LPF week 22 - The Final

[hwango]

We are a land divided. Traditionally, there has only ever been one way to resolve such conflicts - borrow a child from the human world to sort things out. The outside perspective can be refreshing, and it helps simplify the narrative. Ideology A wins out over Ideology B, and then are after the fact labeled as Good and Evil so everyone can feel good about the outcome. The child goes home a little older and a little wiser, with all sorts of character-building experience under their belt. It’s a win-win for everyone involved - or at least for those who triumph, and of course they are the only people who matter anyway.

We’ve run into a bit of a problem with this method, though.

At first, things seemed to be going quite well with out latest visitor. He had met some friendly talking animals, been given an overview of the current political situation, and was just about to embark on a perilous quest to retrieve an artifact of power, when all of a sudden his mother showed up.

There was a great deal of shouting. Foreign adults are, of course, strictly forbidden. She made an enormous fuss about us “abducting” her child, and even after the situation was explained to her she was adamant that her child not go on such a dangerous adventure. Furthermore, she was very displeased by the adult concepts he would be exposed on his coming-of-age journey. Eventually we were forced to send them both home prematurely, and now the poor boy will probably remain a weird loner with no self-confidence, and we’re still stuck with a complex period of social upheavel with no clear resolution.

Now what are we supposed to do? Take a long, hard look what we believe in and then have a mature and reasoned discussion and try to reach a compromise we can all live with? That sounds booooooring.

Maybe we’ll just flip a coin.

Comments

[meridian_rose]

LOL, there's something very relevant about the black and white thinking presented here along with that ending, and something delightfully Prachett-esque and elitist (conformist?) about "at least for those who triumph, and of course they are the only people who matter anyway."

How different might things be if more heroes had live parents who showed up and put a stop to this nonsense? :)

[hwango]

Well, we'd have a lot more weird loners with no self-confidence, if our narrator is to be believed. Also, there would probably be more mystical artifacts that went unretrieved. = )

[murielle]

Poor kid! Wonder what he thought about his mother showing up? Me? I would never leave any place with talking animals. ;-)

[hwango]

I suspect he felt that parents ruin everything. Talking animals are great, and some of those adult concepts probably sounded interesting.

[dmousey]

I'm with you! one of my favorite movies when I was small - Dr. Doolittle, the version with Rex Harrison and Anthony Newly!!

[murielle]

Oh! I remember that one! I wanted to be Dr. Doolittle! I still do! ;-)

[megatronix]

This is clever, I like it a lot!

[hwango]

Thanks, I'm glad you liked it. = )

[furzicle.livejournal.com]

Your piece presents that always immortant factor: food for thought. My questions include why is it that a child is needed for this mission? Why is this child utilized to carry out some mission? Why not a more experienced adult? How about a committee of a child, a youth, a mature adult and an old wise one? The meddling mother is a good component. I saw many representatives of this personality when I was working as a teacher. It is sadly the truest character of your story.

[hwango]

If I had thought of this idea early enough and had more time, I think I would have written a more elaborate story with a helicopter parent insisting on dealing with all of the challenges themselves.

Who knows why mysterious otherworlds want children? Probably because they're more accepting of things like talking animals and magical quests. Adults just assume they've gone nuts.

[dmousey]

Because a child's imagination believes 'actively' until someone like mom (or a fire breathing dragon) ruins it all. 😊✌🐭🎈🐉

[flipflop_diva]

So my question is, if the children return a little older and a little wiser, do all the parents know they are gone? Or are they returned before anyone knows and this mom just got in the way somehow?

I love all the questions in this, and the end. It feels very relevant to the times we live in!

[hwango]

I feel like for most of that kind of story, the parents never realize that the children are gone...often because they end up coming back almost immediately after they left, from our frame of reference. But this particular mom over-parents so much that they've followed along and mucked up the whole system.

I think we should try borrowing a talking animal or two from their world to solve our current problems. I vote for a pangolin and a platypus.

[halfshellvenus]

Hahaha!

Well, I would say that the 'usual method' here was probably not so great for the child involved.

Unless that was how his particular fairytale or fantasy plot was structured, and assuming some sort of reward or greatness followed...

[hwango]

But these sorts of adventure are always so character-building! Imagine how different we would be if we had never been carried off to a magical land to go on amazing adventures when we were young!

...that did happen to everyone else when they were a kid, right?

[uselesstinrelic]

I think you really managed a lot in a small piece by leaning into some really relatable human behaviors. Even if they're not human, they seem to be doing a pretty good impression c:

[hwango]

Thanks! People have the same problems everywhere, even if they're not really people. = )

[static_abyss]

It is always so refreshing to read your entries because they are always so whimsically surreal and still so grounded in a way. I'm always delightfully entertained when reading the things you write. Great entry and good luck in the finals!

[hwango]

Thanks! The finals turned out not to be on my side, but I appreciate the thought.