Charisma and the Mouse That Wasn't There

Good evening, my gassons! It is great to see you sitting on the story carpet once again.

This week I thought we might delve a little...deeper…into the power within us. (You will get my joke a little later.) Today we are going to hear a story about a girl who can concentrate so precisely and project her desires so accurately that she can actually influence the thoughts of others! This is a very difficult type of telepathy! It involves being able to send thoughts and images to another recipient using only the power of your thoughts. Ah, here we are:

Charisma and the Mouse That Wasn’t There

The time was long and long ago in a place that very few remember. It was in this place and time there lived a little girl named Charisma. She was a lithe little girl who wore a simple dress. The soot on her face and tattered state of her dress told you what side of the tracks she came from.

Oscar was her little brother. He was a shorter, squatter stature: almost like a frog ready to leap. He shot his tongue out often moistening his chapped lips. He wore the basic brown knickers and shirt that signaled the same origins.

Orphans By Thomas Kennington

Courtesy of Wikipedia

Their parents had passed into the ethereal realm many years before. The children made do how they could, often relying on the kindness of strangers for what little they had. This time, the baker had given them the gift of bread.

Charisma put her back to the wall of the alley and slid down. She held up the half loaf of bread. She broke it in two and handed half of the loaf to Oscar. Oscar tore into the bread.

“Are we ever going to be full?” Oscar mewed, his belly churned unpleasantly.

“One day, Oscar. One day we will live in a big house, with blankets and a large fireplace.” Oscar laughed derisively at the legend that Charisma often recounted to him.

Just then an unusual-looking mouse with fluffy, soft fur scurried up to them. The mouse was small as a dormouse with fur maroon as the sun’s last dying light. Oscar moved away from it. He reached for a board that lay discarded on the side of the alley. The mouse just looked back and forth between them.

“It’s probably rabid! Don’t move...”

But Charisma saw that the mouse was special and stopped Oscar’s hand from harming him. “Don’t be silly. I think he’s hungry!” She pulled the board from Oscar’s grasp. She broke off a small nibble of bread and placed it before the mouse.

The mouse then did a strange thing: it bowed to both of them and gnawed on the bread. The two gassons didn’t move an inch.

Once the mouse finished the meal he licked his lips and fingers. His coat of fur burst into a blue flame burning bright and hot. The body of the mouse fell away and a red dragon with bright maroon scales grew vastly before them, still licking his massive claws. “Thank you for that.” People walked around his tail that stretched out into the main road without ever realizing it.

Red Dragon

Courtesy of Flickr

The two chisslers' mouths fell open.

“It’s been so long since someone actually saw me...”

“Excuse me, sir,” babbled Oscar, “saw you?”

“Yes, young one. People who can't see are blind.” The long dragon’s giant maw gaped open. His words slid out like honey.

Charisma spoke without her voice, concentrating on her words. “You mean the fact we can speak without speaking.”

“Yes, little one. You limit what you can do. That is why I was sent, to help you.” The great dragon swung his body around deftly scaling the wall and hanging sideways looking at the people passing in the street. He spotted his quarry. “There. The man in the top hat across the street.”

Man in Top Hat (the Prince)

Courtesy of Wikipedia

“The one with the newspaper?” quizzed Charisma.

“Yes. Concentrate... Imagine you and your brother hugging him. Focus on sending him loving thoughts.”

“But why--”

“Do it, child!” roared the impatient former mouse. Charisma did as she was told. She pictured the man coming home from work in his stuffy suit. She pictured herself and Oscar cleaned up, welcoming him with open arms. She sent the image out before her, toward him.

“Good, child. Keep it up.”

The man in the top hat lowered his paper and gazed across the street at the two children looking at him. He hesitated contemplating the way of his heart. He then stepped into the street determined. He glided up to Charisma. “Children, what are you doing in this alleyway?”

“Our parents were lost to us, Sir,” Oscar offered plaintively. The man stood puzzled while Charisma continued to concentrate on the image of love. In her mind she reached up and placed a peck on the man’s cheek.

He smiled.

“Children, this is highly unusual, but I just feel like you are supposed to be with me. How would you like to come live in my house?”

“Would we!” both Charisma and Oscar exclaimed at once. They rushed upon the man, wrapping their arms around him. The great dragon flicked his tail in the air of the alleyway, pleased.

“Well then, come on, let’s go home.” The man turned and began to walk down the street.

Charisma turned to the dragon, smiling. “How could we ever thank you?”

“Only use your power for good. Remember those that perceive power always want it and will be jealous of it. They can only but skim the surface. You go much deeper. Do not reveal your gift to others.”

“I won’t, Mr. Dragon.” With that, Charisma and Oscar watched as the scaled wonder ascended to the heavens.

The man who was halfway down the street turned and whistled to the two children. They turned excited in his direction. “Well come on!” the man shouted through a broad grin. “We have to get you cleaned up and presentable!” The siblings smiled at each other and rushed to join their new parent.

Home of their new father

Courtesy of Wikipedia

And thus we come to the end of Charisma and the Mouse That Wasn’t There. It is a great story with good morals. “Good things come to those that do good deeds.” “Those who feel threatened by your power will try to harm you.” So if you chisslers find a penchant for mindspeak or moving things with thought, be careful. If you talk about your skills you may find yourself in a bad way. People in power don’t like those they cannot keep in check.

For Laura's class: this story is much like The Sword, The Razor and the Strop. In this story the razor is jealous because people speak of the sword with respect. The sword states that it is because the razor only skims the surface while the sword goes deeper. The strop then states that men always call those great that do them the most harm. A strop, my little ones, is a piece of leather used to sharpen razors, so he is the razor's friend.

This is similar to our story because Charisma can go deeper with her mental projections and cause people to do things they would not normally do. She is going deeper than other people around her. However, instead of encouraging her to gain power and privilege from her ability, as the sword's respect suggests, the dragon tells her to hide it, because he knows that “Pride goeth before the fall.” I also love the fact that our story reflects the Indian belief in Karma. Karma is the belief that whatever you do, comes back to you. Thus a simple act of a good deed can gain a boon and a new life for the doer. It is important to remember, even from Confucian thought, that you should not do unto others as you would not have them do unto you!

But that is it for this story, my gassons. I hope you enjoyed the joke! I will be back soon to bring you another tale that I hope will bring to you as much enjoyment as they have brought to me. Until then, peace be unto you.

The Sword, The Razor and the Strop from Indian Fables

by Ramaswami Raju written 1887