"TALES OF THE NIGHT" "Let's suppose I'm a werewolf." " Not exactly sympathetic." " Sympathetic?" "As a werewolf everyone'd be afraid of me." "I'd enjoy that." "In legend, he's portrayed as a monster in pain, a slave to the full moon and his urge to kill." "Perhaps I wouldn't have to kill." "Oh, I think you would, if you want to eat." "You'd just do it." "Hmm, the innocent deer that you found in the woods." "I've decided to play a werewolf, even if I am cursed." "Your dreadful secret must be concealed from everyone." "Your fiancé especially." "I have a fiancé?" "Good." "Let's have two sisters, They're deadly rivals." "When does it take place?" "Let's say in the fifteenth century." "The court of Burgundy." "It's magnificent!" " Wow." " Oh yes!" "That is so cool." "The Duke was richer than we can imagine." "That headdress is wild." "Personally, I prefer this one." "Hey, they're wearing turbans." "My costume is finished." "Add a cape." "More hero-ish." "I'll have a long dress." "I love them." "Very elegant!" "Ready?" " Ready." " Ready." "Night of the Werewolf." "As the noble knight Jan has declared his love for my daughter," "I declare them formally betrothed." "I drink a toast." " Long live love" "To the happy couple." "The most handsome weds the fairest!" "They're made for each other!" " An ideal pair." "Long life and happiness." "Darling daughter, do not cry." "Your turn will come." "No, it won't." "I was meant for him." "I love him, he loved me." "Who could not love you?" "We wondered which of you he'd choose, but it's customary for it to be the elder sister." "And what you don't know is that she fed Jan when he was imprisoned and everyone else had deserted him." "She saved him from freezing by sending him her fur." "But it was I who did that!" "You're sad and don't recall the truth." "You were very young, and confused." "I remember at the time you even lost all your jewellery." "At last they've left us alone." "And tonight we shall walk under the full moon together." " No!" " What?" "I am yours, body and soul, forever." "But when the moon is full," " I must be alone." "Tell me why?" "That is a dreaded secret which I cannot tell to anyone, not even you." "On the day of our betrothal, you coldly confess to me that you do not trust me?" " You know I didn't mean that." " Is this how you repay me." "for all I did for you in prison, when everybody else had abandoned you?" "I know." "I shall never forget that." "It was the beginning of my feelings for you." "Very limited feelings, obviously." "If there is no trust, I suggest we part." " No!" " Goodbye, sir." "Don't go!" "I will give you absolute proof of my feelings for you." "My fate will lie wholly in your hands." "I am... a werewolf." "When the moon is full, this chain, which you see I always wear, starts to burn intolerably - I take it off, and am transposed into a wolf." "In the morning, I must put the chain on, to become a man again." "If I cannot find the chain," "I shall stay a wolf forever." "Now you know why I must face this night alone." "You must not." "You need the support Of a true love who understands." "No, I couldn't bear that." "I'll see this happening." "Tonight." "Or I'll break our engagement." "I hide my chain here, among these nettles." "I feel it beginning to burn." "Please, look away." " No." "Do it." "Then... farewell." "Help me!" "There's been a terrible tragedy!" "Jan was attacked and devoured by the giant wolf of the BlackWoods." "Alas, my beloved!" "Horror!" "Strange, as that wolf has never been a man-eater." "Well, he is now." "We must organise a hunt and kill the beast before others suffer the fate of my poor Jan!" "My life is over." "So is mine." "He ran that way." "We can corner him at the cliff." "You stay here." "I want no more victims." "All I desire is that the wolf eats me as he devoured Jan." "The spring where Jan and I used to drink." "May I ride on your back?" "Surely I'm dreaming." "Though you don't understand, Wolf," "I'll tell you about Jan." "He died not knowing it was I who saved him in prison." "He was falsely accused Of a dreadful crime and left to rot." "My sister told everyone that she'd always known he was a monster." "His prison cell was wet and dark, and he'd die there slowly of cold and hunger." "By pleading and bribing," "I got his jailers to pass in the food I sent him." "I'd soon spent all my money, so piece by piece I sold my jewels and was forced to lie, saying that they'd been lost." "My sister threw out a fur stole, last year's fashion." "I rescued it and sent it on to Jan." "It was just what he needed in his freezing dungeon." "One day, the real culprit was found." "Jan publicly thanked the unknown person who'd kept him alive, and whose identity he had guessed." "I never doubted for a second that it was me he meant." "He recognised the fur as my sister's and assumed she had sent it." "He named her." "This forest is filled with memories of Jan." "There was a secret place we had, a bower filled with perfumed honeysuckle, overlooking a lake with flowering lilies." "In the parcels to my imprisoned love," "I'd put sprays of this honeysuckle we both adored." "Enchanted wolf, who are you?" "My mind is full of confusing thoughts, but I will sort them out." "What's the commotion?" "Spurred on by my sister," " Jan's family is hunting for the wolf." " She's leading them?" "She's tucked up in Jan's house as mistress." "Father, I've been with the wolf in the wood all night." "But that's madness." "When you left me, a bear appeared and would have eaten me, except for the wolf who fought and killed it." "Then the wolf lay at my feet and let me get on his back." "All night, he carried me through the forest, like a gentle, faithful hound." "It's impossible that he ate Jan." "I find the idea just as doubtful." "Father, I have to ask you this." "Don't be angry." "If you love truth and justice, if you love me, you won't refuse." " Stand aside." " Yes, madam." "Father." "You sent for me?" "Yes." "There's someone here I'd like you to meet." " Jan!" " What do you mean?" "You just called out "Jan"!" "No." "What I did was cry out in shock." "You confront me unexpectedly with this monster who ate my fiancé, then you reproach me for letting out a scream." "You cried out "Jan"!" "This wolf is Jan!" "By some devilish witchcraft, she's changed Jan into a wolf." "No!" "He did it all by himself." "But there will be no changing back." "I have thrown the chain that could have made him human again into the deepest palace well." "How could you do such a cruel thing?" "How could I live with such a monster?" "You were promised to him in marriage." "Exactly." "Somehow I had to break the contract." " How did you find out his secret?" " He entrusted it to me." " I would never have done that." " Oh, he resisted." "But I know just how to get round men." "He even let me watch his horrifying transformation." "And now he must change back." " His chain must be returned." "Too late." "When something goes down that well, that's where it stays." "The water was so far down, so deep, so cold and dark." "But the chain glistened so, I managed to find it." "You've saved me once more." "Demon sister, I don't want anything more to do with you." "You really think I want anything to do with you?" "Who would?" "Is there a woman in the world who would even look once at you?" " Yes." "Me." " Poor little fool." "You delude yourself you've got your white knight back again, whom I didn't want." "But he's a werewolf." "You forget that your young sheep will become a wolf again at the next full moon." "But I love him in his wolf's clothing." "What do you say we do a Caribbean story?" "Great idea!" "With lush tropical trees and flowers, luscious juicy fruit, spicy food and bright colours everywhere." "And pretty girls in gorgeous dresses." "And I'll play a lazy, no-good, smart-aleck kid." "Here's the story." "He wanders into a cave which goes much, much deeper than he could've imagined." "I'll design the sets, and I won't go easy on the colour." "Better be sure you bring your sunglasses along." "Sugar cane, guava fruit, papaya trees, banana plants..." "And pineapple fields!" "Right." "Pineapples are pretty and delicious." "On the less romantic side, add some manchineels." "What are they?" "A harmless-looking relative of the apple that's highly poisonous." "Caribbean Indians used to tip their arrows with its deadly sap." " I'm working on the animals." " I'll mail you some iguanas." "They're extraordinary." " Yes." "Beautiful ugly monsters." "I'm going to wear a dead simple costume this time." "And maybe a hint of a local accent?" "What do you mean?" "Accent?" "What accent?" "I talk normal, like all the bros." "You got the accent, man." "You're right." "I know." "We have all got accents." " Ready?" " Ready." "TJ and Beauty Unknowing." "It's hot!" "I'll be cooler in this cave." "Hey, bats." "How's it hangin'?" "Oh, a passage." "Where's it go?" "Might as well." "Pretty hibiscus." "Mornin', Mama." "What you chewing' on there?" "Bones, boy." "And they're delicious." " Delicious." " Like some, boy?" "That's tempting', but I just had dinner." "Too bad." "Well, come back when you're hungry." "Sure thing." "See ya." "Hey, Grandpa." "You sure got a nice garden." "Why, thank you, son." " You look strange." "That so?" "In what way?" " I could swear you're alive." " What?" "Well, you don't miss much." " You are?" "Then what're you doin' here?" " Er, where's here?" " It's the Country of the Dead." " That right?" "So I slid down further than I thought." "You're in luck." "As the only living being here, the king's daughter, together with her royal inheritance, is yours to take." " She beautiful?" " Can a bird fly?" "They call her Beauty Not Knowing." "To reach the king's court, you must pass through three passages, guarded by a giant bee, a giant mongoose and a giant iguana." "They're angry because they're always so hungry, and temper makes them huge." "They'll definitely want to eat you, but I like the look of you, so I'll help you." "Here you see the dreaded "flores datura"." "And if the bee sips its nectar, it dies and you're through." "These innocent looking manchineels will take out the iguana." "And a special treat for the mongoose." "I have here a large piece of meat, which I'll stuff with sharp needles." "When the mongoose bites into that, it'll have things on its mind other than you." "You are a real prince." "Go through the sugar cane on the track." "It leads to a doorway and you're there." "Thanks, Grandpa." " Good luck, son." "That dude was one evil grandpa." "If hunger's making those animals aggressive," "I'll just feed them." "Mongoose, bee, iguana." "Which one'll go at me first?" "Here I come." " I'm going to eat you!" " Hiya, bee." "Thought you might like a bowl of hibiscus flowers." "I always wanted to stroke a bee's back." "So." "Who's next in line?" " I'm going to eat you!" " Hold on, big boy." "I brought you a feroce." "Home-made by my ma, with mussels, ripe avocados, manioc and sweet chilli." "Let me know what you think." "Two down and one to go." " I'm going to eat you!" " Man, you're prickly." "I brought you some guavas from my daddy's garden and some bananas that my aunt's grown, Class A stuff." "And now the king." "Hello, king." "I'm TJ and I've come in search of Beauty Not Knowing." "You what?" "Dressed like that?" "You dares to think you can win my daughter?" "Arrest him." "Tomorrow we'll put him through the Big Chopper for my daughters' entertainment." "Unless you pass the three suitors' tests." "If by some chance you do, your life will be spared, you will marry my eldest daughter, you'll be my heir, the usual stuff." " Sounds fair." " Test one." "Last year, my youngest daughter's twelve golden-shelled turtles ran away." "My men looked all over the kingdom for them, but found only one." "So find the other eleven turtles tonight and you will escape the Big Chopper for one day." "Of course, you'll have to do it locked in your prison." "We don't want to make the task too simple." "Well, I sure don't feel clever." "Hello, TJ." "I dropped in to thank you." "Your mother's feroce was delicious." "I was starving hungry." "Thank you, mongoose, I appreciate that." "Why are you lookin' so miserable, friend?" "They're going to execute me." "Mince me in the Big Chopper tomorrow morning." "No they won't." "I also came to tell you I'll bring you the eleven golden-shelled turtles before the night's out." "Dream on." "The king's men searched for a year." "You won't do it in one night." "You don't think so?" "Mongooses have great noses, and so my cousins and I'll track those turtles down by their scent." "Nine, ten, eleven..." "Present and correct." "That's incredible!" "Thank you, mongoose." "Is The Big Chopper sharpened and oiled?" "Not one turtle?" "Well, it's the Big Chopper for you." "Oh." "So." "You got lucky." "Now for test number two." "If you don't lasso them, you'll lose your turtles again." "You heard." "Round 'em up." "The second test." "Two years ago, my youngest daughter dropped a large diamond, the magnificent Ice Blue, while bathing in the sea by the Seething Seaweed Rocks." "Careless, but we all make mistakes." "Bring it to me and you will avoid the Big Chopper for one more day." "Hello,TJ." "Dropped by to say thanks." "Can't say how good your daddy's guavas were, and those bananas." "I was starving at the time." "As for Ice Blue, don't worry." "I'll handle it." "It's been lost in the sea for two years..." "Hm." "He understood the main drift, but I would have liked to tell him how scared I am." "You got any news?" "Out with it, then." "Thanks, Igi." "I owe you one." "I nearly swallowed it, grazing on the delicious seething seaweed, but I restrained myself." "Prepare the Big Chopper." "Nothing?" "The impossible is hard to do." "All right." "We'll do without Ice Blue and chop you up instead." " Where do I drop it off?" " What are you waiting for?" "Good." "The last hurdle is easy." "You simply have to point out Beauty Not Knowing when I parade my three daughters for you." "What?" "You don't know what she looks like?" "It's easy." "She looks exactly like my middle daughter." "And my middle daughter looks exactly like my youngest daughter." "But what does she look like?" "She looks exactly like my eldest daughter." "Hello, TJ!" "Just buzzed by to thank you." "Hey, don't you recognise me?" "Those hibiscus flowers were yummy." "And I was starving." "I want to help you." "Busy little bee, I've got to get out of here, or else I'm for the Big Chopper." "But I don't see what you can do." "You're so tiny." "What do you mean, what can I do?" "I can land on the eldest princess's nose and save you from the Big Chopper." "Bring in the poor prisoner." "Mornin', princesses!" "Well?" "Tell us which is Beauty Not Knowing, my eldest daughter?" " Easy!" " I'm waiting." "The princess who just dropped her pipe is Beauty Not Knowing." "It's perfectly obvious." "Ah!" "You're good." "You've won." "Half my entire kingdom, the Country of the Dead, is yours, as is my eldest daughter," "Beauty Not Knowing." "Rule the Country of the Dead?" "I'll pass on that." "I prefer the living, thank you." "And marry a girl whom I haven't even met?" "I don't think so." "I've got a girlfriend already, and suddenly I can't wait to see her." "Goodbye, all." "What if I was one of those girls, sacrificed to the Gods to bring rain, or victory, or riches?" " I'd defend you!" " I hope so." "But then they'd sacrifice you as well." "Do you know the legend of the Serpent of Ouagadou?" " No." "Tales of Africa." "Page 88." "That's it?" " How very strange." " It's got no ending." " Still, that's how the legend ends." " Badly." "There's no moral." "That's immoral." " People find it highly moral." " Not me." "All right." "We could use the story with a voice-over to add a message at the end." "Yes, and with an Aztec setting?" " Why the Aztecs?" " Human sacrifice." "Those sacrieaces occurred everywhere." "But my prejudice is that the Aztecs were the world champions." "Well, Africa, America or wherever," "I'm designing the most wonderful golden city ever seen." "And I've made a bird-shaped helmet." "Wow." " Ready?" " Ready." "The Chosen One of the Golden City!" "A city of gold!" "Unbelievable." "The rulers here are wallowing in gold, the lower orders slave for them." "Neither lot seems particularly cheerful." "Where does all this gold come from?" "Wow!" "Look at that!" "The entrance to a palace as big as a mountain, golden pyramids," "a stage of some kind, more pyramids, and a pretty girl..." "A pretty girl is more interesting than any golden pyramid." "Let's go and meet her." "Beautiful, but just as cast down as all the others." "She won't look at me." "Well, here goes." "This really is a wonderful city." "You live in a city that's extraordinary." " Yes?" "Are you talking to me?" " Er, of course." " I'm pretty, didn't you notice?" " Er, of course." "I wondered why you look so dejected." "You're joking." "Today is a feast day." "So surely it's obvious, isn't it?" "No, I'm sorry, not to me." "Explain." " You're a stranger here?" " Yes." "Do pretty girls look happy in your land?" "Yes, on feast days especially" "On feast days especially?" "Then they're brave." "Why?" "Who's the feast for?" "The Golden City formally offers food to Our Benefactor, four times a year." "In exchange, he brings us mounds of gold." "He eats only four times a year?" "Your benefactor's hardly a glutton." "And what does he eat?" "Young girls." "This is the first time a young man ever spoke to me." "It feels strange." "The first time a young man's ever talked to you?" "Young men don't talk to pretty girls as they know we'll die young, reserved for Our Benefactor." "Tonight, we will all gather at the Esplanade of Sacrifice." "The city's eave prettiest girls, of whom, alas, I'm one, will be lined up." "The Great Shepherd will choose the fairest." "She will ascend the Rock of Triumph." "The people will sing the Hymn of the Triumph of the Chosen." "Our Benefactor will emerge from his temple and eat her." "I'll kill him!" "Sh!" "You'll be killed if someone hears you." ""When Our Benefactor dies, the Golden City will fall."" "That's absurd!" "Is that what your benefactor told you?" " No, he doesn't speak." "Then who?" "How do you know?" " The Great Shepherd spoke." " Really?" "How does he know?" "You're not making sense." "The Great Shepherd is our all-knowing guide." "You're not making sense." "I'll fight your benefactor." "Don't speak such horrors!" "You're powerless." "Our Benefactor is covered in scales that can withstand a sword." "I'll poke out his eyes." "Our Benefactor's eyes are diamonds against which a sword will break." "But if tonight I am the Chosen One, I shall go gladly." "A boy spoke to me before I died." "We salute the Great Shepherd!" "People of the Golden City, the moment has come to intone the Anthem of the Revelation of the Chosen." "Oh, fairest of the fair, the Golden City's humblest thanks are given to you." "You will not slay an innocent girl for mere gold." "Young man, you cannot understand as you are not of our city." "We pardon you for now, as Our Benefactor awaits hungrily." "If you're providing his dinner, why should it not be you?" "I would offer myself gladly if he desired." "But I did more than that." "He has had my first born, the joy of my heart." "People of the Golden City, let us sing the Hymn of the Triumph of the Chosen." "No!" "Monster, I defy you!" "No, wait!" "Our Benefactor seems to want a little distraction." " Long live Our Benefactor!" " Long live Our Benefactor!" "The all powerful!" "May he live for ever!" "Praised be Our Benefactor, who administers justice himself." "And now, may the Chosen One triumph." "No!" "I killed him!" "Misery eternal!" "Abomination!" "The prophecy is upon us." ""When Your Benefactor dies, your Golden City will fall."" "Our city is doomed." "Rubbish." "The monster is dead." "Forget your superstitions." "Your benefactor is gone and your city is still standing." "You see?" "Well..." "Happy?" "You are going to pay for this, though it's too late." "I'm not scared of you." "I slew the unslayable monster." "We are a thousand, you're alone." "People of the ex-Golden City." "let our swords wreak vengeance." "Yes." "Throw me one!" "A true daughter of our people." "No, I'm on your side." "He's not alone." "I stand with the knight who saved me, not with those who condemned me." "So you'll need more than a mere thousand swords." "Listen." "He saved me, but he also saved those girls destined for the next sacrieacial supper." "And the next, and the one after that... little girls yet unaware of their beauty, and girls that are still unborn." "Be silent, wretched traitor." " Your knight has annihilated us." " No!" "The Golden City has vanished." "We haven't!" "You had ordained my death." "Now you can't." "We are still alive, and all the rest is of no importance." "Kill them both." "Listen to me." "The only thing you've lost is the cold gold of death." "That had left you empty." "I can teach you two things you lack." "Achievement and the joy of living." "Blasphemy!" "Cover your ears!" "Kill them both!" "No." "They won't be killed." "I want to learn these lessons." "I want to live, to know lovers." "I don't want them to go." " He could be right." "He could be wrong." "Stop this godless chant!" "That girl is no longer Chosen." " Yes!" "Chosen by us and not you." "End this now!" "Put them to death!" "As your Great Shepherd, I order you to stop..." "I'd like to do a story that's set in Africa." "Me too." "Set in a small village in the middle of the bush." "Where we find a young pretty princess." "With a fabulous hairdo." "Naturally." "There's such a variety of hairstyles." "All wonderful." "The possibilities are endless." "Stop that racket." "I'm trying to think." "My tragedy is that no one appreciates my talent." "And there's your story." "A boy dreams of becoming a great tom-tom player, but no one believes in him or lets him near a drum." "What he needs is the Magic Tom-Tom that makes any listener start dancing madly." "But does such a tom-tom exist?" "And can he find it?" "I've designed myself a pretty princess hairdo." "Me too." "Afro-punk." "Oh, yes." "Ready?" " Ready." " Ready." "Tom-Tom Boy!" "Tom-Tom Boy, what a racket!" "You should learn to cook instead." "Tom-Tom Boy, what a racket!" "You should learn to kill something." "Tom-Tom Boy, what a racket!" "You should learn to grow food." "Tom-Tom Boy, what a racket!" "You should learn to fight our enemies instead." "Tom-Tom Boy, don't play here by the king's hut." "He's very ill." "No one approaches the witch-doctor's sacred drum." "Especially not a nuisance like you, Tom-Tom Boy." "Enough." "I'm going to play on the savannah." "Don't hurry back." "Very good, young man." " You play really well." " What did you say?" "That you play really well." "Well, it's the first time I've heard that." "What do you usually hear?" ""What a racket!" "Go away!"" "You play so well, you've earned the chance to play the Magic Tom-Tom." "The Magic Tom-Tom whose rhythms no one can resist?" "You mean it really exists?" "Oh yes, it does exist." "Near here, in fact." "I am its custodian." " What?" " I look after it." " I'll show it to you, if you like." " Yes please." "Let go." "Thank you, my boy." " Which way?" " Wait." "Let's take some of this monkey bread fruit." "I love it, and it'd be a waste to leave it." "I was thinking the same, but was embarrassed to say." "You should have said." "Here we are." "There." "The Magic Tom-Tom," " whose rhythms no one can resist." "You may touch it." " I may touch it?" " You may." " And play it if you like." " I can play it?" "Stop being my echo." "Just sit down and play." "Go on." "But I don't see you dance." "The Tom-Tom won't release its magic to a mere beginner." "Not always to an expert either." "You must woo the Magic Tom-Tom and give yourself over to it." "I'd give everything to learn." "I will teach you as long as you work hard." " I promise I'll work night and day." " All right then." "What's wrong?" "Play!" "You can only play loud and fast?" "Don't just use your palms." "You can use knuckles, your fingers." "You've got wrists and elbows." "You don't always have to sit." "You can play standing as well." "And walking and dancing." "My right hand's bleeding!" "Don't get blood on the Tom-Tom." "You'll damage the skin." "Carry on with your left hand." " Stop." " Am I doing something wrong?" " No." "You're ready." " I'm ready?" "Will you stop parroting everything I say?" "Time to go." "We'll see if the Magic Tom-Tom works on some unsuspecting animal." "Try him." "Off you go." "There." "Now the Tom-Tom is yours." " Is mine?" "Do stop repeating everything I say." "Now." "Go back to your village and play." " Won't you come as well?" " No." "You can manage alone quite well." "Goodbye, Tom-Tom Boy." "Goodbye, master." "The princess." "I wonder if I dare." "Yes." "I will." "Stop." "Please stop." "I knew you'd be good on a proper tom-tom, but that's brilliant." "It's because this tom-tom's magic." "The tom-tom's magic?" "How wonderful." "And it's right that you should own it." "The village needs a reason to dance." "There's only gloom since my father fell ill." "The witch doctor asked for these, for all the use they are." "They're all just standing around." "Depressed." "I'll get them moving, all the villagers who made fun of me." "Stop that." "Show some respect." "The king is dying, and all my arts aren't helping him." "Tom-Tom Boy, come and play for my father." "What a ridiculous idea." "You'll kill him." "You just said he was dying in spite of your cures." "The drum won't hurt." "That boy will not thump on his tom-tom in this hut!" "Oh?" "Bring your tom-tom." "Go in and play to my father." " I forbid it." " I order it." "Let's take away all the jujus," " especially the ones in his ears." " Yes." "No!" "You're mad!" "You'll kill him!" "So you said." "Now play, Tom-Tom Boy." "I saved the king just in time." "Our enemies are advancing on us." "Thank you for what you did." "If only you're as good with the spear as the tom-tom." "En garde." "Coward!" "Running away!" "One less fearless hero to think about." "Now let's teach the rest a lesson." "Hooray for Tom-Tom!" "Long live Tom-Tom Boy!" "Tom-Tom Boy saved us!" "My hero!" "We won!" "Tom-Tom Boy, guard your tom-tom." "It's precious." "I will." "I left it up the tree." "Horrors!" "Someone's stolen the Magic Tom-Tom!" "We must find it at all costs." "Idiots!" "I have the Magic Tom-Tom!" "And this time, I'm on the winning side." "Your shield." "And now I'm going to make you dance!" "He can't play for coconuts." "The traitor has no power over us." "If I can't have the tom-tom's magic... then nobody will have it." "Now who's the stronger?" " Charge!" " Defend yourselves!" "What are you doing?" "Come back!" "Tom-Tom Boy, it wasn't the drum that was magic." "It was your talent." "It's you!" "So play!" "Long live Tom-Tom Boy!" " Long live Tom-Tom Boy!" " We owe the triumph to him." "But who understood what the truth behind the drum was?" "Long live the princess, who understood the truth." "In honour of our victory, let us all dance." "My cue, I think." " Suppose we went to Tibet?" " Why there?" "I found a Tibetan tale and I thought perhaps that you'd go for it." "I left the book open on the lectern." "Great story." "There's no way I'll touch that princess." "Why not?" "Why do you say that?" "I really want to play that boy." "Sorry." "That princess is a monster." "I won't play her." "It's only a part." "I know that, but I'd give myself to it completely and she's just too nasty." "Oh, Annie, please!" "Théo, help me." "I sympathise with her." "But don't you think the storyline grabs you?" "Yes." "I can't say the same for her." "Though she does finally express her regret to him." "Can she make things better with empty phrases?" "Yes." "Partly." "Look at these." "They're called thangkas," "Tibetan paintings on canvas designed to be rolled up." "And these mandalas." "Yes, they're very beautiful." "Unlike that princess." "And these landscapes." "They're perfect." " Unlike the princess." "Well, check out this beautiful dress." "You think I'll fall for a dress?" "Are we going to do this story or not?" "On the one hand, all three of us find the story intriguing." "On the other hand, I detest the princess." " Ready?" " Ready." "The Boy Who Never Lied." "Melonghi!" "I love you." "Melonghi, let's go and watch the arrival of the foreign princess." "Yes, let's do that." "My dear cousin, Melonghi, your horse that can talk is indeed a wonder, but not unique." "He's not?" "Melonghi's not the one and only talking horse?" "Well, talking's nothing." "My daughter the princess, is just arriving here on Somaki, the mare that sings." "That is indeed a marvel." "Its voice is beautiful." "Yet I possess something that is even more amazing." "Surely that is impossible." "The young lad who minds my beautiful talking stallion never lies, never." "Never!" "Well, well." "If that were true it would be amazing, I admit." "But I'm willing to wager a half of my entire kingdom that the boy can be made to lie." "And I am so sure of his honesty that I too will wager half my kingdom that you will never succeed in making him lie." "Father, it would be such fun to make this innocent boy lie." "And I'd love to help you get hold of half your cousin's kingdom with so little effort." "Disguise yourself, then." "The princess was so pretty." "How do you know?" "She was wearing a veil." "That's true." "But she looked so graceful on her singing mare." "That mare." "What a beauty." " Aren't you a bit sad?" " Why?" "In case they start thinking you aren't really so extraordinary, when there's a horse that can sing." " And are you thinking that?" " Of course not." "Somaki is so lovely and sings so well that I am simply glad." "Give me a drink, I beg you." "Wait." " Here." " Thank you." "I have walked so far." "I'm too exhausted to go on." "Can I rest here a moment?" "It's too late for you to go any further." "Take my bed." "I'll sleep with Melonghi, my horse." "You're so kind." "Ah." "She is the most beautiful girl I've ever laid eyes on." "Have you forgotten the princess already?" "I suppose so." "It feels wonderful." "Ah." "I've never slept so well in all my life." "How bracing it is here." "It feels great." " You know where you're going?" " No." "No reason you can't stay longer, then." "I'd love to." "Go on, talk about her if you want to." "She's so beautiful, Melonghi, so gentle." "Her voice is soft music." "Can I stay a bit longer?" "I wish you'd stay for the rest of your life." "How do you love me?" "From the dawn to the end of time." " You mean it?" " I never lie." "But with the first little sacrifice I ask of you, you'll run away." "I fear some day..." "What?" "What's wrong?" " I'm sorry." "The pain's terrible." "I'll make it better." "I know the right herbs." "Herbs can't cure this." "Yes!" "Yes they can!" "I'm back." "I'll boil up the herbs." "No, I know that such medicine cannot save me." " What then?" " No." "It's no use." "I'd be asking too much." "Listen." "Whatever it is, I'll give it." "I won't let you die." "Tell me." "Don't you trust me?" "I have to eat..." "I must eat..." " Eat what?" "The heart... of your horse." "You see... how soon you've reached the end of time?" "I thought I'd spend my whole life by your side never realising that life would be so short, as you prefer my death to the death of your horse." "What's that behind your back?" "You struck dumb?" "What is it?" "Tell me." "The only thing that can save her from dying is that she must eat your heart." "I can't bear to let her die, but your death is beyond me." "You love her more than me?" "An impossible question, but I do love you." "And I love you." "And I'll prove it to you." "Do you think I could see Somaki tonight?" "Yes." "He knew which grasses are poisonous." "Melonghi..." "The all-giving heart of Melonghi." "Forgive me if I do not watch you eat it." "Are you finished?" "You feeling better?" "Don't die." "I beg you, don't die!" "I cannot tell the king what happened." "And so, I must teach myself how to lie." "Majesty, your stallion Melonghi was stolen by a gang of bloodthirsty bandits." "I could do nothing to..." " What's this?" "The cairn collapsed, that's all." "His Majesty orders you to take him the latest news of Melonghi." " Good." "Let's go." " On foot?" "Yes." " Is Melonghi ill?" "No." "Melonghi is not ill." "Ah!" "What a fright." "Well, my boy, what news of our pride and joy Melonghi?" "Your Majesty... your wonder horse Melonghi... is dead, through my fault." "I gave his heart to a worthless girl to eat." "My friend is dead." "Love does not exist." "I have betrayed the trust of my king." "My sadness and shocked surprise, these are serious and important, but you have not failed me." "Your truthfulness and honesty have just won me half a kingdom." "Yes, and one day you will reign over the rest, because love does exist." "That's her!" "Yes, I am the worthless girl, and you are the noble man." "Everything I did was vile, you were open-hearted and generous." "I tried to trap you, but I failed." "Since I left you I've seen the greed and heartlessness of other men and realise that no one else can take your place." "Would you agree to wed a worthless girl?" "I love you." "I'm lucky, then." "Somaki has told me that as Melonghi is dead, she will no longer sing." "But she is expecting his foal, which'll be born the same day as our first child." "And they will be lifelong friends." " What if I change into a beast?" " What kind?" "Let the terrifying sorcerer decide." "No, I reserve the right to decide." "It'll be my story, after all." "I think I've got a good idea which animal you'll choose." " Back to the Middle Ages?" " Brilliant." "The best time for fairy tales." "Look at this book of architect's drawings." "A mine of information." "Wonderful." "These buildings are awesome." "You'll find all you need to know about the Middle Ages." "And why would this evil sorcerer turn you into an animal?" " Because I'd disobeyed a monster." " Of course." "And if, against this sorcerer, you have a good fairy..." "What else?" "And your fairy tale's in place." "Thirteenth-century fashion." "No frills, just a simple straight line." "The same for me." "Love that hipster look." " Ready?" " Ready." "The Young Doe and the Architect's Son." "Your guardian is the best of guardians." "Yes, but he fusses so much at times." "At least he doesn't stop you seeing whoever you wish." " Maud..." " Thibault..." "Shameless girl." "You are not to talk to young men, I told you that." "Certainly not to the son of a miserable architect who wouldn't build my church." " I'll speak to whom I like." " We shall see." " You are still my ward." " Unfortunately." " And we two are engaged." " Never!" "My patience is at an end." "I intend to keep you locked up under guard in my fortress, and you will not leave till you've agreed to be my wife." "Then I'll die there." "It's a nightmare!" "That Zakariak is a monster." "My darling Maud imprisoned in his fortress." "She can't get out, I can't get in." "To think, one of those windows is hers." "Even if you knew which one, it'd do you no good." "It might." "Look!" "That's it!" "Perhaps, perhaps not." "And even if it is, you could never reach that window." "My father used to encourage me to go up the scaffolding, when I was a child." "I always said that taking you up there was insane." "I explored all his churches." "I know the universe of his great cathedral." "I climbed every tower, every gable, flying buttress, pinnacle, gargoyle, parapet and spire." "If I could do that, I can climb into the ogre's fortress as well." "It's madness." "That's a sheer drop." "You'll kill yourself." "Or Zakariak the sorcerer will kill you." "I can't watch." "It's easy going from here." "Why go on?" "It's useless." " Maud." "It's me." "Thibault!" "How did you get here?" "You'll fall." "Listen, the only way to get out of this place is to agree to marry this wicked sorcerer." "What?" "But how could you even imagine such a thing?" "Sh." "It won't happen, I promise you." "This is what you must do..." "Who were you talking to?" "Er, who could I have been talking to?" "Locked in and guarded with one tiny window above a sheer drop." "For some reason, I thought of the architect's son." "He's just a mosquito, and mosquitoes irritate me." "You can forget him, Zakariak." "I agree to be your wife." "You do?" " It's no contest." "He's nothing against you and your great talents." "And I know I can get used to being unspeakably rich and sharing even a fraction of your power." "I am gratified by this total change of heart." "And so I won't hesitate to exploit your new-found intentions." "Guard!" "Escort my lovely fiancée to the windowless bedroom in the keep." "But..." "Dress her in our finest ceremonial robes." "Our wedding takes place tomorrow!" "Not only do his devilish arts control thunder and lightning, his power extends even to here." "To think that overnight, he will get access to the cathedral with all the city's bureaucrats and dignitaries at his wedding kneeling in submission." "Even more horrifying is the risk you've induced Maud to take with the wedding." "While she's in the fortress, Maud is in his power completely." "I can do nothing till the sorcerer takes her to my chosen ground, the cathedral." "My father told me secrets that even the archbishop doesn't know." "You foolish boy, not only will there be an army of guards, but the sorcerer himself will be by her side." "Zakariak." "Will you take Maud" " to be your wife?" " Yes." "Maud, will you take Zakariak to be your husband?" "No." "This man is a violent beast." "A savage, as you all are." " Why don't you do something?" " Quickly!" "It's a secret passage that emerges in the Great Forest, where horses are waiting for us." "Mount up!" " He's really done it." " Let's go!" "Vile temptress!" "I have lost you." "But your mosquito lover won't have you either!" "You called me a beast, so wherever you are, a beast is what you'll be!" "Maud!" "Wretched bird." "He scared your poor fiancée away." "So easily scared?" "Maud has become a doe." "Does fear everything." "Then I'll have to coax her back somehow." "These sweets are her favourite." "Maud..." "Thibault, don't feed that foraging fowl." "You'll never get rid of him." "Deer all look alike and deer all run away." "Cheer up, my boy." "I know of a fairy who can reverse these sorcerer's spells." "If we can reach the Fairy of Caresses, she'll return Maud to you more beautiful than ever." "My father told me of this Fairy of Caresses." "I was surprised he'd built a palace for her." "It doesn't surprise me." "Fairies can't do everything themselves." "Besides, I suspect she was rather fond of your father." "He had considerable charm." "He never told me any of her palace's secrets." "Nor me, though I was his best friend." "It was a fairy's secret." "But my studies and your knowledge of your father's work" " should open a few doors." " Yes." "I did warn you." "Shoo that scurvy scrounger away!" "Oh, he amuses me." "Bear to the right." "We're coming up to the Hollow Cliff." "All right, what we're looking for is a star escaping from a hole in the cliff." "Keep your wits about you." "That's where the concealed entrance is, just below it." "When the door opens, promise me this." "That coruscating corvid stays outside." "He already chased off your fiancée That's enough." " He spotted the star before we did." " Sheer luck." "And these scavengers love anything that glitters." "I can't stand them." "Amusement has no place here." "You must choose between that ill-fated fowl and me, your guardian." "Well, if you put it like that..." "I think I've found the mechanism to operate the door." "An air vent, so we can breathe in this enclosed chamber." "Oh no!" "That menace will hold us back." "Well, so far, he's ahead of us." "That portcullis is one of my father's." "See a release handle?" "No." "Nothing." " Of course!" " Where?" " On the other side." " Oh no." "That lever." "Just there." "It's well out of reach." "If only I could get the crow to move it." "Good crow..." "Go and perch on that lever." "Just there." "Well done, lovely crow!" "This time, pessimist guardian, the crow has saved us." "Until the next disaster." " Cornered like rats." " No." "This is my father's favourite puzzle." "Watch this." "One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten." " Oh no!" " What is it?" "Our fairy's inside that egg." "When she gets bored, little by little, the egg forms round her and she is enclosed till something interesting happens." "So near our goal." " Right." "We must break the egg." " Hold on." "That shell, alas, will break your sword." "All the same, I'll try." "All right!" "Do better!" "Smarty beak." "Thank you." "I've been shut in that for so long." "What can I do for you to repay you?" "The girl I love was transformed into a deer." "Well, one caress and your beloved will be yours once more." " Where is the deer?" " Well, I don't know." "Don't know?" "What do you mean?" "How can I caress her and change her back?" "She has to be here." "Bear, deer, swan, wolf, I've changed 'em all, but..." "We were sure that you'd be able to fix our transformation problem as well." "Can you at least do something to silence that cacophonic corvus?" "He just has lots to say." "Well, can you understand bird language?" "Sorry, no." "But my cousin, the Bird Fairy, she can speak it fluently." "All right." "Then we must get to your cousin the Bird Fairy." "You must go to Bird Island in the Sixth Ocean." "That's where she is." " Oh, no!" "That's the ends of the earth." " Yes." "My loyal bird, will you agree to come with me to the ends of the earth to save my only true love?" "Well." "So, he didn't turn me into a deer." "My prince, you were very slow to give me a caress." "I won't be again..." "Maud..." "Thibault..." "Good Fairy, I have to admit, I cannot understand just how Maud regained human form again." "Oh, really, sir, do you need an explanation of love?" "But it's you who have the power to reverse an evil spell." "Not Thibault." "My dear man, despite all you know of science, you are still very naive." "The magic that passes between boy and girl goes well beyond any power of us poor fairies." "I noticed he caressed the crow tenderly, with ease, even science." "This young man clearly has talent." "I feel that he's like you." "Really?" "And I feel that he's more like his father." "Er, you mean..." "Sir, a fairy's secret remains her secret."