From: pope@panofsky.desy.de (George Pope)
Newsgroups: alt.callahans
Subject: FoFF: The Chess Game
Date: 6 May 1994 20:58:38 GMT
Organization: the Satellite of Love
Message-ID: <2qeb1u$n6r@dscomsa.desy.de>


<Rhyl??> Shadowdancer sends out a quiet mind-call to the young firelizard.
After getting used to giving the baby hatchling almost constant attention
she is now learning to let the youngling go out of her sight for brief
periods of time.  <Rhyl?? Where??>  Shadowdancer tries to project the
feeling of wanting to check on the whereabouts of Rhyl without asking him
to come to her.

<<Rhyl here>> <Where here?> It is too much to expect Rhyl to give a
complex word explaination of where he is and what he is doing, so
Shadowdancer closes her eyes and releases some of her own thoughts to open
a space to pick up the impressions Rhyl is sending her.  She gets an
image of /* and Argent and a section of the beach.  They are doing something
together but she can not figure out what it is.

	*		*		*		*		*

	"Prawn to King Crab four"

	"Prawn to Queen Crab four"

	"Prawn takes Prawn"

	Walking along the beach, Shadowdancer comes upon a scene
straight out of Lewis Carroll.  On a large, flat section of sand, /* and
Argent are playing a most unusual game of chess.  Squares of normally
white sand have been turned purple by /*, forming the familiar
checkerboard pattern.  But, the pieces!

	As Shadowdancer watches, the circular depression of sand, filled
with water and containing an albino prawn, actually _moves_ diagonally
towards the pit of purple sand occupied by a purple prawn.  The two
pools merge, somehow staying the same size as a single pool.  The purple
prawn crawls out of the pool and into a water-filled trench behind
Argent, who is currently levitating a few feet above the ground in order
to get a better view of things.

	"Queen Crab takes Prawn"

	The process happens again as the pool containing /*'s purple
crab moves to dislocate Argent's prawn, which dutifully takes its place
behind the purple guy.  /* looks away from the huge 'board' and notices
Shadowdancer.  He smiles in greeting and awaits Argent's response.  From
the other side of the board, Maenad waves, trying not to disturb the
concentration of the players.

	Shadowdancer looks on with amazement at the assortment of
pieces.  Somehow /* and Argent have managed to convince four firelizards
to be knight pieces.  They sit on the sand, restless and obviously bored
with the proceedings.  Ghostly purple and white baldrics designate their
respective alliances.  The bishops are 'sandmen', with shells for facial
features and seaweed for hair.  They carry staves of driftwood.
Shadowdancer jumps in surprise as one of the bishops turns its head to
give her a 'holier-than-thou' glare.  The rooks are tall sand castles,
also presumably animated.  Little flags flutter from their tops.  The
king crabs are marked by the cheesy gold crowns on their carapaces.

	"Queen Crab's fire...er...Knight to Queen Crab's Bishop three"

	The firelizard doesn't move.

	"Rhyl!  That's you!"

	Cheep!  <<Move where?>>  Maenad chokes back a giggle at the
impending confusion.

	"Queen...argh!  Shadowdancer, could you show Rhyl where
Queen Crab's Bishop three is?"

	She points it out and Rhyl hops over to the square of white
sand.

	"Queen Crab to King Crab four.  Check!"  /* immediately
replies.

	<<When eat crab?>> Rhyl sends.

	"Later, if we win.  Maybe," Argent mumbles, intent on the game.

	Shadowdancer chuckles and gives Rhyl a scratch on the head and
a piece of gopher meat.

	"How do I explain to him that these crabs are helping us so they
are not to be eaten?"

	"Shh!"  Argent makes frantic 'ix-nay' gestures.

	On /*'s side, Morado perks up and starts paying attention to the
conversation.

	<<No crab?  Why play this?>> Garith sends, sending Maenad into
gales of laughter.  The young firelizard is looking intently at the
white prawn in the pool in front of him.  He leans in for a closer look,
his eyes crossing as the prawn waves nonchalantly at him.  Suddenly,
Garith loses his balance, and splashes face-first into the pool.  Maenad
collapses to the sand, howling with laughter, while the prawn merely
blows amused bubbles at the over-curious firelizard.

	"Shh!"

	"Sorry!" stage-whispers Maenad, wiping the tears from her eyes
and sending >>love<< to the chagrined Garith, who shakes water from his
midnight-blue wings and adopts a noble stance.  He resolutely looks
ahead, only occasionally peeking at the delicious 'pieces' around him.

	The strange game continues.


--
pope@panofsky.desy.de
>>> Currently working on the most inane signature in USENET history <<<<