GarGar’s team won the ping-pong tournament handily. Dancing a merry jig and waving his handkerchief over his head, GarGar must have shouted “Woo hoo!” A hundred times before Pirouette finally said, “That’s enough, my lord! Nobody likes a bad winner.” Looking a bit crestfallen, GarGar stuffed his handkerchief back into a sleeve and gave Pirouette a deep bow.
“Let’s remove ourselves to my suite,” said le comte des Deux Chats. “A wonderful surprise awaits!” GarGar motioned to the door that led to his rooms in the palace, and the hallway filled with Queen Pirouette, her ladies and friends. In the dim space, GarGar took advantage of the opportunity to give Pirouette a little pat on the buttocks. She laughed and pushed his hand away. “Not here!” She said through gritted teeth.
Once everybody was stuffed into GarGar’s antechamber, he picked up a horn and gave it a single blast. All side conversations were silenced. GarGar lifted up a nondescript wooden box. “In here I have a magical spy-glass that allows one to see into other dimensions.” Opening the velvet-lined box, he drew out what looked very much like a field glass that one uses to see great distances. It looked to be made of brass and was about twenty centimeters long. “This is how it works,” he said. “You put the eyepiece to your eye, like so. Then you turn the lens at the end like so.” Peering into the glass, GarGar emitted a few sounds like, “Oh! Ooh! Ah!” Handing it to Pirouette, he said. “You first!”
Pirouette looked at the object with suspicion. “What’s this thing called?” She asked.
“It’s called a kaleidoscope. Do take a look.” Pirouette gave it a little shake, and she could hear the pieces inside rattle. “It sounds like it’s broken.”
“I promise you, it’s not. Now take a look, my dear.” GarGar was becoming annoyed at Pirouette’s hesitancy. By pushing the larger end, the eyepiece moved closer to Pirouette’s eye. She took a look.
“Heavens!” She was all she said. When she began to turn the outer lens, she burst into laughter. “It’s amazing! Everyone must see!” She pulled it away from her eye and handed it to Abigail. “Tell everybody what you see!” She instructed her Chief Lady of the Bedchamber.
Beautiful Photographs 