Gentle grasses and wide, slowly flowing rivers fill Nonplussed. Birds’ wings graze the top of the grasses and skim across the rivers as they fly. Birds swoop down and land on the sandy riverbanks. They stand perfectly still with one foot raised. The Nonplussed live downstream from a giant dam created by a giant. If the dam should burst they would be swept away, but here the Nonplussed live long-legged and stork-like in houses on high poles. They weave grasses into mats and roofs. They sell jars of their magical river sand said to soothe burning skin and allergic reactions.
Visitors to Nonplussed find it dull for the most part although they always point out the dangers of the dam: “Aren’t you worried? It’s an old dam, see that crack.”
“Hmm, no, if you lived here you wouldn’t worry either," say the Nonplussed.
The capitol Placid sits on posts and piers beside the lake below the Giants’ Dam. Few visit Placid and few stay. They make their way down to Nonplussed and soon tire of it as well. Placid hosts meditation retreats. Visitors come to look into the soothing, calming waters of the lake where enormous fish swim.
“They offer wisdom if one waits long enough. Watch for the bubbles to rise,” says the Guide.
Eventually a whiskered fish mouth pops up.
“Ask one question,” says the Guide.
“What they don’t tell you is that no matter what you ask, the fish will say whatever comes to mind,” says Miss Emeline Traveler. “However, its usually the wisdom one seeks nonetheless.
Miss Doe Friend reads from the gold bound book, "The Legends of The Emotions."
"Legend has it that there is one fish older and wiser than all of the others and if this fish arrives to answer your question it will also grant a gift to the petitioner. You will know it by the blue cap it wears on its head, its golden whiskers, and the emerald jewel set between its eyes. And we haven’t even begun to talk about the storks and ibises.”
Comments
Post a Comment