold 'n' tart lemonade, Mike!"

Didi flies over to the bar, where she settles down beside the ever-
present dish of sunflower seeds.  Looking up into the rafters she
spies her old friend and companion, his head tucked under his wing,
snoozing.

"Hey!  Bertie!  I'm back!"

"Squawk!  So I noticed.  Can't a bird get some sleep around here?!"
The yellow crested cockatoo ruffles his feathers, stretches a bit,
and doing his best scowl imitation, divebombs to the bar.  "You sure
know how to stir a place up, don't you?"  He complains, as he cracks
open a sunflower seed. 

"Oh."  And, Didi hangs her head in what passes for shame in spriteful 
body language.

"Well!  Is that all you are going to say?"

"No!  Just give me a minute to collect my thoughts here, alright?
Sheesh!  You sure got up on the wrong side of your rafter this morning!"
And, the -Sprite gives her pal a few tender strokes on his soft white
breast.

Didi smiles at all her friends, some sitting at tables, sipping at
tall drinks and nibbling at various flavorful pizza slices; others,
wavering together in undersea minuets.  But there are some who appear
to be waiting for her to speak.

"Yes.  I am back.  Whoever it was who said that that was no way to
start 1993 was right!  But here I am.  And, I want to thank all of
you who took time out of your holiday to join in the healing ritual
begun by the Golden Gryphon, and those who stopped what they were doing
to say a prayer for me this past weekend, and all of you who have
expressed such love and care and concern ... I feel I am the luckiest 
of sprites to be here amongst such wonderful friends.  It is a very
humbling experience.  Special thanks and love to Kitten for bouncing
right in with the news!  You are about to get yourself a special
-Spriteful hug!  And, to Tanais, whom I have yet to meet properly.
That was a beautiful and very touching post.  Thank you.  And, Mary
MerryTail!  Your prayers have helped, as you can see!  And, to 
Merlinvin!  You have just added to my graphics file!  (Tee-hee-giggle!)
To BiBulb!  And, Lamplighter and Aurora!  I enjoyed your Christmas
and New Year's Eve posts.  And, MonTemplar!  And, Snuffy ... my dear
friend.  And, Thyra and Jason!  I have saved your N.Y.E's description
for reading later.  Sounds wonderful.  And, to our very own Tinman 
whom I love dearly.  And, well ... EVERYONE!  Gee.  I am going to have
the bestest time giving hugs all around!  My favorite activity.  And,
after Kitten ... I am going to start with this new entity ... Danger
Squid! Ha-ha-ha!

"Again.  Thank you all, so very much, from the bottom of my spriteful
heart!"

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The Didi-Sprite
Paris * France

braley@binkley.cs.mcgill.ca
didi@geloser.login.qc.ca