- But as the shadows of evening grew long upon the land and before they could get a response from their seers, it was as if a purple curtain the size of many cubits was moving toward them and bringing the sound ever closer as it moved.
- And across the face of the purple curtain was emblazoned the word Fortis.
- Then one of the mighty men of Rabalac descended from the high tower from which he had gone to look for the cause of the sound, and he came down to earth.
- And lo, as he peered at the moving purple curtain with his eyes at ground level, he beheld that the curtain was being supported by thousands of tiny feet.
- Rats!
- A plague of Rats! Thousands of Rats! A plague sent by their rivals at Fortis to scramble their minds on the eve of the great Quamps!
- And the mighty men of Rabalac lifted their eyes from the rats and cast them towards the Hills that are called Red, even to the tops of the Hills from where their strength comes.
- And they converged on the Temple of Rabalac and did utter entreaties to the God of Rabalac to be with them and help them prevail against the purple infestation of rats. And they lifted up their voice and said:
- Father of Rabalac, who through thy almighty power created Rabalac 100 years ago from Afric soil, lift up thine eyes to the terror that walks by day that has been released upon us by our purple enemies, and purge the holy ground of Rabalac from this plague of Rats.
- And lo, it came to pass that after their prayer went up they heard a still small voice coming through the roof of the Temple. And the voice said:
- “Ye men of Rabalac, why stand ye gazing at the Hills that are called Red, and wringing your hands over a few rats? Know ye not that I am that I am doesn’t work through works but through you – if you have faith?
- “I told you to ask and ye shall receive; seek and ye shall find. And in my many anecdotes there are examples of so-called miracles I did nothing. Remember the man at the pool in Bethesda who had been lame and halt for donkey’s years and when I told him take up thy bed and walk he got up and walked?
- “Or when the woman with the issue of blood touched me I needed to do nothing because her faith made her act, made her touch my garment?
- “So now, arm yourself in the faith of the God of Rabalac. My truth shall be your shield and buckler. You shall not be afraid of the terror by night nor the arrow that flieth by day.
- “Nor of purple curtains moving on the feet of thousands of rats.
- “Rise up ye mighty men of valour. I have heard your fervent entreaties; the infestation of rats has been vanquished. Now go and do battle with Titchfield at the Quiz.
- “And it shall come to pass that if ye defeat Titchfield ye will know that the victory at Champs is yours.
- “Then ye shall be Quampions!”
- And armed with renewed courage, the mighty men of Rabalac went into battle with Titchfield and beat them.
- And it came to pass that the mighty men of Rabalac marched boldly onto the Plains of Springfield and stormed into the lead at Champs over the purple contagion even before the final day and never looked back since they had had enough years of sucking salt.
- And behold they heard a new sound. It was the sound of Fortis crying at their loss.
- And the mighty men of Rabalac, said one to the other, “Cho, don’t watch dat, we run rats; rats don’t run we. We are sworn to be renowned and famous. Go deh! Arisha!”
- And they grabbed Leahcim the son of Clarke who guided them to victory
- And they lifted him to their shoulders in adulation.
- And Leahcim the son of Hara, the mightiest of the Lions of Rabalac, a great man of valour, in whom we are well pleased, was crowned Victor Supremo at Champs.
- And all the doings of the mighty men of Rabalac are they not written in the Chronicles of Rabalac?
|
