Fairy Tale Spotlight: A Thoughtful Mouse

"Fairy Tale Spotlight: A Thoughtful Mouse" by T.K. Wade

My name is Carl. I am a mouse. I am a thoughtful mouse, who does thoughtful things. On that note, I have chosen to live inside of a library. It is not one of those new libraries. I saw a new library, and I found that it was not conducive to my primary living concerns. What I found was, at best, a very old library. The kind that was built like a small palace, back in days far before I was born. In those days, a library was more of a dignified place, I think. The structure of this classic building is better for me.

I read the books when I can. Yes, I can do that. Any mouse can read a book, but I think I am likely the only one doing it. They are not in my native language, so I am forced to translate everything I read into extremely precise squeaks. I did, at first, have the annoying habit of squeaking what I was reading out loud. This caused me some trouble, but I have learned now that I must think my squeaks rather than speak them as I read through these texts.

Food has not been a problem. As I like reading these books and filling my brain with their translated squeaks, I have found that some squeaks are not as interesting as other squeaks. The books where the bad squeaks come from have been my main source of food. Indeed, eating paper was not my very first idea, but I found another book about a mouse who ate paper and thought to try it myself. It sates me well enough, I suppose. As eating is merely a primary concern for survival--and survival is not as interesting to me as a topic--simply do it, and carry on with my English-to-Squeak conversions.

A somewhat embarrassing thing, and one that I am shy to admit, is how long it took me to understand the concept of fiction. For the first of my reading and translation adventures, I thought that every book I read was telling of a real thing that happened. I began to see the world as a very exciting and interesting place. The notion broke apart when I began to notice inconsistencies between books. Inconsistencies can be used to prove a falsehood when major incidents in one book do not get acknowledged in another.

I saw the word "Fiction" in the area where I obtained these books, but I had not figured out its translation for longer than I would prefer to admit. I mistook it for something having to do with the overall pattern of writing, or some such cerebral machination of which I likely should have given more than two looks at in the beginning. I am very careful about such things now.

History seems to be where the true stuff is, but I did not like much of that. I turned many of those books into my food sources. I still read them though, and found that the human imagination is far more interesting than the actual activities of the same species. They dream bigger than often they accomplish in this world.

In fiction, humans are brave, courageous, and sometimes even powerful. In history, humans seem more dull, easy to push around, and more reactive rather than active. Weak. Powerful people find it easy to control them, and they often are too lazy to do anything about it. Their ideas of heroes are not attributed to the dashing fighters who save them from evil villains, but to very weak dying people who struggle with disease, or to those innocents who are killed by terrible people. In fact, I am unsure where the heroes, as portrayed in fiction, actually are in the real world. It is extremely rare that I read about anyone who meets the proper criteria.

I have come to understand that fiction is likely where the best of humanity lies. It may not be real, but it is often very good. I have found myself pouring through it with satisfaction, and I have only turned a small percentage of them into my food supply. Life within fiction is far more exciting, and if it is not exciting, it tends to be, at the very least, more dramatic and interesting. There is also enough of it so that I shall be satisfied for my entire lifespan, however long that may be.

I do wish to say that this work of which you are reading now is the first and only thing I am going to write. Translating from Squeak to English is more difficult that I thought it would be. I am only doing it as an exercise to better myself. Truth be told, my eyes have been blurring badly the whole time I have been working on it. It is a taxing experience. I intend for it to be found after I have passed on. I shall make sure someone finds it and does what they wish with it. All in all, I think I have lived a better life than most mice, and I accredit my happiness primarily to fiction. With that, I shall conclude this writing.

Respectfully yours,

Carl

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This blog was written on November 19, 2022.

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Fairy Tale Spotlight: A Mouse Raised by Cheetahs

The Grasslands were rough. Like, I couldn't get anything done at any time... ever. I'm not joking. Do you know what it's like for a mouse in the African Grasslands? You don't. You probably wouldn't have any fun either. Everybody thinks they’re tough. Everybody thinks they can handle anything. Well, no. Nope. You aren't born and bred for the Grasslands like me. Not even other mice. Just me. Not you. Not them. Just me.

My name is Spiny. It's a name that sticks right in your skin. I'm small, but I bite. I bite because I want to. But there are these really big cats that live near me called cheetahs. They are really fast and have all these spots. They think they’re so tough. They think their whole 70 mile per hour thing is so hot. (Well, it is a little hot. I mean, that is kind of fast.) But they shouldn't let it go to their heads.

What is a mouse to that kind of speed? I can barely go 3 miles per hour. I might hit 4 right before I pass out. I figured this was a good time to start making alliances. Early on in my childhood, I covered myself in spots and approached these big cats boldly and without any protection whatsoever! (Although I did sort of wait till after they ate that gazelle.)

I looked up and I said to them, "Hey, kittens! I'm the world's smallest cheetah! I got no one in my life to tell me how to be one, so you guys are gonna have to teach me!" Yeah, they just sort of looked at me funny. It's one of those looks that's supposed to unnerve you so they realize that you're just a joke. I'm not a joke though! I'm the real thing! So, I toughened myself up and yelled, "Which one of you is gonna be my teacher?!"

Well, I got my response. They all sort of volunteered. It was sort of a group "Yes." The only disconcerting thing was that... I think they knew I was a mouse. I mean, they never told me directly, but I could hear a little sarcasm in their voices. It was the way they said "little cheetah." Oh, ho, I know what's going on there! You think this is really funny! I must be some kind of joke to you jerks! I knew I had to stay tough and learn the ways of the cheetah.

The hardest part about it was learning how to run really fast. They showed me their technique. The problem was that whenever they took off running, I had nothing to see. They were just... gone. I couldn't watch what they were actually doing. Oh, I complained about this a lot. I accused them of all sorts of cheating. I even suggested that cheating must be where they got their names. Well, they didn't want to be accused of that, so they helped me out.

One cheetah would let me ride on his back, while another ran aside of him. That way I could watch and learn how to run really fast. And it worked! After tons of practice, I just barely broke 5 miles an hour. I also passed out and may have gotten sun stroke. The whole world was spinning. I think I threw up a little. But, gaaawwd, I felt so alive. Almost dead, but seriously alive.

But after a few weeks I was able to get that 5MPH a lot better, and today I am leveled off at a solid 8. I don't think I can do much more than that. The only thing left that I needed to deal with was food. A lot of the cheetahs were talking about how I'd never be able to take down a gazelle. I gave them a lot of hell about that. I mean have you ever heard of any tiny gazelles out there? I did ask one of the other mice if I could paint a black stripe on their belly and then chase them around. He isn't my friend anymore.

One of the cheetahs, however, told me I could ride on him during the chase, and I could leap off and bite into my prey at the last second. Good lord, that sounded so action packed! How could I resist?! When the time came, I was so ready. The chase was on! I was so ready to stick my teeth into that gazelle meat! I saw the moment coming. I braced for the moment... and then jumped! I probably flew forty... probably sixty feet away. I don't even know where I was. One of the cheetahs came over and checked on me. I played it off real cool. "I just wanted to see how far I could jump, is all." I think he may have bought it.

So, dinner was served. I tried my best to bite into that gazelle. I was able to get into a little bit, but it was just maybe too much all at one time. I still pretended to do it though, and we all had a laugh and enjoyed each other's company. Later that night, I went to dig up some bugs in secret. Maybe someday I can eat gazelle, but I guess a mouse just has to do what he has to, to survive.

My name is Spiny. I'm a really tough mouse, living in the African Grasslands. I was raised by cheetahs and they have accepted me as their own. I'm gonna be real big someday, but today, I'm still pretty small. But I'm super sure anyone can be anything they want to be if they just believe in themselves a little. But as to being a cheetah, I wouldn't recommend it. That's something only a mouse like me can do. If you try it, you might end up being the next gazelle. Leave this stuff to the professionals.

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This blog was written on November 12, 2022.

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Fairy Tale Spotlight: The Arcade Mouse

It was trouble enough when the children were all running around. They were mingled with adults who were, perhaps, the biggest problem for me. I had to come out during the day. Everything was locked during the night, and that was no good. I may be small, but the only way to actually get into a closed door is to chew into it. Chewing into things create holes. Holes mean that the local pest control is gonna show up and kill a poor, innocent mouse.

Of course, I could have just lived somewhere else. There's not much food here. Maybe a bit of french-fry... and the crumbs of a half-eaten pizza. I mean, I do have standards, darn it!

No, the thing I was the most interested in was... and please don't laugh at this... the prize cabinet. You know what I mean, right? It's the glass cabinet where all the kids exchange their tickets for free stuff. Yes, that cabinet. That's why I live here on the very edge of danger.

All the kids want what's in there, and so do I. I mean not everything. Some of the more expensive stuff is not really my cup of cheese. I am in it more for the cheap stuff. 10 to 100 tickets is my fair. Here you have the cool glow-in-the-dark things and suckers. I love the suckers. Sugar is a major part of my diet. I also like the erasers. They don't taste very good, but they are soft and squishy. I just like that.

Getting into the prize cabinet is hard, but I have to do it during the day. That means sneaking around people's feet. I've been seen a few times, but I always got away. It's okay if a child sees me, but if an adult spots me, the jig is up. I am very careful about the risks I take.

The idea of it is to get the things I want and not get locked in the cabinet. I have a little hidey-hole in the wall where I bring all the things. I set them up and arrange them all by colors. The pencil sharpeners are surprisingly good as little chairs. You might not think that because of the hole, but it has more to do with the side you lay it on. Boy, I'd hate to get my tail stuck in one of those things!

I try and keep a stash of at least five suckers. If I get down to two, I know I have to get back into the cabinet for more. You know, when I moved in here, I noticed the suckers were going for fifteen tickets. Now they are like thirty! I don't think that's fair to all the kids who probably remember them being cheaper. I don't know how ticket inflation works, but there should be more consistency to it. Just to get one up on the man, I put a few suckers in the ten-ticket slot. I think I made one little girl very happy.

So, this is my life. It's very cutthroat, I know. I'm probably gonna get caught eventually, but I do have an escape (and return) plan. You don't need to worry about me. I do wish you could see my little apartment. It glows in the dark. After putting myself through such daily trials, it's a very relaxing room to come back to. I wouldn't trade it for anything.

Squeak!

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This blog was written on November 6, 2022.

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Fairy Tale Spotlight: What is a Conspiracy?

One of the most common plots in all literature is "the conspiracy." This is, of course, when a person or group of people secretly plan against one or more other people. It is a very simple concept and can lead to a very exciting story. Much of the story generally has to do with the plight of the hero who has to unravel this conspiracy to find out about its origins and the people involved.

The reason we have stories like this at all is because there actually has been quite a lot of conspiracies, both big and small, in our history. Governments have conspired against their own people, friends have conspired against friends, and as a child, I would conspire against my parents. The latter is true of most children. It's all about getting what you want. In fact, conspiracies are always about getting something that should otherwise be forbidden.

Stories about conspiracies are almost never just thrown away as silly notions. The reason they are so exciting is because we understand their plausibility. We know that they are a very real and common aspect of humanity since the beginning of recorded time. If we had no conspiracies, we would trust everyone, and we would likely not even bother to lock our doors at night. Conspiracies are real because we are human, and it is a natural and common thing for humans to make them.

Humans, at large, are some of the most untrustworthy creatures in lore. In fairy tales, they can be sneaky and treacherous. You can see the smiles on their faces, yet what it in the mind is being carefully tucked away. It is likely why a lot of competing fantasy races tend to be very careful around humans in those stories. We all know why, although sometimes we like to pretend we are better than we are.

The notion that conspiracies are not real goes against the recorded history of the human race. Don't be so quick to just throw something like that out. Do your own research. Figure it out for yourself. The whole of history is a very repetitive story, and you should be very careful in how you read it.

And just remember one last thing: In a world where people don't believe in conspiracies, evil people have free reign to do as they please.

This blog was written on November 6, 2022.

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Fairy Tale Spotlight: About Reading Three Books at a Time

If everything in my life is comfortable, and presently it is, I like to get as much reading as I can done. I currently read three books at one time. I traditionally have one physical book and two digital (Kindle) books. Although it's not limited to this, the physical slot usually ends up being either novelty books or really obscure books that never ended up on Kindle. I don't do audio books at all... and I don't have any interest in them.

I have a friend who prefers to do one book at a time in order to focus on it. I have a sort of restless nature that wants to deal with multiple stories at once. I am essentially "focusing" on all three equally with no real drawback to that focus. It's not a problem. The only actual drawback is that all three stories take longer to read. Sometimes I get into a sort of roll where books are ending pretty rapidly, but there are time (like now) where it's going to take a long time for any of them to end.

The current physical book I am reading right now is a monster. I'll probably be on it for a matter of months. The kindle books are shorter, but I started them at about the same time. I gotta say... I don't like being in this sort of spot. Reading is such a restless thing for me. I like to reach endings often. Getting stuck in the middle of three books is rough.

I'm not a sad person by nature. I'm open-minded and inquisitive. I like to explore these fictional worlds and look for ways to apply the fictional knowledge into myself. I do believe that fiction inspires reality, and if it can do that, it can inspire me as well. It's really a simple thing. There's nothing too exciting about what I am doing. It's not special. It's just that there is quite a bit of nice things out there in the written format. I enjoy digging around.

Thank you all for reading my little reviews. Writing them kind of helps me finalize how I feel about the books that I read. They may not always be about fairy tales, but books have a way of sparking the same imagination that creates fairy tales. It is the world's most important medium. It just is... and it should never die.

So I am going to get back to my reading. Three books at a time. Looking for that ending that always seems so far away.

This blog was written on November 2, 2022.

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Fairy Tale Spotlight: The Time Machine [Book Review]

[Contains some spoilers for a classic book.]

"The Time Machine" is a book written by H. G. Wells. It was published in 1895, and just saying that should give you a good beginning point for what time this book starts. It is the very product of the year it came out, and, from there, you can begin a truly fantastic journey.

The whole idea of this book is to explore the unknown. The unknown, in this case, is time. Although the author was ignorant of what was to come, he still had an imagination, perhaps one based in a bit of cynicism, but an imagination nonetheless. In "The Time Machine," you'll very clearly experience a very surreal yet equally dreadful vision of the year 802701 A.D. It's a time where humans still exist but in a very broken, upsetting state.

And you can criticize or become uncomfortable with this futuristic tragedy that Wells created, but, regardless of how you feel about it, you will not be able to distance your mind away from the nearly unfathomable surreal nature of that world. It's like putting an expiration date on everything you have ever known to be... your world. We often never think about how things inevitably pass away, nor do we like or want to.

This book sought to remind you of the sort of transitory nature of the world and perhaps the universe itself. It does it with a mastery of the English language. I was never once even the slightest confused, yet I can't say I fully understood everything, nor was I meant to. How can anyone fully understand what was presented in this book? The main character barely understood it. It's really just there for our own fascination. A dazzling of the mind as your own unique imagination works overtime, trying to parse it all out. What's there is grand, and you at least know that fact quite plainly.

Using the publishing date as a frame of reference, the Time Traveler also travels to the approximate year of 30001895 A.D. I have nothing to say about that year, but that it was one of the most surreal experiences I have ever found in a book. I can't explain it. You just need to read it to understand. And really that is the whole experience of "The Time Machine:" namely that it is entirely and masterfully surreal.

This book is clearly a masterpiece of writing. I cannot recommend "The Time Machine" enough. I think it should be required reading for any science fiction enthusiast. Regardless of what you think about Wells' cynicism, the journey found in this book will throw you for a loop. Read it.

This blog was written on October 23, 2022.

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Fairy Tale Spotlight: Jack Snow - Author of Oz

Only two! Jack Snow only wrote two canon Oz books! Ouch! I cannot begin to tell you how wonderful this author is. Although there are other contributions the man made to the universe, he was only able to expand the series by two points, and that, to me, is very sad.

Jack Snow only wrote "The Magical Mimics in Oz" and "The Shaggy Man of Oz." Both are extremely good. The thing that made Jack Snow so good was the respect he had for the original canon material that had been created by L. Frank Baum. This is something that both Ruth Plumly Thompson and John R. Neill just couldn't seem to swing. Jack knew what he was doing, and he did it really well.

I know I said great things about John R. Neill, but it was more in contrast to the often painfully bad books written by Thompson. It was a change of pace, but really not anything like what Baum would have done. When Jack Snow did Oz, it was really Oz. It was the way Oz was always intended to be.

Now even though he ignored the other canon and characters, he still ended up writing a book entitled "Who's Who in Oz," which covered all the characters up to that point. So in a way, he still acknowledged those other characters, and I am happy he did.

I'm serious when I say this, but I really do recommend you read his stuff. It isn't just his respect for Baum's world, but he just seems like he is an even more serious writer than the original creator. He's a solid and talented author in his own right. These are well-written and eloquent books that deserve notice. Thank you, Jack Snow, for everything you did to make Oz wonderful.

This blog was written on October 20, 2022.

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Fairy Tale Spotlight: The Shaggy Man of Oz [Book Review]

[Contains spoilers for a book nobody reads anymore.]

"The Shaggy Man of Oz" is the thirty-eighth book in the Oz series, created by L. Frank Baum. It was written by Jack Snow and published in 1949. As with in "The Magical Mimics in Oz," Jack Snow completely ignores the canon of Ruth Plumly Thompson and John R. Neill.

What a treat! This book is essentially the sequel to "The Road to Oz," which was the fifth book. It deals with the Shaggy Man and his Love Magnet which was introduced way back then. The book also introduces two new travelers from America, a boy and girl named Tom and Twink. A toy clown named Twiffle joins them on their journey to get the Love Magnet repaired and then return it to the land of Oz.

In many ways, this book reminded me of "The Road to Oz," which was a very wandering sort of book. It made sense that a tramp was the main character of both. It has less to do with Oz and more about just getting a little lost out in the wide fairy expanse of Baum's world.

The villain of the story is a wizard named Conjo. He was hilarious. He was basically a fun, happy guy with a serious problem with selfishness. He was basically a really old child with too much power. There was a scary aspect to him too since he really didn't seem to know the difference between right and wrong. It's one of those situations where the guy just needs to be controlled or else he'll go too far, but under another person's power, he is completely harmless and even charming.

The travelers had to pass through some very interesting areas as they tried to get back to Oz. One was a land in the clouds that had no gravity. Antigravity was a little hard to fathom back in the 40's. They saw it as being able to swim without having to worry about breathing issues.

There was a city that was completely obsessed with theatrical plays. They would kidnap people and enchant them into a sleepwalking state. They would then force them to participate in the same play over and over again. This whole section of the book was great comedy. There was one woman named Lady Cue who was remarkably confused and ditsy. Everything she said and did was scattered and silly. I had a VERY similar character in one of my unpublished books, so I really related to the character-type.

The last thing they had to deal with before the end of the story was a whole land filled with fairy Beavers. Not much to say about them other than the fact that they were extremely adorable. They were all very industrious and friendly. They worked together and were just plain fun to read about.

I freaking loved this book. Jack Snow feels to me like Baum reborn. I don't care that he ignored the other canon. The other canon really wasn't that great. It didn't need to exist. It's too bad we didn't have Jack a whole lot earlier.

I absolutely recommend "The Shaggy Man of Oz." It does help if you have read "The Road to Oz" first. This is really the true sequel to that one, but I guess it's okay if you have not. The author explains what happened well enough without actually spoiling it. Good stuff. Give this one a read.

This blog was written on October 20, 2022.

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Fairy Tale Spotlight: The First Men in the Moon [Book Review]

"The First Men in the Moon" is a book written by H. G. Wells. Although it was originally a serialized publication from 1900 to 1901, it was fully published as a book in 1901. The fact that it was serialized first makes sense if you read it. I think H. G. Wells really liked making his stories feel like they were real.

The whole idea of the book comes from the idea of two men going to the moon in a time way before such things were possible. In fact, that actually is what it would have been like at the turn of the century. Nobody really knew what was up there, even though we would eventually learn about it many decades later. The imagination it took to write this book as good as it is written is astounding.

Not only does it describe the surprisingly plausible concept of the craft used to get there, but then we find an entire alien race is living there underneath the surface. Almost everything you could want to know is explained but in a way that feels like it's a very real account.

The first section of the book is really just about the adventure of traveling there and getting lost and confused about everything. This section is very fast paced and a bit mixed in feel. The weird thing about this story is that it actually feels kind of goofy when it starts, but then it takes a turn towards horror once they actually get to the moon. I love the contrast.

The last section of the book acts as a lore dump for the "Selenites" who are the moon people. Talking too much about them seems like really bad spoilers to me. It's something the book waits until the end to really dish out. I'll just say that I found their lives and culture extraordinarily fascinating, and it was making me read for longer periods than I am used to. Heck, the fact that they were even up there was fascinating enough.

If you are able to detach yourself from all the information we've been given by NASA, "The First Men in the Moon" is an easy recommendation. And really the best thing about this story is that it is written in a way that makes it seem both relatable and plausible. It almost feels like it is happening as you read it. This one is really worth your time.

This blog was written on October 8, 2022.

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