[Sticks]

Just to prove that it is not just ROB who can spin a yarn. I hope it is not as boring as the talks given by a certain housemate allegedly are

This is a follow on from a series I did, When Big Brother Met Lord of the Rings and last years Of Trolls and Troglodites

___________________________

It was just another ordinary day of planning gloom, despondency despair and doom typical of a life changes presentation consultant, as they preferred to call us. I had left Cyber Devils Advocacy behind, it had been too dangerous and I had not seen a troll or a troglodyte for nearly a year. Being a Life Changes Presentation consultant may not have paid as much but at least it was steady work and just about covered the bills.

The telephone rang

Vlad, a minor angel answered it

"Mr Stickings" he yelled across the office "There is a visitor to see you in reception"

This was odd as I never let on where I worked at the Mortal World Liaison Group and I was not aware of any forum meeting where I would have to escort guests. I got up to go down to reception.
"Don't forget to lock your workstation" Vlad piped up
"Sorry" I mumbled did Ctrl Alt Del then Lock Work Station and left for the lift.


In the foyer was a young women in apparently in her late twenties, it was Clotho, the youngest of the fates.

"Your taking a serious risk coming here" I ventured
"She's dead" was all she replied.
I looked into her sad brown eyes, even though she appeared as a young women just out of college I knew she was centuries old.
"I know" was all I could muster.

Clotho's sister Lachesis, myself and the Spirit of True Love were once indicted by the Lord Low Troll in the Mystical Realms for the causing of two people on a game show called Big Brother 2 to fall in Love. Lachesis and I had the case thrown out of court, but The Spirit of True Love had a retrial.

The Retrial collapsed with no explanation, but I had suspected that a troglodyte by the name of Traxor had a hand in that. As she had left the court she was hit by some flying lizard which turned into a fireball on impact. I lost track of the Mystical Realms after that.

"I came to see if you could help" Clotho whispered

"Sorry I don't work in the Mystical Realms anymore" I replied "I do not want to cross sword with him again"

"He's gone"
"What?" I asked with incredulity
"He was indicted last month for fraud; there is a new guy in charge"
"Who?”
"Rhemus a centaur along with a force of fawns"
I mused on this news; Rhemus was a good entity, a former defence lawyer.
"If Rhemus is in charge, why do you need me he will get to the bottom things there?"

Clotho sighed "It's not that, if anyone can pin her death on the Troll, Rhemus can"
Clotho looked around at another young woman sitting in reception, then back at me, "The Spirit of True Love had a niece, Dalerous, she is trying to take up her aunt's job"
"That's her isn't it" I ventured
Clotho Nodded
"So, what do you want me for" I asked.
"Another couple were supposed to have paired up on the latest series of that program the humans run called Big Brother"
"Sorry, I don't do that anymore" I told her, "You know how they don't like us getting involved”
"It's OK" At that Clotho produced a letter, from Rhemus, "we have been granted a dispensation since it was meant to happen"
"Again, why do you need me?"

"Because, Tragar has come here to prevent it"
"Tragar?????"
"The Lord Low Troll's second in command. He was due to be picked up, but managed to escape to another plane. We believe he was coming here"

"And"

Clotho handed me a piece of paper, it was a "To Do list" in the The Spirit of True Love's handwriting. It just said "J to find true love on UK Big Brother 2003

"Who is J I asked"
Dalerous looked up, "we don't know, there are two possibilities"
"We have to go now" Clotho told Dalerous.
Clotho turned back to me, "We have to keep on the move, and Tragar is out there"

The two left, and I returned back to my office.

Vlad was on the telephone

I looked at the piece of paper; there were two J's in the BB4 house, Jon and Justine. Jon was imminent for the chop. To finish my dead client's last wish would be almost impossible. Plus there was a renegade Troll out there. Would he hunt down Dalerous, Clotho, Lachesis me?

Vlad put the telephone down
"You really must tell your friends not to call here in company time" he complained

"Yes sir" was all I could muster.

[peachy]

You could be correct there Sticks old chum. Another reason for keeping the truly brilliant Jon in the house, I feel.

He is such good value, the pool heater, the hat, the dressing gown, the hairy shoulders, the droning voice, all guaranteed to get right up the other housemates noses and now Sticks has provided another brilliant reason to keep him in, romance with Justine.

Come on vote Anouska or Fed, you know it makes sense!

Thanks for the story Sticks, old bean

[Romantic Old Bird]

Sticks, I feel you have constructed a fantasy realm which could reap rewards if you develop it further.

Why should Philip Pullman get all the dosh...........?

I await the outcome of their desperate interventions

[Mairi]

Very good story, Sticks. Look forward to the next installment.

Fingers crossed for Jon, tonight.

[Sticks]

The story so far . . . .
A former client of mine, The Spirit of True Love (aka Aphrodite Goddes of Love), from my days as a cyber warrior / devil's advocate had been murdered. Shortly afterwards in their Mystical Realms there had been a regime change. The youngest of the Fates, Clotho has brought my former client's niece, Dalerous to the realm of mortals on the trail of a former minion of the Lord Low Troll, Tragar. Tragar is trying to thwart the last action by the Spirit of True Love, to bring true romance to a contestant on Big Brother 4, identified only as J


As I watched the tiny screen flicker on the TV in the bedsit, showing the eviction of a housemate called Anouska I felt dirty. There had been three other contestants up for nomination, and one of them was called Jon. Could this be the mysterious J ? I had no way of knowing. There was also a lady by the name of Justine, who seemed to be under everyone's radar.

In order to keep Jon in the house we had needed another sacrificial lamb. Two of the nominees were considered rank outsiders to get the chop, The real race was between Anouska and Jon, so Anouska had to walk so the Spirit of True Love's last plan could have some chance of running it's course. I had really wanted to remain neutral, but then we never get everything we want in life. I tried to assuage the guilt over my part in Anouska down fall by telling myself that it was probably for the best.

I just wondered how a Fate and a very young women could take out a Troll before he got to J, or managed to get J removed from the game before their time.

I assumed that Clotho and Dalerous would have seen the eviction, but since i could not be sure, I retrived my cross plane communicator given to me by the Spirit of True Love's brother, The Guaardian of Mortal Struggle (Formally Ares God of War).

Communicating between the planes is quite trick, especially as one of the planes, the Mystical Relams, was formed from the collective unconsciousness of the sentient beings in the realm of mortals. I found the number of the Fates and rang it.

"Lachesis here" came the answer.
"It's me, I need to get a message to Clotho" I replied.
"She's in bed"
"What?" I replied
"Clotho is in bed" Lachesis insisted "with the flu Can I take a message"
"I don't understand, I met her several hours ago" I insisted "She had Dalerous in tow and said they were trying to find a troll called Tragar"
The line seemed to go silent, than Atropos the oldest of the fates came on the line. "Tragar is not a troll"
"Huh ?"
"Tragar" explained Atropos "is a doppleganger, he sometimes worked as a double for the Lord Low Troll. He escaped this morning when the Fawns came to arrest him."
"So I met with Tragar" I ventured, "But what about the lass called Dalerous, is she a doppleganger"
An familiar mail voice came over the cross plane communicator, it was the Guardian of Mortal Struggle, "No she really is the niece of my sister and she has disappeared"

They listened as I explained the encounter I had and about the piece of paper with the apparent plan for a contestant called J. They confirmed that The Spirit of True Love had devised a plan for romance to flourish on a human Big Brother gameshow. Dalerous had kept the plan on her for months.

It was arranged that an elven ranger would cross over to try and track the pair down, I left the apartment to go to the rendevous point.

Sure enough at the agreed time, the gate opened and the elven ranger stepped forward and collapsed. In his back was a small knife. I half expected it to be a troll throwing knife, but when I looked at the handle it was elvish.

The situation now seemed dire

A possible candidate for the identity of J was tipped as being up for nomination for eviction from the Big Brother house,

A former lieutenant of the deposed Lord Low Troll, Tragar had managed to abduct from the Mystical Realms the neice of the murdered Spirit of True love and had removed her to the world of mortals.

And someone in the New Mystical Realms security force was a mole for the old regime.

[Romantic Old Bird]

Sticks, if Aphrodite is no more, what has happened to her child??


Very good Sticks, if a touch morose.......

[Sticks]

I have just discovered this

I will need to try and come up with the next installment, or of course ROB might want to help out, if she can tare her away from stories about a certain other couple