Once upon a time, in a land now beneath the sea [due to…] there was a mighty Prince named Boo Hoo. This prince had accumulated worldly goods, including shiny objects [such as the Nobel Peace Prize]. The Prince knew that soon he would have to leave his wonderful White Castle, even if it were only to a somewhat smaller, but still grand domicile. So at this time in moments of retroflection, Boo began to think about his legacy. One type of legacy was assuredly his--plentiful gold coin, which was there for the taking. But Boo wanted also a more intangible legacy, which is the high opinion from his serfs about his reign--this is something that gold cannot buy, for it must be earned the old-fashioned way by doing good things for the serfs. Boo knew that the the next Ruler-in-Waiting, who was known as Medusa, was worshipped by a small but vociferous and wealthy group of acolytes. But Boo, who occasionally did look outside the White Castle's windows to observe the serfs, came to realize that tho noisy, Medusa's followers were indeed a small minority. Boo also saw crowds beginning to gather outside the Castle walls, armed with signs and pitchforks--not to be used against him, since his reign had been so acceptable to the Serfs. Being a smart Prince, and no one ever faulted him about his intellect, it became increasingly obvious that the growing throng of the Unhappy were daily becoming larger.

From the ante-chamber of the Great Hall, Boo could hear a crescendo of cackles and snorts from Medusa, as she impatiently waited for her coronation as Boo's successor. It seems as if the coronation had been planned to occur too far in advance, and there was nothing Boo could do to alter the schedule. Yet everyday, Boo, and anyone else actually looking, could see Throngs of the Unhappy steadily growing. Their chants grew louder as their numbers increased.

Boo Hoo knew that once the Throng had grown beyond a certain size, that the explosive emotions soon to be unleashed might also deal himself with nasty reprisals, for after all, it was Prince Boo's choice to have Medusa follow him into office. Prince Boo then consulted his inner coterie of Viziers,
Wizards, Knaves, and Jokers in all secrecy to advise on a strategy, allowing him (and Them) to gracefully exit the White Castle, heads up, unafraid…into the Golden life which beckoned.

The plan was as devilishly simple as it was to be lethal--but not for Boo and entourage. Prince Boo proclaimed a grand conference, to be attended by the literati, during which he announced that the Coronation, with his complete blessing, was to be advanced to a nearer date. Clever, clever, clever! In one grand gesture, Boo proclaimed his affection for Medusa, thus assuaging lingering doubts of his commitment to her cause, and allowing himself to exit the Castle early enough to avoid the coming debacle. As said earlier, Boo was smart.

Hence after a suitable interval, Boo summoned Medusa to the great public square, just inside the castle walls, allowing some of the Unhappy to enter. After mouth-watering remarks about the Bounty of the Realm which Boo had brought to the people, the Prince then introduced Medusa to the throng. As he turned to leave Medusa in the Great Public Square, he gifted her with several baskets of FISH. Alas, when Medusa held the great baskets of fish over her head, the starving multitudes abandoned any pretention of decorum and promptly overran poor Medusa as they fought over the fish. Unfortunately for Medusa, the aroma of fish still adhered to her persona--thus the hungriest of the mob also feasted upon Medusa. End of story? Not Quite.

Who was to fill the void? Boo was so intent on saving his own skin, er..legacy, that he completely neglected to ensure the line of succession--but what the heck, I got mine, the rest of you fight it out
for the keys to the Realm.

Let us now peer once again, into the innards of the White Castle, as Prince Boo was planning his departure. A lady-in-waiting, a demure and proper person had been sitting quietly in the corner of the ante-room, biding her time. For the sake of brevity, let us abbreviate lady-in-waiting to LW.
LW, sensing the flow of things, decided that NOW is the time to act!

Here is where the SHOEHORN comes in. Within minutes of Boo's approval of the premature coronation, LW quickly jumped in behind Medusa--not quite far enough to escape some fishy odor, but far enough that the starving Unhappy would not also consume LW.

Actually, LW was the smartest of the lot. She avoided a tumultuous campaign against Medusa, then shoehorned herself right behind the heir-apparent. For LW knew, in her heart of hearts, that Medusa's fate had already been sealed [not by flippery or floppery but due to sloppy circumvention of royal protocol] Alas, that is a story for another day.

The outcome of this fable is yet in doubt, although the machinations producing are not. Hear ye not the growing chant of legions, nay, Armies demanding a Berning?

So, now, children, go to bed and dream of what yet may be, of fish and shoehorns, and parting of the Seas....