Now we must turn our watching to another place.
Then we will see that the Sphinx and Constance had also been blowing who knows where, on the winds of the winged ones made.
High in the light airs, the Sphinx managed to take the tumbling Constance in her soft paws and onto the electric hovering mat that she rode. Unfortunate it was that the mat was now out of power. Its batteries were rechargeable.
Then they were delivered into the dusty desert.
Just my luck, said the Sphinx, here I am in the desert once more, with no charging point. We must travel fast to take good care of you dear Constance, you are a creature in needs of water and shade, climb upon my back and I shall move as fast as I may.
The Sphinx made haste and in some short time, in which Constance became weak with thirsty and too much sun, they arrived at an oasis wherein Constance threw herself in the water and lay laughing in the shallows. The Sphinx, more experience in, her searched about the oasis, its date palms, and some wicket fences for goats, not there. Fat mud brick walls were broken but afforded a little shade and respite from the sanded winds. In the lea of one such came a bundle clothed in dark cloth half buried in sand upon the floor.
Constance might hold it up, but the Sphinx, she says no and wait let me I am indestruct and it may bite.
So, she lift a corner with a sharp claw end extended and out came a sword and shield, rich in jewels and carved in precious metal about, the scabbard of leather wrought, inlaid with several colours of shine, the shield, a veil tears made, pierced by a ray of light which.
Then Constance saw these items she knew it, she knew that they were the items and armoury of the Knight Owl who was and is fame across the land, as the defender of all things wild, like animals or angry folk gone astray. Then Constance became disquiet, she was a great friend and ally of the Knight Owl.
Why is her sword and shield of tears in buryment here in the sand, mayhap she is jeopardised by some quest or other. Let us cast about for tracks that might lead us to the place where the leaver of these things has now begun to be.
The Sphinx, not knowen for her tracking skills, wandered about a bit. Constance examined the traces and small print and found the directed feet of the Knight Owl which they then follow.
After a day and a day and two nights they came to the gates of a castle high up upon a bluff. The Sphinx made banging noises on the gatses and Constance said don’t knock it down, yet.
The door was made open by a woman, May we enter and complete our search for the Knight Owl please? No we are busy. It shouldn’t take too long, we just want to check upon her well being. No, we are stock taking, come back next week. You do realise that this being, who stands patient behind me, is the mythical Sphinx who might break in your door, walls and everything if she but lift a single paw. Well, yes that is a consideration I suppose. Can we pay you to go away? No. What would it take, as I said, we need to see the Knight Owl to check that all is well. Wait here. We will wait to the count of two hundred. The door closed.
Why two hundred, said the Sphinx? Do you want me to start counting?
No, said Constance, it is just a number really that indicates a couple of minutes, we won’t wait too long.
The woman returned on the count of one hundred and ninety-eight as the Sphinx was leaning against the outer wall to make it creak.
She is within, but she cannot see you as she too sad, she is desolated and profound undone and is not in any state. She can neither clear the tears from her eyes to see, nor cease the sobbing in her throat to speak.
Tell me why this sadness has come upon her that we may become part of the solution, said Constance.
The woman said I shall go now to ask this question and she might write and answer upon a rock.
She returned carrying an heavy tablet of rock upon which these words were cut in furious and rough carving.
These years all, I have travelled the worlds, at my own expense, to tip the balance, to change the mood music, to have my say, bring peace, resolve conflict, organise the shelves, cut the grass, mind the gap, and generally make things better. But in all my endeavour, at every turn, it seems that a tsunami of trouble must o’er whelm us all. So, I am tired and full of despair. I relinquish my quest, I lay down my burden, I don the slippers of rest and retire into the cloisters of contemplation. No more to be seen in this lifetime. I have put away my sword of help and my shield of tears pierced by a ray of sunlight, as I know now that they will not prevail for me as hard as I might.
Kind Regards
The Knight Owl
Having read this Constance became dismay, but the Sphinx was not. I have seen the world and its characters this five thousand years and more. The Sphinx flipped over the tablet and wrote with one claw in the hard rock. There is an upwards curve to the improvements to the lot of the average person on the graph of measure. A greater proportion of children have access to education and healthcare than ever before. The Lot of women has improved in many countries. Wars are become less common and exploitation less well hidden, don’t get me started on the climate. There are a multitude of problems that assail the inhabits of this place, but they are all and each with a solve. Just take it a bit by a bit, solve one problem at a time, join with others and a balance can be in favour of improve. Your friend Constance has brought you an apple.
The gate woman went away with the rock tablet.
I don’t have an apple said Constance, It is a figurative apple, said the Sphinx. And is all this positivity of a true nature? Asked Constance. It is true, replied the Sphinx, only it is so hard to see, and once seen, so hard to keep in sight. There should be two kinds of news, one in which daily events are report, which is always disaster and most depressing and also newscast of today’s improvements across the worlds, innovations and betterment curves. That way the balance of the real situation might reveal itself.
I hadn’t thought of it like that, said Constance and gived the Sphinx a kiss upon the paw, you are more wiser sometimes than you might seem.
My tail is passing fine, said the Sphinx.
They entered the castle, in it.
The Guardians of the Cave 