Taros - Serpent Of The Sea

Chapter Ten - The Last Avatar

"Everyone is coming," said Minos, pulling on his beard.

His right elbow was cupped in his left hand and he was pulling furiously.

"Daedalus!" he intervened, "I know you can make the earth move under my feet but all I want is a comedy!"

"Comedy," repeated Daedalus.

"Yes, a nice light comedy, non-threatening, with a little tragedy and a little remorse if you must but keep it light."

"Light," repeated Daedalus.

"Do you have to repeat everything I say?"

"I have many kinds of light," Daedalus informed him, "Diffuse light, direct light, lime light. I cangive you the colors of the rainbow if you desire."

"Yes, that will be wonderful."

"It will also be very expensive. Some colors are nearly non-existent in the material world. Blue for instance, is very hard to get, whether you burn it or mix it doesn't matter, but yellow, there are a dozen shades of yellow from amber to..."

"Daedalus!" he intervened, "I do not need a dissertation on the colors of the rainbow. I need a nice little comedy with enough color to give it warmth and some special effects so everyone knows it you."

"I can do that," said Daedalus.

"I know. That's why I hired you, now can we get on with it?"

"I'll have a script by morning. I have some around here I've never used before. I'll change a few names and before you can say..."

"Daedalus, that will be fine," said King Minos, "I'll come by tomorrow."

"Good good," agreed Daedalus, "I must get to work on our comedy."

But Minos wasn't yet ready to leave.

"I heard what happened in Athens," said the king.

"What was that?" asked Daedalus.

"Your wings, the ones you made for Icarus? He flew too close to the sun?"

"Well, that's what they say but the truth is the sun is at least as far away as, say, we are from the Keltoi, perhaps even farther so I don't think the distance had anything to do with it. They might just as easily have melted sitting in his garden but the point is he didn't let them cure. You can't take wings out on the first or second day. They have to get rubbery or they will undoubtedly fall apart leaving one flapping at feathers."

"Fortunately he fell into the water," he added, "No harm done."

"Yes," said Minos, "I have a project that you might be able to help me with."

"I'm all ears," said Daedalus.

"I have a pet, you might say, who is adept at getting out of his habitat."

"Oh, in your menagerie."

"Yes, and I'm hoping you can help me find away to keep it from escaping."

"Is it a lion, does it climb, does it have wings?" asked Daedalus.

"It is a little chimpanzee," said Minos.

"Thumbs," said Daedalus, shaking his head, "Any creature with thumbs is a creature that can use a tool. How smart is this chimpanzee?"

"Almost as smart as a human," said Minos.

Daedalus knew that Minos didn't need his help to corral a chimp and he also knew that Minos was rumored to have a rare kind of ape.

"Does your chimpanzee have gray skin, oval eyes, is nearly hairless and stands about four feet tall?" asked Daedalus.