The goblins in Lilliput have decided who will be their Great Leader for the next five centuries. It was a truly dramatic outcome. Even before the start of counting of votes, the Imps where already out in the forest paths celebrating their tribe’s victory. But they were quickly recalled into their dens, as the actual counting of votes revealed otherwise, and the Elves headed by Gobbi, after much uncertainty, turned out to be the bigger tribe yet again, by a difference of three votes.
It was an occasion of great celebration for the Elves, and a terrible tragedy for the Imps, complete with weeping and gnashing of teeth. It did not occur to anyone of either the jubilant Elves or the wailing Imps that they would all still be living in exactly the same forest, in exactly the same conditions.
While Gobbi was announcing who would be making up his team of Ligs (Lesser Important Goblins) to dictate how Lilliput will be ruled for the next five centuries, the Imps’ leader Gant finally decided to call it a day and retire. Eighteen election defeats in a row were simply too much for his tribe members to accept. This of course has given rise to the next saga, which is almost as interesting as the choice of the Great Leader himself. There is never a dull moment in Lilliputian politics.
Rather than trying to find out how they will be ruled by the victorious Elves, all Lilliputians have turned their attention to who will be replacing Gant as Leader of the Imps. Many are having their say as to how the new Leader should be chosen, and who it should be. Even the Imps’ arch-enemies, the Elves, are quite outspoken with their advice. No less than 73 Imps have declared their wish to become the new Leader of the Imps. They all have their plans how to improve their tribe so impressively that in the next election many Elves will give up their loyalty to Gobbi and choose them instead, but none of them bother to actually ask those goblins who never vote for them the reason for this. They probably already know the reason, so there is no point asking.
The main contenders among the 73 candidates to lead the Imps include:
Garçon – also known as the Lion of Change, due to his tendency to suddenly change his voice and growl like a lion. His many skills include singing, hunting for squirrels and setting off loud firecrackers. For some reason, Garçon is the favourite among the Imps’ arch-enemies, the Elves. Maybe they want to ensure yet another election victory in five centuries’ time.
Gasket – a young Imp who looks a bit like a poodle, and is said to be the prospective new leader backed by Gant himself. Having done his utmost for Lilliput not to become part of Wonderland, Gasket then changed his mind and actually went to represent Lilliput there. He has the big advantage of being more favoured by the Imps, who at the end of the day will carry out the actual choosing.
Funnily enough, even here, Lilliput is yet again taking sides along Elves/Imps lines in the upcoming battle, probably to be fought mainly between Garçon and Gasket.
Also in the running (soon to become "also ran"):
Gargabel – another favourite among the Elves (who have no say in the matter anyway) but not among the Imps themselves, who never really forgave Gargabel for staying away at a safe distance while Gant and his gang reigned supreme and wreaked havoc on the Imps’ chances of becoming Lilliput’s dominant tribe.
Garist – a soft spoken Imp, also reputed to be a Gant loyalist. All Lilliputians, except Garist and his friends and his family, cannot understand why he’s actually bothering. By all appearances, he doesn’t want to let this chance go by without at least giving it a try. But it’s really a LONG shot for Garist.
Ganġlu – an old-style firebrand Imp, with a very loud voice. Some Imps estimate his chances of becoming Leader at 0% (and this is an overestimation, they say…), much to the concern of many Elves who see him as their best guarantee to remain Lilliput’s dominant tribe for many more centuries to come.
Golayru – the token female candidate.
The Final Battle for Leadership will take place on midsummer’s night in a glass dome close to the centre of the forest. In the meantime, the contenders and their supporters will be busy trying to ruin each other’s chances, much to the amusement of the onlooking Elves and neutral observers on the balcony, the latter having a whale of a time watching the never-ending show that is Lilliputian politics.
The long wait also suits Gobbi and his Ligs perfectly, as it diverts Lilliputians’ attention from that which really matters – decisions being taken now that have a direct and immediate effect on their lives – onto a soap opera that can only result in any tangible effect in five centuries’ time at the earliest.
Gallarija 