The Polish Hall

My first week in this humanoid body has been very interesting. The other day, I found myself at a meeting place called "Polish Hall" were I was witness to a most amazing spectacle. A great many Earthlings were congregated, sitting at long tables and drinking fluids out of glass bottles. They were paying close attention to the words of a series of speakers whom I can only assume were some manner of prophets or soothsayers. Their words, however, caused the listeners such discomfort that they would emit strange guttural cries at regular intervals, slapping the wooden tables in agony and taking great swigs from their drinks to assuage the pain.

I must admit, I felt somewhat lost in the midst of these strange proceedings, but I ordered a beverage for myself and tried to make as much sense of my surroundings as possible. The "stage" area of the hall was flanked by two large, winged creatures, reminiscent of the great Ormitz Flame Falcons that guard the royal throne of Amalon IV the Seldom Just. I felt certain that it was these fierce guardians that prevented the gathered crowd from storming the stage and pummelling the soothsayers, so violent were the convulsions the prophets' words effected on the audience.

Then my ears perked up. One of the prophets had mentioned something about time travel. I strained my language processors to comprehend his speech.

The man was pacing the stage, microphone in hand. Here's what I could make out of what he said:

"I built a time machine, but instead of going into the future, I accidentally ended up going back to a time before I had built the machine...so I had to start all over again."

There was a pause while the audience writhed in agony. Then the prophet added a final thought: "At least I knew where to get parts."

So, a time machine! I had underestimated the metaphysical advances of this species. The new information brought back painful memories of my own exile from the Underground Time Travel Parking Facilities of Moboz$-7. Oh how I had enjoyed my post as Supreme Parking Overlord. Of course, time machine parking came with its own set of unique challenges. How many times had patrons come to my office having forgotten not just where they parked their time machine, but when they parked it! But I wouldn't have changed it for anything. Until CobuZan, the Dance Lizard King, destroyed everything. But mark my words; I will be vindicated!

I took further stock of my immediate surroundings. To one side of the stage, an image of a pale woman with a regal bearing looked as though she watched the proceedings with detached amusement. Having downed the whole of my beverage, I decided to indulge my curiosity. Waiting for the intermission between two of the prophet's speeches, I turned to person sitting next to me, a male near the middle of the Earthling life-cycle.

"I say," I said. "Who is that woman in the painting beside the stage?"

The fellow squinted in the direction indicated, then took a brief look at me and answered, "Looks like the Queen to me."

"You mean the Supreme Monarch!"

"Yer could put it that way." The man took a swig of his beverage, finishing it, and looked for the serving maid to order another.

I left it at that, though the man's answer raised even more questions in my mind, such as, if that were the Supreme Monarch, where were her tentacles? Where the royal jelly receptacles? What a strange planet I have found myself on where the Queen keeps all the symbols of her power hidden, and the soothsayers torment their followers using great winged beasts as their bodyguards! Clearly I have much to learn about this world.