This story has been written for Srishti, my friend. Srishti is Tweedle Dum here in the story, and I am Tweedle Dee. These were nicknames that we had in high school, and have absolutely nothing to do with Lewis Carroll's characters.
The story is largely true, though it has obviously been dramatized and altered for effect. I have written it as an apology to Shitty, whose birthday it was on 2nd December, and exactly the same thing happened that I've described here with Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum. This is, therefore, an apologetic story.
Also, it has been written in a children's bed-time story format. Hence, the simple language and terrible organisation and transitions. Again, apologies.
And I'm sorry Shitty. I hope you read this and forgive me.
Once Upon a Time, in a kingdom far, far away, there lived two friends called Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum. They lived together in the cold, remote land of Welham. Times were harsh, food was scarce and a drought had hit the town. Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum and all of their friends huddled together, sinking in the warmth of stories and laughter, enveloped in the fortress' walls, overlooked by the harsh Rawrins. A myth existed that if one went close to a Rawrin, they would hear whispers garlanded about their heads and necks like the rings of Saturn, whispering to the Gijans terrible, terrible things about the humble, terrified dwellers of Welham, however no one had dared venture that close to a Rawrin, for the Gijans were always close.
Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum oft thought of the Pathways, a realm only heard of in Welham. It was a land where the walls were low, the food flowed in avalanches from the halls, and the dwellers were all Princes and Princesses, who only laughed and sang and never a frown was seen. Gold swam in the shallow shores of the realm, over the ghosts of the defeated Rawrins and Gijans. It was a realm of freedom, of gold, of meandering poetry and undefeated glory. It was the land of life and dreams, and oh, dream of it they would!
As Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum dreamed of the Pathways, a terrible war was fought in Welham. Rawrins were killed, Gijans were hanged, dwellers were drowned in the victory of fellow dwellers. The town was in shambles. Buildings fell like deflated balloons, the roads were scarlet, the air was metallic... and the walls collapsed to dust! Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum saw the path to their dreams, a glorious, metallic red carpet, their stairway to heaven.
And so they started on the journey of a lifetime. Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum walked and walked. They walked for days and nights, through full moons and eclipses, thunder and fire. They walked and they walked. Their feet caked in blisters, with dry mouths and hungry eyes they followed the path... to the Pathways, and so they reached.
Pathways. The world of the glorious. With buildings of gold and silver, a sky of silk, a diamond moon. Pathways. The world of laughter; of songs and poetry and swirly words. Pathways... The world of disappointment, thought Tweedle Dee.
Buildings - gold on the outside, crumbling on the inside. The sky - shimmering blue, dry as a prune. And the little Princes and Princesses - laughter on their lips, ball gowns on their hips, yet rings like Saturn's swirled around their heads, riddled with rot. Tweedle Dee was miserable and longed to go home, back to Welham. But Tweedle Dum, Tweedle Dum was happy. Tweedle Dum danced, he swam in streams of gold, and he sang and laughed and was merry all around.
Tweedle Dee loved Tweedle Dum, yet he could not live in that soulless place any more. He missed his friends, their stories, even the waddling Rawrins and the Gijans. Tweedle Dee wanted to go home. Come with me, he told Tweedle Dum, come home and we will be happy again. But Tweedle Dum was happy here.
And so Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum said goodbye to each other. Their eyes were red, their hearts were shred, they had a good cry and hugged goodbye. Heavy of heart, reluctant to part, Tweedle Dee left, for the kingdom far, far away, from a time long, long ago. Tweedle Dee was going home.
Months passed and Tweedle Dee grew to miss his dear friend more and more. Tweedle Dum had stuck with Tweedle Dee through everything. He had laughed when Tweedle Dee laughed, sobbed when Tweedle Dee cried, yelled at whoever hurt Tweedle Dee. Tweedle Dee would sit for hours, shoulders hunched, eyes closed, forehead narrowed, thinking of Tweedle Dum.
Tweedle Dum's day of birth was near and Tweedle Dee lamented, being so far, far away. He searched and searched, for days and days, till he found the perfect present to send to Tweedle Dum. Time was running short, and Tweedle Dee sent a messenger with Tweedle Dum's present, shaking with excitement at the anticipation of Tweedle Dum's happiness with the package.
The day came near and Tweedle Dum prepared for the feast. Oh what a grand feast it was! Food flowed from floor to ceiling, drinks flowed from fountains, and people danced madly till the wee hours of the next morning. There was endless music and dancing, and a pile of presents larger than the food, yet Tweedle Dum sat in a corner, crying. For, you see, Tweedle Dee's messenger gave in to the hunger and thirst and lay in the stomach of jackals, and the present lay in a desert, covered by mounds of sand. Tweedle Dum thus thought that Tweedle Dee had forgotten his birthday and he angrily decided never to speak to him again.
Tweedle Dee waited and waited for days, for a letter of thanks, or a present in return, but none ever came. Days passed, weeks, and not a word! Tweedle Dee worried till he could worry no more and decided to set out to the Pathways himself to yell at Tweedle Dum for never replying. After a journey of days, he finally reached the glorious Blooming town.
Tweedle Dum sat on a river side, droplets of water flowing down his eyes to the river. Tweedle Dee slowly walked to him and said, "Be careful, or you might start a flood." Tweedle Dum was shocked! He was about to run and hug Tweedle Dee when he remembered that Tweedle Dee forgot his birthday and he quietly turned back and said, "I'm not talking to you."
Tweedle Dee had his answer! He immediately understood what had happened and explained everything to Tweedle Dum. Tweedle Dum didn't believe him at first, but when Tweedle Dee really explained the whole story, right to where he came to meet Tweedle Dum, Tweedle Dum forgave Tweedle Dee and hugged him.
And they lived happily ever after...
The End.
P.S. It is a terrible story, terribly written, and I'd like to apologise again. But I hope it proved its worth.
The story is largely true, though it has obviously been dramatized and altered for effect. I have written it as an apology to Shitty, whose birthday it was on 2nd December, and exactly the same thing happened that I've described here with Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum. This is, therefore, an apologetic story.
Also, it has been written in a children's bed-time story format. Hence, the simple language and terrible organisation and transitions. Again, apologies.
And I'm sorry Shitty. I hope you read this and forgive me.
A Birthday Carol
Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum oft thought of the Pathways, a realm only heard of in Welham. It was a land where the walls were low, the food flowed in avalanches from the halls, and the dwellers were all Princes and Princesses, who only laughed and sang and never a frown was seen. Gold swam in the shallow shores of the realm, over the ghosts of the defeated Rawrins and Gijans. It was a realm of freedom, of gold, of meandering poetry and undefeated glory. It was the land of life and dreams, and oh, dream of it they would!
As Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum dreamed of the Pathways, a terrible war was fought in Welham. Rawrins were killed, Gijans were hanged, dwellers were drowned in the victory of fellow dwellers. The town was in shambles. Buildings fell like deflated balloons, the roads were scarlet, the air was metallic... and the walls collapsed to dust! Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum saw the path to their dreams, a glorious, metallic red carpet, their stairway to heaven.
And so they started on the journey of a lifetime. Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum walked and walked. They walked for days and nights, through full moons and eclipses, thunder and fire. They walked and they walked. Their feet caked in blisters, with dry mouths and hungry eyes they followed the path... to the Pathways, and so they reached.
Pathways. The world of the glorious. With buildings of gold and silver, a sky of silk, a diamond moon. Pathways. The world of laughter; of songs and poetry and swirly words. Pathways... The world of disappointment, thought Tweedle Dee.
Buildings - gold on the outside, crumbling on the inside. The sky - shimmering blue, dry as a prune. And the little Princes and Princesses - laughter on their lips, ball gowns on their hips, yet rings like Saturn's swirled around their heads, riddled with rot. Tweedle Dee was miserable and longed to go home, back to Welham. But Tweedle Dum, Tweedle Dum was happy. Tweedle Dum danced, he swam in streams of gold, and he sang and laughed and was merry all around.
Tweedle Dee loved Tweedle Dum, yet he could not live in that soulless place any more. He missed his friends, their stories, even the waddling Rawrins and the Gijans. Tweedle Dee wanted to go home. Come with me, he told Tweedle Dum, come home and we will be happy again. But Tweedle Dum was happy here.
And so Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum said goodbye to each other. Their eyes were red, their hearts were shred, they had a good cry and hugged goodbye. Heavy of heart, reluctant to part, Tweedle Dee left, for the kingdom far, far away, from a time long, long ago. Tweedle Dee was going home.
Months passed and Tweedle Dee grew to miss his dear friend more and more. Tweedle Dum had stuck with Tweedle Dee through everything. He had laughed when Tweedle Dee laughed, sobbed when Tweedle Dee cried, yelled at whoever hurt Tweedle Dee. Tweedle Dee would sit for hours, shoulders hunched, eyes closed, forehead narrowed, thinking of Tweedle Dum.
Tweedle Dum's day of birth was near and Tweedle Dee lamented, being so far, far away. He searched and searched, for days and days, till he found the perfect present to send to Tweedle Dum. Time was running short, and Tweedle Dee sent a messenger with Tweedle Dum's present, shaking with excitement at the anticipation of Tweedle Dum's happiness with the package.
The day came near and Tweedle Dum prepared for the feast. Oh what a grand feast it was! Food flowed from floor to ceiling, drinks flowed from fountains, and people danced madly till the wee hours of the next morning. There was endless music and dancing, and a pile of presents larger than the food, yet Tweedle Dum sat in a corner, crying. For, you see, Tweedle Dee's messenger gave in to the hunger and thirst and lay in the stomach of jackals, and the present lay in a desert, covered by mounds of sand. Tweedle Dum thus thought that Tweedle Dee had forgotten his birthday and he angrily decided never to speak to him again.
Tweedle Dee waited and waited for days, for a letter of thanks, or a present in return, but none ever came. Days passed, weeks, and not a word! Tweedle Dee worried till he could worry no more and decided to set out to the Pathways himself to yell at Tweedle Dum for never replying. After a journey of days, he finally reached the glorious Blooming town.
Tweedle Dum sat on a river side, droplets of water flowing down his eyes to the river. Tweedle Dee slowly walked to him and said, "Be careful, or you might start a flood." Tweedle Dum was shocked! He was about to run and hug Tweedle Dee when he remembered that Tweedle Dee forgot his birthday and he quietly turned back and said, "I'm not talking to you."
Tweedle Dee had his answer! He immediately understood what had happened and explained everything to Tweedle Dum. Tweedle Dum didn't believe him at first, but when Tweedle Dee really explained the whole story, right to where he came to meet Tweedle Dum, Tweedle Dum forgave Tweedle Dee and hugged him.
And they lived happily ever after...
The End.
P.S. It is a terrible story, terribly written, and I'd like to apologise again. But I hope it proved its worth.
