When they all arrived at the Great City of Az, it was in triumph and glory. Vivainne and Constance, with the Sphinx and Sheba stood beneath the great wind turbines to see that the Wing ed minions might solve the energy crisis. The Wingy ones flew in a cloud to the fore, the three bladed engines standing quiet in stone feet. Then the minions whooshed their wings in unity and the wind began to blow, and blow and blow and blow. The spinning of the slow blades began, slow but accelerated, more quicker than you might expect and were soon spinning that almost a blur.
Luckily Sheba’s hair was safe in its clever place, but the wind approached in increasing incremental gusts that soon transferred from a breeze to a wind, to a tempest, the wind moving past with strength. Vivainne held Sheba to support or fly away and The Sphinx held by Constance for the same reasons. Then when the wind passed hurricane value, Vivainne and Sheba blew as far away as can be, Vivainne was flying she called to the Sphinx, Take my Constance and care for her and I will return with Sheba all safe and sound.
The Sphinx took the electric carpet and followed the flying of Constance close to catch her in her softened paws.
After many winds carrying away Vivainne and Sheba came dropping down from the sky with some kind of crash and impact into the branch of a tree in a land so strange that the people who lived there did not recognise each other.
In this place all the people were tall, like very tall. Vivainne was tall and yet these people were twice for children and thrice for ups.
When the people spoke, the words were not clear in meaning, but no matter. Also, they had no knees and could not get down and boogie. They ate red fruit with spoons made of silver and practised the art of orgurimo, which is where you make shapes with string in complex. This was their passion and culture.
When Vivaine and Sheba had righted themselves from upside down and deciphered this new lingo. This is then the conversation.
You have fallen from the sky, but you are not godlike because you fell upon your heads, so who on earth are you? Began the Tall
We are at least on earth then, said Sheba, I felt as if I had been blown further afield even than this planet. In answer to your quest, we are of the Great City of Az and have been blown hither by an unfortunate wind. Can you help us to recover or replace?
We can help, if you will first make the Cat’s Cradle That.
That what? asked Sheba
The Cat’s Cradle That, repeated the Tallness. We have a book that is broken called All The Shapes Of The Cat’s Cradle That, but unfortunate the page and cover is redacted for safety reasons, so we have to leave it there. I reiterate, we can help you if you can make the Cat’s Cradle That. Here is some strong string and, off you go.
The Tall people fell over and sat with their legs outstretched, they had no choice in the absence of knees. Watching, watching.
Sheba took the string and made the first Cat’s cradle shape which is easy and known. She let her hair down to access her power and it circled the occasion.
The growing crowd of Tallnesses clapped and cheered.
Come Vivainne, said Sheba, pinch those strings and bring them over, under and out.
Vivainne did as she was told and achieved the second form.
The growing crowd hooted and cheered.
Sheba took two strings with her littlest fingers and pulling up an over, spread her other fingers in the string shapes to make the cat’s cradle itself.
The crowd went wild.
Now Sheba came to do The Cat That Got The Cream by which was a string shape, the next development from the Cat’s Cradle, unknown to even the expert Orgurimo people, kept secret by Sheba’s ancestors for many centuries.
There was silence and a strange atmosphere as the people of tall were so amazed that they could not express.
They brought gifts and a crown for Sheba, for she was now their queen. Now you must put away your hair, they said, because that is how women must present.
Sheba shook her head, making a wave travel the length of her hair which took three days.
No, said Sheba, each woman or man shall have the right to display themselves as they see fit, the infringement of theses rights is a serious, don’t do it and say it no more or I shall withhold the secret of the Cat That Got the Cream which is in my knowing.
We shall not change, we can never change, said the people of Tall. If you will not be our queen and put away your hair, we shall put you in a prison until you are broken, until you hide your errant hair and tell the secret.
Vivainne laid her hand, quietly, upon the hilt of her sharp sword.
The Guardians of the Cave 