News Limerick 6/25/2013

It seems that some plants can do math
Controlled by a chemical path
Surprising, it's true
But how will they do
With reading some Sylvia Plath?

Plants 'do maths' to control overnight food supplies

There Once Was a Kingdom: The Dastardly Duke

The following morning after the celebration, the townsfolk told them that the soldiers came from the nearby castle ruled by a cruel duke and that more might come when the six captured the day before didn't return. Sarai, Alatar, and Tiana agreed to go see what they could do to help protect the town and all the others nearby.

They gathered some provisions, food, water, sleepsacks, and backpacks to carry it all. Together right after an early breakfast, they snuck through along the road as quietly and quickly as they could. They came to a break in the trees and saw the tall, well guarded castle before them. Soldiers stood on all the walls, more at the front gate by the single bridge over the wide watery moat.

Alatar and Tiana began discussing how they might sneak in or scale the walls. Sarai, however, looked to the side and saw a small hut. She motioned the other two closer and they tiptoed over. Peering in the windows, they saw it was a small tool shed. Something seemed strange about it, though. The walls were solid stones and it seemed too well built to be a simple shed.

Since no one was inside, they pushed open the wooden door and glanced around. They spied a trapdoor in the floor and easily pried it open. Alatar grabbed a torch from among the tools and descended the short ladder to the passageway below. Tiana and Sarai followed silently, pausing to let their eyes adjust to the dimness of the stone passageway.

"This leads straight towards the castle!" Sarai exclaimed.

"Perhaps it's an escape route?" Tiana wondered.

They agreed to follow it and picked their way forward until they saw the glow of lanterns ahead. The walls were now just iron bars to cells on either side. They had found their way to the castle's dungeon without even knowing it. Here, the townsfolk had told them, they would find people the duke had captured because they refused to give him whatever he asked for or they had spoken out against him.

Ahead, two guards stood watch over the cells, leaning idly on their tall staves. Alatar put his finger to his lips and then slowly raised his staff above his head. He spun it in small circles, slowly at first but gradually gathering speed. He spun it faster and faster over his head until a small funnel formed and spun on its own.

With a softly muttered word, he jabbed his staff towards the guards and the small tornado flew off toward them with great speed. It came to a sudden halt right over one of the guard's heads. He looked up slowly, his mouth agape at the spinning air. It spun faster and faster, suddenly touching its tip to his helmet. In an instant, the helmet began to spin right along with the funnel.

Stunned, the guard grabbed his helmet with both hands. This brought it to a halt, but the whirling wind was faster. The guard began to twirl and spin in place, hands held fast to his helmet not now holding it onto his head but holding himself up. Alatar smiled and spoke another hushed word. The wind suddenly stopped and the guard whirled into the other, both collapsing on the ground as their heads crashed into each other and left them unconscious.

Tiana quickly pulled lock picking tools from her pouch and freed all the prisoners. Jubilant, they grabbed anything they could to help the three travelers take the castle from below. As they prepared, one lone prisoner broke open the door to a sealed cabinet, exposing a gleaming suit of armor, shield, and sword within. These he donned quickly and expertly, joining Sarai in the lead of the group.

They found their way up a tightly twisting stairwell to the main corridor above. Two more guards stood by the entrance, but a quick blow from the knight's sword sent them reeling. Alerted by the noise, more soldiers called out for help and raced to the scene. The escaped prisoners poured into the hallway and quickly overwhelmed the few guards present, but heavy footsteps could be heard running from all directions.

"This way!" shouted the knight, and they followed him as he raced first down one passage and then another.

Around another bend, they found themselves facing row upon row of archers, bows at the ready. The first arrow was already in flight before Sarai could think, but a dagger whizzed past her ear, thrown by Tiana with expert aim. It struck the arrow in midair, splintering it instantly. More arrows flew after the first, however, and everyone threw themselves to the ground or the walls.

Everyone, that is, save the knight. He raised his shield, deflecting the arrows left, right, up, and down. One slammed into a wall near a sleeping dog who awoke with a frightened "awoorf?!" and leapt clear out a window to a pile of hay below. Another struck a metal pitcher that landed straight on a cat's head and stuck fast. With an angry "mreow!" it raced straight toward the archers, knocking several off their feet. They, in turn, tangled up the next row behind them and arrows now flew wildly, and harmlessly against the walls and floor.

In the midst of the jumble, Sarai and her companions regained their footing and raced forward over the confused ranks and into the throne room.

There, they saw the duke's own guard and his favored courtiers all armed and ready to fight. Upon a red velvet throne raised above them all sat the duke, his face fixed in a permanent scowl. His beard was a mass of tangles and angry snarls, and it hung halfway down his broad chest. He rose slowly to his feet like a mountain eager to get a better view of the sea.

"Seize them!" he boomed, his deep, gravelly voice echoing in the wooden rafters.

His guards and courtiers began to move forward as one, but stopped when they saw the mass of people pouring into the room with the knight in shining armor in the lead. Vastly outnumbered they looked carefully at one another, back to Sarai and her forces, and then up at the duke. Slowly, but quite deliberately, each of the duke's guards laid their swords and spears on the ground - they would have no part of this fight.

The duke roared with anger and reached both his hands over his head to grab the hilt of his own sword. It was as tall as a bear standing up on its hind legs to fight and as wide as grown man's leg. He swung the heavy sword first to one side, splitting a stone pillar as it struck. He swung it back to the other side, where it struck a large tree (which was inside for some reason) and sent it flying backwards through the window. With one more step, he raised the terrible sword above his head and was about to bring its full force down on his enemies.

Before he could, the knight flung his own sword with all his might. It crashed into the mighty blade and splintered it to tiny shards. The force of the knight's sword was so great that the duke's hands shook like two bells announcing a holiday or wedding. The duke fell to his knees, and the knight quickly tied him up in ropes and chains.

As he turned back to face Sarai and her friends, the knight removed his helmet. "I am Mandalar," he announced, "and I was once the king of this castle. This duke captured me and cast me into the dungeon with so many of my poor subjects. Thank you for rescuing me and helping restore me to my throne. We shall return to the towns all the duke has taken and try to set right what has been done here. Now, in return for your help, is there anything I can do to help you?"

Sarai was almost too stunned to speak, so Alatar urged her on. "Perhaps he can help us in our task?" Alatar prompted.

She nodded. "We're trying to find the old king's crown, scepter, and throne so we can bring them to his castle and bring back peace. But we just don't know where to start looking," she said. "Do you know anything about them?"

Mandalar smiled and nodded. "I do not know for certain, but I have heard that the crown rests in the treasure trove of a goblin king not far from here."

"Thank you! We'll have to go see if he's willing to let us have it to help make the country whole again," Sarai replied.

"Let me come with you, if you please," Mandalar offered. "It's the least I can do after what you've now done for me."

They agreed and spent the rest of the combing through the castle, looking for anything that had been taken from the several nearby villages and towns. They had another feast and party that night to celebrate the duke's defeat.

Elie's commentary: I didn't like all the fighting.

Next time: More diplomacy, puzzles, and scenery! Fewer swords, daggers, and arrows!

Part of the "There Once Was a Kingdom" bedtime stories series.

There Once Was a Kingdom: The Adventure Begins

Sarai, Alatar, and Tiana left the small village near her farm. Alatar chose the road, telling them he had heard a legend of how the people might once again be united and peace return to the country. Tales spoke of three symbols of the old king that must be found and brought back to his castle.

First was his crown, simple yet distinct. It was beautiful in its own way, lacking any jewels but ornately carved by loving subjects who worked the metal to a fine polish.

Next was the king's scepter. When he pronounced judgements, he always carried it to remind him of the weight he must bear in deciding justly. It was made not of fine metals but of wrought iron. Even so, it had been delicately forged especially for him to serve him as he ruled the land.

Lastly was his throne. Unlike those of other kings and princes, the old king did not sit upon a high-backed golden chair with lofty arms and plush velvet. Instead, he sat upon a simple sturdy oak chair draped with a pair of coarse blankets. He would have been content with dull grey or beige, but others had insisted on dying the cloth in brilliant reds and blues to match the country's flag - a red swan swimming on a rippling blue lake.

Alatar told them all this as they walked and Sarai could only listen in wonder at the simple desires of the king, so different from the lords she heard of now.

"And where can we find all of these? Where do we start?" she wondered.

"That, sadly, is unknown to me," Alatar replied sadly. "And there is one more hurdle. The very location of the castle the three symbols of the king must be brought to has been lost to time."

They walked on in silence for a time as Sarai considered the task before her. She was lost in thought as the crested the last ridge and found themselves overlooking a town larger than the village she knew.

As they approached, they saw many people bustling about but few spoke to one another let alone the new arrivals. Surprised at this, they walked through the town to the large market square. Despite its size, it was mostly empty.

Tiana shook her head sadly. "There were once many merchants here, but so few remain," she lamented. "Soldiers have been coming here from the nearby castle to take what they want, when they want without payment or any thanks. The people live in fear and barely have enough left to care for themselves."

As she finished, they heard a clatter of hooves on the cobblestones and people began rushing all around them. Everyone quickly gathered whatever they could in their hands and began running in all directions at once.

Before Sarai could turn to see who was approaching, Alatar and Tiana had ushered her into a back alleyway. She peered around the corner and saw six mounted soldiers riding slowly up the road, laughing loudly. One leaned casually to the side to scoop up a few apples from a cart. He took a large bite of one and threw the others to his companions.

Sarai found her face growing hot with anger. She pulled out her slingshot, grabbed a stone from the ground and let it fly. It hit the soldier square on the helmet and he flew backwards off his horse. He landed squarely on his head, bounced back to his feet and sat down heavily in a large mud puddle. He swayed slowly for a moment and the fell on the ground fast asleep.

The other soldiers were stunned just for a moment, giving Sarai enough time to let loose another stone. This one landed true on another's breastplate, knocking him clean off his horse and into a large bowl of pudding for sale in another merchant's cart.

The remaining soldiers were quick to turn toward Sarai and charged at her, yelling out in anger. She fumbled for another stone but couldn't find one. They were almost on top of her when Tiana threw a pair of daggers with startling accuracy at the two in front. Although their armor was thick, the daggers knocked them backwards into the other two behind them and they all fell in a jumble.

Alatar sprung to action, waving his staff high in the air with both arms. A length of rope flew out of a basket to one side of the road and quickly tied all the soldiers together.

A surprised silence fell over the square, but broke suddenly as the townsfolk all cheered as one for their new found saviors. Windows long shut flew open, smiles appeared on faces long accustomed to only frowning. They declared a feast and parade to celebrate.

There were jugglers, acrobats, and clowns. Dancers and music filled one side of the square, while a rich buffet of the best they had to offer was spread out at the other end . Sarai celebrated with her new friends and companions, but knew that many more trials lay ahead.

Elie's Commentary: Why did she have a slingshot?
My reply: Well, you see - hmm. Some people use them to hunt. Like for food?
Elie: I guess that's okay.

Part of the "There Once Was a Kingdom" bedtime stories series.

News Limerick 6/24/2013

He brought the news out in the sun
So now he is off on the run
He picks his stops well
It's like he can tell
Where U.S. relations are shunned

Russia defiant as U.S. raises pressure over Snowden

There Once Was a Kingdom: A long time ago

A long time ago, there was a kingdom ruled by a wise and gentle king. He did not want power or gold, but only for those living in the whole kingdom to live in peace as much as possible. Whenever there was an argument, he worked hard to settle it so everyone got something of what they wanted. The king was well loved and many came to him for advice.

But when he passed and it was his children's turn to rule the whole of the continent, they couldn't decide who should be in charge or what the rules ought to be. Without their father's guidance the brothers and sisters argued and eventually all went their separate ways, always fighting and wanting more than what the others had.

The states of the kingdom split and soon fought amongst each other, too, and the common folk stopped traveling so far to visit the other parts of the continent. People still traded and went about their business, but many missed the old king.

In was in this time that an old man came to a small, remote farm. He knocked on the door and asked if the young farm girl, Sarai, was in. The farmer and his wife let in the old man who went straight to the young girl and looked deep into her eyes.

"You, Sarai, are heir to the long lost crown of the great king," the old man said gravely. "In this time of great fighting, you can bring the people back together and end this useless bickering."

Sarai was surprised, for she thought the farmer and his wife were her aunt and uncle. "This can't be," she murmured. "Uncle, tell him!"

But the farmer shook his head. "You were brought to us when you were just a baby. We were told to look after you and keep you safe for one day you might do great things," the farmer admitted.

They talked long into the night and, when they were through, all agreed that Sarai would journey out with the man the following morning. He revealed himself to be a wizard named Alatar. His magic would help them along their way.

The following morning, they gathered their belongings and traveled to the nearby village. There, they met with a woman named Tiana who often traveled between towns and knew the country well. She agreed to go with them as she was fond of Sarai and hoped to do what she could to make the kingdom whole once more.

Part of the "There Once Was a Kingdom" bedtime stories series.

News Limerick 6/21/2013

When Grayson can first hear a sound
The image is really profound
His mouth opens wide
I'm sure daddy cried
See science make worlds turn around

New implant helps boy hear for first time

News Limerick 6/20/2013

This battery may prove quite good
With sodium, tin, and some wood
Recharge count can grow
The eco cost's low
Would you like to try some? You should!

Scientists develop long-lasting batteries from wood and sodium

News Limerick 6/19/2013

Now NASA's announced a new class
With many new skills all en masse
They'll take to the stars
For asteroids, Mars
Our hopes they will clearly surpass

NASA Names First Astronaut Class for Deep Space Exploration

News Limerick 6/18/2013

We learn that they've rigged all the rates
To help the bank through dire straits
The banks paid a fine
For crossing the line
And now time in prison awaits

Ex-trader charged with Libor rigging in U.K.

News Limerick 6/17/2013

The election is done in Iran
And the winner's a moderate man
He seems shocked with his win
Now he's set to begin
Giving rights he's proposed in his plan

Hassan Rowhani, cleric known as a pragmatist, wins Iran election

News Limerick 6/14/2013

The Syrian forces used sarin
With hopes it's the rebels their scarin'
But Britain steps in
Exposing their sin
"You're making your country turn barren."

Britain agrees with U.S. that chemical weapons been used in Syria

News Limerick 6/13/2013

"Since Facebook will now allow tags
Discussion is better," he brags
And why the delay?
It's Zuckerberg's say
And that's why a change sometimes lags

Facebook copies social rival Twitter, adopts hashtags

News Limerick 6/12/2013

It may seem like it's all just a plot
Meant to monitor what we have thought
But we may have it wrong
It's been George all along!
Now we see how his book has grown hot

NSA surveillance puts George Orwell's '1984' on bestseller lists

News Limerick 6/11/2013

They're testing out tech for a station
Which leads to some muted elation
While some folks may jeer
"Use money down here!"
New science deserves an ovation

Chinese spaceship blasts off from Gobi Desert

News Limerick 6/10/2013

Invisible objects inside?
Just think of what else it can hide
You car keys, remote
Loose change, an old note
My couch can do all that with pride

Human-Scale Invisibility Cloak Unveiled

News Limerick 6/7/2013

So, a comet has flown through the sun
And the scientists thought it was done
But it came 'round the back
From its solar attack
Well I guess that must mean that it won?

Comet Lovejoy flies into Sun to reveal solar secrets

News Limerick 6/6/2013

In Phillie, a building collapsed
The contractor did it? Perhaps
They pulled the wrong beam
(An error supreme)
They've learned that they must mind the gaps

6 dead, 14 hurt in Philadelphia building collapse

News Limerick 6/5/2013

Now Windows goes back to the "Start"
Restoring that once missing part
They hope it's enough
For sales are so rough
Will this be the horse for the cart?

Microsoft unveils operating system update

News Limerick 6/4/2013

Most planets out there are quite shy
But this one has captured our eye
It's young and it's hot
So easy to spot
And that's why we look to the sky

Smile! This Could Be The Lightest Alien Planet Ever Captured On Camera

News Limerick 6/3/2013

It's three new computers in one
And that makes it all the more fun
But Windows and Droid?!
It must be destroyed!
That Frankenstein can't see the sun

Asus Transformer Book Trio runs Windows 8 and Android simultaneously