Stories + Poems

The Box Figure of Chames-Rame – Draft Two

 

Thousands of years ago, in 205 BC the queen of Chames-Rame was with a midwife. The midwife was a petite lady with curly brown hair. Her eyes were green and happy but impatient too. She wore a long frock made from sheep skin, with a long felt cape that reached the ground.

 

“Oh my, your Ladyship. You have twins!” exclaimed the midwife, a smile creeping up her face.

 

“Twin... twin who? What gender. Oh, I am dying to know,” Queen Amara pleaded.

 

“Two... boys! Congratulations, Queen Amara,” the midwife beamed.

 

“Thank you, Miss. I think now I must rest. Do pass the news to King Edward and feel free to pass the babies on to him!”

 

Queen Amara wore a long gold coloured tunic with dainty embroidery and sparkly gold beads sewn on by the professional dressmaker all the way from Gankit.

 

The midwife washed down the baby boys and then barged out of the room. She scuttled down every corner and hallway of King Edward and Queen Amara's palace calling, “King Edward! Your Majesty, I hold great news!”

 

As she weaved in and out of the rooms carrying the twins in both hands, she came across a butler: Mr G. Virgo. He was tall and lean with a large nose and large eyes that held confusion. He wore an orange tunic, fastened by a heavy rope belt and a striped green brat, draped over his right shoulder. Underneath his tunic were a pair of tight beige trousers with leather sandals on his small feet.

 

“Miss, why on Earth are you holding two crying babies? Whose are they? They can't possibly be yours; you told me you didn't have a husband!” Mr Virgo asked, the confusion growing.

 

The midwife shook her head and replied, “Virgo, this is amazing news that must get to the King before it gets to anyone else.”

 

“Oh really? Tell me, Miss, and I will give you great riches,” negotiated Mr Virgo.

 

“Oh, alright, but give me lots and lots! That way I can stop being a midwife and live in a palace bursting with money; not that poor unloved old cottage that my great, great, great grandparents built and passed down to me. Well, Virgo, Queen Amara – Edward's wife – has had twin boys! You know how much King Edward wanted boys. Ah, this really is a dream come true. Lovely. Splendid. Magnificent! Now, you tag along and we'll find the King. Great news arrives!” the midwife blurted out in a hurry.

 

“Yes, Miss. I'll tag along!”

 

Twenty years passed and the twins were young men. They were both followed about by beautiful girls and princesses seeking a husband. Nineteen years, 11 months and 13 days ago, the twins had had their christening. The taller boy, with dark brown eyes and black hair, was named Jacob and the muscular boy, with the shoulder-length blond hair and piercing blue eyes was named Edward Jr. On Edward and Jacob's twentieth birthday, they both had to leave and rule the two most special cities in all of the country: Hangshru and Jegu. They set off on their journey to the cities on opposite sides of the country. Hangshru was large and green. The country surrounded Hangshru and many trees and flowers grew. Jengu was a deserted land with hot sand and only a few birds, circling. There was scorching heat in Jengu and when Jacob arrived, he could feel his hot hair burning with heat. They both arrived in the early morning after the long ride on horseback the day before.

 

“This is lovely!” Edward cried when he got off his horse at the border of Hangshru, “I wonder what the palace looks like.”

 

Edward tied the horse with a rope to a tall thick maple tree. He approached a small man sitting underneath a large oak tree selling shiny shark teeth jewelry. The man was short and his hair was graying. His hair grew below his shoulders and his moustache arched underneath his nose.

 

“Good morning,” Edward smiled when he stopped at the stall.

 

“Hello, customer. May I interest you with this terrific shark teeth bracelet? Only 2 shillings,” the man advertised.

 

“No thank you. I am Prince Edward Jr; here to rule the city of Hangshru,” Edward explained.

 

“Oh my! I'd better show you to the palace, mustn’t I? Follow me, your highness!”

 

The man snaked in and out of green trees and brick roads until finally they turned up at the palace, where many soldiers were saluting and the ladies were dancing in greetings. The palace was just like a giant cottage. Flowers slithered up the chipped paint circling in and out of vines. There were dozens of leaves scattered on the roof. From what Edward could see, there were four floors.

 

Jacob fell to the floor as soon as he arrived in Jengu.

 

“The heat burns me through. Someone, bring me water!” Jacob sighed.

 

“Yes, your honor,” said a servant.

 

The servant pushed through the crowds of people and disappeared into the audiences. He appeared smaller and smaller, the closer he began to the castle. The castle was a grand mason which was made from only the finest silver and gold. There were small holes all around it and dead trees fell. The dead trees had been moved by servants to look like a fence. Three men in blue and yellow checked kilts danced with sweat rolling down their foreheads. They seemed tired out but just kept dancing. The servant whispered to one man, who whispered to another, who whispered to the other. All three of the men nodded and then opened the large wooden door for him.

 

It took many, many years for the men to feel at home in the two very different cities. Soon enough, the brothers found their true loves. Jacob's sweetheart was a Spanish princess who had dark brown hair and smiling green eyes. Her skin was naturally olive but tanned more and more in the fiery heat, changing her skin to a very dark colour. She was beautiful inside and out! Her name was Anita and she loved Jacob with all her heart just like he loved her. Edward's soul mate was a young maid at his palace. She was blond with aqua eyes which anyone could sink into at a glance. Her skin was pale but beautiful. She loved Edward just as much as Anita loved Jacob. Edward's fiancé was called Venus.

 

Just before disaster struck, Jacob made a large box. It was wooden and painted white. It had glossy patterns all over and was studded with beads and rhinestones. He made a smaller box that was made from solid gold with many flowers decorated all around and patterns too. On the bigger box, he wrote Prince Jacob Carlisle and on the smaller box he wrote Princess Anita Garcia. Then, he built a tiny silver box and wrote Prince Jacob Carlisle + Princess Anita Garcia are forever in love. He attached each on to each so that the biggest box was on the bottom the middle sized box was on top of that and the smallest box was on top of all. Inside each box, Anita and Jacob kept special things from their experiences of life. Inside the smallest box, Anita and Jacob kept their wedding paintings. Inside the middle box Anita kept her jewelry and a small camel picture, she was given at birth that was painted on wood. In the biggest box, Jacob kept his first sword, spear and horse reins.

 

Edward did exactly the same as Jacob but changed the designs. All three boxes were made of gold with silver beads and rhinestones. On the biggest box, he wrote Prince Edward Jr Carlisle, on the smaller box he wrote Princess Venus Mendoza and on the smallest box he wrote Prince Edward Jr Carlisle + Princess Venus Mendoza are forever in love. In the smallest box, Venus and Edward kept a painting of a boat that an artist painted for them to go above their bed. In the bigger box, Venus kept her wedding gown. In the biggest box, Edward kept his scroll of love and life.

 

Only three weeks later, a war broke out in Chames-Rame. The Morales Empire was... invading. Troupes of Morales men marched into the Chames-Rame chanting in their language. All the soldiers wore green and blue checkered cloaks over their muscular arms. They held long and pointed spears decorated with quotes and jewels. Tucked inside their leather belts were large swords and small knives which were suffocated inside golden covers.

 

“Morales je jak i jak nego te! Jak nego odbrojavanje od Chames-Rame!” they sang whilst marching.

 

A large groomed, chestnut coloured horse from the Morales Empire suddenly went mental. It galloped and galloped towards both the box figures and crashed into them, unlinking every box until they scattered across the sand of the Chames-Rame beaches.

 

The war lasted thirty-six years but then Morales got defeated. Every soldier, every horse was killed. By this time, Queen Amara and King Edward were dead of old age. Edward Jr and Jacob were 76 years old and beginning to get sick. They both wrote their wills four days after the war finished:

 

Prince Jacob Carlisle's will:

I, Prince Jacob Carlisle, shall pass away soon. My box figure, made in the most spectacular way, was built by I and my wife Anita, but was rammed into by a horse in the Morales empire. The Morales Empire invaded in 155. I hereby leave my box figures to anyone who can fix them back together. It seems very easy but it is not. A special way is made and anyone may try. If you connect it back together, you will be crowned king of Jengu. Courage and will power is needed. If you think you can, please try. You may be crowned king of Jengu.

 

Prince Edward Jr Carlisle's will:

I am Price Edward of both Chames-Rame and Hangshru. I ruled Hangshru from the age of twenty and I shall not stop, even as a dead man, until someone becomes king. My wife Venus and I haven't had children, for she can not have any, so the only way of becoming king of Hangshru is to fix my box figure. I built a box figure which is seen in Ban corner of Hangshru which fell apart when the Morales War broke out. A horse in a trance, bumped into it and wrecked it. I shall never forgive Morales for destroying my box figure. It was to be by my grave. If anyone can fix the complicatedly built box figure, you will be the king or queen of Hangshru. Good luck!

 

 

Thousands of years later, in the year 1996, Professor Christopher Williams from England and his daughters Alisha and Victoria traveled for miles to Jengu to see the box figure. When the safari car pulled up outside of Jengu Beach, the three of them jumped from the large cameo truck, driven by a small tour guide of about nineteen years old.

 

“Wow, Vicky,” gasped Alisha, “It's hotter than it looks! I'm blazing from head to toe. Where are we going, Daddy, it's terribly hot to go walking for hours!”

 

“Now, Alisha, we're only walking for five minutes or so and then we'll make it to the royal palace of Jengu!” Professor Chrisopher announced, “Come along, girls, we have much to see!”

 

The two girls, the professor and the tour guide all trudges in their sweaty sandals toward a large brick house. It was made from gold and silver but crumbled in areas. The glass of the widows was smashed and everything was disintegrating. Dust was piling up on the bricks and graffiti was drawn all over the palace.

 

“It looks like no one has lived here for millions of years!” Victoria exaggerated.

 

“No, Vicky, only a couple thousand years. No need to exaggerate,” the professor explained.

 

“Ooh, I see! Can we live in that house? It's made from gold and silver, we'd be rich. Oh, please, Daddy?” Victoria begged.

 

“Only if your daddy here can fix up these blocks. No one has yet. Not even in Hangshru!” the tour guide sighed.

 

“Well, I can try. How much is it per go?”

 

“Free!” the tour guide laughed, “Come along, we'll fix you up a go.”

 

Everyone staggered in the heat with the tour guide towards a fenced up area. A sign was placed on the barbed wire fence saying The Box Figure: Try And See If You Can Be King. The tour guide unlocked the door of the fence, and helped the professor inside. Alisha and Victoria followed the tour guide in and shut the door.

 

“Woah, those are big!” gulped the professor, “Oh, well, I can try.”

 

The tour guide handed Professor Christopher some screws, nails, screwdrivers and other tools. The professor picked out three nails and a red screwdriver.

 

“Hmm...”

 

He swiveled the nails in and out of the holes and placed the boxes on top of each other trying every technique he could think of. He left two nails in and then slipped four screws in two holes.

 

“Yes... it's working...”

 

He picked up a glue gun and squirted some glue on to the bottom of a rhinestone and stuck it on again. He shoved his hand into a large bag of nails and screws. He pulled out his hand grasping a bronze nail and a silver screw. He placed the smallest box on the middle sized box trying to understand the method used.

 

“Aha!”

 

He slipped a bronze nail in each hole and then turned the screwdriver in each nail. Three cracks were in the boxes so he glued them back together using the glue gun.

 

“Yes! Oh my gosh! I have done it. I... I... wow! Guys, I've fixed it! I'm king of Jengu! This is amazing! I know the method to fixing the box figure of Jengu! Jacob must be so proud of me. I can't believe this!”

 

“Woah. Dude, you've made it. You're the King ofJengu! I never thought I'd say this. Well done. Good on you, mate! I have to tell the guys. This is amazing!” the tour guide patted him on the back and then led him to the mayor of Jengu.

 

The mayor's office was small and cramped. The desk had files and papers stacked high and pens and pencil scattered everywhere.

 

“Francis, mate. What can I do you for?” the mayor smiled.

 

“Someone has actually FIXED the box figure!”

 

“No!”

 

“Yes, mayor! It's this guy here, Mr... what's your name?”

 

“Professor Christopher Williams.”

 

“Good on you, Chris! Thank you. I guess I ain't needed now. See you later, King!”

 

The room was filled with laughter, joy and relief. Jengu had a king after 2000 years!