Using his wiles rather than his fists China Miéville scribbled furiously on the notepad, Richard Dawkins’ eyes fixed on his hand. How had it come to this..?
Earlier, as he left the gym, he had heard the soft shoe shuffling of an artless fencer matching rapiers with another masked opponent. A scream rang out from the hall, the artless fencer had struck a cruel blow, hobbling his opponent. China Miéville pushed open the door, pulling off his jacket to wrap around the wounded leg as others called for help. The artless fencer withdrew his mask, the baleful eyes of Richard Dawkins glaring down at his vanquished foe.
“Where’s his God now, do you think?” He tittered maniacally. Suddenly, hearing a spectator praying, Dawkins turned and raised his sword to slash at her
“Wait!” China Miéville cried out. Taking a pen and paper from his bag he had begun to write.
Soon he had scrawled nearly a page and, standing at the point of Dawkins’ blade, he gingerly held it out. Dawkins took it contemptuously. As he read the page he grew grim, the sword lowered by faltering inches. As he reached the end of the quickly reasoned missive he dropped his sword and the paper to the floor and went out to face the music of a dozen sirens. Through the pain and the incipient shock the wounded man could just about make out the heading of China Miéville’s devastating message: Why you should be less aggressive…
WINNER: CHINA MIÉVILLE
Truly, the pen is mightier.