These are my stories, said the Sphinx to the Blue and Gold Knights, there are more narrative threads upon which you may wish to pull, but I leave that to your judgement as you have been so patient and listened so faithfully to my song.
The Blue and Gold Knights awoke as if from a sleep and shook their heads. Your stories and narratives are instructive beyond compare, they said, and we are grateful, but we must move forwards now and strike at the heart of our enemies.
But first let me relate to you a story told to me by my father and told to my father by his father and so forth back in time, said the man Knight.
This story concerns a beast that became lost, and was lost, not knowing from whence or from whom it was lost. Neither knowing who it had been nor what it might become.
It came upon a field of oxen, their horns spread wide as the wings of an emperor’s throne. It looked at them.
I like to eat as they do, and I feel comfortable in the open air with the wind playing about, as do these beasts in the field. I must, therefore, be as they are. I shall stand with them, maybe I too have horns that spread wide.
The Oxen gave the creature a wary look and said, why are you come to stand with us when your shape is all wrong and wobbly. Your horns are so small as to be almost of no consequence. What we take to be your tail is in the wrong place and your nose is neither black nor moist. Why are you come to stand amongst us.
Well, said the creature, I am lost and cannot begin to discover what manner of being I may be. If, as you say, I have none of the requisite assets to be counted in your number, then shall I move on. First, though, I would be appraised of your seeing of me as there are no mirrors upon the Serengeti.
Well, said the oxen, you seem a strange creature indeed. There is fur on the top, hiding your insignificant horns, your tail is hidden by that cloth that you have for some reason draped about yourself. Your nose is neither here nor there. In fact, you are ugly and misshapen in the extreme.
Thank you for that, said the creature, I can’t help thinking that your perceptions of me are somewhat coloured by your oxen vision and are therefore of no use to me whatsoever.
Go away then, said the oxen
The creature now came upon a group of giraffes.
These are surely like unto myself, e thought, their necks are without end as an elegant staircase and their legs are as long as stilts.
Tell me, creatures of great length, am I one such as yourselves and if so may I come to stand with you and twist my tongue around some leaves.
No, replied the giraffes dipping their heads, you have practically no length at all to any part of you and your markings are pitiful. How you can reach into the tree tops is a mystery to us and it seems a miracle that you have not starved away. Go away and don’t come back.
The creature, now tired and disconsolate, sat upon a rock and observed a passing snake.
Perhaps I am a creature such as this, it is elegant and its skin shines like beads upon a necklace.
Dear snake, am I one such as you and if so, may I writhe by your side.
No, said the snake, you may not compare yourself with me. You have strange protuberances coming out at all angles and your skin is awful, soft and squidgy and lumpy. How on earth you expect to rest in a hole in the ground when the sun is too hot is a complete mystery to me. Go away and stay away.
Now the creature came upon a man.
Tell me, man, am I like you.
No, said the man, you are other, you do not come from the same village as me, your skin and hair are the wrong colour, your face is all over the place and the voice with which you speak is almost unintelligible. Go away and never come here again, this is the place for creatures like myself and not for the likes if you.
Damn it, said the creature to itself, I thought I was on to something there. These stereotypes are getting really annoying.
The Guardians of the Cave 