Arbitration

Arbitration

Free Me,
Free You.
Don't finish this story
whatever you do.

Don't do it I said
as she stood on the edge
the terrible drop behind her.

Don't do it she said
as I stood on the edge
the terrible drop behind me.

Free You.
Free Me.
For a future
that we may see.

Brinkmanship
A revised title

Once upon a time, as I was writing a fairy tale:

One of the characters objected to how I planned to end the story. She lodged a complaint with the Council of Fairy-Human Relations.

The Designated Liaison of the Council to Authors ( Dlocta ) informed me of the complaint.
I objected "What jurisdictional authority does the Council have in this matter?"

Dlocta then pointed out the obvious. "Hello! Fairy Tale?"

"But still;" I further objected, "the dispute does not involve the fairy character."

"Fine," decided Dlocta, "you work it out between the two of you. I'll just watch."

The character and I were both rather adamant, not in the mood for compromise, so naturally we both went straight to the edge; brinkmanship by definition.

We eventually reached an accommodation, and lived happily … what I meant was to be continued … perhaps.


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Plaintiff's remarks:
     We are free agents.

Author's notes:
      It seems to me that fairy tales are all about resolutions of crises. In some cases perhaps closure is goal. In either event, the story must play itself out before it can be said to have reached its end.