The Weekend Eudemon
I have only a few words for this Weekend Eudemon. I have a new writing project that needs my attention, and I have to drive Football Jack (9) to a game about an hour away this morning. The game will take about two hours, and we must be there an hour early, so that's a big chunk of the day.
I also have to work at the 4-H County Fair most of tomorrow, selling hot dogs and hamburgers to hungry farmers, carnies, and sundry fair dwellers. The fair is the biggest event in our county, bringing hundreds of thousands into the county seat (a village of 2,500). It's a good opportunity to make money for local charitable causes, and so my kids and I sacrifice one day of the year to it.
Things are doing well at TDE. Visitors slacked last week, but boomed this week (the site passed the 600 mark on Wednesday). The Kiosk still needs more posts and visitors, but the site overall is doing well. As always, if you send the URL to friends and family, I'm greatly appreciative.
Malcolm's Messages (What's this?)
Chapter 3: Malcolm Goes Noontide (continued)
And then he rose on one of those concrete benches and spoke in a loud voice.
"I am Malcolm. Some call me banker. Some call me broker. But I am neither of those things. I am author of a mind, lecturer of the university, friend of Mr. Rufus, and foe of the Wicked Gnome."
The assembled stopped chatting and looked at Malcolm as a madman.
"Please, do not be afraid. I have come to take your money, not your time." And like the juggler, Malcolm put a hat in front of the speaking stone, and put one of his dollars in it. "But in exchange for your money, you might get time, something far more precious than money.
"I have come to speak to you, men and women of business. Of busy-ness, I might say. You are all busy people. You work, you eat and chat, you work. And if you are not working in these magnificent temples," and here he paused to raise his hands up to the tall buildings with sincere reverence, "you are busy with your children, or with the stick game, or with fishing, or with watching the warriors, or with trips, or with buying and consuming, or with planning for such things, and failing all those, you have the wonder box."
Like his speech at the Triangle, the eaters were interested in Malcolm's words, if only for entertainment purposes. These eaters were more mature and less idealistic than the students. But nonetheless, even the eaters found Malcolm powerful and the Face Ocean stretched before him again.
"And these things are good!" Malcolm said pointedly. "Let no one tell you they are bad. These good things defeat The Demon of Noontide, the one creature that could kill Wise Men even after the Wicked Gnome had been bound and gagged.
"And these things are good, for they refresh you for your labors and without your labors, your children must starve.
"And these things are good, for they bring you friendship with others. For without these things, there is no common interest, and without common interest, there is no friendship, and without friendship, life is the void."
