War Dance of the Hours

by John Ritchie

It is disturbing to discover how one’s simplest, most innocent actions can have unforeseen, even horrific ramifications.

I could not have imagined, not in my darkest moments, how dividing an Infants class of twenty-four into two groups could have led to the carnage that has left just a handful alive and so pitifully injured that it is unlikely they will survive till their mothers arrive at home-time.

I had expected Ponchielli’s ‘Dance of the Hours’ to be a pleasant and amusing diversion for the youngsters, but I had underestimated their latent aggression.

Creating the Daylight Hours and the Night-Time Hours divided them as utterly as any sectarian cause. Within moments of the division’s being created the first missiles began to fly. Within thirty seconds of the opening volley three were dead and more fatally wounded.

Now every surface runs with orange gore, and yellow and purple body parts litter the nursery scene. In the background, carnivorous plants sway to the music — or is it something else that is stimulating them?

I check my World Dominatrix rating. A depressing eleven percent.

‘Alien Planet’ is a terrific game, but wiping out an entire generation in the first twenty-four virtual hours is not a great start.