Sample Chapter

The Small Grey Mouse

The first time I met you, you were a small grey mouse and I was a man.

You were running along the roof of my old teacher's house one night while I was outside smoking.

You were scared and ran to the edge of the roof, looking back at me and not realizing that the edge was approaching, so you flew off unexpectedly and fell to the ground.

You sprung up immediately, and ran in no particular direction, which happened to be directly toward my shoe.

You crashed into me head first, and were totally disoriented. I took another drag of my cigarette and watched you come to, shake your head, look up at me, and run off into the night.

That's one thing I'll never forget.

We met a few more times, in the centuries that followed.

Much later, you became a man. By then, I was a young demi-god, and I looked in on you for my own selfish reasons.

Once, when you were offering sage to the wind, I blew at you and started a fire. You thought it was a sign, and it was. You were so idealistic back then.

Once, you became ruler of the land, and I started spying on your enemies for you, trying to get word to your soothsayer, but she was a fraud and a liar.

I dispatched her for you.

We were so evil back then.

It wasn't until you became a priest that I became a god. Four times, you were a priest.

Now look at you. The High Lama. A True Bodhisattva.

It's nice to finally be able to appear before you, and speak directly to you, and you are unafraid.

"Oh no, I'm still afraid of you!" the small grey mouse replied, "I'm just pretending not to be, so that you'll be more proud of me.”

I laughed and vanished, so that his meditation could continue.

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