DAILY NEWS FROM MAMLAKAT KALAHARI
(http://mykalahariblogaddress.blogspot.com)
((see dara's video of Queen Vi's party https://youtu.be/EtOflO7KktA))
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TITANIC CAPTAINS BATTLE
Monday, 27 February 2017, 12:30 PM SLT
All Are Invited to the Arena!
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| Captain Jack Docherty |
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Captain Minghus
The King
laid down the gauntlet to Captain Jack Docherty and Captain Minghus, after
hearing their tall tales of the sea at the Tavern, as they were plied with food
and drink by Tavern Manager Roberta Honey. Stories of wrestling with sea
monsters, drinking with Davy Jones, and wenches won and lost at the toss of
dice filled the air, and that gave King Hassan an idea.
The wily
King decided that the good people of Kalahari could use a spectacle in the
Mardi Gras season, the last celebration before Lent, when Christians prepare
for the death of Jesus (betrayed by Judas) and his resurrection from the dead.
So the
King challenged the captains to use a fist fight to settle who was the toughest
sea captain in Kalahari (until the next drinking bout at the Delicious Syrup),
and neither Captain could refuse such a challenge as that!
So the
fist fight is on. The men will use the G&S HUD and the GM HUD, both of
which are available at the dock, using the activating the fist fight setting.
And both captains are taking their training seriously, as they were using their
fists constantly to down beer at the Tavern.
The
generous King offered a stunning prize to the winner: land comprising 3% of the
land mass of the entire Kingdom, the location to in New Kalahari! And in addition
to the fabulous estate offered by the King, Minister Afraa offered to do a
private belly dance for the winner of the fight, and as you might imagine,
neither man could contain his excitement!
Minister Afraa in Belly Dance Training
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KALAHARI STORY TELLING I
Saturday, 25 February 2017
An enthusiastic crowd gathered in Syuhada's Skybox Among the Stars to listen to the first event in the Kalahari Storytelling Series.
This issue will carry the stories of View Luminos, read by Josie North, Sayed Hew Hoall Saw, and Afraa al Abid.
Lady Josie North read his excellent story.
The Boy Who Finally Spoke
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| Nada, Adorable Storyteller Hostess |
This issue will carry the stories of View Luminos, read by Josie North, Sayed Hew Hoall Saw, and Afraa al Abid.
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| View Luminos |
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| Lady Josie North |
A Hymn of Love to Kalahari
Why does one like some place or something? This question can either make your mind go
blank or rattle of a list of things, at the end of which you may still be wondering if you have got it
all?! So what is it about Kalahari – is
it a place that has to be experienced but can never be adequately described in
words or are there a multitude of flattering terms that do it justice? The best place to start would be, I suppose, at
the beginning.
The search for life beyond our space
and time has intrigued man for time immemorial and any reference to it enlists
firm support by those who believe in there being “someone out there” and plain
ridicule from those who think otherwise.
Hazarding some of this ridicule, I can truly confess that time and space
travel has been pretty much what I have been enlisted to do for the past few
years. My reason for it – well that
would be too far in the beginning so maybe we should start from just this point
on !
Prior to landing at Kalahari, I was at
the Amazon. It was a rather arduous
stint there what with one having to watch out for the beasts and the humans who
were still living in smaller settlements and spending much of their time
vigorously guarding the same. Their way
of life, simple and primitive was difficult to adjust too, though the ladies
there added much beauty by moving around topless – very suitable for magazines
reporting on faraway places that will find themselves in the market a few
centuries after their time !
On landing at Kalahari, the calming
salty sea breeze at the point of entry, the warm sunshine, charming turrets,
arches and the aroma of delicious food from the adjacent inn all together gave
the impression of Kalahari being a peaceful and welcoming abode, far removed
from the dangers of the Amazon.
Definitely a place to explore, to linger, to relax……….
It was with these ataractic thoughts
that I began to explore the Kingdom, striking up conversations with the
citizens that I came across, an easy task given the friendliness exhibited by
most. One thing that soon became
apparent was that this almost picture book like “fantasy” land was not one for
shirkers but one that was carefully created and maintained with the efforts of
all its citizens who contributed to the wealth of the Kingdom through
dedication in their own professions.
So there was peace, there was a
bountiful of plenty and contentment amongst the citizens or was this all too
good to be true? The Kingdom does have
its structure of command that can be very firm at any visible sign of
disagreement and while there is a general atmosphere of subservience, it is not
that alternate opinions are not accommodated, but there is firm action against
what is perceived to be “indiscipline in the ranks”. But then again maybe it is this fear of the
‘rod’ that keeps would be trouble makers at bay and allows the Kingdom to
provide for itself and its citizens.
There is a lot of material that
explains the organisation of the Kingdom and the reason for its opulence and
stability but a narration of administrative details is hardly the manner to
express the feeling that is Kalahari.
While it may be regarded as presumptuous for me, one who is not yet a
full-fledged citizen to claim to know this feeling, I do end this submission
with a few lines that to me summarise all that is Kalahari.
Kalahari, a Kingdom from far and away,
An atmosphere it has that beckons one
and all to stay.
It’s not the food, not the trees, not
the breeze that sets it apart
It’s the affection of the people, it’s
the warmth in their heart.
There is firm action against those who
choose to cross the line,
Be not afraid, for good efforts beget
days of roses and wine.
One may say this is all false how can
such a land be true ?
To them I say, why tell me -
Have you ever seen a man here feeling
blue ?!
A great wonderland, pearl hidden from
most,
To the Land to the people, cheers, I
do raise a toast !
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| Sayed Hew Hosaw All |
A
man carried with him 14 children of various ages. He had withdrawn from the war
and destruction. He told his children every evening the oldest story in the
world: of the hero, Gilgamesh. During his trip, he hoped that he could find children
from the best families.
After
a two-year journey was able to cure them all, except the youngest, the child
who did not speak. He did not speak simply because he had nothing to say. The
man who accompanied him explained to families who might welcome him, that the
child was left speechless with shock because he had lost his father, killed by
whites, and to have seen the murder of his mother, killed by Somalis who did
not accept that a European race of invaders lived in the country. The truth was
that he had nothing more to say.
The
man was unable to place the baby in Somalia, and then a white woman came from
Europe to get the little boy. She was the sister of his mother. She brought the
little boy back with her to Europe. He told him: "Come, now finally I
bring you to heaven.”
The
child flew to the European paradise, with the box that he had always held close
to him at all times.
One
day his aunt said, “Now I'll take you to see the sea,” and they made a trip of
a few hours in the car. When he arrived on the beach, the child finally cried
for the first time in a long time. He had seen the desert of water, had finally
seen heaven where his mother definitely lived.
Then
he opened the box, and brought forth out of the words that the man was proclaiming
the desert each evening:
“kii
aragteen oo dhan”
“He who saw all.”
At
last the child had uttered his first words!
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| Minister Afraa al Abid |
How I Came to Love Kalahari
A small wooden ship, adrift on a
sun-drenched sea, bobbing gently in the current. comes into view of the
Kalahari naval vessel stationed at the mouth of the Gulf of Kalahari. At first,
it seems abandoned, but then movement is spotted, and a small figure tries to
stand, staggers, and falls back onto the bottom of the boat.
The sleek naval ship draws alongside
the craft, sailors alert for any emergency, the ship's slaver prepared for any
eventuality, but the men relax when they see that the figure is that of an
unconscious woman, lips cracking, skin burned, salt crusted on her body as if
the sea had decided to decorate her, and make her its own.
Suddenly, the woman's body begins to
shake and, in a voice so low the nearest sailor must lean over to place his ear
next to her mouth. just to hear her raspy whisper, gasps: "Wat wa
water." even these hardened men take pity on this diminished figure,
barely clad in torn rags, and slowly one pours a small sip of water at a time
into her open and grasping mouth. the woman expels a breath, lies back, and
falls into a deep slumber, barely aware of the act of mercy that had saved her.
Besides, she will need her voice for
the interrogations that are sure to come. Kalahari's guards are a hard and
vigilant lot.
Signals are directed to the shore, and
the key security figures meet the ship as it docks. The crew is sworn to
silence, with dire threats attached, and the figure is quickly whisked away to
the interrogation cells. News had already reached Kalahari that one of the
Queens of Kuwar had been repudiated by the Emir, exiled, and set adrift from
the Emirate. Could this haggard, shrunken figure indeed have once been a member
of the Royal Family of Kuwar, Kalahari's mortal enemy?
The King was informed of the potential
prize that had been acquired, the chief slaver had been put on call, and the
best interrogation experts in the Kingdom had been assembled. There was no
doubt in anyone's mind, that this woman, whoever she may prove to be, would
share every secret that she held.
The first attempt at breaking the
captive was brute force: Head Slaver Amy Damster leashed the captive, and
dragged her to the Farm where she was forced to do all sorts of physical labor:
caring for animals, shoveling dung, carrying water, and laying in supplies. Two
days of this, however, could not break the will of the proud Queen, so the
interrogators changed their tactics. If physical challenges would not work,
perhaps torture would.
The woman’s rations were then reduced
to moldy bread and brackish water, and once, she was even taken to the
punishment tree, and whipped, in a fruitless effort to force a confession.
The King, himself a refugee from Kuwar,
knew the character of the underhanded, dastardly, lying, deceitful, immoral
puppeteer, Mouna Kralice who was then the head of the Kuwar military, and he
feared that this Queen’s exile was a plot by the underhanded, conniving,
backstabbing, disloyal Mouna to undermine Kalahari, as Mouna had tried in the
past.
All else having failed, the King
instructed his jailers to strip the woman naked, and cage her until she broke.
For thirty days, this woman was locked in a cage, and essentially ignored,
except for two ten minute walks as a leashed captive, thanks to the
intercession of Princess Livia, and Kahya Seren.
At first, she was imprisoned in the
old Harem, next to the Palace, where the Palace Garden now flourishes. But
security was poor, and when an unknown man simply jumped the Palace wall, and
was caught harassing the naked and malnourished captive, the King ordered her
to be held in an outdoor cage, near the punishment tree, so she would be near
at hand for the torturers. All Kalaharians could thereby monitor her, though,
as events were to show, not defend her.
The evil genius of Kuwar easily
outmaneuvered the King and his security forces by sending the assassin Timos
Aeon to Kalahari, in the company of the notorious diplomat from Meyonia, and
international party girl, Randy Quander. Quander used her diplomatic
credentials to get through the Kalahari checkpoints, and then went off with
Princess Prith, leaving the undefended captive alone with the trained assassin,
whom Quander had gifted with the cage key. The vicious killer quietly opened
the cell door, and pounced on the sleeping Afraa, beating her savagely until
she fell unconscious. The spy, probably on orders of her malicious leader,
proceeded to shave the woman’s head, intending to bring that back as a trophy
for her evil supervisor, before she was to murder the unconscious captive.
Fortunately for the caged captive, the
best man in Kalahari happened to be passing by, on his way to complete his
chores for the day. Yes, Abu, the Palace Slave, noticed something strange and approached
the cage where the assassin was about to kill the helpless woman. Seeing the
approach of the well-muscled man, and realizing she could not finish the job
AND escape, the cowardly killer fled. Abu promptly summoned medical assistance,
and the woman was brought back from the brink of death.
The King had planned to put the woman
on trial for “Crimes Against Humanity,” urged on, by among others, the same
Quander who had accompanied the assassin. But even he realized, at this point,
that the woman’s story was the truth, that she had been exiled by the dirty,
rotten scoundrel Mouna, and that she had no love for Kuwar, but was dedicated
to Kalahari Kingdom.
The captive was then freed by the
almost apologetic King, and left Kalahari to recuperate. Princess Livia then
summoned her back, to assist her in constructing what became the Delicious
Syrup Tavern, and the woman, from then on, stayed, and prospered, in Mamlakat
Kalahari.
And that is how Minister Afraa al Abid
came to Kalahari.
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KALAHARI STORY TELLING II
Wednesday, 1 March 2017, 12:30 PM SLT
All Are Invited!
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|
Afraa al Abid
Kalahari Herald
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