Clearing her throat, Magna began to hum. Her humming was as deliberate as it was chaotic. Thus is how she has began every story-view and thus is how she began.
"Gather now and glue yourselves,
Vid opsit fast worder dwell,
Pull the light from older shelves
Magna has a story tell."
Sitting in circle about her feet, the children made last minute bids for position. No one, not even the smallest child, as much as whispered once a telling began.
The atmosphere hung quiet and still -- not calm, not hushed -- totally available. Every portion of space awash with silent abiding. They were here to listen.
And listen, they did -- throughout the night.
Time has extracted its cost from her flesh. Body crippled or not, Magna held the black plastic cassette aloft with unwavering certainty. This was her job, this was her life. Once the telling began, whatever new pain the day had brought was washed away in a flood of light. Some say that during a good telling Magna would glow self luminous as she stood in the center of the circle. Truth be seen, she is always so illuminated. Her world is a crystal palace shining with a light from within.
"Tonight we learn of Luki and ol' Ben Canopic the Master of the Magistri.
"Oh say can you see, by the dawns once upon a time, in a land far and away, the life of a mage living simple and free. Luki lived with his Uncle and Anti, may their names be whispered upon the wind, in an earthen shelter overlooking a dusty root farm. Growing was their way and rain the ever present prayer upon their lips. For they lived in the deserts scratching a life from the meager soil left to them after the Umpire cried foul and took all that was good. When the Umpire strikes three down you are out to walk from the plate into the fields left.
"High above the princess circles -- flowering in her youth -- Princess Lei, she who preaches her song of hope would tell all of the Umpire's blind spot. It is in this zone that a solo hand could strike. Dracula the star of death hovers in the night waiting to sink three laser teeth into any that would resist the Umpire. Rin-2-Tin descends into gravity's well to find and bring Luki and ol' Ben Canopic to her master's side.
"Rin-2-Tin is captured by the Sandlots, where a restraining plate is installed and sold for diamonds to Luki's uncle there to work whither as a machine.
"Rin-2-Tin tries to run home looking for ol' Ben Canopic -- the ancient master of intestinal fortitude and the way of the Fifth. Space and time were the four horsemen of the universe heralding form and non-form -- life and death. These dimensions brought forth duality. The duality was bonded and blended by yet another force -- the Fifth.
"Taking his rover, Luki sets amidships and after Rin-2-Tin, hoping to bring him back before Uncle is taxed beyond the limit. Anti was always emploring Uncle to stay calm and not allow anger to play across his face, 'Don't always knock the boy, place your bet with him and let the cards fall where they may. When fate plays its final hand, you know the boy will be a winner.' Uncle had sampled life enough to know within himself the boy to be decent.
"With staff and inflection, ol' Ben Canopic talks Luki into parting from the desert in search of the hallowed vision of Rin-2-Tin's once master -- Princess Lei.
"The Umpire did find her and stopped her short before she could make it to her base telling all on hand how to strike home at the Umpires solo blind spot.
"Barring ol' Ben Canopic and Luki's way was a band of intergalactic musicians and mutinous bounty hunters. Helping the two on their quest was a kooky pilot and millions of falcons.
"Heading into space the kooky pilot promised to take them to a spot near their quest star -- the only home not run by the Umpire. But something had run afoul and nothing was left but rubble. Yes, ol' Ben Canopic was right the ripple in the Fifth was the whine of millions dying. The shock of this struck him off balance. Waiting for his confusion to pass ol' Ben Canopic pleaded, 'Please, please, is there no mercy? Must we be punished until the end of our daze?'
And so the story went, well, onto the dawn -- heroes and heroines, clashings of mighty forces of good and evil. Never before had the story wound its way with such intricate delight. Every member of the tribe sat motionless, entranced -- not a stirring or muted whisper to disturb the telling.
As the light of dawn broke upon the gathering, each could see the crumpled body of Magna laying peacefully in the center of the circle -- a briefest of smiles upon her lips and the black plastic cassette at her side. She had died many hours before. Tonight the tribe had made the miracle for which she had labored all these many years. Now she could finally lay to rest in the peaceful certainty that they could carry on the telling. Not even the Hundred and One Monkeys of Infinite Fortitude could ask for more.
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