Now it came to pass that at the end of the Third Age of the Beachys, that the ancient power that had slept so long began to waken itself and to stretch forth to grasp world in its dark hands. And in the conservative strongholds that lay in the mountains of the South, the Dark Bishop awoke and made ready to send forth his Inquistors into the world, that he might gain power over churches of the land. For the Dark Bishop knew that his time was nigh to make his ascent to the throne of his ancient power.

For it came to pass that the ancient String of Power was rediscovered by Willie Beachy in the caverns of Beachia, where it had been long possessed by a pathetic creature named Gurlum, over whom the String had gained so much power that she withered without it. And Willie had fled those dark caverns with the String of Power, and had used it to make his way unnoticed through the crowds that would otherwise have placed him under the ban. And he had returned to his home church in peace.

Nevertheless, although Willie possessed the String, and though he knew it to be a special item, he had no idea as to its true nature, using it only to make himself blend in with the rest of the conservative population when the need for such arose.

But the time came when Willie parted with his treasure, entrusting it to his nephew, Floyd O. Beachy. And upon a certain day, Ralph, a wise man from the local congregation came for a visit.

Asking to see the String, Ralph cast it into the fire. Floyd O. gasped, for the String had become dear unto him, for when he possessed it, he was seen to be conservative above most.

But the grand Ralph stayed his hand from snatching the string from the fire, saying, “The flames cannot harm it.” And Floyd O. beheld that it was true.

Then Ralph stretched forth his hand and drew the string from the flame. And in the fabric there danced letters of fire, which had been invisible until the flame had brought them forth. And Floyd O. stared at the String and saw the letters, which looked clear and distinct, yet shone forth as though from a great depth. But Floyd O. could not read the letters, for they were written in a strange script which he didn’t recognize, although it looked strangely familiar. He thought maybe he had seen it in his Grandpa’s old German Bible.

“Ralph,” he asked, his voice quavering, “what is the meaning of these strange letters of fire? I cannot read them. What do they say?”

“These words are written in the mode of Luther, in the ancient tongue of Yodor, which I will not pronounce here. In the Common Speech, it reads, “One String to Rule them all, One String to find them, One String to bring them all, and in Formalism bind them, in Yodor, where standards fly.” It is part of an ancient utterance, long known by the Elders. In its entirety, this is the ancient verse,

“Three Strings for outside under the sky,
Seven Strings for them to wear at home,
Nine for the Members in the pews,
One for the Dark Bishop on his throne
In the Land of Yodor, where Standards fly.
One String to rule them all,
One String to find them,
One String to bring them all and in Formalism bind them,
In Yodor, where Standards fly.

And grand Ralph spoke to Floyd O. saying, “This String is the One String. It is one of the Ancient Strings of Power which the Dark Bishop wove in the Mountains of the South. It is the Ruling String, the String that all the other Strings of Power served. By it, the Dark Bishop gained power over the churches of the East, binding them enthralled by his might. And they became shadows under his great powerful shadow. The Ancient Bishops of those Churches became his Inquistors, sent forth to root out liberalism from before his face and to establish him as the Great Power of Alta-Mont.”

Floyd O. shivered at Ralph’s words. “What are we to do? Can we not destroy it? Surely with scissors or shears we could cut it in pieces and ravel it into sheds. Let us do the deed now and break the Power on the Dark Throne!”

Ralph nodded, “Go ahead and try.”

Floyd O. pulled the String from his pocket and gazed at it with a mix of awe and revulsion. He felt its silky texture between his fingers and watched it shimmer in the firelight. He stood for a long moment.

“You see?” Ralph spoke. “You cannot do the deed. The String has its hold upon you, though you have possessed it for only a short while. Nevertheless, no pair of scissors or shears that you possess can so much as cause a snag in that String. It can be unmade only in the Southern Mountains where it was first made. You must take it to the Great Mount of the Loom, where it was first woven in secret by the Dark Bishop and there you might destroy it. But now you must fly from this place, for the String-Ones are abroad and seek the String. Flee to the Running Creek Fellowship church in Shawnee and await me there. I have missions elsewhere. Sell those things that you have and take your flight. I will meet you there.”

And so it was that Floyd O. Beachy made preparations to undertake a long and dangerous journey, which will be continued in the next installment of “The Lord of the Strings.”