EXILIUM REX

Chapter 21

Angelo del Mundo's Rohypnol-Induced Hallucination In Fable Mode (Part 1)

I. The Disappearance

All the waters of Ayisa are in deep turmoil. The King of the Sea has disappeared. With his disappearance arose the real peril to all the waters of Ayisa of being invaded and conquered for good by the foreign forces which have time and anon wrecked great havoc and fear to the saltwater creatures: the fish kills, the red tides and the other phenomena seen by many of the inhabitants of this deepest water world as a distressful part and parcel of their lives in the Kingdom of the Ayisan Sea. In truth, they are eternally grateful to the King and to the Council of the Clams; because, if not for the efficient and effective governance of the natural wealth and resources of the kingdom by their beloved leader and advisers, the reign of real development and peace in their kingdom shall forthwith come to its end.

But, because the King of the Sea has disappeared, all the waters of Ayisa now seem to be on the dangerous edge of a mighty and rushing waterfall, that which appears to be pushing all the saltwater creatures closer and closer to the deep end of these perilous waters. Just how did this come about? Even the waves of the sea which should have known when or how their noble leader vanished have not a clue whatsoever. And even the fishes which always have their eyes open are sure that it was impossible for their beloved King to pass underwater when he disappeared. Where was the Armed Mermen of Ayisa, led by their chief warrior, General Palikpik-Tainga, the whole time when they were needed by their sovereignty?

Aside from this, and according to the Law of the Ayisan Sea, the king has already reached the proper age, as the Council wisely reminded him two full moons before his disappearance, to get out of the shell of his bachelorhood and look for his “shellmate.” As also written in the said law, once the King of the Sea has found his shellmate, the court of the Council is duty-bound to retrieve from the silvery Shell of Nobility which rests on the bubble-like Ayisan Dome, and finally to allow the chosen lady to wear, what is considered to be the enduring legacy of their entire watery existence – the Necklace of the Mysterious Pearl of the Sea. Ironically, why the necklace has been called mysterious is still a mystery and a real secret up to now for the denizens of the kingdom of the Ayisan Sea.

In fact, on the eve of the suspected day of the King of the Sea’s disappearance, the letters of invitation have already been sent well inside and far outside the Kingdom of the Ayisan Sea: that on the fourth day starting yesterday, on a Friday, at 7:00 in the evening, there shall be a grand celebration in the Coliseum of the Corals; whereby all the available ladies of royalty and nobility are invited, so from this splendid coterie the beloved King of the Sea may choose his shellmate bride. Although this act is not really provided for in the Law of the Sea, the Council of the Clams, led by Councilor Pabebe, the majority seafloor leader, and by Councilor Lumot, the minority seafloor leader, has deemed it fit and proper for the king to choose his shellmate from amongst the creatures of such royalty and nobility. Instead, of course, of just allowing their noble leader to choose from those who are recognized as the hangers-on or the lowly of their kingdom, like the clam-serving mermaids and mermales which are always quiet in their natural demeanor and which have no other official duty in the kingdom as of now but to be the noble servants of the Councilors, or those bohemian crocodiles which are wild to the core and have those fearful cold eyes and sharp fangs, which have no use as of now in the kingdom but to be the ordinary and free mode of public transportation of each and every saltwater creature of Ayisa.

Because of the grave occurrence that transpired yesterday, it is clear as the rays of the sun striking on the transparent roof of the Ayisan Dome that it shall not be long and Councilor Pabebe will be calling for an emergency session of the Council.

II. The Emergency Session

On the third day before the set grand celebration in the Kingdom of the Ayisan Sea, inside the large hall of the transparent Ayisan Dome which is fully furnished with a carpet made from the interlaced whitest and finest powder of sand not unlike the cotton which can be found in the kingdom of the earth creatures called human beings, the two hundred clam Councilors are sitting in a big circle, each with his or her own beautiful mermaid and handsome mermale on-hand. Also conspicuously deployed in the spherical court for the emergency session are the soldier mermen. While everyone now pays attention to a round stage at the center of the hall, where Councilor Pabebe is presently standing and giving his report of the details of past incidents which may immediately shed light to their present crisis, chief of which is the mysterious disappearance of the King of the Sea. While on both sides of his clammy posture stand two soldier mermen each with their respective trident and shell trumpet and armored with a hard kind of limestone; and over his head hangs a chandelier adorned with bioluminescent planktons as its candles. And lest forgotten, behind one of the two soldier mermen one can get a glimpse of the shadow of Councilor Pabebe’s mermaid on-hand – Tamuneneng. To continue with this deep description: noontime rays of sunlight strike through the transparent sphere of the dome; which, in turn, makes the colorful coral-laden gallery shimmer, the place exclusively reserved by the Council for its guests of honor or ambassadors invited by the well-respected advisers of the Ayisan kingdom. Here, in this gallery of corals, sit the two creatures who are seriously listening to Councilor Pabebe’s report (and behind them are the assigned father-and-son mermales on-hand – Amaing Batumbuhangin and Gasang – for the two dignitaries’ each and every need); although, there will be more than a few instances that the two guests will frown a tad at what the majority seafloor leader is saying, will raise their eyebrows at the handsome mermales on-hand behind them, and, not a few times, too, will whisper to each other’s finned ears until bubbles surge full and unstoppable from both their mouths.