(Gyaos)

Meet My Pet Gyaos!

Yup, you heard right. Ming the Merciless recently received one of these strange creatures as a peace offering from the Emperor of Atlantis. Adorable, isn't she? She's growing bigger every day and she just loves to nest atop that ruined tower in the Western Territories of my great Realm.

I'd always had an idea to expand the Realm of Ming to include the people of Atlantis but just after receiving this gracious gift I had a change of heart. Below is a copy of the letter that came with my dear Gyaos while she was still just a speckled egg.

Dear King Ming,

Thank you for your flattering offer to annex the continent of Atlantis into your exalted Kingdom. Surely few monarchs of my lowly caliber ever see the day when they are blessed with such a magnanimous and touching proposition from a ruler as utterly charming and esteemed as yourself.

Alas, my humble continent is so poor and backward that I am ashamed to even consider sullying the majesty of your great land with the burden of this desolate plot. (It's true that we have some beachfront property of tolerable beauty here but as you know, that blessing is spoilt by the earthquakes which mercilessly, I mean unhappily, plague this region.)

As a token of our gratitude for your gracious invitation and as a gesture of continuing goodwill for your most exceedingly illustrious Majesty, we offer thee this Egg of Gyaos. Gyaos is a wonderful animal engineered by our top genetic scientists. She reproduces by herself and will eat nothing but tofu and rice. (Since you charming Easterners eat a lot of that, I'm sure she'll never go hungry.)

Plus, if properly cared for, she'll give you a delightful Surprise only a week or two after hatching! All I ask of your Most Reverenced Majestiness is that when you learn what that Surprise is, you might remember the devoted old friend who sent you this special gift, and utter his name with some fondness in your heart.

Best wishes for your kingdom's prosperity and may your exalted Highness live 1000 years! "Wan Suei, Wan Suei, Wan Wan Suei!"

Sincerely,
King Tricky
Emperor of Atlantis

Wasn't that touching? Ol' Tricky - you just can't beat him. And boy, he wasn't kidding about the surprise. Just imagine the shock and exhilaration I felt when my naughty Gyaos, after only six nights of life, began eating the Senators of the House of Ming! Why, there were scarcely even enough of em left to convene and vote unanimously in favor of granting me emergency Absolute Power the next morning. Of course, the first thing I did was tell 50,000 of my baddest warriors to go conquer Atlantis.

My poor Gyaos is so tired now! I should have known better than to have fed her live meat. I think ol' Tricky must have given her some kind of heartburn. Dear, dear Tricky - it appears you get the last laugh after all!

(Gyaos's nest)
A magnificent twilight in the Western Territories (formerly known as "Atlantis")

Part 2 (written by Leong - updated November 12, 1998)

Feedback from Leong! . . .

The Palace | Meet Ming | Email Ming | Feedback Form | Fatal Planetarium | Destroy All Monsters