the mountebank, too, had a dream.
he dreamed he was one of his remote ancestors.
every human being has a direct line of male ancestors , father’s father’s father’s father, etc - stretching back millions of generations to before “humans” evolved.
and every human has a similar direct line of female ancestors - mother’s mother’s mother’s mother…
the mountebank dreamed he was his direct male ancestor of 80 million years ago - 3,896,403 generations ago.
a lemur like creature weighing 26 ounces, with big blue eyes and a long orange nose, sitting in a big tree.at the edge of a sea of grass.
as the mountebank chewed on a leaf and watched the green and blue blades of grass dance in the wind, suddenly a ship appeared in the sky.
and landed in the sea of grass, just as its dance was about to come to a rousing climax.
the mountebank watched as the ship’s door slid open and lancelot and guinevere stepped out.
they looked around, guinevere with a slightly quizzical expression, lancelot with a neutral one.
“what do you think?” guinevere asked.
lancelot shrugged. “it might do.” as he spoke, a third individual walked out of the ship.
it was robin hood.
robin hood pointed to the mountebank in the tree. “let’s ask that little fellow.”
lancelot noticed the mountebank on his branch. “indeed. look here, my little man, is the grass always green on this planet?’
“yes, sir,” replied the mountebank, “except when it is blue, or when it turns brown or yellow.”
“but does it ever turn red our white?” asked lancelot.
“not that i have ever noticed.”
“excellent. this seems like the place for us.” lancelot looked around at the grass - the grass that had not been disturbed - and nodded.
“he seems a clever little fellow,” guinevere said to lancelot. “perhaps we can make use of him.”
“indeed.” lancelot looked directly up at the mountebank. “i say, how would you like to join our team. we are going to take over this planet. we can make it worth your while.
before the mountebank could reply, guinevere added, “perhaps he can replace merlin.” she turned back to robin hood, who was surveying the scene with a rather vacant expression. “where is merlin - still asleep?”
“yes, so far as i know,” robin hood answered.
“i thought so.”
suddenly the sky turned red and the sun went down, leaving the world in darkness. a pale right streamed from the door of the ship.
“why don’t you come inside with us?” guinevere asked the mountebank. “we can discuss all this more comfortably.”
the mountebank hopped down from the tree and followed lancelot and guinevere into the ship. robin hood followed behind the mountebank and the door closed.
the mountebank found himself in a low-ceilinged room like the parlor of an inn. he sat down at a round table with his trio of new friends.
guinevere rang a little bell on the table and a couple of servants appeared. the mountebank recognized them as the wandering jew and pope joan.
“is lord merlin still asleep?” lancelot asked the servants.
“yes, sir, like the dead,” replied the wandering jew.
“he might be dead,” added pope joan.
“dead or alive, this fellow is replacing him,” said lancelot to the wandering jew.
“very good, sir,” said the wandering jew. “what shall be done with lord merlin?”
“if he is dead, bury him. if he is alive, drive him out into the countryside, to make his way as best he can.”
“yes, sir.”
lancelot turned to pope joan. “and bring our friend here - what dd you say you name was?” lancelot asked the mountebank.
“moloch,” replied the mountebank.
“bring moloch a great lusty flagon of ale," lancelot told pope joan. "and the same for ourselves of course.”
“yes, sir,” pope joan nodded.
“to your great health, moloch!” lancelot cried, when the flagons had been brought out.
“yes, to moloch!” robin hood and guinevere echoed. “and to a new world!”
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