a lovely day - 2. death of a tyrant

by nick nelson

there are different versions to every story you do not say so. not all the best people are enthusiastic about the new order. what did i just tell you? nothing lasts forever, no matter how new it is. are you trying to extract information from me? what information could you have? you say you have no friends at court. it is a lovely day. the sky is kind, and the breeze is sleepy. the river runs to the sea. i always knew you were a philosopher. you learn something new every day. would you like me to tell you a story? will i learn anything from it? why, that is up to you. tell me a story about - about the death of a tyrant. a tyrant stood high on a balcony, listening to the cheers of the crowd. was he just a tyrant? had he no redeeming qualities? suddenly a cloud passed overhead. the mother of all clouds. and a voice came forth from the cloud. the voice of a little child. asking, who is this person? and the sky split in two. on one side of the sky a chlld juggled twelve dragons. and on the other side a dragon juggled thirteen clowns and in the middle of the sky a clown sang a sad song the saddest song that had ever been sung. then the crowd went home. what happened to the tyrant? he is waiting for you downstairs with a message from the gypsy i told you it was a lovely day