Mary Malone stared at the child as she said. “There they are. Look. See. Behind bluebell's stem."

Mary looked, "See what, Apple Beth?"

"The letters. Over there! 'H' is peeping out from behind the flower," and she continued. “It's all about letters."

"Apple Beth! What are you talking about?"

“In times of turmoil our words are hashed and letters don’t like being bastardized." She replied.

With that Sky lit up as a cloud shot a line of vowels across the horizon. “Duck!" Apple Beth shouted.

She pulled Mary, the head librarian, down onto her hunkers and they watched in awe as vowels fell, to loop, to hang, to lean against blades of grass followed down by spinning consonants that drifted onto a fragrant, carpet of spray.

“Let the battle begin," Apple Beth muttered. “So. Why are they gathering?" Mary enquired. “You ask and you're a keeper of books?"

“Yes of books, but not letters." she replied.

“Is it not the same difference?" Apple Beth asked. “Yes. Maybe. Maybe it is. But why do you ask?"

“Why? Sure isn't it about genre now. What's popular?"

“Thriller. Romance. Fantasy," Mary said, "But they have nothing to do with letters." To which Apple Beth countered, “That’s not fair and just your opinion."

As the girls watched two and three lettered words grouped together and took up a belligerent stand.

Mary spotted Luv, Sex, and all the Articles.

“Bitty stuff. They shouldn't be on the front line. No weight behind them." She said to Apple Beth, and then continued, “Are you pedantic?"

“Me!" Apple Beth fluttered her eyelashes. “I won the spelling bee in school. Does that apply? Oh here she comes now."
'J' strolled into the middle of the glen. Letters gathered around her feet as she stepped up on a toad-stool. She boomed; “Ladies and Gentlemen," but she had to pause when 'A' achooed.

Accompanied by a guffaw she tried again. Saying: “Folks, thank you for dropping in. We’re losing our depictions. So far this year we've lost 16,000 hyphens." She bowed and with a sweep of her hand she introduced Frogs Aloud.

“Do all you good people know that leap-frog has become one word?" Her gaze swept the field, and Frogs appeared to spiral and jump -- to cut a dash. Each made a
perfect landing.

"Thank you Frogs." 'J' led applause. “ Grammarians, Ladies and gentlemen, have changed leap- frog to leapfrog! and with no step for the leap however will one pick up momentum to get ahead?"

A rumble of discontent rose from the patrons.

“Now. Ladies and Gentlemen. You may say once letters are attached words won't need props. But before you decide let me call your attention to the fig-leaf. Should it be fixed? As one word what image will it conjure up? One maybe of Victoriana. For if the fig is stitched to the leaf there’s no chance that it could ever fall off." The crowd laughed.

'J' had their attention. They listened closely, moving nearer, as she spread her arms to welcome two doves that landed one on each hand. Like a conductor she swept them into her breast. She played to a tangible hush as she said, "And should I mention the pigeon-hole? Would you good folk like to see these beauties stuffed down holes?'And J released the doves.

Amid a roar of support they flew high and she stood down.

And so it was that 'r' moved to the front. Of lower case he peeked over the heads of the crowd. “Stand straight," O heckled rolling in place.

'r' ignored his remark. Instead he stood up on the toad-stool but as he did the hyphen vanished, the words separated and he was thrown to the ground.

Annoyed. He ran across to stand on the fence stile.

"Listen up," he said. "She's wrong. Leap frog and fig leaf aren't being joined they're being separated. It's all about time and space." But he was speaking to a crowd more amused by 'O' than attentive to his words.

'r' tried again. “Will ye listen! Our users are running so fast they’re losing us. I suggest we roll with them."

'O' shouted "See I told ye," as he bounced and rolled and the crowd cheered and fell about. Until 'Z ' chimed in “No. Why should we change? Let them slow up."

“Aye. Aye. We'll slow them. We’ll slow them." Went out the chant.

'J' saw that 'r' had lost control of the crowd and decided to join him. As she approached the toad- stool it automatically hyphenated.

Addressing the crowd she pointed at 'Z:' “ YOU? What do you suggest we do then, make bigger words and scramble human comprehension?"

“Aye, aye, easily done."

"Let's slow them. Let's slow them," The chant continued. “Not fair, not fair," 'r' shouted over the noise.

'Z' replied, “No. But is it fair that they take our props away? What if humans decide to abbreviate further and 'H' looses its bar or 'I' lose my stand?"

'r' threw his eyes to heaven; “You're being zilly. "

“There ya go. Say it with 's.' That's what I mean folks. “ 'Z' replied as he sat on the fence. And the alphabet letters swiveled back and forth between the two. They argued the point until 'r' called the break rhyme:

“Allo me old china. Wot say we pop round the Jack. I'll stand you a pig and you can rabbit on about your teapots. We can 'ave some loop and tommy and be off before the dickory hits twelve."

Everyone laughed, except 'J.' “Let’s move on," she said.

On that note, Apple Beth led Mary across to the picnic tables that stood in a clearing explaining as she did “They will complete a crossword now to find new definitions, to create new frameworks to build images! Separate or attach, Ms Malone, what do you think?"

To which Mary replied, "They have no choice?"

“Ms Malone, not true. They're your real magicians."

Mari 2008