Report to AloeVera 1.1

(General Direction)

December 2003 (*)

From: Chairentity 7.12, The AloeVeras Base, The Moon.

To: Our Founder, AloeVera 1.1, Planet AloeVera.

Dear colleague and founder AloeVera 1.1 (general direction),

It is a demanding life being a Chairentity, as I'm sure you can appreciate. All my working hours have been devoted to the continuing study of the Beeping Boxes and both organising and chairing our Forward Planning Business Meetings. We executive types do need some recreation, as you know, and I had great hopes for my game of chess with Number 11, our electronics expert.

Number 11 got as far as the third move before our game went wrong. I'd lent it several books on strategy which it dutifully read, but after my third move it went quiet (which is a sure sign it's using its imagination) and suddenly called for its service robot and rode out of our base onto the moon. It returned with rocks and buckets of dust and built a model world of hills, valleys, villages and a castle. It took its chess pieces away, installed them in the model world, which has declared itself a republic, and sent a message to my chess pieces offering to open peace negotiations. I explained to Number 11 that my chess pieces cannot read and it made strange sounds that weren't identifiable words.

Number 11 sits amid its model world moving the chess pieces around pretending they are talking to each other. Number 11 is doing all the talking really. It has attired them in the costumes Number 14 made when I tried to have a game of chess with it.

I sent a message to Number 9 asking what's gone wrong with Number 11, Number 9 being our supposed psychologist, and Number 9 says its nothing to worry about, Number 11 is just at a difficult age. I fear I'm the only one that hasn't been corrupted by the HairyMammals.

Sigh.

Yours etc.,

AloeVera 7.12

(Chairentity of our mission to serve tea on remote worlds)

P.S. We haven't served any tea yet.

P.P.s. (*) The word 'December' derives from the Roman for ten - It is the 12th month of their year ...

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