AVALON MISTS: A momentary escape from reality. Issue #13 First Released: Thursday, April 25th, 1996 ****Editor's Notes: Due to computer problems, I've lost several poetry pieces. If you don't see your work here, and I haven't gotten to you, please complain at me and I'll send your work out next week. Sorry everybody! (Is it my imagination or has the Xanatos virus invaded several computers lately? ) ****Poetry**** "ANGEL OF THE NIGHT" [or, AWAKENINGS in song] as sung by Goliath -- to the tune of "Flora, The Lily Of The West" --Batya "The Toon" Levin (bl96@columbia.edu) When Castle Wyvern was our home, that sheltered us by day I knew a fair young maiden there who stole my heart away Her graceful wings, her flaming hair, her eyes that blazed so bright And the name I called her then was my angel of the night. She was my greatest warrior, my second in command She stood by me in battle and she bound my wounded hand No joy could e'er be greater than to soar with her in flight I loved her like no other, my angel of the night. We went to drive the Vikings off, my mentor old and I We realized we had been deceived--then dawn lit up the sky When we returned the castle burned, the Vikings won the fight I wept for her destruction, my angel of the night. Now we are in Manhattan, a thousand years have passed The castle rose above the clouds and broke the spell at last The man called David Xanatos had brought us all to light And with him was my true love, my angel of the night. But worse than death is treachery, and causes greater pain I learned that lesson years ago, and learn it now again My love's at war with humankind, and full of hate and spite And her name is now Demona, my angel of the night. ****Top Ten Lists**** "Top 10 Reasons Why We Watch Gargoyles" --Jillian Dampf (cuddle@connect.ab.ca ) 10.ADDICTION 9. We all can't afford to travel to Manhattan 8. We all want a *guy* (well, boyfriend) like Brooklyn 7. We have stopped worrying about how big our feet are. 6. Brookie's buns jiggle when he flies (well, kind of.) 5. My brother shuts up for a half an hour 4. We don't worry about laundry anymore (New fashion--The Elisa look) 3. Chests are more realistic than other "T.V" shows 2. Makes my boyfriend jealous And the number 1 reason why we watch Gargoyles is... 1. No talk of O.J or the Unabomber! ****Fanfiction**** "Afterwards" -- Kristina Mairi Buhrman (kmb19@cornell.edu) Fox was on the ground as Oberon bent over her son, *her son* and he kept screaming and screaming, and she stared at her hands and reached down into herself and nothing happened, except more screaming as Oberon picked up Alexander... David Xanatos was rushing into the bedroom with Goliath and Puck, and when Fox told Oberon that he could take Alexander "over her dead body" watched in frozen horror, unable to move, unable to cry out as he watched Fox crumble under a blast from Oberon's hands and fall into dust, still reaching out towards the cradle as the Lord of Avalon lifted his screaming son... And Fox and Xanatos gasped awake in their bedroom, and ran over to check on Alexander. He was resting peacefully, smiling, and his parents looked at each other from opposite sides of the cradle and felt the same relief. Fox noticed that sometime while they were grabbing what few minutes of sleep they could before the dreams started again, Owen and come in and laid out some breakfast. It had been easy for the gargoyles; just another supernatural force that was thwarted, and while the trio still had a bit of an adrenaline rush afterwards, Goliath and Angela were so used to the routine since Avalon (and had even bested Oberon before, admittedly with a touch of help) that they settled back to the serious business of catching up. Elisa, when told, had found the account to be fantastic and strange, and also totally believable, but aside from warning about Xanatos' future intentions, put her full attention on enjoying the time Goliath spent with her, and so asked for more and more details while letting her mind wander further elsewhere. And most of the city woke up the morning, with a few bruises and a cracked bone or two, but none the wiser. A lot didn't think too much of it, afterall, it *was* New York City. But while the world went back to the routine as if pompous supernatural beings with an attitude was nothing unusual (and perhaps it wasn't, since a certain castle was relocated), the whole affair left a select group shaken. Renard called almost everyday, every *hour* that first morning, and was almost inclined to forgive Xanatos everything for the relief he felt when David had put Alexander on the phone, and Halcyon heard his grandson's happy burbling. Petros extended his stay in New York. And Fox and Xanatos were still reliving the event in their minds. They walked over to breakfast silently, and sat down. Fox picked up her book again from a table nearby and continued the chapter on Titania and changelings. The baby had had another checkup just recently, but when there was a possibility that their darling son had been replaced while they slept with some wrinkled elf, there was no being too sure. Xanatos touched her hand, and she put the book down. "He's fine. Owen would have told us if anything happened." She sighed. "I know... " They continued their meal in silence. The morning after Oberon's visit, they had talked over a table like this one, about their relief. Owen had come in to clear away the dishes. "Thank you Owen." Fox said. "It's the least I could have done, Mrs. Xanatos. Now, unless you'll be needing me..." "Are you *okay* Owen?" Xanatos asked, actually concerned. Owen had caught the tone, paused, and perhaps smiled a small ghost smile, and the light glinted off of his glasses. "Why would I be otherwise?" he asked, and left quietly. Now, several days later, Fox looked at her husband. "What about Owen? Do you think he's still the same inside, still Puck?" Xanatos stared at his eggs benedict. "Hard to tell. He acts exactly the same as before." "But it was all an act to begin with. It'd be monsterous to kill the actor just so that the character he plays will survive, no matter how important or brillant the performance." She pushed her food around her plate. "We owe him David. Everything." He grinned. "I seem to have slipped into some serious debt recently." He looked over at the cradle again. "And you know, I wouldn't have it any other way." ----------------------- After another day dedicated to their son, Xanatos looked at his wife. "We need to go out." "But what about Alexander? What if.... " Fox trailed off, horrified. "Owen will protect him. We need to go out, if only to prove that the world isn't going to fall down again as soon as we look away. We could paint the town red." Fox chuckled. "Let me find something to wear." ---------------------- "... And this is the Sahara. Now, this is Costa Nubar. Look at all the dinosaurs..." Owen pointed at the image floating in front of them, and Alexander laughed. "Now, you try it." Alexander wriggled his hands, and the image changed. Owen sighed. "I suppose its instinctual. This, Alexander, is Avalon." The image shifted again, and Oberon appeared in the frame. "I thought I might check in on the child. And, you too, of course, Puck." " 'Gloat', my lord. The word you're looking for is 'gloat'." "Yes, well," Oberon smiled, showing off his pointed teeth. "I was just teaching Alexander geography. Avalon was a mistake, I'm afraid. If you'll excuse me, we have Siberia to get too..." "Oh, no. Don't scuttle off on *my* account. And I haven't yet talked to the boy." "Ah, I see." The light slid off of Owen's glasses. "I suspect you're bored already. Everyone back on Avalon, no more meddling with the humans, even indirectly, and no fresh blood. In a few centuries, you'll all be sick of each other, and you'll exile the lot again. I mean, what is there to do after the mock battles, the love spells, the pagents and the plays..." "Enough!" Oberon shouted, and the picture disappeared. Owen adjusted his glasses. "That was a self-inflated stick in the mud, Alexander. Let's continue with voodoo, Alexander. Here," Owen picked up a candlestick and it shimmered into a mini-plush Oberon doll. Alexander promptly turned a teddy bear into some red lycra-clad action figure. "I see we'll have to start monitering your TV viewing sooner than I thought." Owen lightly poked the Oberon-doll in the neck with a needle. "See? Simple. Your turn, Alexander." He handed the doll over. Alexander happily skewered the doll in the gut, and Owen grinned. "Oops." ~The end ****That's all, folks.****