151 lines
6.4 KiB
Plaintext
151 lines
6.4 KiB
Plaintext
melissa.txt
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Ben Blumenberg
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Reality Software
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P.O. Box 105
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Waldoboro, Me 04572
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June 26, 1992
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MELISSA AND THE GREEN DRAGON
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Once upon a time in a small and peaceful land, there was a
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princess. She was small and slim with gorgeous, auburn hair that
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fell almost to her ankles in long, straight waves. Her eyes were
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bright blue, her lips ruby red and her name was Melissa.
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Melissa lived her days in a single small room which during
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the day was lit by the light from two windows, one that faced
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north and one that faced south. Her room was built of large
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stones, each perfectly shaped to fit against one another snugly
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and without mortar. The room, however, was not cold for it was
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hung with the richest of tapestries emboldened with the brightest
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of reds, blues and golds. Upon these tapestries were scenes of
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lords and ladies, knights and princesses, peace and war, feasting
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and life. Her room contained a wide, shallow fireplace in which
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she did her cooking and before which she sat to do her embroidery
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in winter. Her bed was a single slab of oak that rested upon
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four perfectly spherical, granite stones, one at each corner.
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Upon the bed were folded several, scarlet, woolen blankets. An
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intricately, carved writing desk, clothes trunk, many large and
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small tallow candles and two pine torches completed the inventory
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of the objects in Melissa's room.
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It was appeared that Melissa was imprisoned. Her room was
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situated on the top of a small stone tower that lay at the edge
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of an enormous wheat field. This farm was tended cooperatively
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by the peasants of the small village whose thatched roofed huts
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could barely be discerned if one stared towards the enormous fir
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trees of the Northern Forest. With a wicker basket on the end of
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a rope, Melissa was able to receive those necessities of life,
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such as food and books, that she obtained from the villagers.
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Melissa's tower was guarded by a dragon. He was rather
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small, perhaps twenty feet long, and covered with huge,
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diamond shaped, emerald green scales. He had a long forked tail
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that ended, as did his tongue, in a pitch black tip. His eyes
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were ruby red of a shade identical to Melissa's lips and he
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could, when annoyed, belch impressive quantities of green-grey
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smoke and yellow-orange smoke. The last feature of note
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possessed by this dragon was his pure white ears which were small
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and triangular with long, stiff strands of hair. This dragon
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might be found coiled around the base of the tower at any hour of
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the day or night when not out hunting the small rodents and
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rabbits that made up the bulk of his diet.
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One brilliant blue, early spring day, a knight appeared on
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the road that led from the Northern Forest to the stone tower.
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He was young, fair, blond and blue eyed. HIs armor glistened and
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shone in the sunlight and bore not the slightest scratch nor a
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single, minute spot of rust. His sword was likewise of such
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shining perfection. His horse was a snow white stallion and his
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saddle and bridle were made of the finest leather and rarest of
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wood. This knight had arrived during one of those hours when the
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dragon was away feeding. His arrival was no accident but the
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result of many days spent spying upon the tower from the safety
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of the Northern Forest.
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He stopped at the base of the tower, squinted up at the
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north window and coughed loudly. When this elicited no response,
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he coughed twice again. Again, no response. Had his approach
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gone unobserved?
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"Er.....ah..... Princess, I'm here."
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The window flew open and Melissa's beautiful face looked
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down with an expression of extreme irritation. Her magnificent
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auburn mane fell about her shoulders and down over the lower lip
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of the window.
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"What ever do you want?" She scowled.
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"I've, er...er... I've come to rescue you, fair princess
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from your imprisonment and the fearful dragon who holds you here
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against your will."
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"Well, I don't want to be rescued, thank you!" The
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princess' tone carried even more ice than before.
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"You don't?" The young knight was incredulous!
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'No, I don't! I'm getting along just fine. Please go
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away."
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"But, but... You live all alone in this tower and you never
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come out. And the dragon..."
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"I do not wish to be rescued and that is that, fair knight,
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Thank you for your trouble and concern. Good day!"
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The princess withdrew her face and slammed the window shut.
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The knight was thunderstruck! She did not want to be rescued!
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He could not believe it!
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The knight remained immobile atop his white stallion at the
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base of the tower throughout the remainder of the day. Luckily,
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it was a cool day and he didn't sweat too much under all that
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armor. He was hoping for the dragon's return and a battle with
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the fearsome monster in which he was victorious. Surely the
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beautiful princess did wish to be rescued, but was afraid to say
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so, perhaps intimidated by the dragon.
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The dragon for his part now occuppied the hiding place at
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the edge of the Northern Forest so recently vacated by the fair
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young knight. He cowered in fear as he spied upon the knight's
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self imposed vigil at the the tower.
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"Oh, if only that frightening, terrible man would go away",
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thought the dragon. "Just look at his gleaming armor and his
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sword, sharp beyond measure I'll bet. Oh dear, oh me, whatever
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shall I do?"
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The dragon hid his eyes under his front paws and shivered in
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abject terror. His tail twitched, his magnificent white ears
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drooped and a few silent tears flowed down his cheeks.
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The knight kept his silent, stoic vigil until sunset.
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Melissa remained inside her room doing embroidery and did not
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appear at the window to entreat her self appointed rescuer to go
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away. As the last fragments of the sun's orb sank beneath the
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horizon, the knight gave up his quest and slowly cantered off
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towards the south.
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The dragon appeared for dinner at eight with Melissa as
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usual. She soothed his fears, stroked his tufted ears and fed
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him sweatmeats until midnight.
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