the itsy bitsy spider crawled up the water fount... hidden within many children's songs is a powerful record of a collective human triumph over forces that would otherwise have ended the fledgling creature. Most humans think of themselves only in the singularity. It is difficult for man to contemplate, let alone comprehend just how connected he truly is to all of humanity. And with lifetimes spent in sole pursuit of independence how easy it is to forget the event so traumatic that a child's song is created - like the compensatory tissue of a great tree - to cover the wound that sliced so deep that it marked the very life core of the whole creature. It is hard to know for certain which race first introduced this healing practice - the ancient arboreus or the antecedents of humanity - and such quandaries were irrelevant to Jupiter's current academical pursuit. Discovering the moment of trauma now seemed a trivial matter that he had ascertained long ago. During his preliminary deliberations that he had presented to the magisterial council, back when he so avidly sought the distinction of being among their echelons, he had easily proven that there were no less than 10 such events within human history. What had plagued him ever since was the absence any records of what caused the trauma. The bark that covers the wound and makes it ten fold stronger is quite obvious to anyone who is looking. But Jupiter knew he could not hope to ascertain the tool, or thing, nor by what means the trauma had been delivered by merely observing the great scar. By observing where a great oak had clearly lost a limb he could not possibly know if it had been the ax of war or perhaps a celestial explosion. He knew only that something had cut deep into the human race, and his only clue was the eerily repetitive child's melody... ...climbed up the water fount...
Tic Toc. Tic Toc. Things change over time. Or time changes things. Halabinder wasn't sure if the two concepts were one and the same. He took a drag from his pipe and the smoke helped him realize he didn't care. It was a thought to drop and walk away from. It was important to note that time had passed and things had changed. Who cares if the chicken came first or the egg? The real question is: Do you know how to make a stir fry? The Gypsy Warriors were in disarray. He had found @Freakzilla so drunk the man could hardly remember how to repair and refresh a boat. He had been the finest sailor Halabinder had ever met once... Halabinder took another drag and blew out a long trail of smoke. Some of his friends were gone from these lands all together. Just like he, they had more pressing matters in other realms and were gone for a time. But part of him could not help to wonder whether it was the Robbers Roost Gang that drove away @Vlar, or if he really had more important matters in other lands? Vlar had been upset about the RRG harassing the citizens of Stormhold when Halabinder spoke to him last. And of course, the Gray Wizard was gone. This was terrible. Halabinder had always been envious of the Wizard. The Wizard had bested Halabinder in his favorite game of chess not once but twice. It was for that reason that Halabinder had picked up a spell book in the first place. He intended to beat the Wizard at his own game if he could not defeat the Wizard in chess. This had not worked too well for him so far as Halabinder could never concentrate long enough to remember what page contained what spell. He was always fumbling and casting the wrong spells, or summoning dangerous elementals in the wrong places that would attack him and his friends instead of their foes. Lets not mention how many bloody times he singed off all the hair on his head in the process. But he had at least gathered all the known spells in a spell book. He was as ready as he was going to be. But the Wizard was GONE!!!! This is when Halabinder's business partner Sir Elton John stopped by to tell him their joint venture to fill another Bulk Order Deed had produced a Leather Dye Tub instead of a deed that would bless Halabinder's deer mask... Again... "It is important to keep calm" was a thought that echoed in Halabinder's mind as he realized he was fumbling through his book for a deadly spell. But it was too late. A field of fire erupted in the middle of the house and Sir John and Halabinder both started to burn. Sir Elton John began screaming about something but Halabinder was too busy trying to put out the flames. Through the yelling and the chaos, Halabinder managed to hear one word and everything came to a stop. The flames died down and Sir Elton John punched him square in the nose. When he came to, the Tailor was nursing a bruised knuckle. He wasn't one for throwing punches. Halabinder picked himself up off the floor. As Sir Elton John realized he was up and began to protest Halabinder said, "what did you say about @Jupiter ?" "You know my craftsmanship has nothing to do wi... What? Jupiter? Oh I heard rumors in Wispfelt village that he recently took some folks through an initiation trial or some such thing. But hey as I was saying, my cra..." "Drop your sewing kit" Halabinder interrupted. "I have a new plan. Go and find a suitable house. Properly decorate it. Hire someone to do it. I don't want the walls lined with containers. Find me a chess board." "Are you sure you want to lose another game of chess? You went on this fool's errand to learn magic tricks last time the Wizard beat you. What are you gonna do this time, learn to speak with the dead?" "I just might if I ever want to talk to him again! Now go and do my bidding Mule!" Halabinder took another long drag from his pipe as the Tailor left and he was left with his thoughts. Time. It was time to get on with the day.
