- "But where are you going with your heroes? From
the divan to the outhouse and back?" A firsthand evaluation of the
heros in Chekhov's plays as offered by Tolstoy.
-
- I felt outhouses had more to offer than being used an
instrument for a comparative insult, what history they must contain, what
great thoughts might have been spawned there? I decided to take a look
beyond the salmon coloured doors within the two-seat companion of the old
school house which was once located on my property.
-
- The door creaked ominously as I drew it open, what would
I find within? As sunlight streamed in upon a white oval piece of wood
framing a hole, I heard an angelic choir begin to sing then well up in
a glorious crescendo as radiant light flooded the little room which had
served as a timeless tomb for the ancient throne - BEHOLD! What hallowed
ground was this?
-
- Indiana Jones would have been no less transfixed by the
runes etched and scribed upon the sacred walls - I decided to study them.
Ah, yes, there they were. Some were carved or etched into the wooden walls
by means of a sharp pointy instrument. However, others had been scribed
by means of an ancient lead filled writing instrument. What timeless message
would these glyphs from yesteryear contain?
-
- Despite a cursory study of the walls exposing many glyphs,
some had not survived the ravages of time nor the overwriting of subsequent
nomads to this mystic place. With great care and effort I meticulously
copied the first clear rune - DH + DB - what could this mean? I asked my
boys.
-
- "Brandon, what does it mean when you have two sets
of initials joined by a plus sign?" 9-year-old Brandon reflected for
a moment then retired to the house to continue watching cartoons. "I
don't know dad, I'm going to watch cartoons." "I know dad,"
chimed in 11-year-old Tyler, "it means someone is in love with someone
else." It started to make sense - Brandon doesn't have a girlfriend,
Tyler does! (Beware the knowledge gleaned from ancient writings.) With
a heavy heart I pressed on.
-
- To my left was a series of sweeping slashes, the first
set was blocked and strong, the name below seemed written in haste - DANNY
HICKEY . Perhaps the young scribe had been a swordsman interrupted by an
untimely knock on the portal to the throne-room? I couldn't be sure though
I did notice his initials matched the first two in the primary set of glyphs
I had discovered - but who was DB? An exhaustive search never uncovered
that information, was it a matter of unrequited love?
-
- The most telling rune was discovered in a very obscure
corner of the room. Written by: "M.N.S. June 10, 1956." A period
had been carefully placed between each written letter. The month June had
been written in a mature elegant hand displaying a touch of flair - the
slanted and even numbers suggesting they'd been written by someone with
years of practice. I considered the significance of the letters written
before me then appraised them as an attempt at immortality, an effort to
leave one's mark on this world before being forgotten and lost to the sands
of time.
-
- --Lea MacDonald
- inventor@adan.kingston.net
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