Jaemy Plotter and the Orb of the Phoenix

Once upon a time, there was a Princess who inherited a piece of heirloom that was....priceless. It was the Orb of the Phoenix, and it was the target behind schemes and conspiracies of many, who covetted the unique piece of artifact.

"I'd set up a ploy of seduction. My beauty is unsurpassed", Cherr quipped. "You silly little girl.", said her mother. "美人计 wouldn't work on the Princess, my dear. She's a girl!"

"In that case, perhaps my charms might have a chance....", mused Ezz. "If even that should fail, I still have my Big Red Bag of tricks to fall back on. Mwahahaha~!"

But it was Jaemy Plotter who had the best...well, plot. "Little Plotter," the elder Plotter to the junior one. "Listen up. There are many who seek the Orb. But it is you, and you alone, who shall be the one to relieve the Princess of it!", he continued. "I've taught you all I know about the art of disguise. Yes...You look exactly like the Princess. Your skills are now complete. There is nothing more that I can teach you, my young Padawan. Now go get the Orb!"

"Father, I DID IT!!! I've got the Orb! I AM the Master of Disguise! HAHAHAHAA!"

"Wow that was a great piece of stealth work, Plotter! Better than Ethan Hunt in M:I:3! Bravo!"

"You might have fooled everyone else, but you CANNOT fool me!", exclaimed Id, elder brother of the Princess, who was blessed with not only the vocals of Mayday, but also the gift of True Vision. He made a vow to track down the elusive Plotter and retrieve the family heirloom.

"Oh-oh. I smell trouble...", chirped Jaemy. "...though no trouble too big for me - Jaemy Plotter, the Master of Disguise! See how easily it is for me to slip into another appearance, another persona. Completely seemless. Absolutely flawless! Catch me if you can, Prince Id!"

"Sigh....", sighed Zara the Wise. "All the greed of the world converging on a single sphere. And for what? When I declared the Orb of Phoenix to be 'priceless' a long long time ago, I had meant it literally - that it was a freebie I received in a goodie bag from some family day I attended eons ago. No need to pay any price one lah! That Orb is worth no more than these little ones I now play with at the Singapore Botanic Gardens with my friends. Them fools. Woohoo!"

.......................EPILOGUE.......................

Present day. "Lelong. Lelong...Cheap sale ah! Multipurpose orb that can be used as decorative piece and soccer ball, selling at below cost ah! 老板不在，乱乱卖! 来啊! 走过不要错过啊!", shouted Vinny to disinterested passerbys, all of whom oblivious to the colorful history of this ancient orb, and of the wonderous tales of adventures of countless heroes and heroines in a time long forgotten...

~ THE END ~

[Note: Epilogue added on 4 Nov 07. Photo of Vincent by stardust]