by John Gordon
Three Tales
by John-gordon
Copyright 2014 All rights reserved
by John-gordon Jenkins-Levas-Kerositis
The Magician, The Lion, And The Mouse
Copyright 1993 All rights reserved
by John-gordon Jenkins-Levas-Kerositis
DreamDancer
Copyright 1988 All rights reserved
by John-gordon Jenkins-Levas-Kerositis
Marshall And The Mathematician
Copyright 1988 All rights reserved
by John-gordon Jenkins-Levas-Kerositis
Cover artwork and design by John-gordon Jenkins-Levas-Kerositis
Contents
The Magician, The Lion, And The Mouse
DreamDancer
Marshall and The Mathematician
The Magician, The Lion, And The Mouse
After many, many years of research and study I discovered the one volume that is now my entire library. This special book is named "The Book of All Things That Have Ever Happened."
Today I go into my library and open the book at random. It opens to page 2,159,223. On this page is the event I am about to tell you, it is the story of the Magician, the Lion, and the Mouse.
Howard was a young man when he travelled to a distant land, a land across the sea and across a desert and beyond a vast range of mountains. He traveled on a ship as ship's boy and with a caravan as camel handler and finally with a troop of performers as water carrier. It was with the performers that he first learned he had a small talent for magic.An old, very old woman, perhaps as old as the road they walked, showed him a few tricks. So his heart expanded with pride and his mind grew painfully aware of how unimportant he was and how magic could make him very, very important and win the love of princesses and the envy of all people.
As things happen he left the performers at the edge of a kingdom where they turned left and he, because he was weary of traveling, turned right, so he entered the land of Fair King Clyde. And this is where the story truly begins, deep in the forest of the Hidden Mountains of King Clyde's realm.
The day was warm, even through the forest cover of summer green, so Howard took off his cloak and put it in his traveling shoulder sack where there was also some food and a poor map of the mountains. Howard whistled as he walked along the narrow trail, too narrow for a wagon, and too wide for deer. This was a trail made by men for men and the thought cheered him into a happy, brisk pace. These were called the Hidden Mountains because the forest was so thick that even those that sought the top of the peaks could hardly ever see them, unless they climbed a very high, very tall tree.
Howard whistled and thought, and how he thought was to use his mind to examine the magic spell that the very ancient, quite elderly lady of the performing troop had taught him. It seemed a plain and ordinary thing, just three words to be uttered at sight of man or beast, and the intent of this magic was to control any enemy that might wish him harm, and, presumably, turn them into friends.
It was many hours into the forest and well toward evening that Howard noticed he was traveling downward just so slightly, as if walking into a valley. Around a bend he found himself in a charming glen, a comfortable shaded place with an opening in the forest cover high above so the sun could angle through and nourish the grass and small plants there. This was where he would rest and have a bite to eat.
In the middle of a snack of cheese and crackers a lion appeared across the small clearing, it's tail twitching idly like a whip, it's eyes gold as it's fur and it's mouth slightly open. Howard could see it's tongue and it's sharp, quite sharp teeth.
"Do you have any to spare?" asked the lion, "any at all?"
Howard did not stop to wonder how a lion could talk to him, but later when he put his mind to use once more, he concluded it must be his magic powers at work. "Yes, I can spare a morsel or two," and he handed the lion a piece of cheese. He did this very, really quite carefully, as the lion's mouth was a cavern that he could fit into very, very comfortably.
The lion politely took the cheese and appeared to be making a big fuss of eating it, though it was hardly more than a mouse's meal, it was all Howard had to give. Howard then conceived a very great, even quite excessive fear at this point, for with no more food the lion might decide to snack on him. That is exactly the point where he thought of the spell. It could protect him.
He looked at the lion as it sat licking its muzzle and uttered the three words of his spell. Nothing seemed to happen, but then Howard was still uneaten so perhaps it had worked. The lion finished its after dinner clean-up and moved over to Howard.
"Was that a spell you tried on me?" it asked.
Howard knew this should not be the question asked of him, but he could hardly lie about it. "Uhhhh, sort of."
"It won't work, I am spell-proof. Usually I eat people who try to put a spell on me, they generally taste quite good, you know."
"Uhh no, I had no idea that they would taste any better than the normal sort of person."
The lion nodded and cocked his head to the right then to the left as he stared at Howard. "You don't have the look of a magician, but I could be wrong. I will reserve eating you until some future time, just in case you are in need of being gobbled up."
"I won't be, I assure you"
"The spell is a very good one though, it should work on most that you come across. It appears to have done its work with the mouse beside you."
Sure enough, right there, just next to Howard's foot, sitting on a mushroom, was a mouse. It's nose twitched and it's eyes stared with complete, quite total devotion at Howard.
"A mouse." was all he could say. What good was a protective spell that didn't work on lions, but worked on mice?
"Looks like you have a servant for as long as you like."
"Just fine, this spell stuff is very knotty. What should I do with a mouse?"
The lion seemed to smile, then shrugged. "On this path you will attain King Clyde's castle city by morning and I have a warning for you. I am a warning lion of the realm, you see. The solemn decree of King Clyde is that none do harm to another for gain or power, with or without the use of magic."
With no other word or glance the lion disappeared into the forest. The tiny mouse jumped into Howard's travel sack where it found some cheese and cracker crumbs to satisfy its needs.
Next morning, just as the lion said, he came upon a great spread of gardens, a row of grinding mills and shops and homes scattered throughout the hills leading to a vast castle on the highest knoll. The people were happy and cheerful and many greeted Howard who joined a throng of travelers headed for the market.
Howard had several wooden music pipes he carved with a fine skill that he wished to trade, but his mind went to work on its own, and it began thinking that some here might seek to cheat him. So the first stall he went to he used the protective spell.
The woman behind the table of wares looked up at him, "is that a spell you just cast?" she asked.
Howard nodded, maybe a question was the right response. After all, the lion had not dined on him.
"Won't work with me, I'm spell-proof. Nice pipes you have, what do you want for them?" She fingered his work.
"I'll think on it and walk around some more," he said.
"Well your spell does have its uses," she pointed to the little mouse that sat on his shoulder staring adoringly at him.
Howard tried the spell at four other stalls with the same result. Everyone here claimed to be spell-proof, invincible to spells. How would he know if anyone was cheating him?
He took his little money and bought himself some bread, a garden green and tea. The mouse was content with a few crumbs of bread. Just as he finished his lunch the king's men came and arrested him.
/> "There, that's the one. He's been trying to spell everyone at the market. He must be the one."
In the castle wall was a row of cells, each with a great door of iron bars that slid across and locked in place. They put Howard there.
"What have I done? I have done no harm to anyone."
One of the King's Men looked sternly at him as the gate lock slammed into its notch with a clang. "I'm spell-proof so don't try your tricks on me. You're here for the death of a traveler and the theft of his money. The poor fellow obviously wasn't spell-proof and you worked your magic on him."
"I did not do any such thing."
"You're the only one doing magic in Fair King Clyde's realm. You must be guilty. I'll bring you your last meal before you see the King, then it's all over for you." He made a motion across his throat with his hand.
Howard decided he should really use his mind for all it was worth, if it was worth anything. He would have to escape. They would never believe him since he did try to spell people everywhere in the market, but how could he get
