art by Wi Waffles
Scramble!
by Melissa Mead
Humpty Dumpty (according to the name written on the back of his shell) sat on a wall. The King's men, climbing up behind him, snickered. An egg as a lookout! And it was facing the wrong way--inward, as though watching over its fellow eggs instead of guarding them from outsiders. No wonder this planet had fallen so quickly. The Egg-men had no sense, of strong leadership or anything else. Now here they were, huddled in their last enclave, with nothing but a crumbling brick wall for protection and an egg for a sentry.
The King's lead soldier pushed. Humpty Dumpty fell with a crack. The King's men climbed over the wall to find the Egg-people gathered around their fallen guardian. A crack ran through his shell from top to bottom, but still he spoke.
"Last chance. Put me together again."
"Put you together, Egg-man? Scramble all of you and serve you on toast for the King's triumphal breakfast, more likely. All you Eggs are good for is breaking."
"We do one other thing," said Humpty, his voice fading.
"What's that?"
