The Parables of Ancient Earth

The gates came up with a clang. The Cyclops called the Compressor strutted onto the field. Archippus noted this beast was easily larger than the first two Cyclopes. From the second gate Gershom strolled onto the field. “Why is he walking?” asked Raimi. “I don’t know,” answered Archippus. “Why does Gershom do anything?” Raimi shot an angry glance at Archippus. Gershom trotted up to the Cyclops. The lumbering creature reached out, but Gershom jumped backward at the last second so the Compressor caught only air. The crowd roared. Gershom stepped forward again just close enough to make the creature execute a second grab at empty air. Gershom repeated this trickery over and over, as he lured the Cyclops up one lane of the Cali-see-em and down the other. “What’s he doing?” asked Raimi. Emoticas straightened. “He’s conserving his own energy while forcing the Cyclops to expend a great deal of oomph. He’s a genius.” “I don’t know if I’d call him a genius,” said Archippus. “It takes genius to recognize genius,” said Hodos. Archippus glanced indignantly at the bird. He had forgotten Hodos was perched on Emoticas’ far shoulder. “What’s that suppose to mean?” “Exactly what I said,” answered Hodos. Archippus gave a frustrated sigh and returned his attention to the arena. By now, the crowd had grown restless. “Fight, fight, fight,” they began to chant. Gershom glanced right and left about the crowd. He lifted his arm as if to acknowledge the unrest. Then he dived and rolled between the Compressor’s legs and jumped up giving a sideways kick to the back of the Cyclops. Apparently pleased at the physical contact, cheers erupted from the crowd. Gershom repeated the move several times, soundly kicking the Cyclops after each swift dive. The angered beast spun violently each time hoping to grab his aggressor. “It doesn’t appear these creatures have much of a capacity to predict repetition,” said Emoticas. “Good!” said Raimi, biting down on a fingernail. Gershom jumped up onto the five-foot high center divider and waited for the Compressor to lunge at his feet. When the attack came, he jumped forward over the head of the Cyclops, somersaulted, and landed flat on his feet behind the Compressor. The crowd leaped to their feet and screamed approval at the amazing maneuver. “Where did he learn that?” asked Raimi. Emoticas shook his head and gave a wide-eyed shrug. Many in the audience were ripping up and tossing their Fight III, Slave, Less Than ¼ Hourglass leaflets to the ground. Gershom now was pausing as the Cyclops spun to grab him. Just before each grab, Gershom jabbed a powerful kick into the Cyclops’s ribs. This new strategy continued while Gershom circled the arena for a second time. Sand was pouring through the official hourglass. The crowd continued to chant, “Fight, fight, fight.”