Pandora - Part 4

Time in Pandora

Many immigrants and visitors to Pandora are often confused by the Pandoran calendar. The Pandoran calendar has eight days instead of seven. The extra day, which comes between Sunday and Monday is referred to as Ragsday.  Ragsday is generally considered a day of rest, contemplation and humility. Most of the island's nonessential services shut down on Ragsday and nothing very important gets done.

Of course, having eight days in a week affects the calendar. Every Pandoran month has 30 days. As a result, the Pandoran year should be only 360 days long.  However, the Pandorans add five extra days at the end of the year. These five days at the end of December are known as the Silent Days of December. During leap years, an extra Silent Day is added.

 

The Silent Days of December

Each year, on December 31st, the Pandorans prepare for the Silent Days of December. These are five days between the end of December and the beginning of January, not covered by the Pandoran calendar.  Intellectuals will say that the Silent Days were added so that the Pandoran year would coincide with the Julian solar year.  However, while Pandorans may not refute this, they also have another explanation as to the existence of the Silent Days of December.

According to Pandorans, at the end of December, a creature called the Grump settles down for a long sleep.  During this time, the Grump mustn't be woken or it would unleash disaster upon the island.

Visitors and new immigrants may laugh at this, believing it to be nothing but local superstition, but longterm residents and native Pandorans take the Silent Days seriously. The entire island shuts down for the duration of the Silent Days. The Underground shuts down. Nonessential businesses shut down. A special police unit, the Noise Police, patrol the city enforcing the Silent Day noise ordinances. Violators can face high fines and even jail time. The clappers of church bells are muffled. Conversations are carried out in whispers. Noisy dogs are muzzled. Crying babes are cuddled. Lullabies are sung, very softly, and families gather to play quiet games, like chess or cards. The silence hangs over Pandora until the dawn of January 1st, when the city roars back to life to celebrate the new year.

 

The Pandoran Royal Family

Pandora is ruled by the Pandoran Royal Family. According to local legend, the Royal Family can trace its line back to the first refugees to arrive on the island. They were supposedly met by Pandora herself, an old woman by that time, and charged by her with defending and ruling the island.

The history of the Pandoran family is long and quite colorful. They have defended Pandora from all threats and ruled the island with a firm, but fairly even, hand for centuries. During that time they have ruthlessly policed themselves.

The current branch of the family came to power seven hundred years ago, after a coup that became known as the Night of Open Windows. The entire ruling family at that time, wracked by madness and incest, were assassinated by defenestration; they were all thrown out of open windows.

The current royal family consists of:

King Byron: the current monarch, King Byron is a stout, good-humored fellow in his fifties. He is enormously popular with Pandorans.

Queen Lilah: a loving wife, a nurturing mother, patroness of the Knitting Society. She often advises her husband on domestic matters.

Crown Prince Oliver: the heir apparent; he's quite smart, but as plain-looking as cheese.  He actually handles most of the governmental administration these days instead of his father.

Princess Yanelle: a typical teenage girl, by turns vivacious and sullen; she's a huge bato fan and attends games at King's Stadium regularly with friends.

Prince Erik: young, handsome and gay; at eighteen, he is the patron of the Royal Philanthropic League and St. Penitant's Hospital.