Dreaming of the past
The lamps are going out all over Europe, we shall not see them lit again in our lifetime.
Susan did not know much about history. It always seemed a particularly dull subject. The same stupid things were done over and over again by tedious people. What was the point? One king was pretty much like another.
The class was learning about some revolt in which some peasants had wanted to stop being peasants and, since the nobles had won, had stopped being peasants really quickly. Had they bothered to learn to read and acquire some histoy books they'd have learned about the uncertain merits of things like scuthes and pitchforks when used in a battle against crossbows and broadswords.
'Here is some free advice what you should know. It is free advice I am giving you gratis for nothing. In dis town "rock" is a word for troll. A bad word for troll used by stupid humans. You call a troll a rock, you got to be prepared to spend some time looking for your head. Especially if you looks a bit elvish around de ears.'
Finally the dwarf said, 'Are you elvish?'
'Me? No!'
'You look a bit elvish around the hair.'
'Not elvish at alll. Honestlly.'
'Where are you from?' said the troll/
'Llamedos,' said Imp. He shut his eyes. He knew what trolls and dwarves traditionally did to people suspected of being elves. The Guild of Musicians could take lessons.
The question seldom addressed is where Medusa had snakes. Underarm hair is an even more embarassing problem when it keeps on biting the top of the deodrant bottle.
She'd seen other things. For example, she'd never mentioned the strange woman in the dormitory the night Rebecca Snell put a tooth under the pillow. Susan had watched her come in through the open window and stand by the bed. She looked a bit like a milkmaid and not at all frightening, even though she had walked through the furniture. Theere had been the jingle of coins. Next morning the tooth had gone and Rebecca was richer by one 50-pence coin.
