QUEEN MAB AND THE BOOJUM

Her chariot is an empty hazel-nut
Made by the joiner squirrel or old grub,
Time out o' mind the fairies' coachmakers.
And in this state she gallops night by night.

(Shakespeare, from Romeo and Juliet)

The third hour after midnight they seated me in the chariot of Queen Mab. It was of a prodigious dimension, large enough to contain more stowage than the tun of Heidelberg, and globular, like a hazel-nut.

(from The Original Travels of Baron Munchausen)

But if ever I meet with a Boojum, that day,

In a moment (of this I am sure),

I shall softly and suddenly vanish away -

And the notion I cannot endure!

 

(Lewis Carroll,  from The Hunting of The Snark)

 

Mab was the queen of the fairies. She lived in a secluded place, populated with strange beings, some dangerous; and lively plants, all gentle. She traveled in a carriage the shape of a hazel-nut, as recorded by Shakespeare and Baron Munchausen.

The biology of the Boojum is recorded by Lewis Carol. The Boojum came to Queen Mab's court a short time before she vanished. No one knows why the Boojum came; perhaps many were seeking him in his own country, some with malignant intent. The Boojum stayed in Mab's court because she loved him, and returned to his own country only after Queen Mab vanished.

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INTRODUCTION Horns, with a background of percussion, evoke the astonishment of Queen Mab's court when the Boojum arrives.

THE CLIFF This piece depicts a high cliff next to the ocean. White birds hover and circle near the face of the cliff. Far below waves crash on the rocks. There are other creatures here; Queen Mab, her faeries, and the Boojum.

QUEEN MAB STROLLS IN HER GARDEN She is accompanied by her retinue of fairies, musicians and the Boojum. The twilight air carries the sounds of the plants, animals, musicians and the twosome in an easy way.

THE POWER STATION Queen Mab and her retinue visit one of her power stations. It is located in a far-away-cold place. The shriek of the weather outside can be heard over the throb of the machinery.

WHITE NOISE ORGAN A white noise organ has a 'white noise' generator. Music is formed when resonators isolate and amplify, from the white noise, the specific frequencies desired. Queen Mab plays her organ.

LISTENING Queen Mab has arrays of radio towers and radio telescopes which work much like the white noise organ. She whiles away the midnight hours listening for sounds from the sky that would reveal life in a seemingly empty universe.

MAB'S BEDROOM Queen Mab and the Boojum watch the fairies dance to an old love song played on an ancient stringed instrument.

DREAMS Queen Mab, and her entourage sleep deeply; dreaming of times past and times to come.

QUEEN MAB VANISHES

THE RETURN The Boojum returns to his own country.

e-mail the author: baileysteppe@msn.com

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