The Great Shaman

The Great Shaman - A Little Mouse's Story

Daniel's Story

I had never been fully trained, nor wanted to. I hated having to bring cheese from place to mouse hole, place to mouse hole, over and over. I knew I was different since the first time I looked in a mirror- I was born with blueish-grey skin and had an embarrassing fluff of fur on my back that looked like a fin, and everyone called me Sharkboy. I hated it, but knowing they would not accept me any other way, I always laughed it off, though deep down I was hurt. I never thought anyone would be nice to me before I met Daisy.

I had just had a long day after failing many times, and had been mocked and bullied for it. I cried as I walked home, but after remembering my mom would yell at me for not sticking up for myself, I went to the restaurant to calm down. I walked in, and saw some mice stare and point at my fur, which only made me feel worse. I slump against the wall with my head down. I look up for a moment to see Noah, the big muscular mouse walking over to me. "Hey- Sharkboy!" He says, getting a few laughs. I try to brush away the tears, but he sees them before I can brush them all away. His expression hardens, and he stops. One of his friends nudges his shoulder and tries whispering something in his ear, but Noah stops him. "Shut up, leave him alone." Noah says. The mouse shrugs and walks away, Noah following. He looks back one final time, his eyes full of sorrow.

After a half hour, I get ready to leave but stop after seeing Charlotte and Noah walk in. I crouch below the table, just out of their sight. I can still hear them, but only a little. "Heheh, that's so funny babe." Charlotte says, catching Noah by complete surprise. I am surprised too, because I heard that Noah was dating someone called Dah-zi or some other French name. I wonder if that was another cruel nickname they gave to some other poor mouse, just like me. "No, I just think it's funny because she thinks she's your's, and she thinks you're dating!" Charlotte says, laughing. Noah looks confused. "But, uh, I thought we were dating." Noah says. "Uh, are you dumb? She is so ugly and you can't date someone like her!" Charlotte taunted. Noah blushed. "Uh, okay then." Noah agreed. I glance up at the clock, and then seeing that it is almost time to leave, I get up but stop dead in my tracks when I see the most beautiful girl ever. She has short, light brown fur and has a daisy on her ear. Her eyes sparkle like stars, and my heart beats loudly in my chest. I see her look over, and then I nearly faint when I see Noah wave to me to come over.

I shyly walk over, bumping into tables and apologizing over and over. I finally reach the table and see the pretty mouse looking at me, and I blush. I look over and see Noah and Charlotte judging me. "H-hey guys. I-I'm D-dan-" I begin, but Noah cuts me off. "Yeah, we know Daniel. Just because you're new, that doesn't mean that you have to keep introducing yourself!" He jokes, but I am super embarrassed. I can tell that the brown mouse knows it hurt me. The pretty brown mouse turns toward me. "Uh, hi. I don't think we've met yet. I'm Daisy!" She says sticking her paw out, and I fall in love with the name. "Uh, hi, um, Dah-zi?" I say, struggling with her name due to the fact that my mind is numb with love. "Daisy. Like the flower." She corrects me. "Oh! Uh, sorry." I say, very embarrassed. She looks away and says, "Lets eat!"

Charlotte adjusts her 4001 hat, and I am very jealous. I begin to wonder how long it took her to get that- and how- when the waiter walks over. Charlotte clears her throat, and then tells the waiter what she wants. I can barely understand her, because I can't speak French, and then the waiter translates it for us. Daisy looks confused until she brings herself to talk, "Uh, what's with all the formal wear?" she asks. "Ah, madam, we are expecting a very important visitor today! The Souris Reine, to be exact." He says proudly, then turns to Charlotte. "So you would like the Strawberry Cheese?" "Uh, yeah." Charlotte says, but Daisy keeps looking confused. I begin to blush when I realize Noah was watching me stare, but then the entire restaurant goes silent. I know something is wrong because of the look on the waiter's face, but it's what he says that makes my blood run cold. "Oh, it can't be..." The waiter begins, "Chat Squelette..." He says, barely a whisper. After hearing the waiter's words, all the other mice in the cafeteria panic, and plates go flying as mice try to find shelter. I scream and duck under the table, shaking. I can't believe the great Skeleton Cat found us, I had thought the queen promised us to be safe here!

Daisy, quickly realizing her friends abandoned her, squeaks. She turns toward me and I see her eyes are full of worry, and I am full of fear. "Come with me, petite souris." She says, and since the words were familiar, they calmed me down a little. She grabs my paw and we sprint to the counter, hiding. The door is ripped off and the Skeleton's paw reaches in, and it enters. The eyes are enough to scare you- big and yellow, just like the fiery sun that could kill you. Daisy gasps and covers her mouth to hide the sound, but the cat hears, but thankfully doesn't see us. The cat gets distracted and walks away. Daisy turns towards me. She squeezes my paws and looks into my eyes.  "Danny, what I'm about to do may sound crazy, but you have to trust me." I nod, and she continues. "I am going to run out, and when the cat comes after me, you are going to run as fast as your paws can take you out of that door and run, but don't stop, no matter what you hear or see." She is choking back tears, and I can't believe what I am hearing. "No!" I cry out, "You-you can't risk your life, not for me! I am just a little mouse, and you are so nice and have friends and a family and-" She cuts me off, and pats my head. "Exactly, I have already lived life and spent days, no, years with friends and family, but you, Danny, have so much to live for. You still need a first hug, a first kiss, a first love..." I begin to sob. "Okay." I say. "Okay."

She puts her forehead on mine, and I sigh. "Don't worry, you'll be fine." She says, hugging me. I can't believe what she is about to do for me- she is going to get herself badly hurt or worse! "But, you! I can't live without you!" I cry, but it is hard to talk without sobbing. "Live on for me. I will always be here." She says, pointing to my blue, fuzzy chest. "Okay." I agree, or at least try to. She looks out from the corner, and from her expression I can tell the cat is still there and I'm still going to lose her. She closes her eyes and takes deep breaths. I can hear her softly counting to three, and time slows down. As soon as the last number leaves her lips, she runs out, screaming and breaking dishes. The cat sees her and pounces. I can't look. I run out from behind the counter and out the door, and the last time I see Daisy she is smiling. I admire her bravery and suddenly can't handle the emotions. I fall over and sob as loud as I can in the middle of the hallway, and the last thing I hear before blacking out is a loud thump, and the scratch of nails on tile.

Part 2 Coming Soon!