Page 4 - Fables volume 3

Ahead of it a terrified lizard scurried up to the banyan and vaulted
into the Old One’s redoubt. It was Great Niece.
“Uncle!” she shrieked. “That monster will kill us all. Flee!”
The Master of Creation hissed derisively. “I’ll do the killing here.
Do you know what went wrong? That contraption has no human
operator.”
“Yes, Uncle. As you commanded, I traveled north to observe any
changes in bipedal activity.” She paused a moment, still breathless.
“When a new bunch achieved adulthood, they stopped fighting
among themselves and began various cooperative ventures.”
Son-in-law beamed. “See: I told you I would fix it.”
“Shut up. Continue, Great Niece.”
“They used their unimpeded intelligence to develop automated
means of carrying on their existing exploitative extraction of
resources. They are staying home while self-propelling mechanisms
do their work, faster and more efficiently. This area is going to be
totally clear-cut and plowed under today. Oh, what shall we do?”
“I,” emphasized the Cold-blooded King, “shall take care of it. Any
terminal remarks, Son-in-law?”
“Ah, nobody’s perfect, O Mandibles of Doom.”
“You are indeed perfect—a perfect idiot! And on whose watch was
it that we allowed that comet to kill off our oversized ancestors—the
ones who kept all these mammals pint-sized and pusillanimous?”
“Uh, mine, I think.” Son-in-law was between a rock and a hard
place, and knew it.
“This, then, is my decree,” thundered the Great Lizard. A large
blob of yellow sap suddenly materialized above Son-in-law. It fell,
entirely encasing him and hardening instantly into a translucent
cylinder. “No ice this time: amber. Look at him, you hatchlings! And,
my daughter, he is yours forever.”
As his family stared in horror at the gargantuan whirling blade
coming down upon their last refuge, the Great Lizard swiftly lowered
the curtain.
“Goodbye, cruel world,” he muttered. “I’ll try another one.”

3