Part 1:
And so it came that a time of great change was thrust upon that august and distinguished body known as the Alphabet.
And while some had suspicions or inklings?
None could truly predict the chaos to come.
And the letters faced the unlikely idea of a member departing.
And thus forgoing a life of immense prestige.
And this fact sent shock through not only Alphabetia, but indeed all of the Symbol Realms.
The eighteenth place – a consonant of fine standing – had long since made his decision.
The letter R was leaving the Alphabet.
And while some had suspicions or inklings?
None could truly predict the chaos to come.
And the letters faced the unlikely idea of a member departing.
And thus forgoing a life of immense prestige.
And this fact sent shock through not only Alphabetia, but indeed all of the Symbol Realms.
The eighteenth place – a consonant of fine standing – had long since made his decision.
The letter R was leaving the Alphabet.
The realm of the Alphabet consisted of twenty-six members of varying levels of power.
Although every letter added to the group's fabric, strength and status varied.
No official ranking existed, except for those at the very top.
The leaders were A, B and C.
The Alphabet is also known as the ABCs, and this gave them a weight no others could match.
The letter A loomed mightiest of all, ruling with top authority.
The letter B, judicious and fair, served as second-in-command.
The cruel letter C had become increasingly unstable. Only the power of A, along with other leading letters, kept C in check.
This was the world that R loved, and the world he wished to leave.
For a new life beckoned, one unconcerned with language, or words, or spelling.
And R paid one last visit to the letter P, his friend and mentor.
And P wished him well, and said he would defend R at any cost.
And R said no, making P promise not to take any risks.
And P did agreed to such a vow, insisting to at least lobby on R’s behalf, and the two letters said their goodbyes.
Although every letter added to the group's fabric, strength and status varied.
No official ranking existed, except for those at the very top.
The leaders were A, B and C.
The Alphabet is also known as the ABCs, and this gave them a weight no others could match.
The letter A loomed mightiest of all, ruling with top authority.
The letter B, judicious and fair, served as second-in-command.
The cruel letter C had become increasingly unstable. Only the power of A, along with other leading letters, kept C in check.
This was the world that R loved, and the world he wished to leave.
For a new life beckoned, one unconcerned with language, or words, or spelling.
And R paid one last visit to the letter P, his friend and mentor.
And P wished him well, and said he would defend R at any cost.
And R said no, making P promise not to take any risks.
And P did agreed to such a vow, insisting to at least lobby on R’s behalf, and the two letters said their goodbyes.
And this was all overheard by the letter O, an unpleasant vowel who now undulated with glee.
And O went to D, the head of the Alphabet's general body, to inform her of this news.
And D notified the ruling trio, and was told to call a full assembly.
And a meeting was convened, attended by everyone except Z.
The letter Z long ago made the mistake of challenging A too strongly.
Demoted to the rear-most position, Z was drained of power and left a mindless shell.
Z did not attend meetings.
And O went to D, the head of the Alphabet's general body, to inform her of this news.
And D notified the ruling trio, and was told to call a full assembly.
And a meeting was convened, attended by everyone except Z.
The letter Z long ago made the mistake of challenging A too strongly.
Demoted to the rear-most position, Z was drained of power and left a mindless shell.
Z did not attend meetings.
All of the other letters did go, even the sickly Q.
Of course U was at Q’s side, a look of scorn as she aided the frail letter.
And it came to be that D, at a nod from A, did inform the general body of R’s leaving.
And she opened the floor on the subject of R’s defection.
And the letter F spoke quickly, calling for swift action against R, trying to ratify a motion without even a proposal.
And was quickly chided by D for being out of order.
And F complained, as usual, about not being given respect.
And S and T harrumphed that some letters did not know their place.
And F began screeching, reminding them that he was head of the profanity council, and demanded action.
And thus caused the letter A to raise his voice, and he cautioned F to control himself.
And F halted immediately, and apologized, and gave up the floor.
Of course U was at Q’s side, a look of scorn as she aided the frail letter.
And it came to be that D, at a nod from A, did inform the general body of R’s leaving.
And she opened the floor on the subject of R’s defection.
And the letter F spoke quickly, calling for swift action against R, trying to ratify a motion without even a proposal.
And was quickly chided by D for being out of order.
And F complained, as usual, about not being given respect.
And S and T harrumphed that some letters did not know their place.
And F began screeching, reminding them that he was head of the profanity council, and demanded action.
And thus caused the letter A to raise his voice, and he cautioned F to control himself.
And F halted immediately, and apologized, and gave up the floor.
And the letter E sided with F, proposing harsh measures.
The letters S, T, L, O, V, W and Y all agreed.
P spoke next, calling for tolerance, asking for R to be given his freedom.
He found favor from I, H, U, X and J.
The letters M, G, N, Q and D simply felt the Alphabet was where R belonged.
They voted to achieve this through negotiation, if possible.
This left one undecided vote, its source drawing much interest.
The letter K.
And then K, of strong lines and angles, felt the truth wobble within him.
For he and his secret lover, J, were planning a similar escape.
Romance between letters was forbidden. True love? Impossible.
And of that, K was not afraid. He'd fight an army for J.
J had voted for R to leave, but she was curvy, more flexible.
K knew his limits. Too rigid. As much he disliked R, they needed his help.
And thus K voted for peaceful return, causing a slight murmur that D silenced.
And J and K braced themselves, knowing they were headed for certain doom, and that their fates were sealed, and that they'd go forward just the same.
The letters S, T, L, O, V, W and Y all agreed.
P spoke next, calling for tolerance, asking for R to be given his freedom.
He found favor from I, H, U, X and J.
The letters M, G, N, Q and D simply felt the Alphabet was where R belonged.
They voted to achieve this through negotiation, if possible.
This left one undecided vote, its source drawing much interest.
The letter K.
And then K, of strong lines and angles, felt the truth wobble within him.
For he and his secret lover, J, were planning a similar escape.
Romance between letters was forbidden. True love? Impossible.
And of that, K was not afraid. He'd fight an army for J.
J had voted for R to leave, but she was curvy, more flexible.
K knew his limits. Too rigid. As much he disliked R, they needed his help.
And thus K voted for peaceful return, causing a slight murmur that D silenced.
And J and K braced themselves, knowing they were headed for certain doom, and that their fates were sealed, and that they'd go forward just the same.